well, it seems that this is the week of “women who rock”.

it all started with….

sonia leigh. a singer/songwriter from georgia who knows how to bring the house down with her onstage presence and a very tight sound. she plays a kind of blues/rock hybrid with a little bit of country influence and if you go see her perform live you will *not* be disappointed at all. she was the opening act on sunday and she could have been the headliner for all the energy and passion she put into her set. if you like music at all you absolutely must go see this woman play.

next up was meiko, another singer/songwriter from georgia (who happens to be friends with sonia leigh too). she’s a lot more mellow compared to sonia leigh, but her songs come from deep within and she puts herself out into the world with each performance.

she was followed by jaime wyatt. jaime reminds me a little of chrissy hines, if chrissy hines played a jazzy blues/country style of music. she puts a lot of great energy into her performance and it’s very easy to just get caught up in the vibe when she’s onstage.

finally the show was wrapped up by sally jaye, another singer/songwriter from georgia (who is also friends with sonia and meiko). sally’s music is pure country through and through, but the good kind, not the stuff you hear on the radio. and she’s an amazingly talented singer on top of that. her songs are insightful and very well crafted, and she’s one of the most down to earth people i have ever met. :)

that was the sunday night lineup. moving on to tuesday night….

the venue was a new-ish cafe downtown called the lost souls cafe. it was a pretty large coffee shop with a space near the entrance set up as a “stage”. really it was just a drum set with a PA, but it made for a nice cozy space to get close to the music.

the show started with a dynamic duo, as performed by valeri lopez, and her good friend soyu sae. these two ladies really know how to write some great music. they played each other’s songs, sang each others harmonies, and just made such a great show that it was almost a shame it had to end. valeri said she’s moving to oregon soon, so this may have been their last performance together for awhile. but that just makes the “reunion” shows that much better :)

they were followed by one of my favorite local artists, amy kuney. i’m pretty sure i’ve written about amy before, but since i love her music so much i’m just going to say some more. :) amy’s songs are a little on the cynical side at times, sometimes sarcastic, but always well written to the point where you can identify with just about every song she sings. she also has a humorous side with her music, but not to the point of being campy. she’s going on a small tour soon, so she may be coming to a town near you :)

and finally, tomorrow night i will be seeing one of my all time favorite musicians — sara hickman. what can i say about this wonderful lady that even comes close to capturing the kind of person she is? i was first made aware of her when i was living in austin many years ago. she had a following there, but i couldn’t figure out what made so many people so in love with her music until i finally saw her perform live. just by herself she plays as if she’s an entire band up on stage. her energy is beyond comparison and every show she plays is overflowing with her enthusiasm.

one of the reasons she is one of my favorite people in the entire world is based on something i had heard about her back when i was first hearing about her. and i read in one of the articles written about her that she gave herself an allowance from her music in the low five figures and donated the rest of her earnings to her favorite charities. i have never found mention of that again, but i met her one time and i have to say that it’s probably still true, considering all the volunteer and charity work she does with her time — besides making some great music :) people who can live within their ideals are always inspiring to me, especially when it makes the world a better place to live.