Kayla Von der Heide This blog is about a dear friend Kayla Von der Heide. I first saw Kayla when she did a video for The VHS Gems in the rough, not sure of the year but the song she sang was “The Highway Song”. I was blown away by her vocal style, I have to say that I have never heard anyone like this before. Kyla’s tone and the amazing vibrato in her voice and the way she can takes notes and just makes the flow together is simply breathtaking. If you have read any of my other Blogs you know that most of the time try to compare vocals of the artist I am writing about with another artist I know. This time I was unsuccessful. For me there just isn’t anyone like Kayla. One of the other unique thing about Kayla is that both in her songwriting & singing you can hear that she always puts a little bit of herself in each song. For me Kayla’s music really touches the soul more than any other artist I know. I feel that it’s because she has Old Soul and gets most of her inspiration from the desert that she frequently visits and from that fact that she is lover of the Earth. I think one of her songs that really shows this is “In My Dreams” it has such a Latin style rhythm to it and your vocals are so haunting, which gives this song such a beautiful vibe. Another song off the same album is “No Time For The Taken” this song has sort of a Bluesy/Rock feel to it. But it’s Kayla’s vocals that really gives the song the energy you feel when listening to it. I can honestly say that with both albums that I have of Kayla’s I can sit and listen to them all the way through. Listening to Kayla’s music always puts me in a relaxing mood and takes me to places I may never get to. Kayla is one of those artist you can tell your friends about, but until they hear her and get the same feeling from her music they will not understand the gift that Kayla has which makes her a very unique artist. On a side note, Kayla is also an awesome photographer, I have put some links down below for you to see/hear for yourself. Plus, I was honored to have gotten to send Kayla some questions. Here are her answers. https://www.youtube.com/@kaylavonderheide6985 https://mojaveghost.bandcamp.com/ 1.How long have you been playing music? I have been playing music (or attempting to) ever since I can remember. It started with my grandmas piano at her house. I would sit there for hours and zone out and try to make up songs and melodies. I'm sure that was very annoying at the time and age that I was, but it was what showed my grandmother that I was interested. I started playing guitar at the age of 17. 2.How many bands have you been in? The first band I tried to start with was when I got out of high school, called Kayla and The Ghostmen. Then it evolved into The Ghostmen. It was my desert rock era! 3.Where were you born? I was born in Fullerton, CA I believe? I always forget and have to ask my mom. Haha! 4.Are you self-taught? I was taught the basics of the guitar by my guitar teacher, Ms. Sandy. She was the one that actually introduced me to folk music and the first song I learned was "Tom Dooley" on the guitar. I took lessons for about a year and then everything else was self-taught from there. 5.Who are your biggest influences? To be honest, my influences are the people in my world that have shown me strength. Musically it’s so hard for me to answer that- can I say my Grandma? 6.What style of music do you consider yours? My style of music is very influenced by Americana/folk if you had to put it in a category, but I like to think it's just me and my feelings and I usually let people categorize it on their own. 7.What was your first gig? How old were you? My first gig was at a coffee shop called The Grind in Victorville, CA. I was like 17 I think, and it was packed out with local friends and family, and I was so nervous. I think there’s a clip somewhere in the archives of YouTube along with many other embarrassing but cute memories from those early times as I was discovering my style and what I wanted to play. 8.What advice do you have for someone starting out in the music business? The advice I’d give someone that is starting out in music would be to keep centering yourself and to keep remembering the true reason why you love to do it. There will be many people around you that will bring in all sorts of perspectives and energies and advice along the way, but the real reason to do it is because it brings you joy, and if you let the joy of it be the motivation and reason you continue to do it, you will always be successful. If the perks of a bigger audience come with it along the way, then that just makes it more fun! The point is, it should be fun, and it should be your own expression. We have too many people in the world trying to just create what sells, and I think we need more of what comes from the heart. 9.Do you write your own songs? Yes I write my own songs. To be honest I’m actually quite shy in person, so I like to joke around and think of my songs and my singing as my true voice and the way I communicate. You will always know how I’m feeling if you feel like checking out my songs. 10.What would people be surprised to hear that you have in your personal record collection? I do think people would be surprised about what I have in my personal collection. I had a huge hip hop phase in high school and my dad was always listening to Biggie Smalls or things like that. Madonna was one of my favorites as a kid and reminds me of my mom. Then you can find some Neil Young, Carter Family, Blaze Foley, Britney Spears. Why not love it all?! Haha. 11.What would you be doing if playing music was not an option? If I wasn't playing music, I’d probably be continuing to pursue my photography business and might even branch out into videography. 12.Besides your own songs, what is your favorite song to perform? One of my favorite covers I perform is "If I could Only Fly" by Blaze Foley. The first time I heard it I cried. At the time I heard it I wasn't in the best place and felt tied down to where I was and that wasn't making me happy. The idea of an addiction or troubles holding you down and holding you back from your happiness really hit me. The freedom of just wishing you could fly away from it all and be happy always touched me. The complex simplicity of Blaze's song writing always hit me in my core 13.If you were strictly a songwriter, who would you like to see sing your songs? If I were strictly a song writer, I'd probably strive to find people that I believed could portray my songs in an authentic way. No one specifically comes to mind, but I would be picky about who I gave my songs to.
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AuthorHello, My name is Michael. I am into music, have been for over 48yrs. Big fan of all kinds of music, right now it has been the Blues for the last 10yrs. I do not play any instruments, But I very interested in the recording aspect of the industry. Have messed around with it a little and always learning new things about it. I have met many wonderful people because of Music.. Hope you enjoy my Blogs... In the last two years I have been producing House Concerts. I also in the past 2 years got to produce and engineer an album for a very good friend of mine from Sweden "Magpie". Archives
February 2024
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