Quick Q and A with Teresa Storch
 by Kathy S-B  ·  3 April 2009

One reviewer describes Teresa as a musician with “refreshingly vibrant blue-eyed soul.” That reviewer hit the nail on the head with that description. Not only does Teresa have the voice and the style, but she’s got an engaging on-stage essence that makes her audience feel as though she’s old friends with each and every person there. Listen to her music on MySpace and check out a video.

Your life story is quite inspirational — going from making a living as an engineer to being a touring singer-songwriter. Following your dream and taking the ups and the downs as you work your way through the music business is really something. Have you had people come up to you and tell you how impressed they are with you and your decision to do just that? (If not, they should!)

Thanks, I’m either inspirational or crazy;) Seriously, though, yes I’ve had many people come up to me, asking how I made the transition, expressing their own desire to “follow their dream” and excited to see someone doing that. It’s actually part of my “message” from the stage, one of my goals, to inspire people to follow their hearts. We all have so much fear in our heads and ideas about what’s “right” what we “should” do with our lives. I think some people never realize their full potential and never bring their gifts out to share with others. And it’s not just people wanting to do music. At a show in Atlanta, a recent college grad came up to me to ask my advice. He said he had this new degree in accounting and that’s what his parents were expecting him to do. His real dream was to be a college basketball coach! I implored him to just go do what he loved despite what his parents thought. Eventually they’ll catch on. My parents thought my music was just going to be a hobby…until they came to my shows. Now they’re really proud of me.

I’m sure that you’ve played in all kinds of venues. Do you have any stories about the best and perhaps the worst audiences you’ve ever had? (You don’t have to mention any names, of course!)

I recently had a really great experience. It was just a cafe in a smaller town, and the show was put on by locals who were excited to bring me to town. It seems they told all their friends and the place was packed. Circumstances were that I’d showed up late and had a horrible cold that made my voice crack multiple times during the show. I had to keep drinking hot water just to talk! At the end I was floored by the amount of people who stood in line to purchase CDs and get autographs! A fourteen year old girl wanted my advice on how to become a singer, a woman wanted to interview me for a paper, someone took a photo of me and the owner and wanted to frame it hang on the cafe wall (after I autographed it). And I didn’t know a single soul there until that night!

As for the worst audiences, I don’t really see that. I’ve found I can always connect with at least one person if I shift my attitude, wherever I am. And one person is enough for me to feel I’m doing my job. I’ve played some awkward places, though. The subway is a definite lesson in learning how to create an audience out of people not there to hear music. I’ve played movie theater lobbies during the Sundance Film Festival, which is also strange, though sometimes is really fun.

Your version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” is one of the best renditions I’ve ever heard. Do you consider him as a major influence? And who else would rank as your top-rated artists that have made their mark on your soul?

Oh I would be so much cooler if he was:) I do love his writing, though. I actually learned the song from the Jeff Buckley ‘Grace’ album, who did influence me. There are so many influences. My first real addictions were Melissa Etheridge, Shawn Colvin, and the Indigo Girls. I would sing their songs constantly, before I could even play guitar. The first songs I learned on guitar were by Ani DiFranco — LOVE her percussive playing. Dave Matthews made me want a jam band behind me — AMAZING rhythms. Patty Griffin showed me you can write powerful songs without being a killer guitar player — words and melody are all you need. In college I saw any live show I could — Bonnie Raitt to Pearl Jam, Neil Young to Alanis Morisette. Seeing these people doing what they do on stage really had an affect on me. I was moved, I was healed, I was inspired. I wanted to give back to the world some of what they’d given me. I wanted to create that experience for others. I hope, in my humble way, I’ve been able to do that.

Your CD release show in Cambridge for "Stream of Concrete" was an unforgettable night. You did it all that night — leading a really big band and also bringing it all home to a more quiet place. One reviewer notes your "expansive artistry" and I have to agree. Yet, you are able to deliver an intelligent and enjoyable experience as a solo artist. How do you do it??

Wow. I have no idea. Maybe that’s why I get a little crazy sometimes. I want it all . . . to create the big show, get people dancing, as well as provide an intimate, moving experience. Maybe it’s because I was a performer in many lifetimes (see next question);-) I’ve been inspired by my friend Ryan Montbleau. He’s a huge influence I forgot to mention above, he and all my Boston musical community. He’s got this killer jam band and yet he started out playing as a solo artist — and still does. I guess, what I’ve learned is to focus on the songs and figure out the best vehicle to have them connect with a specific audience. Depending on being solo or with a band, I bring different aspects to the performance — be it telling stories related to the songs or creating an awesome jam section in the middle of one. It’s all been one huge learning experience and lots of hard work.

And, so, do you really believe the psychic who told you that you were a can-can girl in Paris in a former life? ;-)

I’ve actually had a few other experiences where I heard I lived in Paris or Europe in a former life. And I’ve been told several times I’ve probably been a performer throughout many lifetimes, which feels right to me. The can-can dancer may be a stretch, but singer or a dancer of some kind I would totally believe:)