 |
Teri
Ann McLean |
|
Teri
Ann McLean |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
A business teacher by day, bluegrass musician by… every other possible moment of the day… Teri Ann McLean was born in Queens , New York , and raised on the eastern end of Long Island ’s north shore where it is a little known fact that they actually still have farms! In fact, one of her favorite pastimes is enjoying the live bluegrass bands that play on the deck of one of the island’s wineries every fall. Teri Ann’s entry into the music world came at age ten when she started piano lessons. But it wasn’t until her twenties that she discovered bluegrass music. Her first bluegrass experience was at a festival called “ROOOOOOOONEYYYY!” (no, literally, it was called “ROOOOOOOONEYYYYY!”). Looking back on it, she’s sure it was probably a great festival, but at the time she saw it as a huge mud fest. (It took years to appreciate the fact that it’s not a bluegrass festival without a little rain & mud!!) It wasn’t until a road trip through California that she was handed an Old and in the Way tape by a friend and fell in love with her first bluegrass songs. That tape didn’t leave the tape deck the entire two-week trip! And to cement her interest, or to perhaps seal her fate, near the end of the trip she arrived at the High Sierra Music Festival in Bear Valley , CA , to hear the sounds of those same songs from the tape wafting through the high country air from the stage. Little did she know at the time it was Peter Rowan himself. But she did know she was hooked. And thus began her quest for more… When she returned home to Long Island she began investigating the world of bluegrass and began immersing herself in the local scene. Her bluegrass music collection was growing, but it really grew by leaps and bounds when she became a landlord to bluegrass DJ, Buddy Merriam of Buddy Merriam and Back Roads. She further immersed herself into the wide world of bluegrass by becoming the webmaster for Buddy’s band. She took up the bass herself in 1997, and started playing the upright in 2001 when she formed her first bluegrass band with a couple of girlfriends. They spent the winter diligently honing their craft. Like most bands just starting out, each member had their own level of commitment to the muse, and by the following summer they had parted musical ways. Teri Ann’s commitment to bluegrass, however, never waned. She took up the guitar a few years later, and began singing. Original songs were piling up in the music room of her home, and she entered the studio in July 2006 to begin her first bluegrass project that was released in December of 2007. Teri Ann is now playing solo and duo gigs in the NYC area while looking to form a full band to perform at festivals during her summers off! For now she is enjoying playing locally and filling in on bass with some of New York City's bluegrass bands. Teri is excited to share her love of the music with her listeners… her favorite phrases are “I love this song!” and “I love this artist!” which you will probably hear her say often! Her show can be heard on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 PM EST and Mondays 6 to 8 PM EST and is called “Something Borrowed, Something Bluegrass.” It will feature bluegrass old and new. www.teriannmclean.com www.myspace.com/teriannmclean Teri Anns Grassspace |
|
|
© 2008 The Bluegrass Mix - Graphical design by Aggie Toppins |
