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1/10/2003 Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal Staff Writer, Rapid City Journal, Rapid City, SD Making a Sound All Her Own Spearfish native Lynette Vantreese is finding a budding fan base in Nashville, where she released her first CD, “Lynette Vantreese.” ‘Women in Rock’ St. Martins Press wrote of her, “I’d call Lynette Vantreese a pioneer if I thought others could follow. As a painter of word images she’s absolutely one of the most exciting new talents on the singer/songwriter horizon.” For more information about Vantreese, log on to www.lynettevantreese.com. Her CD is for sale at the Bay Leaf Cafe in Spearfish.

SPEARFISH NATIVE MAKES WAVES IN NASHVILLE WITH UNIQUE ROCK STYLE Lynette Vantreese got her early training in classical music, studied pop in college and now lives in the heart of country music. Confused? Don’t be. The Spearfish native may be making her name in Nashville, but she’s anything but country western. And she may have trained in opera, but she’s no diva. Vantreese sings a brand of music that The Nashville Scene magazine calls “thoughtful, distinctive rock music with folk and pop influences.” The City Paper raves that “Anyone who’s given up on hearing literate, highly personal and fresh pop songs should give her album a listen.” The album in question is Vantreese’s first, a self-titled piece of work that comes 10 years after she moved to Nashville. Vantreese admits it took a little more time to find her way to the studio than she had expected. “When I graduated from college, I said, ‘OK, I’m going to give music 10 years ... and here I am at 32. ... But I don’t want to quit right now.” Vantreese’s unwillingness to throw in the towel is understandable. With her first CD getting positive reviews and the word-of-mouth buzz in Nashville growing, things finally are coming together. “Right now, I’m so happy ...,” she says. Vantreese graduated from Spearfish High School in 1988, already a student of both voice and piano. Her mother, Sandra Asheim of Spearfish, a pianist and singer herself, made sure her daughter had a strong musical foundation. Vantreese studied classical piano and singing. One of her teachers even saw a future in opera for the young performer. But Vantreese had an undying love of pop. She enrolled in Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating in 1992 with a degree in songwriting with an emphasis in vocal performance. When it came time to leave school for the real world of entertainment, Vantreese had three choices: Los Angeles, New York City or Nashville. Berkley alumni long have been drawn to Nashville, and Vantreese saw the potential for friendly contacts there. “So, Nashville it was,” she says. Vantreese jumped into the Nashville music scene, a place not really as country as most people think. “At the club level, you would never guess this is country music USA,” Vantreese says. In 1996, while working a day job at a music studio, Vantreese met a guitar player named Brett Vantreese. It changed both her personal and musical future. The two married in 1998 and began performing together. The duo melded her love of lyrical imagery and his rock-driven guitar style. The result: a new sound and a recording contract. “It was like I had totally given up (on recording) ... and here this record label came knocking on my door.” The couple recorded with ATC Records during the fall of 2001, and “Lynette Vantreese” was released in February 2002. Although Vantreese and ATC Records since have parted ways, she’s still reaping the benefits of the CD. Her band plays a regular rotation of shows locally and regionally, and she sells her CD independently. Vantreese and her husband are planning a new CD this year. Whether it will be recorded by them or by a label is still up in the air. All Vantreese knows at this point is that things are progressing. Already an oldster in the bubble-gum era of pop music, Vantreese recognizes that the “odds are stacked against me for doing something really major.” At the same time, she points out that such artists as Shawn Colvin and Sheryl Crow are older than she is now. “I’m never going to be a Britney Spears, nor do I want to ...,” Vantreese says. In fact, she finds the idea of making a simple living in music while flying beneath the mammoth spotlight of superstardom appealing. Asheim isn’t surprised by her daughter’s career choice. And she’s not surprised by her persistence and success so far. “I kind of saw it coming when she played her first recital (at age 8), and she played her song twice,” Asheim says. “She never really wanted to do anything else.” Lynn Taylor Rick can be reached at 394-8414 or lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com

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