Her songs have been used by MTV, Nike, Miller Lite, Virgin Mobile, Subaru, Juicy Couture, Suave, Vodafone, Chips Ahoy, Subaru, Quiznos, Ford Models, Bank of America and heard in Big Brother Australia, One Tree Hill, Veronica Mars, Laguna Beach, The Real Orange County, The Hills, Ice Age 3, Kourt & Khloe Take Miami, Bad Girls and House of Jazmin.  so if you find yourself buying a product, shakin’ your booty, this diva may be to thank for the grooves!

Salme takes us inside her world…in her own words ~

The Acid Cowgirl Audio Trade is a high-energy pop/electronica album filled with funky guitars, rocking break beats and cherry flavored pop hooks. It’s meant to entertain and energize.  I produced and recorded the album myself in my own studio, called The Pink Penthouse. I have since then moved the studio to Brooklyn, but at the time my studio was a tiny space, about 50 sqf located in the penthouse of my apartment. It was hot as hell in the summer and freezing cold in winter, but it was very inspiring and I had the best view of the Manhattan skyline at night.

Making TACAT, I set out to make a high energy, super hooky album. I always loved albums by artists such as Fatboy Slim who had these really hard hitting, in your face productions mixed in with all these corky, tongue in cheek hooks, and I wanted to do something in that vein. I am not a DJ so instead of searching for other songs to sample, I set out to make my own. I played most of the instruments on that album as well. But to keep with the electronic feel, I would record some guitar riffs, then cut them up, throw them in the sampler and tweak the crap out of them. But it was always important to me to have real songs in there. I come from a traditional songwriter background – you know, you sit down with a guitar or at the piano and work out melody and lyrics. A lot of times the songs where written that way and only later dressed up in all the funkyness and tweaked out fashion.

I started playing classical piano at age 5. When I was 12 I moved on to guitar and that’s when I really started writing songs and playing in bands. I also played drums for a while; my parent’s were always really supportive of my music and they let me keep the drum set in the living room. I also got into midi programming early on, my first computer was an Atari running Logic Notator. I still use Logic to this day. I was always the lead singer in all the bands I was in. Singing didin’t come easy for me though, I took voice lessons for years.  My parents listened mostly to classical music so I had to turn to the radio to find my pop and rock and roll. There were a couple of radio shows in Sweden (where I grew up) that played the popular bands from the US and the UK. I used to tape these shows on my little tape recorder and listen to them over and over. I remember hearing Cher (disco-era), Kiss, Barbara Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Prince and Journey. Nowadays I listen to a lot of electronic music (I like the energy) but to offset that I keep my Bob Dylan and Kiss records handy. I’m a sucker for a great chorus so anything that has a memorable hook, I listen to, whether it’s dance, rock, pop or country music.

I am currently working on a new studio album, which is going to be a little closer to the dance floor. The first single, “So Delicious”, is coming out in November followed by a full-length album in 2011. I’ve got remixes done by Junior Vasquez (big hero of mine), Massi & Deleon and David Knapp, it’s going to be a hot release.  I am also producing a break beat EP, working title is “Pop Piller”, containing songs I’ve written for the new album that are better suited for that type of production.

Check out my website www.salmedahlstrom.com for all the latest Salme news. There you’ll also find links to hook up with me on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and more. Hope to see you out there!

Salme says~  “Stay true to yourself, don’t lose sight of your goal and work hard.”

You Go Girl!!!

My first few projects were with drummers and the mix time for drums is extensive.  I finally decided not to use drums – not to save money but because my vocals sound better without them.  It was a hard decision to make because the basic sound most people look for is rock.  Rock has to have drums but building your sound around a full drum kit (live or in a studio) forces you to process everything differently.  You need a bigger budget for recording, you need a more powerful sound system for live performances, you need a bigger room for gigs, which means larger audiences, which means selling more alcohol, which means playing a type of music that is conducive to drinking or dancing.  After many years, I finally got rid of the drums.  When people ask, I say “I took all the testosterone out of my music”.  What I mean by that is that it’s finally ALL me and what I’m left with is a format that projects me and my message much better than trying to create a more standard Drum/Bass/Guitar sound.  I’m also not trying to impress anyone anymore.

