Berklee today is the official alumni publication of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a forum for contemporary music and musicians.
Issue link: http://berkleetoday.epubxp.com/i/180042
Nashville Notes By David Petrelli '05 Waiting for a Bus Rie Tsuji '02 Ayako Higuchi '06 Edward Shearer of Brighton and Hove, England, made his debut as the producer, arranger, and mix engineer for Mvula Mandondo's Ambush. He played a variety of instruments on the album. Visit www.mvulamandondo.com. Scotland and Ireland. She was also interviewed for the women's career book The Orange Line, and provided music for a video campaign by Children's Attention Home for abused children. Visit www. shantellsmusic.net. Michael Teoli of Tarzana, CA, released Absolutely Filthy Trax, featuring music from Brendan Hunt's original play of the same name. It features Ben Levin '11, Alistair Cooper '04, and Tim Butterworth '05. He also completed the music for Exorcistic: The Rock Musical Parody. Visit www.michaelteoli.com. Drummer Bruno Tessele of Rio Grando Do Sul, Brazil, performed on the albums Tribo by João Taubkin and Na Hora by Michel Leme. 2005 Roy Assaf of New York City recently toured Eastern Europe with singer Mavis Pool. Visit www.royassaf.com. Nick Clark of Brooklyn, NY, directed and edited the videos "Home" by faculty member Melissa Ferrick, and "Beggar by the Weekend" by Matt Nakoa '06 from the album Light in the Dark. Drummer Nikki Glaspie of Scotch Plains, NJ, has toured with Beyoncé and Ivan Neville. She recently released the EP Basic Minimum Skills Test with her group the Nth Power. Glaspie presented the Gratitude Harvest Festival in Dartmouth, MA, in September. Mariana Iranzi of Astoria, NY, released her second children's album, Hola Hello. Visit www.marianairanzi.com. In May, Shantell Ogden of Nashville, TN, completed her frst tour in 2006 Josh Giunta of Brooklyn, NY, released his frst album as a producer and featured artist, Love Science Music. The album features 11 songs and 10 different vocalists in the r&b; vein. Visit www.lovesciencemusic.com. Ayako Higuchi of Brooklyn, NY, works at Audiobrain, a sonic-branding frm in New York City, creating music for television commercials. She performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival with Nobuki Takamen '04. Her frst album, Smooth, is available online. Lauren (Hurd) Lench of Chattanooga, TN, composed the soundtrack for the documentary The Smartest Team: Making High School Football Safer. The flm is scheduled for national broadcast on PBS this fall. Visit www.lenchflms.com. Dave Reffett of Woburn, MA, was on a recent cover of Gitar Plus magazine. He also worked on Michael Angelo Batio's CD Intermezzo Since graduating from Berklee, Charlie Worsham has been building a successful career one brick at a time. For more than a year, Worsham has been signed on the Warner Music label. He recently released his debut album, Rubberband and has seen his frst single "Could It Be" reach top-20 status. Given his relatively quick success, it would be easy to think that he became an overnight success. But nothing could be further from the truth. Worsham was born and raised in Grenada, MS, approximately 100 miles south of Memphis, TN. His father was a "banker by trade, a drummer at heart" as Worsham describes him. But it was a Worsham family trip to the Grand Ole Opry that ignited the artist's desire to be a musician. Starting out on a cheap Sears, Roebuck banjo, Worsham progressed and began playing at bluegrass festivals, local contests, and, eventually, bar bands. In 2004, he came to Berklee to study music production and engineering. In refecting on it, he most appreciated his Berklee experience for the interactions with other students and with faculty. "[Berklee] really is a microcosm of the music industry," he says. "Nobody is going to come to you. You need to search out other musicians and opportunities." For Worsham, Nashville always seemed like a natural landing spot. While enrolled at Berklee, he began spending summers in the Music City to make connections. In 2006, after being hired as a utility man for the band KingBilly, Worsham left Berklee for Nashville with less than a semester remaining before graduation. Other sideman gigs followed, but Worsham always envisioned himself at the front of the stage. Opportunity knocked when Arthur Buenahora, the creative director at ole, a music publisher, saw Worsham perform and approached him. Buenahora arranged a meeting between Worsham and Ryan Tyndell, a rising songwriter, and a new chapter in Worsham's career started to unfold. Charlie Worsham '06 In 2010, Buenahora signed Tyndell (who would later write the hit "Springsteen" for Eric Church) and Worsham. The two were instant songwriting soul mates. As Worsham's songwriting chops developed, so did his confdence and image as an emerging artist. By the spring of 2012, he had signed with Warner Music Nashville. Tyndell coproduced Worsham's debut album and Buenahora was the executive producer. Worsham specifcally requested Eric Masse '07 to be the recording engineer. Worsham and Masse had met in MP&E; classes at Berklee. According to Worsham, Masse is "the fourth member of the wolf pack," whose three other members are Worsham, Buenahora, and Tyndell. The wolf pack's efforts yielded Rubberband, Worsham's 11-song debut, which has received rave reviews from critics and the public. Worsham has now taken to the road to build a fan base one performance at a time. He has some great shows on the calendar—including opening slots for Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert. But Worsham is not yet riding in luxury as he tours the States. He's quick to note that his mode of transportation is still a van crammed to the brim with music gear and suitcases. "They may give you a record deal in a few months— if you're lucky," he says. "But it takes years before they give you a bus." David Petrelli is a songwriter and performer living in Nashville, TN. Fall2013 Fall2012 45