Sophie Gault
Comm 100
Prof. Helfrich
Bio
My name is Sophie
Gault. I write and perform songs. I guess that makes me a
singer/songwriter-- though that's a term I don't particularly like,
and I'll tell you why. When I hear the term “singer/songwriter”,
I instantly think of that stereotypical guitar strummer that writes
emotionally vague lyrics with very “deep” meaning, and the actual
music behind the words is merely an afterthought. But in reality,
saying you're a singer/songwriter doesn't really mean anything--
it's always being treated like a
genre of music rather than a trade. People can't know what you mean
when you say that, except for to assume that you belong to the
stereotype. My favorites have always been entertainers
who might happen to be great writers. Hank Williams. Robert Johnson.
Lucinda Williams. Neko Case. Johnny Cash. These are people who stand
out to me, because I don't think of them as “singer/songwriters”.
They break the stereotype-- because while their songs are
well-written and evoke great imagery, the music is equally as great.
I aspire to do that.
I'm
an only child. Until the age of 9, I attended Catholic school in
Prince George's county—right outside of Washington, D.C. I was the
only buck toothed, pony tailed, white girl that attended the school.
Everyone else was black, with the exception of some of the nuns who
taught there. I could be seen walking the halls in my plaid dress and
drooping knee socks with a Harry Potter book tucked under my arm, or
out in the parking lot at recess trying to trade Pokemon cards with
the older, cooler kids. If I ever got made fun of, it wasn't because
I was white and everyone else was black. It was because I was
indisputably dorky. Looking back, this is where I learned that
children, until they reach a certain age, genuinely don't care about
things like race. They definitely notice a difference in skin color,
but they aren't yet prejudiced enough to care or make any judgement
about it.
I
didn't really get into music until I was a teenager. My parents
wanted to get away from the never ending traffic of D.C.'s suburbs,
and it was always my mom's dream to own horses. I was around 15 when
we moved to a small horse farm in Snow Hill, MD. Let me take a moment
to describe Snow Hill. People in Snow Hill travel 20 minutes over to
the next town if they want to go grocery shopping, because there is
no supermarket. The closest thing to a supermarket is a dollar store.
No one delivers pizza to Snow Hill residents. People in Snow Hill
speak in a slow drawl, and move at an even slower pace. If you're a
teenager, or anyone, there is nothing to
do in Snow Hill. Needless to say, I had a lot of time on my hands. I
hung out with my parents and the animals- three horses, two cats, two
dogs. The fact that there wasn't much else to do was probably the
reason I started playing the guitar.
I was first very into the blues. That started when I heard Bonnie
Raitt sing “Love Me Like a Man” on a best-of compilation from my
mom's CD collection. I put the song on repeat and listened over and
over. It's just a twelve bar blues but it was one of the first ones I
heard that made me want to play along. I dreamt about someday being
as cool as she is. I fumbled with a slide around my ring finger made
out of the neck of a wine bottle, like the kind she uses, and sang
through my braces. Later on, I decided that I wanted to focus more on
writing than becoming a great guitar player. By this time I was
listening to a lot of country music.
I'm
a junior here at SUNY Oneonta. The question I get most is, “Oh,
you're from Maryland? That's not far, is it?” and when I reply that
it's the state Maryland and not the town, they say in a surprised
tone, “Oh, really? What brings you here?”
It is pretty funny-- no one from my high school could even pronounce
Oneonta, let alone know that it's a town. I found out about Oneonta
when I heard about SUCO's Music Industry program. It offers a less
expensive alternative to commercial music schools like Berklee and
Belmont, which have similar programs. There are a lot of
knowledgeable and talented people here that I've had the pleasure of
meeting, and I've had a few great opportunities. I've opened up for
some touring bands that come through town and had shows of my own at
local venues. Recently, I got the opportunity to record some of my
songs in the school's studio. I'm really happy I came here, although
no one seemed to mention that it snows every day. I kind of hate cold
weather. I'm in this class because it's a requirement for the major,
but I know I could hugely benefit from learning public speaking
skills, since my hands shake and my throat gets tight whenever I have
to talk in front of people.
I
just got a job bussing tables at the Autumn Cafe, so right now I'm
doing that on the weekends. I'm playing shows a few times a month. As
for what I will do when I graduate, I don't have a clue, much like a
lot of students I've met. I've always loved a change of scenery, so
maybe I'll move to a big city-- preferably whichever one can offer me
a job. My band's name is Sophie Gault & Co-- We play good music.
So if you see that we're playing somewhere, stop in and I'll buy you
a drink!
For
the class debates, I would be interested in debating anything music
related. Maybe is singer/songwriter a deserved genre? However, I'm
open to other ideas as well.