My CD has a singer-songwriter acoustic format, utilizing keyboard as the basic sound.  I started this series of theme based topical songs 3 years ago and each project is a commentary on a subject.  The first in 2008 is called “Empty Boots: Commentaries on War and Country”, the second in 2009 is a collection of Beatles songs called “We Can Work It Out: Commentaries On the Beatles”, the third one now in 2010 is “Hey Joan: Commentaries On Her”.  The next project coming up in the Spring of 2011 is “Private Artist: Commentaries On Self”.  I do all the tracks, including the (keyboard) bass parts and also flute on some tracks.  I have been using a studio in Chicago called “Studio Chicago” for the past 6 years but I come into the studio with all of my midi tracks ready to import into the board so that I can add the vocals and flute live in the studio.  I then do all of the mixing there.  My trusty engineer is Chuck Kawal.  He knows exactly what I’m going to say before I even say it.  Even though I bring in charts, he is so musical that he generally just follows the lyric sheet.

I started taking piano lessons in the 3^rd grade and always hated it.  I picked up the flute on my own in the 5^th grade so that I could play in the school bands.  I played guitar (like everyone else did!) and played with a women’s band in Chicago in 1973 but later went back to playing keyboards and flute with a top 40 band.  Then, at the age of 24, I started playing the tenor sax, as I decided it would be deemed less “feminine”.  The sexism out there is intense, suffocating and although it might be invisible to the naked eye, it’s rampant.  It’s absolutely crushing.  However, if you mention it or talk about it, no one will believe you.  With music, people liking you or calling you for a gig is so subjective that it’s hard to say it’s discrimination when you don’t succeed.  Part of the problem is that it’s still a buddy system…and ALL the buddies are MEN.  If women in the current generation say that they have not found this to be true, then I am happy to think that things have changed.

I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston as a keyboard player but wasn’t good enough on sax to switch my major, so I joined the Army Band program as a sax player in 1978.  I finally went back to playing just the piano and flute, along with singing a few years ago.

• CD’s can be purchased at WWW.CAROLWILLIAMSMUSIC.COM along with several other sites including CD Baby and ITUNES.
• WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CAROLWILLIAMSMUSIC

Calming and pure one moment, exciting and vivid the next, this album lights up the imagination and relieves the mind of the mundane.  Catherine evokes a fabulous array of emotions typically reserved for emotions that ebb and flow only under the moonlight.

~Wendy Oakley~

The many loves of Catherine Duc…

I play piano, keyboard and some Irish instruments such as the low whistle, tin whistle and bodhran.  My first instrument was the keyboard, which I started learning when I was 8.  I started learning classical piano when I was about 12 and have only taken up the Irish instruments recently after a trip to Ireland.  I also have some Asian instruments such as a dizi flute from China and a bamboo flute from Cambodia.  During high school, I was in the choir and at primary school, I was offered a place in the Australian Girls Choir (which I didn’t take up).  I’ve only been doing some vocal recording in the last 5 or so years.  I recorded all of ‘Visions and Dreams’ including the vocals in my home studio.  I really like the flexibility of having a studio at home and being able to compose and record music whenever I like it.  My album ‘Visions and Dreams’ is a blend of my favorite styles of music.  I enjoy listening to World, ambient and chillout music like the Cafe del Mar, along with atmospheric electronica such as Chicane and BT. In the last few years, I’ve really been interested in film soundtracks and my favorite composers are James Horner (Titanic), Harry Gregson-Williams (Chronicles of Narnia) and Howard Shore (Lord of The Rings).  My main influences when I started composing music were Enigma, Deep Forest and Delerium as I found the way they blended world music, electronic beats and ambient textures had a very fresh and interesting sound.  I like the modern classical composers like Debussy, Satie, Dvorak and Holst.  I’m also a big fan of Celtic music – from traditional Celtic folk songs to Celtic crossover like Celtic Woman, Enya and Riverdance to pop and rock artists like The Corrs and Mary Black.

‘Visions and Dreams’ was recorded using a lot of different ethnic instruments from Asia, The Middle East, Africa, Europe and South America combined with ambient backgrounds, electronica rhythms and ethereal vocalises.  If you like Enigma or Enya, my music is similar to their styles.  The mastering was done at the Sony Mastering studios near Sydney.  I didn’t actually go there (it would have been really nice to visit the studios though) and sent the CD by post to them.  A couple of phone calls later to the engineer and it was all done.

