Lulu LaFever (Blues/Jazz)

Lulu LaFever left her job as a registered nurse in 1994 to pursue her dream of being a singer and songwriter. Since then, her sultry blues and jazz performances have given her the opportunity to open for Willie Nelson and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. LaFever will be performing at the Maintenance Shop at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $6 for students and $9 for the public and will increase by $1 on the day of the show.

How long have you been singing?

“My mom played the piano and started having me sing to her favorite old torch songs when I was about five. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love to sing . it’s like breathing easy.”

How did you get your start in the music industry?

“I saw an ad in the newspaper for a call to artists from the Oregon Arts Commission. I recorded three songs I had written on my kitchen ghetto blaster and wrote the lyrics out by hand. I thought I must be an artist because I was a songwriter. They picked me and gave me a grant to begin work on my first CD. It was the first time they had chosen a singer/songwriter to receive the grant.”

How would you describe your music?

“Soulful; edgy; about real life.”

Where do you get inspiration for your lyrics?

“I am a people watcher and a storyteller. Sometimes one thing a person says turns into an incredible unraveling of their truth . I take it from there. And bippity boppity boop, the next thing you know, their story becomes a song.”

What has influenced your music?

“Watching people falling in and out of love, even with themselves, as well as songwriters like Carole King, Bonnie Raitt, Jim Morrison and singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Bette Midler.”

What do you feel has been the highlight of your career?

“Last Thursday was pretty darn hot! The band and I showed off at a theater in California. I’d say opening for Willie Nelson was amazing, but the highlight of my career has been whenever another poet or songwriter tells me their story.

“We are, in fact, all artists. We whisper it at first, thinking it is a crack in our fabric of life – we all know that if we let others see our vulnerable side we will be naked with our truth. There are no rules in real art.”

What do you feel is the next step in your career?

“I want to be surprised . something that’s a great time, I’m sure! Luck, in fact, is preparation meeting opportunity. I can hardly wait to see what’s next. It’s great to be on the planet!”