THE GINA POWERS BAND Artist on the Rise What first got you into music? I’ve loved music ever since I can remember. Music was a big part of my childhood, my mom and stepfather listened to music and appreciated it and my father did as well so I was fortunate to be exposed to a wide variety of genres and musical styles. My father taught me a few chords on the guitar when I was 12.
How would you describe the music that you typically create? It’s so hard for me to describe, because to me each song is it’s own thing. I think, though, most would say it’s country folk music. I’ve written tunes from a variety of genres, but in the end, they all pretty much tell a story and at the foundation, that’s what folk music is about. I feel really comfortable with that.
I didn’t think a career in music was more than a fantasy so I didn’t pursue it until later in life. At some point, I decided to just go for it. I figured, I would end up at the end of my life one day and if I’d never tried it would be something I’d regret so I took a big breath and jumped in. Who inspired you to make music? That is a hard question to answer. Making music is just something I’ve always done. Even when I was a small child I made up songs to sing as I played. I think for me there is a spiritual element too--it’s part of how I pray, make sense of the world, grieve, experience joy, celebrate, etc. Music in and of itself inspires me to make music. There are so many incredible musicians, both known and unknown, that I can’t even begin to name them. What made the lightbulb go off for me when it came to the possibility of making my music passion my vocation was seeing Diane Miller’s, (now most widely known as D. Mills of D. Mills and The Thrills), band at the Fargo Theater. She was sassy, talented, owned the stage, had fun original music and I thought “I wanna do that! I think maybe I could do that!” I really appreciate her for that.
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