PERFORMERS

Mary has been the warm up act for Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband and Phil Vassar, placed 1st in the local Colgate Country Showdown competition and will advance to state this year, has been in the top ten of the Arizona Idol competition, on Fox 10 Arizona Morning, Good Morning Arizona on Channel 3, was one of the fifty finalists in the Pantene Pro-voice competition, and was the Arizona State University Idol for 2004. She has played such venues as:

Dodge Theater
Queen Creek Performing Arts Center
Arizona Joes
Yucca Tap Room
The Paisley Violin
Coffee Talk
The Last Exit
Mama Java’s
Peter’s Café
Rich Aroma Coffee House
Scottsdale Art walk
Tom Ryan’s
Coffee Cabanna
Dooby’s Bar and Grill
The Last Exit
Moose Lodge
Union Bank of Queen Creek
Coolidge Days Festival at San Carlos Park

How it all began...

Mary began her transition from a tone-deaf teenager to a singer/songwriter in 1996. Her mom brought home an old, beaten-up guitar from a pawn shop and thought, “someone will get some use out of it.” It sat for almost a year when one night, Mary picked it up and started trying to play. Mary fiddled around with it everyday more and more, then she begged her dad for a better guitar. For Christmas, he took her down to the local music store and bought a black and white, electric guitar and a little amp. To some, it wasn’t the greatest guitar on earth, but to Mary it was everything. She played everyday (well just about) and took lessons for about six months. When she learned the basics, she quit the lessons and started teaching herself.

When Jewel came out with “You were meant for me,” Mary was obsessed with the song. She practiced it, and nothing else, for 6 months. She sang it at a High School talent show and became known as the “Jewel girl.” A year later, Mary sang one of her originals at the talent show. One of her friends wanted a copy of it, so she started recording her first CD, "Sometime Soon" during her senior year. It took three months of recording in her closet and she finished it right before she graduated high school. Mary finished her second 'make shift' album "Better than U" a few years later and it turned out pretty well considering Mary played all of the instruments on it (You'd be amazed what you can do with an Alesis keyboard and a drum machine!) If you really want 'old school' Mary Hoffman, there may be a few copies of it still left on www.cdbaby.com.

The new CD came into play when Mary ran into Ric Campbell at an open mic night and he said he wanted to completely redo the album with a full band. How could Mary refuse? It took about two years to get it done, but it was well worth the wait! Before it was even done, it was being played on the radio! (97.3FM now 94.1FM Phoenix).

Stephanie Smith began writing music when she was 8 years old. She wrote her first "real" song "Rose" when she was 14. At age 17, she released her freshmen album "Tell Me". That album landed her the "Pearl Award" for Best New Artist and the "AOL's Musician of the Week" award.

She released her second album "Change" at age 19. Shortly after its release, she was performing in a coffee shop when a writer of an indie film remake of "Pride and Prejudice" heard Stephanie playing and fell in love with the music. The film's music director chose to include 4 of Stephanie's songs in the soundtrack.

She is now 22 and just recently, Oct 28, 2006, released her newest album "Waves" to a packed house at The Alpine Art Center in Alpine, Utah. This album is proving to be her most solid yet. She was honored to work with Producer/Arranger Giles Reaves who has worked with industry greats such as Patti Griffin, Chantal Kreviazuk, Nicole Nordeman.

"Working with Stephanie is a dream. She writes great songs and sings and plays like a seasoned studio pro, which makes my job easy. She brings focused musical intensity to every take. She also has a great sense of humor, which helps to keep things relaxed in a potentially stressful environment. Stephanie brings a strong sense of musical identity to the studio, which I like to see in a recording artist. She knows what she wants but is still open to new ideas and approaches, which makes my job fun! This project was a pleasure to work on, and I look forward to future musical endeavors with Stephanie." says Reaves.

She is a polished performer that has toured extensively throughout the United States. "Though she’s only in her early twenties, Stephanie Smith writes and sings with understanding and depth far beyond her years. On stage and off, she has an amazing ability to connect with her fans." says David Anderson, a Concert Promoter From Washington.

It doesn't seem to matter if she is playing in the Cashman Center of Las Vegas, a packed College auditorium, a Youth Camp, or a small coffee shop. She puts her heart and soul into every performance and into every song. Her razor-sharp lyrics are filled with "hope infused reality." Her vocals are pure and emotive and she demonstrates solid command of both the piano and guitar.

