Cheyenne Marie Mize heads to the Mill today
"Best"
"Doctor"
After Cheyenne Marie Mize got her first taste of music playing the piano at the age of 8, she didn't confine her talents to merely one instrument. Now, she plays piano, guitar, violin, drums, organ, and banjo.
"It's definitely been a root system of different paths, with each little part of me going in a different direction," Mize said. "Every day, I put on a different hat, dress, and shoes."
She will perform at the Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., at 10 p.m. today. Admission is $6. Archeology will also play this evening, after Mize.
Mize took a few years of lessons for piano and violin, but every other instrument she taught herself. And she had to transform what she had learned in classical music into the folk sound she has today.
"It took a couple of years of breaking outside the box," she said. "You have to be willing to make a fool of yourself and enjoy it."
Growing up with a musical family in Louisville, Ky., she became interested in all kinds of music. She said she enjoys listening to styles ranging from acoustic to electric and from modern to traditional.
For her, a song's raw or organic sound makes it worth listening to.
"I hate when a song sounds too rehearsed or perfect," Mize said. "I don't like it when songs sound all the same."
Her diverse music tastes seems to be reflected in her eclectic sound.
"I liked playing in orchestra and playing the fiddle, and I liked playing rock music with random bands and playing old-timey traditional music," Mize said.
Much of her style comes from her experience in college, at which she earned a music-therapy degree. She attributes much of her ability to improvise based on what she learned.
"Music therapy is about setting an environment or mood, and exploring that environment," she said. "It involves creating things in the moment and letting them grow organically."
Mize chose the major for the same reason she chose to work in music: She enjoys the collaborative process among musicians.
"I've always wanted to work with people, and I'm fascinated around human interactions," she said. "The feeling of creating something with other people toward a shared goal is invaluable."
Before working on her début album, Before Lately, she recorded with several musicians, including collaborations with Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin Moore, and Bonnie "Prince" Billy, with whom she produced Among the Gold, a collection of late-19th-century American parlor music.
Her latest project is with the band Maiden Radio, a trio that takes "old-timey tunes" and rearranges them to create a new sound. Each member of the group frequently switches instruments, which are mainly acoustic.
Being a musician in the industry today takes a lot more than just making music, Mize said. Musicians must create the entire package from designing album artwork to selling merchandise during tours.
"It's crazy these days," she said. "We are not only musicians; we're expected to be our own managers, promoters, and artists."
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