Carley Tanchon

Chagrin Falls native Carley Tanchon may not live in the area anymore — after getting her degree at Boston's Berklee College and touring for a year and a half with a show group, she's settled in Nashville — but her heart's still here. Whenever she returned to perform in Cleveland last year, enthusiastic family, friends and fans have turned out. The fan base is likely to keep growing for this smart, savvy, hard-working and talented musician who released her debut album Peridot this past summer. Her work has a sophistication that belies her 23 years. Her well-crafted tunes have depth and emotional resonance, and she sings with a self-assured expansiveness that allows her to range stylistically over tunes as diverse as the torchy "Don't Chill the Flame," the intricate jazz-blues strut of "Waiting," country-tinged rocker "Image of a Man," the pensive, acoustic-flavored "Fool's Gold" and the dark, slow burn of "This Home." Her lyrics demonstrate a mature and compassionate worldview that's light years beyond adolescent navel-gazing; they're accessible without being facile. Tanchon has been performing since she was a preschooler and writing songs since she was 13, encouraged by her singing, guitar-playing mom. "I always knew that what I wanted to do was perform the music I was writing," she says. "I have to tell people things that are important to me. All I aim to do is be sincere and genuine. I want to connect with people, and music is a great avenue to do that." - Cleveland Scene Magazine

At Arnold’s, you gotta love the bicycle hanging upside down on stage, along with the weird stained glass window and other random decorations. I love that outdoor patio. I caught singer/songwriter Carley Tanchon from Nashville, and this one was a real find. With long, brown, layered hair, wearing a droopy scarf, Tanchon had tiny arms, but they were cut and muscular, and like her small yet strong build she manages to capture this mix in her songs, playing tunes that are both touching and full of power. A real gem here. What a range. Tanchon sounds clear, true, honest, effortless and completely professional. Polished. She was right on, all the way through, without a snag, not even close. I was absolutely engaged.

While listening to Tanchon, I couldn’t help but hear the echoes of Katie Reider in her voice. The open feel, the soul were all there. And I had the same feeling I used to have when watching Reider on stage — I was completely focused on the music. The room seemed to disappear, and the beauty of it struck me. Deeply. - Cincinnati City Beat

Anyone listening to Carley Tanchon's debut CD Peridot for the first time could be forgiven for thinking it's the work of a much older, more seasoned musician. Her sophisticated songwriting has a strong sense of structure but it's full of off-center touches that make the songs distinctive. And there's an expansiveness and reflective depth to her vocals on tunes like the torchy, experienced "Don't Chill This Flame" or the intricate jazz-blues strut of "Waiting" that belies her 22 years. She moves easily from country-tinged rocker "Image of a Man," which features the sort of complex, ambivalent lyrics you rarely find in such tunes to pensive, acoustic-flavored songs like "Fool's Gold" and the folksy "Derailing Home."

Tanchon's been laying the groundwork for her passion for almost her entire life and working hard to make sure that she could make it her life. Growing up in Chagrin Falls, she was immersed in music: learning guitar, performing in musicals, tinkering with songwriting.

"I was onstage from the time I was three years old," she says. "I enjoyed school, but I knew if I didn't do music, I'd regret it for the rest of my life."

In high school, she knew she wanted to go to Boston's Berklee College of Music.

"They have such a contemporary program," she says. "They do so much to prepare you for the business as well as musically. They took us through everything — studying agents and managers and lawyers, CD production."

She completed Berklee's four-year degree program in two-and-a-half years, in part because of college-level classes she'd taken in high school. She joined a cover band, and once she finished school — still based in Boston — she toured the country with them for a year and a half, developing her chops as an entertainer and stretching the range of material she could make her own.

"We would do Sinatra gigs where I would sing old jazz standards," she says. "We did Natalie Cole, old Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, disco, pop, dance — everything you can imagine. It was so much fun. For a year and a half, I completely supported myself playing music. I was meeting a lot of people and getting the inside workings of it. But it was a stepping stone — I always knew that what I wanted to do was perform the music I was writing."

So last October, she relocated to Nashville to focus on that. She'd finished most of the music on her CD already while still in Boston, backed by guitarist Adam Tressler — a longtime friend and musical compatriot from Chagrin Falls who'd also gone to Berklee — and a couple of other Berklee alumni, bassist Reuben Carter and drummer James Williams.