Rick Clark of Rick Clark Productions, who recently produced Death Cab For Cutie had this to say; "I have been a fan of Stephanie Smith and her music for several years. There are so many aspiring artists and songwriters who place so much importance on capturing the flavor of the month in their music. In the end, what I often feel I get is a trendy collection of words, notes and beat and no soul. One of Stephanie's most appealing qualities is her authenticity and genuineness of spirit, and it shows in her music. When I hear any number of her songs, I know I'm experiencing the heart of soul of Stephanie Smith. To me, that is the sign of a talent capable of creating a significant body of work of real durability. Already, at this stage of her career, Stephanie has written some absolute gems"
Tyler Castleton recently wrote: "Stephanie is one of the very brightest musical stars out there. She writes and sings from the heart, and her honesty reels you in on these intoxicating songs. In addition to being a deep and talented writer she is an incredible person. The essence of her soul and her true goodness shine through on this album. Dive in and enjoy the captivating ride."

Stephanie's song "At Your Side" is being included on an album for the One Heart Bulgaria Foundation, benefiting the orphan children of Bulgaria. This is just one of many compilation albums featuring Smiths Music.

When asked to define her music Stephanie replies "acoustic pop or folk-rock". No matter what you call it, everyone seems to agree it is simply remarkable. What is more amazing than what this girl has done...is what she'll do next. Stay tuned.

Few would-be recording artists have the confidence or wherewithal to enter the mainstream music business on their own terms. The nature of today’s consolidated label structure and clogged mass media channels forces most struggling bands to jump at the first opportunity they see -- if they see one at all.

This hyper-Darwinian environment makes the nine-year saga of Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband that much more intriguing. And it is an affirmation for all those who still believe in music’s ability to rise above the impossibly long odds offered by the high-stakes recording industry.

Not only did the band, and only the band, play their own instruments on their CD, Dream Big, they finished the CD – completely – before even stepping foot into a record label conference room. By making their own disc before signing a contract, they never had to adhere to the edicts of record label execs or go through the standard A&R process of choosing label approved songs and producers. They did it on their own and on their own terms.

Like his bandmates, Ryan Shupe began playing music at a very early age. A second generation fiddle player, he started playing at age five and was soon performing professionally and touring nationally with a group called the PeeWee Pickers. He still plays a fiddle he found in his great aunt’s closet.

After years of playing in other bands, Ryan Shupe found that getting gigs in and around Salt Lake City wasn't as a difficult as keeping a group together. After years of fronting bands which inevitably split, Shupe decided to form the RubberBand so he could enlist a rotating group of musicians on a gig-by-gig basis and never have a group “break up.” His plan didn’t exactly work, however. One by one, the temporary sidemen began to stick, fusing into the close-knit final incarnation that exists today.

“I’ve known Ryan for roughly 20 years,” says banjo player Craig Miner. “He and I both played in bands as kids - different bands in different parts of the state but the music world was so tight knit we knew each other.” Miner started playing music on a Ukelele bought at a garage sale and continued to adding instruments to his repertoire which now includes guitar, mandolin and bouzouki. He even hand crafts most all of his own instruments.

Guitarist Roger Archibald began playing guitar at age 11 against the backdrop of Black Sabbath and Metallica blaring from his older brothers’ stereos and later worked as a musician in the same regional music circuit. “I used to be in a band with Ryan’s sister and when he started looking for a guitar player to start his new band, he asked me to learn some songs. It gelled and we really worked well together so I continued to play with the band and eventually became one of his main players.”

Shupe found he attracted like-minded players with a high level of musicianship principally because of his own virtuosity.

“I played fiddle from the age of eight so I have some appreciation for a good fiddle player,” says drummer Bart Olson. “My first impression of Ryan was, ‘This guy’s a prodigy.’” Olson could be described the same way. He grew up in a musical environment playing with his award-winning family band, “The Olson Family Fiddlers” and later picking up the drums as his favorite instrument. “I thought the band’s sound was really intriguing, continues Olson. “We have that element of improvisation which is cool. I've always liked music that breathed a little more and had that quality of musicianship to it.”

Bass player Ryan Tilby grew up not far from the Shupe family, and played bluegrass with Ryan and his siblings for years before the Rubberbands creation. Tilby even had a brief stint as the banjo player for the Rubberband in its early years, before going off to college to study jazz guitar. “I tell you, it’s such a pleasure to be playing with Ryan, Craig, Roger, and Bart. Musicianship aside, these are simply some of my favorite people. They’ve been like brothers to me; but on a definite part-time basis.”

“You have to love playing music and that's why I like all these guys,” Shupe says. "Everybody just loves it. If any of us were in it to be famous or make money, I don’t think it would have worked.”

As the band solidified, its fan base grew. “The band has been steadily building a grassroots following over nine years,” Olson says. “When I joined, they already had a van which I thought that was the most amazing thing. Custom van, five inch TV and a raised roof – I thought, ‘Man, I’m in heaven!’ We booked as many gigs as we could and continued to build contacts. It’s gotten better each year. More gigs, better pay.”

