Carley Ba-

Carley is one of the DIY crowd's best-kept secrets.  Ask anybody who's seen her perform, and they will tell you what a growing number of people are discovering: the smiley girl with the dreadlocks is good.  With a voice that alternates between soft subtlety and brazen belting, and a songwriting style that is both clever and catchy, she leaves an impression that noticeably changes the paradigm of just what a girl with a guitar can do.

Growing up in Milwaukee, WI, Carley learned a lot about "playing well with others" during the campfire jams held by her parents and their friends.  Musicians like Joni Mitchell, the Beatles, James Taylor, and Paul Simon would eventually inform her musical tastes.  After high school, Carley tried to pick a direction in life, and soon realized that music was the only direction.  Her unique blend of intelligent lyrics and folk-infused pop sensibilities garnered lavish praise from everyone who listened.  She soon got involved with the Milwaukee chapter of Chick Singer Night, a venerable showcase which takes place monthly in cities across the United States, and has produced such illuminous alumni as Paula Cole, Norah Jones, and Sheryl Crow.  Because of Carley's involvement with Milwaukee's CSN, she was asked to join the "Best Of" lineup on the Potawatomi Stage at Summerfest in 2006.  In addition, she recorded her first solo album, the acoustic Still Life.

That year she also decided to pursue a change of pace, and relocated to Portland, OR, to see what its music scene had to offer.  Since then, she has gigged steadily, making a name for herself around town as a songwriter who "could break up with you and make you enjoy it" (Kris Foster, The Sleeping Giant).  As she established herself at such venues as the Hawthorne Theatre, Gotham Tavern, and McMenamins Edgefield, she began to cultivate an organic fanbase.  That theme of sustainability also revealed itself in the way Carley has funded her most recent project: instead of relying on credit, she asked her fans to contribute to the project, and recorded *Spare Change as an incentive for donating.  The project was a success and, in 2010, she simultaneously released You Can't Control The Weather and started her own label, Ursula Music. 
*