"I realized how routine [the cover band] had become," she says. "I said, 'OK. I've gotten everything I'm going to get out of this situation — I've got to pick up and start making other things happen. I had everything recorded, but I still had to go to New York to do more mixing and get it mastered. I designed all the artwork myself. And I was digging into Nashville community, co-writing with people. There's a great independent music scene there. I feel it's a good fit for myself musically. It's been a challenge but no better or worse than I expected."

With her background in a wide range of music and love for artists like Stevie Wonder, the Beatles, Joni Mitchell and Patty Griffin — "people who speak to your heart and have a really honest way of presenting it" — Tanchon is well prepared for her goal of building a long-term career.

"In this day and age, the music business is so much about songs and people don't hold on to performers the way they used to," she says. "I'm hoping to establish to a strong, loyal fan base. It's done in a personal way, one person at a time. It's my passion for music; I have to tell people things that are important to me. All I aim to do is be sincere and genuine. I want to connect with people, and music is a great avenue to do that." - Cleveland Scene Magazine

See the article online:
http://www.thedailyitemoflynn.com/articles/2008/09/04/on_the_town/town01.txt

By Sean Leonard (September, 2008)

If you know much about the North Shore music scene the past few years, chances are you’re familiar with Carley Tanchon, the Berklee College of Music graduate who has been playing local venues — along with regular stints in Las Vegas — with the highly popular Johnny Ray Band.

From acoustic sets with Ray on Friday nights at Molly’s in Lynn, and with the full band for Thursday night gigs at Red Rock Bistro in Swampscott, as well as regular summer appearances at The Wharf in Revere and on Horizon’s Edge Casino Cruises, Tanchon has dazzled crowds with her pitch-perfect vocals and guitar prowess.

At the tender age of 22, to call her precocious would be an understatement. The Chagrin Falls, Ohio native was born into a musical family (her mother Pam was a singer in a southern band at the same age) and has been crooning and strumming a six string since she was 8. She completed a four-year degree program at Berklee in less than three years.

Now, to the dismay of local fans but with their great encouragement, Tanchon is set to pursue her dream for critical success in Nashville. With her first original album in production — expected out in December — she played her last local gig with the Ray Band at Red Rock on Aug. 28, and over the Labor Day weekend set off for a brief visit home to Ohio and then on to find the footlights in Music City.

“I’m going to miss (the North Shore),” Tanchon said before her first set at Red Rock last week. “I was able to connect with audiences here and I couldn’t have asked to play with a better band. Johnny makes everybody in the audience feel like they’re his best friend ... I’ve been able to grow a lot as a performer here.”

With the Johnny Ray Band, which she joined while still a student at Berklee when she answered an online ad on Craigslist, Tanchon effortlessly nailed solo covers from Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, Joni Mitchell, Patsy Cline, Linda Rondstat and Carly Simon tunes, to a range of Top 40 hits, and she’s a sensational vocal complement to Ray in duets and his staples which include Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash and Blues Brothers classics.
She plans to continue appearances with the band at the Sahara in Vegas and other venues.

Tanchon describes her original music as alternative folk-rock, and says she’s eager for the release of her yet-to-be named CD, which she has been busy putting the finishing touches on with a collection of fellow Berklee grads at Squid Hell Recording Studio in Jamaica Plain.

Her plan in Nashville, she says, is to perform either solo gigs or with a local band, and to build her fan base one at a time. Building a slow and loyal following as an independent artist, she says, is more important to her than quick commercial success.

“For me it’s about performing, and making the best album that I can” she says, adding she intends to always stay true to her instincts as a singer/songwriter.

“I’m an early riser and I write most of my songs in the morning,” she says, noting her original lyrics are mostly drawn from life experiences, “but embellished a little.”

She plans to have her CD available at venues she plays in and around Nashville.

“I don’t see myself as the type,” she says, who would become an “American Idol” or “Nashville Star” contestant. “That’s just not me.”

At the same time, Tanchon is brimming with confidence as she embarks to amp up her career in Tennessee.

