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South Florida fan favorite Beverly McClellan makes it into the finals
on NBC's summer smash hit
The Voice. The Voice stars Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo
Green,
Maroon 5's Adam Levine and CMA Vocalist of the Year Blake
Shelton. Watch the final show Live Tuesday, June 28th 9/8c. "The
Finals" (TV-PG)
Anybody
that has gone to
New Moon in
Fort Lauderdale Florida on a Saturday night
or J's Bar on
Wednesday has had the pleasure of meeting and listening to one of this
town’s greatest local live singers, Beverly McClellan. Beverly,
a wonderfully eclectic singer has been entertaining everyone from New
Moon to Tarpon Bend to Duck Soup Bar and has made us smile, laugh, and
feel. I had the pleasure of talking with the Beverly and have
discovered even more levels to this amazing person.
It all started for
Bev back in Kingsport, TN when, at the age of four, Bev started playing the
piano and knew she just had to do more. Even though she loves
and looks up to her mother and Dolly Parton as musical idols, her major
non-musical inspiration would be her grandmother, a full-blooded
first-generation Native American Indian on her father’s side, but sadly
never met. To honor her, she now has 13 tattoos representing a variety
of different aspects of her grandmother’s heritage. She graduated from
South Fork High School and then went to Indian River Community College
where she learned to hone her craft.
She started playing
professionally at the age of 24 and is inspired by all aspects of
music. Even though she fancies Dolly Parton, she plays and sings the
most in-pitch/in-tone songs by such artists as Melissa Etheridge, Ani
DiFranco, The Indigo Girls, and truly—anyone. She can now play a
variety of instruments including: piano, guitar, trumpet, French Horn,
Mandolin, Ukulele, Base, Djembe (African Tribal Drums) and a wide
variety of drums are now her favorite recent discoveries. Anyone that
has met her can tell that her guitar case has a plethora of stickers,
with the first one being from her Dad, and the rest represent places
that she has been and the people that mean the most to her.
Even though she has
completed four albums and has a fifth in progress, she is still an
unsigned Artist who is still in search of the perfect label that will
blend well with both her style and fan base. When asked, If you
could play with anyone or group living or dead, it would it be...
and she answered Ms. Etta James. Bev also added that it is
important to mention the fact that she’s not just a pretty face—she has
won the NY National Music Festival 2004 Best Overall Performer
beating out more than 500 contestants worldwide.
I was given Talk of the Town one of her latest CDs that is
available at any performance and this is what I thought of her songs:
*When
You Smile For Me:
Soulful. Piano, percussion. Sounds like it would be perfect for a WB
Drama.
*Talk Of The Town:
Big revenge song. Be on the lookout for the line "...when your friends
crucified me...” we have all been there after a breakup. How does it
feel?
*Don't
Wait Up For Me: Heavy Acoustic Guitar. Powerful line, "This is
who I am." Very haunting. Reminiscent of "Sleep While I Drive" by
Melissa Etheridge. Not making any excuses song.
*Mess I'm In:
Fast acoustic with drums. Imagine a video in a seedy underground LA bar
with Coyote Ugly-ish girls dancing around and serving cocktails. Bev
performing on stage.
*Well
Wondered:
Feels similar music to "Last Dance With Mary Jane" by Tom Petty & The
Heartbreakers. It's either a friends road trip or relaxing bar
performance for friends with some loveable goof-ball dancing around.
*Promise:
HANDS DOWN--WANT PLAYED AT MY WEDDING!!!! "I may have no money but I
don't have a care and if I can promise you anything is that I will
always be there." Amazing.
*Truth: Fast
paced. "The truth has become the answer."
*Celebrate: A
song that makes you realize the beauty in life. "There's beauty all
around you doesn't it astound you?"
*Tammy's Song:
Feels like it would be perfect for a "Felicity" style show on WB with a
Indigo Girl-esque sound. "Every room in your house has love for me." A
perfect moving-in day song.
*Do It: Pianos
and drums. "There is something in knowing how to love you."
Beverly
McClellan is simply amazing. I love her, and give her one song—you will
too. You can check her out at myspace:
www.myspace.com/BeverlyShane for a complete listing of local performances. She
performs at: Duck Soup Bar at 3801 Powerline Road in
Oakland
Park and you can contact them at 954*561-9134, Tarpon Bend at 200
SW 2nd Street Downtown Ft. Lauderdale
tarpondbend.com, and my favorite Saturday
night spot—New
Moon.
Sadly girls, I report that she
is in fact taken, but if you would like to get her a drink during a
performance—it’s Cocoa Cola on the rocks, she entertains drinkers but
sometimes they entertain her. Stop by sometime, my favorite being New
Moon Café on a Saturday night, say “hi” and talk to her when she
finishes. I definitely would recommend buying all her CDs, and
becoming one of her friends before she becomes too famous—which is
soon.
Update... Bev is performing as a part of Christina Aguilera's team on the new hit show
The Voice. Look for the show on NBC.