Their regional following spanned Utah, Colorado, Northern California and kept expanding. They recorded and released four independent albums all told including a live album and a Christmas collection. Eventually, they had a decision to make.

“It was about 1999 when we transitioned from part time day jobs to full time music,” Miner says. “None of us were married at the time so it was easier to make ends meet. Always a pinch, but we made it work.”

Their ability to keep the wheels turning had a lot to do with the seriousness with which they approached the effort. “We've all been really dedicated to each guy having a job in the band,” Olson says. “Whether it was marketing or booking, we divided the back room work amongst ourselves and really became a good little business.”

“I'm not sure how it worked,” he admitted, “but we’ve been able to scrape by each year and grow it. We toured like crazy, probably 200 dates a year, all in a van pulling a trailer.”

Archibald says their focus never wavered. “After I switched to the band being my main job, I was still giving guitar lessons to make ends meet. But that was my side job, even if we were playing a free show, the band was the priority.”

Five guys in cramped quarters can present some challenges, however. “It would get tough at times, but we're all pretty laid back,” Olson says. “If we didn't love it so much we’d probably self destruct. All the other stuff -- the smell that can be created in a carpeted van, the nights you pull over on the side of the road because there's nowhere else to sleep – that’s all secondary to how much we love being musicians.”

Each has made sacrifices to feed that unadulterated love for making music. Botts, who joined three years ago, admits, “It wasn't easy. I had graduated from college, working and going to graduate school. Ryan called and offered the gig and it was a pretty crazy decision to quit my job and give up grad school. We were reaching that point every band faces, that leap of faith to really try and push through.”

“That's when we got a serious education,” Shupe says, “and we started realizing this would work a lot smoother if we had somebody behind us. Maybe we should try to get a label deal.”

Amazingly, the band had never considered radio formats or genres so figuring out which labels to approach was an issue. “We didn't think that much about where we belonged,” Shupe says. “We were just playing music. When the time came, I really felt like Nashville was the place for us. Aside from the music, the lifestyle and values, they have helped us feel right at home.”

“We all play acoustic instruments and our songs fit better there, philosophically,” adds Miner. “On a personal level, the people, fans and other musicians are very much like we are.”

Having an established following and regional success put the band among a small but illustrious group of performers who have been able to set their own parameters -- The Dave Matthews Band, country’s Pat Green and Hootie & The Blowfish, to name a few.

“We had Nashville producers interested from early on but they all wanted to change things, add things or supply the songs,” says Botts. “To which we were all opposed.”

Meeting Nashville producer and songwriter Jason Deere proved to be a breakthrough. “With Jason we got the vibe that he understood what we were doing,” Miner says. “So we got together and made a high quality album to be delivered to a label as finished product. When it was done we took it around to the labels and did conference room performances. We found the perfect match with Capitol.”

That kind of creative freedom for a newly-signed recording artist is almost unheard of. “What's shaped this band is a desire to put on a good show and provide positive and entertaining music for our fans,” Botts says. “It's been a natural evolution born mainly out of a lot of playing. It isn't like anyone came in and said, ‘This is what you need to do.’”

Recorded in a small house converted into a studio in Utah, the album conjures the band’s well-developed and energetic live show. Olson says, “We actually finished the record in only two weeks. We'd played all the songs so much while touring that we had them nailed by the time we went into the studio to record.”

Opening with the acoustic propulsion of “Banjo Boy,” a song that name-checks Bela Fleck and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, the album immediate establishes the group’s unique, well-honed sound -- not to mention their sense of humor. Shupe trades mandolin for fiddle as the album eases into “Even Superman” with its imaginative use of time signature and tightly wound harmony vocals.

The title track is a simple, yet beautifully direct call for hope that, along with “Would You Love Me” and “New Emotion,” cements Shupe's credentials as a songwriter. The band’s musicianship stretches out on tracks like “Simplify,” the reggae-charged "Rain Falls Down" and the instrumental "Ambush." As the album closes with “Never Give Up,” “Oh How I Miss You” and “Hey Hey Hey,” the band’s joyful love of music and performing comes to the forefront.

"The idea was to capture in a recording what we already were," Shupe says. "We wanted a sound that we could recreate live."

As a result, Dream Big is the true story of a true band. “From day one we've been creating our own sound and style that I don't think anyone can duplicate,” Olson says. “Too often in our culture people try to make things fit a mold but all the truly beautiful things in art and nature are unique.”

“There's a common thread running through all the songs even though the styles cross into a lot of different areas," Shupe adds. “We try to create music that’s entertaining but also music that people can relate to. It's a balance.”

“The album title speaks for itself,” Shupe continues. “It's about a fundamental belief in humanity. If we can make someone's life better, even if it's just for three minutes, then we'll consider ourselves a success.”