Today we’d like to introduce you to Cara Keyser.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cara. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My name is Cara Elizabeth, and I am a singer-songwriter from the front range of Colorado. I got inspired by the mountain music scene in Durango, Colorado to pursue music as a profession. Some people describe my music as an acoustic soul. It is hard to limit myself to one genre. I would say I am a mix of folk, indie, blues and Americana.
When I was young I used to play classical piano until I started taking lessons from an alternative music teacher, named Bob Wiz, that helped me compose original music. These compositions started to grow more and more after middle school once I learned how to play the guitar, thus I released my first single “Cigarette and a Coffee Cup” as a junior in high school. I released another single in 2018 called “Whispers,” but I am working on a full E.P. now that will be done by the winter of 2019.
Interpreting the world and culture through the senses can be a very intense, but rewarding experience. Music creates this liminal space where spirit and sound can meet. It provides a platform where I can be vulnerable and influential. Part of “The Runaways” E.P. will be donated to a mental health organization. I want to use my music as a catalyst for social, environmental and individual wellness.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being a professional musician has not always been a smooth road. A struggle that I have experienced is performing when I am not feeling well. If you get sick, the show must go on and you sort of having to smile through it all. It is just a socially draining career if you are a sensitive person.
However, as I said, my music is my therapy. I hope that it can be therapeutic for people that surround me too: my family, my friends, my special needs clients, my fans, my students and my coworkers. Music helps me digest the emotions and situations that I deal with day to day.
We’d love to hear more about your art.
My music project goes well beyond just performance and production. I am a mental health activist. I like to bring up topics like suicide prevention when I am on the radio. My E.P is dedicated to my friends that passed from mental illness, so I speak to these purposes often in front of crowds.
Also, my street team boys hang posters for me, and they are all autistic. They are amazing at socializing, marketing and not to mention they are skilled with technology/media as well.
I am a music teacher too. I mainly teach songwriting and music theory on the guitar, piano and a little on the ukulele. I try to collaborate as much as possible with other artists. Community is what brings us together and helps give us new creative opportunities.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I would say the music scene in Denver is starting to grow and thrive, but it isn’t all the way there quite yet. If we spent more time listening to music here, I think it would be easier for everyone to get along in a time of turmoil.
Pricing:
- Performance rates per hour: (25-50/hour)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reverbnation.com/caraelizabethmusic
- Phone: 303-319-4389
- Email: ckeyser88@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caraelizabethmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caraelizabeth88
Image Credit:
Clara Frostman – Unique Photos Photography, Annah Meintzer Photography, Sean Kerlin Photography and Nova Steward Photography.
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