Sherry Marchefsky

Sometimes Big Things Really Do Come In Small Packages
Written by Gerry Ulicny / September 2009

Vibrant. Energetic. Exciting. Determined.

Sherry Marchefsky. It would be impossible to talk about her without using a whole lot of descriptive words. It’s not that she’s hard to describe, but perhaps she is hard to define. That’s because she’s so many things all at once.

Sherry is a talented and serious musician, an astute business person, an attractive young woman and a force to be reckoned with. She’s also a marketing consultant for a real estate company, but that might be just until she gets signed. If there could only be one word, it would definitely have to be this one, and, yes, the caps are necessary: PASSIONATE!

Sherry Marchefsky says that she has always known, even when she began training in classical piano at the tender age of three years old, that she wanted music to be her life’s work. “I have always been around music and I’ve always been doing something musically,” Sherry says. “It’s part of my education, my personality, and my life.” She wrote her first song at the age of six. She’s really not afraid to bare the deepest most secret parts of her experiences when she’s writing music, either. “I tend to always write at the lowest points of life,” Sherry admits. “I am not shy about showing my human side.”

Describing her music will take lots of words, too. She likes to consider her personal style either “Alternative experimental” or “Fusion.” Both express a blend of all the other things her music has been called: Adult contemporary, alternative, pop, and experimental. What she really wants to be known as, she says, is “a songwriter, no, a poet.” But of course, there has to be a business side to things and for that Sherry says, “You have to pay your dues”. “I don’t play if I’m not paid, and getting paid means playing what they want to hear.” It doesn’t mean she doesn’t work at her own music, just that she has learned the ropes. I call, I schmooze, I hustle, I learn,” Sherry says. “You do what you have to do, and then, hopefully, you get to do what you want.” Sherry, a master of this method, has seen no small success: she is currently playing up to 9-13 shows a month while still working full-time. In fact, her advice to up-and-coming bands and musicians would include a caveat to “give the audience what it wants.” This should in no way imply that her personal projects are not part of the plan. “You have to find a way to interact with the audience and be yourself at the same time,” she says. “I will play maybe six songs that are popular and then put in one of my own,” she says. “But I always take my cue from the audience, interact with them. Because you know, really, it is as much their show as it is mine.

“The reward for that kind of trade-off, Sherry says, is when people who have been at the show come up to her and say things like “Wow, that was fun,” or “That was awesome.” Oh, what a feeling! Perhaps the best way to describe Sherry’s music is to ask her who her biggest influences are. “Barry Manilow,” Sherry says first and with conviction, “Tori Amos, Jewel, and of course Jason Mitchell who has been my mentor in helping me get my solo act moving forward in Pennsylvania last year.” All brave, dedicated, and businesslike, they do share things in common with Sherry. All the epitome of class. But maybe the most important characteristic they all have in common is that they know it is work.

Sherry admits that she has a good grasp of what she calls “all sides” of the issue. For instance she says she will never want to “write just for the radio,” but that at the same time she understands that the radio is a powerful tool. A word to young musicians or bands … she would say, “try to reach a balance between working hard at making music and working even harder promoting it. Not because she sees marketing as musical but because it is ultimately essential!”

Do everything and try it all,” Sherry says, “even if not everyone has the drive and musical talent, everyone has the skill to pick up the phone.”

So, as an incredibly busy Sherry squeezes in a little quality time with her beagle, Fletch, before gearing up for another 2-3 show weekend, she adds, “The thing is you approach this as a job.” Well, like it’s a job that you can – like Sherry does – put your heart and soul into.One last chance to say something, Sherry leaves us with just three words: “Go for it!”

For bookings and more information on Sherry Marchefsky:

http://www.sherrythesongwriter.com/

Sherry Marchefsky is that rare artist who sings with her heart and her soul wide open. Her voice and her phrasing are like a welcoming host, inviting listeners to ‘come on in and make themselves comfortable.’ I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Sherry and in person there is quiet reserve about her that apparently melts away when she sits behind a keyboard or steps in front of microphone. Sherry’s a storyteller, a weaver of rich and layered tapestries who sings of love and friendship and heartache without pretense or irony. Her lyrics evoke a strong sense of place… you can taste the snow on your tongue and feel the weight of a winter that has worn out its welcome in December. And her arrangements are at once playful and grand. In the song December, Sherry imagines an old flame and wonders “Do you remember me.” With talent like this, how could they ever forget.

- Michele Norris

Host of National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered”

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