"I think I was probably born singing." Heather Friedman makes this statement almost laughingly, but as sincerely as can be. This statement does not come as a surprise, either, for anyone who has ever heard her sing. She is an all-around performer - the 20-year-old UCF senior Bachelor of Arts music major, sings classically in the music department here, is in musical theatre, and has her own band, aptly named the Heather Friedman Band. While this seems likea lot on her plate, she feels like she's prepared for any opportunity to come her way. And between talent like hers and a vehicle like her band, it's hard to imagine that she would be denied any opportunity to perform.
Her forays into popular music come from a combination of oer love for expressive writings, poetry, journals, etc., and her natural love for music. She says she didn't start writing songs until her sophomore year of college. Heather formed her band this past January, which was comprised of guitarist Phil Swasey, bassist John Friskics and percussionists Ramon Lopez on drums and Justin Steger on congas, vibraphone, and other auxilary percussion. Together, they create an ensemble with a jazzy feel that goes down easy but grabs a listener's attention. She says that she didn't go on a huge search for these musicians, but that they all just sort of ended up playing together. "I don't think we'd organically come together and be five friends - it's the music that brings us together." It doesn't hurt to be in classes that are chock-a-block full of music students, either.
"I just asked people in my music classes if they knew anyone who played certain instruments. Phil was in my music theory class. He said he played guitar, but he said 'I'm not gonna be in your band or anything' at first."
Heather started booking shows around town, fully prepared to play solo, hoping that a band would come along. Lopez was the first to come on board after he heard a demo that Heather had done. John came after he heard the original ensemble play. "I was so thankful that I had four other people interested in my music other than my best friends," says Friedman.
The lineup of the band is in fluctuation, however. This summer, they lost Steger to grad school in Pennsylvania. Heather says that he still records tracks on vibes and continues to collaborate with the band this way. Unfortunately, Lopez is also on the way out - he will be spending the next year making big bucks playing full time at Disneyworld Tokyo, free ride over and room included. While the band will miss him, Heather insists that they will only seek a replacement for the time that Lopez is gone.
This lineup is so important, again, as anyone who has seen them live knows, because one would be hard pressed to find a better ensemble of young musicians playing "rock" music in Orlando. Lopez has been describe as the best thing to hit Japan since technology. Heather also describes her fellow bandmembers as artists who are willing to go out on a limb when it comes to creating each song.
While the technical capabilities of the band's players are a huge draw for fans, heather says that creating these tremendous arrangements is a special sort of process. Even through spectacular instrumental solos, you can hear a very personal meaning in all of Heather's songs. "It all started with writing in journals when I was young." The dichotomy between her personal songs and the flourishing performance arrangements, however, doesn't seem to phase her. "I will write text, a rough song, chorus, verses, and then I'll have an idea of the world in which it should be.
Once she and the band create these "worlds", Heather's personal stories are then expressed in a multitude of ways. She says about using music expressively versus using words expressively, "What I really love about a lot of what we do is that is appeals to people who think very textually, and then we can appeal to people who think creatively and express the words in a completely different way."
Great musicianship aside, she feels that her music relates to people on a very personal level. "Some guy at BackBooth once said to me, 'I really needed your music tonight.' I was having a rough day too, so I guess I really needed him." She says that this is the reason she performs with her band as such - "If it's not to touch other people, then it's just for artists' validation." Said validation is, as many will agree, a pretty lame reason to be making music.
While the drummer situation is less than ideal for Heather and her band, their future looks bright. They'll have an EP out in the next few months and their MIA members have already laid down their tracks for it. She says the band is looking for a new temporary drummer, but that they're still booking shows well into the future. In Heather's future, she looks toward the performing world and sees a multitude of open doors. However, she'll always continue writing songs. "Songwriting is like a bug - once you catch it, you just can't stop. There are so many new experiences, so many new things to come." She looks to continue being an artist out of the box, and says the courage to do so has always come from the encouragement of her family. "They stay up late and come to our rock shows all the time."
One show in particular to be sure to stay up for is the band's final show with Lopez for the next year at BackBooth on Wednesday. Cover is $5.00 and doors open at 9pm.