Enjoyed reading this My First Record coming from Portland, check it out and enjoy. -Steph
Stephanie Schneiderman, former member of the folk-pop trio Dirty Martini, has just released her 7th solo album, Rubber Teardrop. It continues in the downtempo sexy electronica vibe that she cooked up with collaborator Keith Schreiner on her previous effort Dangerous Fruit but manages to turn up the heat and the intensity throughout.
I grew up in a house full of music. I have two older sisters and when we weren’t practicing on piano, French horn, clarinet and flute, we played records. We had this tiny little record player with horrible sounding speakers that kept cutting in and out. The first songwriters that stood out to me were Paul Simon, Pat Benatar and Billy Joel.
I used to play the album Glass Houses for hours while roller skating around the perimeter of my (tiny) basement absorbing the melodies and lyrics. I think what pulled me in were the stories told in the songs and Billy Joel. I loved his bravado. I loved his voice. I loved his band. And if I hear that album now I can remember the smell of my basement.
Another album that made an impact on me was Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young’s So Far. I discovered it when I was about 14 and I couldn’t get enough of the harmonies and listened to the whole album over and over again. I liked the feeling that I was taken on a ride from the beginning to the end. And I was drawn to the darker melodies which I think influence my writing to this day.
Paul Simon’s Still Crazy After All These Years is still one of my all time favorite albums. It’s an album that my parents played a lot and my earliest musical memories involve being at the beach listening to it. His songwriting is clean and poignant and creates so much room to breathe. The melody lines become that much more potent because they’re surrounded by space. Every word feels important. And then there’s so much ease about the whole thing. Most of my favorite songwriters have these same qualities.
Pat Benatar was and still is a huge inspiration for me. I’m part of the generation of young girls who stood in front of their mirrors singing her songs trying to emulate her foxiness. In The Heat Of The Night was the album I listened to a bunch. She brought such a different angle to rock and roll, a more feminine but equally bold approach. Her songs were punchy little gems and so easy to sing along to. I recently had the opportunity to open for her this last summer, and she’s still amazing.
Not from Seattle? Want more details? Head over to Sub Pop’s official posting of this event on their 
This last Friday I had the very rare opportunity to attend the new Nirvana exhibit at the Seattle Experience Music Project before it was open to the general public. I wasn’t really too sure what to expect, seeing that I’ve never been to a VIP event like this, but the experience I walked away with was something I’ll not soon forget. I was a mortal in the midst of rock gods, surrounded by the people that created the Seattle Sound 20 years ago. Members from Nirvana, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, The Fastbacks, and Young Fresh Fellows were in attendance, along with co-founder of Sub Pop, Bruce Pavitt.
