Anybody that has gone to New Moon on a Saturday night recently 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, 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, Ukelele, 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 have 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.     

One night last month 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 2^nd Street Downtown Ft. Lauderdale www.tarpondbend.com, and my favorite Saturday night spot—New Moon at 2440 Wilton Drive 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.