“I don’t have a Plan B,” she says. “The time is right for me to make the move … I want to play in front of as many people as I can, and meet as many people as possible.

“You’re never going to make it as an artist sitting in a room,” she said, repeating advice from a Berklee instructor.

Ray has no doubt what Tanchon’s future holds for her.

“After more then two years and hundreds of performances with the band from here to Las Vegas we have definitely developed an undeniable chemistry together as performers which I enjoy very much,” Ray said. “We have also become great friends and although she won’t be around locally I look forward to the work we will continue to do on the road.

“Carley has all the necessary components to become a very successful singer/songwriter and recording artist.”

For more information on Carley Tanchon

and to check out some of her original music,

visit her online music page at www.myspace.com/carleytanchon

The Johnny Ray Band is scheduled

to perform on Horizon’s Edge Casino Cruises

Sept. 7, 12, 14 and 19, and also at Red Rock Bistro in Swampscott Sept. 18. For a complete schedule and more information on the band, visit www.johnnyrayband.com - The Daily Item

By SUE REID

Chagrin Valley Times, May 29, 2008, B6

It was in Chagrin Falls that 22-year-old songwriter Carley Tanchon was first encouraged to pursue her dream, she said.

A 2004 graduate of Chagrin Falls High School, Miss Tanchon, now a resident of Boston, credited her hometown roots for all that she has accomplished thus far. Currently the lead female vocalist for the Johnny Ray Band, she has shared the stage and sang background vocals for Gloria Estefan, shook hands with “the Edge,” legendary guitar player for U2, and performed all over the country.

“Chagrin was where I played my first gig,” Miss Tanchon said, including performances at the Blossom Time festival alongside friend and guitarist Adam Tressler, a Chagrin Falls High School alumnus, and at the former Timberfire Restaurant in Bainbridge.

She participated in all of the musicals while a student at Chagrin Falls High School, including “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Into the Woods,” “Music Man” and “Hello Dolly.”

In addition she worked with the middle school choirs. “I’m a firm believer that the best way to learn anything is to teach it,” she said, “and what a great group of kids with eager spirits to learn and find excitement in music.”

Miss Tanchon also credited the high school music program and former choral director Jodie Ricci for “preparing me more that I realized for the future ahead of me.”

After graduation, Miss Tanchon went on to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she earned a degree in Professional Music with a focus on performance, songwriting and music business in December 2006.

Her experience at Berklee was “amazing,” she said. “It’s a really unbelievable establishment, with such a mixture of people. It’s so career-focused.” The school also has so many connections to the music industry, she said. Top names were brought in regularly to conduct seminars for the students, Miss Tanchon said. One of the classes she took in concert promotion was actually taught by the former tour manager for Ozzy Osborne, she noted.

Miss Tanchon, who also plays guitar and piano, has extensively traveled with the Johnny Ray Band, performing everything from Frank Sinatra to Patsy Cline, Natalie Cole and Aretha Franklin. The cover band has entertained everywhere from Boston to Washington, D.C., and Arizona to Las Vegas, she said. The group will perform at the Sahara in Las Vegas June 11 to 15 before traveling to the Hon-Dah Resort Casino in Arizona June 17 to 21.

Most exciting, she said, is her work on her first solo album, which she hopes to complete by the fall. It will feature all of her original music, which she categorizes as folk rock.

“It’s so exciting,” Miss Tanchon said. “Things are definitely crazy, but it keeps me busy. I’m so blessed to be able to do this.”

Miss Tanchon said other future plans include moving to Nashville, Tenn., this fall. “I’m excited for a change,” she said. “I plan to go there and soak up all it has to offer. It is a wholesome environment,” which is suitable for where she is now in her career and with her music, she said.

Miss Tanchon’s parents, Pam and Jeff, and her younger brother, Ben, who still live in Chagrin Falls, are her greatest support, she said. “They are so excited for me to finish my album. They always encourage me to fulfill my dreams.”

Her parents introduced her to music at a very young age, and it was her mother who first taught her to play guitar. “I remember spending hours going through an old songbook that my mom had,” she said. “I would take the lyrics and chords written on the page and create my own melodies and songs from that, not realizing at the time that I was giving birth to my love of songwriting.” - Chagrin Valley Times, May 2008