Lea in Reflection

Dynamic and emotional, D.C.-based singer/guitar player Lea shared a piece of herself as well as her music while intimately connecting with the crowd in the Common Grounds this past Tuesday.

The concert was absolutely amazing. One of the reasons I liked Lea's music so much was the way she combined her unique, raspy voice with an aggressive, rhythmic style of guitar playing. Obviously a proficient musician, Lea's songs usually consisted of a crazy strumming or picking pattern, mixed with hand slaps on her guitar that provided a grooving rhythm. Lea's voice blended perfectly with her style of playing. Raspy, deep and expressive, her alto voice was highly dynamic and ranged from soft and smooth to loud, harsh, and emotional, perfectly synchronized with her playing. As EMU student Julie Stauffer stated, "Vocally, [Lea] had a certain depth to her singing. She sang with a perfect mix of head voice combined with a bottoming out in her lower range."

In addition to her music and singing, Lea was able to incorporate meaning and depth into what she was singing about. "Lyrically, she is a genius," said Stauffer. Many of Lea's songs expressed very personal experiences from (seemingly) her own life, such as stories about her daughter or the struggle to survive in life. She even incorporated some social messages in her songs, such as a song about the first Native American woman to die fighting for American values. I enjoyed this maturity in her lyrics because it seems today that petty and unimportant messages are all too common in popular music. Lea was also incredibly fun to watch. Unlike most coffee shop performers, Lea played standing up and was in a constant state of motion during her songs, which made her performance feel more energetic and exciting. As her music was fairly rhythmic, Lea grooved and bounced along to the beats she created throughout her songs.

Throughout her concert, Lea maintained a humanness that made me feel like she was on the level of the audience. She was warm and friendly on stage and talked freely, admitting several times that the next song was new and jokingly gave the disclaimer that she couldn't promise perfection. She even quoted a favorite artist of hers who had said, "As an artist, you're not doing anything on stage unless you are scared." Before launching into her next song, Lea commented that even after playing guitar for 25 years, she still gets nervous, and said, "So, I guess I'm doing something!"

The most enjoyable aspect of the concert was the extent to which Lea connected with the crowd. Early in her performance, when the crowd was quite small, Lea made the effort to talk to those of us seated in the chairs and couches, asking us how we were, telling jokes, and inquiring about our majors or areas of study. She was not afraid to talk about her own life, relating that she (like one of the students at the concert) was an English major. She also telling stories about her seven-year-old daughter.

Lea even had the confidence to ask for requests from the audience. Admitting that she may not know the song or play it perfectly, she was more than willing to give something a try. The few covers that she did play were well-done and sounded great, and Lea was able to maintain her own sound and originality.

Lea's connectiom with the crowd didn't stop during her mid-set break. At her merchandise table, Lea was extremely approachable and was excited to talk to a friend and me about her various CDs, outlining which recordings were her favorite or most unique.

Unfortunately, for most of the concert, the crowd was quite small, although by the end of the two-hour concert there was a decent-sized audience. Nonetheless, Lea thrived in her role as a performer and delivered an enjoyable yet challenging night of music.