I’m now working on my next studio album, which will have more Celtic music influences.  I hope to go to the Billboard film music conference in LA later this year.  I’ve been to California once when I was at school and most of my relatives live in California.   I’d really like to see more of California, especially the coast and would love to visit San Francisco again as it reminds me of my hometown, Melbourne.

Catherine’s Words of Wisdom for Women Musicians…

Try to enjoy the musical journey rather than the destination!  I’d like to share one of my favorite inspirational quotes written by the author Mark Twain:  ‘Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.   So throw off the bowlines.   Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore. Dream. Discover.’

I’d just like to encourage musicians who are reading this to have a try at things (or as we say down in Australian – ‘have a go’).  You won’t know what you can do unless you have actually tried it.  And if you fail once, just get up and try again and do things a little differently.  After all, Edison failed about 10,000 times before he got the light bulb right!  When I first started recording music, I received some critical reviews from some listeners.  I didn’t stop there and give up – I used it as fuel to improve my musicianship and a couple of year later ended up receiving the Best Instrumental Artist Award at the Los Angeles Music Awards.

Please feel free to say to hi and introduce yourself at: www.myspace.com/CatherineDuc

My main website for more information on my music including free MP3 samples is:     www.CatherineDuc.com

In Her Own Words…..

This album was 100% recorded/produced/ and engineered by me. I started the project in early 2009 and had it finished by late summer. I decided that I wanted to take on the challenge of taking complete control of “Denver or Bust”. I would have never guessed that the project would have been as challenging as it was, but when everything was said and done, it sure was a great learning experience!

I used a pro tools program, a book about recording, a keyboard, a guitar, a mic, and a bass. I created a makeshift studio in my bedroom of the house I was renting at the time. Merry Roberts was kind enough to lend her bass skills and vocals to the project. She is one of my oldest friends and I had a great time playing with her again. Once the recording and mixing was all done I contacted Ramsey Beyer another old friend and sat down with her to discuss artwork for the album. She is extremely talented and you can view some of her stuff at www.everydaypants.com. After all the parts of the project were complete I decided on a manufacturer and the rest is history.  “To Denver or Bust” is a collaborative project made up of honest songs that are both relatable and heartfelt.

~The story behind the music of Kathryn Tapper ~

I grew up with parents who loved the Beatles and Motown classics. From a very young age I showed interest in music and loved to sing along with the “oldies” as my parents called them. When I was thirteen I got my first guitar from a second hand store in Kalamazoo. During my teenage years I learned how to play the drums and recently started teaching myself the keyboard. I have never had any technical training in music, I just kind of teach myself along the way. I have been writing songs since I first got my guitar and have been performing since I was fifteen. During my high school years I fronted an all girl band called Forever In Secret. Forever In Secret was made up of three of my best friends growing up. You can here some of our songs here… www.myspace.com/foreverinsecret. I wrote all of the songs we played and actually taught our drummer how to play so we could have drums   

I’m influenced by all types of music. Right now in my car I’m listening to a classical music radio station actually, I find it quite relaxing. Some of my favorite artists are … Alicia Keys, the Beatles, Steel Train, Tegan and Sara, Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday, Tom Petty, The XX, The Good News, Elton John… the list could go on! Honestly I could find something I like in almost anyone’s musical catalog.

Words of Wisdom for Women Musicians….

Take control. Play as much as you can for anyone who will listen. Teach yourself what you want to know and don’t hesitate to ask someone for a chance.

In the upcoming months I am going to be booking and playing as many shows as I can while working and finishing the last year of my undergrad. I hope to start work on a new project this fall that will hopefully be done by the spring of 2011.

Show dates and info for Kathryn Tapper can be found at www.myspace.com/KathrynTapper

CD’s are available for purchase at  www.amazon.com  and  www.digistation.com/KathrynTapper

Upcoming Shows: 

August 4th at the Corner Bar in Kalamazoo, Mi

September 10th at the Wine and Harvest Festival in Paw Paw, Mi

At 1pm, Every Woman will debut live on the frequency 95.7fm.  Mellow Dee will be live at the WVQC studio hosting a fun filled edition of Every Woman.

For those who cannot listen on 95.7fm, you can continue to stream live at www.wvqc.org.