By Mark E. Waterbury

SH: I discovered my voice. I actually started out in the theater and that went quite well. Then my father got me a guitar when I was fourteen and I just took to it. I would play for hours and hours, and I didn't care about everything else. Then when I was sixteen or so, I was playing along to Judy Collins and I discovered my vibrato. This wiggle came out of my voice and it just blew me away. Once I hooked into my voice, I just started singing more and more. Then I studied with this woman from Julliard and I really discovered my voice.

MM: Did you start writing original music right away, too?

SH: Yes, I started writing when I was sixteen. I think I had a poet inside of me, and I was a bit different and a really intense kid. It just kind of came along and saved me really, because I had so much going on inside of my head and I couldn't relate to daily life a hundred percent. There was something else there for me and once I hooked into the words and music, I realized that I finally had somewhere to put all my thoughts down. So I started writing folk songs, I studied with people, started collaborating, and I hit the road.

MM: So once you realized music was what you wanted to do, did you start performing immediately?

SH: Yeah, I had The Village right close to me, and what better place to hit than Bleeker Street. I used to walk Bleeker Street with my guitar and hit the clubs and then hit the road. I did a couple of detours into top 40 show bands and I also went to school. So I just combined everything, but I've been mostly doing music since then.

MM: Other than the show bands, have you always been primarily a solo performer?

SH: Pretty much. When the budget allows me to take people with me, I love to have my bassist and percussionist along. In my recording, I have more of a band involvement and a full production sound, and I actually love having company on stage. Mostly though on the road, it is me and my guitar, and you just sort of learn to be the band with your voice and guitar.

MM: Do you feel that by being a solo act on your own, you can perform in more locations because you don't have as many expenses as with a band?

SH: In general, yes. I love to drive, I love being alone in the car and I do get to go to more places. It's mostly out of budgetary issues; it's cheaper for them and cheaper for me. There's an advantage to getting out there solo, although I would be happy to have a band along if I had the budget for it.

MM: When you were just starting to perform around The Village and other places, what else did you do to get your name out there?

SH: When I played bars, I always had some sort of recordings, cassettes and then later. CDs. It was mostly a home thing, I would get friends, relatives and people that I worked with to come out. I had several rather interesting other jobs to support myself, and I still do other things as a means of support. So I crossed over with my clients and people I worked with, and they were all really cool with me when I had to hit the road and made allowances for me, and I am grateful for that.

MM: Do you feel it's important for musicians to keep their day jobs for awhile, so they have a bit more capital to be able to invest in their music careers?

SH: Everybody's story is different. I know some people who just hit the road and play music and can get by, and if you are comfortable with that, go ahead and quit your day job, but have a plan! I'm kind of a day job person with a plan, and you do need money to invest in your career. You need to pay a publicist and record people and radio promoters. It's not just about making a CD, because once you have a product you have to get it out there. You don't want your stuff just sitting in your living room in boxes, you need to get it out there and that costs money. So I look at it as a business investment, and my day job gives me the money to make those business investments.

MM: Is that how you have progressed with your career, from starting playing grass roots in front of friends to performing more to the public by bringing more people onto your team?

SH: You have to have a team, although I do know of some people who are self-contained. But overall as we know, most artists are not good business people. (chuckles) We have a lot to learn and with the internet now there is so much that we can learn and so much more available to us. I think it's best to do both, because I have learned through the internet to be a lit better with business, but I also realize that I have my shortcomings and I can't do it all myself and it's really okay to have help. A combination of the two is really important because you need to be proactive with your career. Even if you have a team you need to keep your hands on the burners and know what everyone is up to and stay in touch and stay in the game.

MM: Is your songwriting always spontaneous?

SH: Yes, it does happen that way a lot. Sometimes it hits me when I'm driving, or I may pick a part of Manhattan and wander around. I do also like getting assignments and commissions from other people with what to write. So I do it both ways, I go through just being inspired by my life or witnessing other people's lives, and also having people ask me to write them a song. It becomes an exercise for me and I can actually get more into the art of songcrafting when someone asks me to write a song for them. Whatever the approach is and whatever the inspiration comes from I find it very interesting.

MM: You have a new CD coming out fairly soon, is there anything different you plan on doing to market this release?

SH: Yes.(Laughs) I'm going to get it out of my house much quicker than I did the last time. I'm definitely going to keep working with a publicist, and I have a radio promoter who I've been speaking to that is waiting for the word from me. It will be a much more coordinated effort this time and I will not be alone - that is going to be my new approach.

MM: What sort of success would you like to see with your music career and what do you think it will take to get there?

SH: I really feel that I have to remain true to myself, and I am a big believer of do what you love and get paid for it. I think true abundance only comes from being true to yourself, and I can only write the way I write and only do what I can do. I can't be anyone else and can't compare myself to anyone else. I really need to stay present with my own process and realize the gifts that I have. My gifts will appeal to a certain group of people, not everyone, but that's okay because there is room for all of us to do what we do and be appreciated. I just need to do my art and have the support that I need to get that art out there as I am, and really enjoy who connects with what I do and who I connect to doing it. I love my audiences, I love talking to people, I love when people get it about what I do, and to me, if I have just a couple of folks per show come up and tell me that the music moved them, that makes my day, makes my week and makes my life.