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Quills & Queues: An interview with Calysta Cheyenne Calysta Cheyenne. Photo by James Tiede Thursday Jan 5, 2017 at 5:32 PM Jan 5, 2017 at 5:32 PM By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings Calysta Cheyenne is an Ashland native who is starting to turn heads with her magnetic performances as frontwoman of the Oregon-based rock band, Fortune's Folly. Back in her hometown to play The Brickroom on Saturday, Jan. 7, Cheyenne sat down with the Tidings to talk about her art, the growth of her artistic life and the various influences that led her to a career as a vocalist. JG: After leaving Ashland, you spent some time at Berklee College of Music before leaving college to pursue your art full time. What led to that decision? CC: Aside from the academic aspect of attending college, my other main motive for going to school was to network and meet other musicians. I ended up spending most of my time alone and, although I learned a lot, I had no real desire to graduate. I didn’t want a degree. I wanted experience, knowledge and, mostly, I wanted to start a band. I knew that I needed to move in another direction, and that direction was right back to the West Coast. JG: What was the first big musical moment in your life? CC: After I graduated from high school, during the summer of 2010, I sang with a Gypsy Jazz group called the Flat Five String Band. That August, we opened for the swing band Big Bad VooDoo Daddy at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville. It was an incredible experience. That was the most professional gig I’d had at the time and it opened my eyes to the possibility of making a career out of music. JG: How have you changed creatively over the past few years? CC: In the last few years my creativity has flourished. In the fall of 2014 I moved to Eugene and joined a band that has changed my life. There is a fluidity and ease to our songwriting process that makes writing and playing music together an absolute joy. The guys come up with a groove and chord changes and I write the melody and lyrics over the top. In the past I would write songs in the reverse order; melody and lyrics first, and then fill in the chord structure at the end. JG: What are the most rewarding and least rewarding aspects of being a working artist? CC: The most rewarding aspect of being a working artist is seeing the excitement and delight you bring to people who are truly affected by the music. When fans express how much your music means to them, it’s an amazing feeling. For me, it creates a sense of responsibility and drive to keep creating and performing. I’m not famous, but I do have fans, and I feel that I owe it to them to continue making music. The most difficult aspect of being a working artist is the juxtaposition between creating art and making money. The band and I are not quite to the point where we are paying ourselves, so we all have full time jobs in addition to our performance schedule. I didn’t start singing because I wanted to be rich. JG: What's the biggest thing you've learned about yourself so far as a performer? CC: The biggest thing I’ve learned about myself as a performer is that performing is my source of happiness and fulfillment in life. I have tried to take breaks from singing and writing, and have always found myself feeling empty. I used to feel pressure to become successful before I got too old (by industry standards,) but now I’m comfortable with the fact that I may never make a living doing what I do. I stay excited and focused by continually making new art and setting new goals for myself. I’m in this for the long haul — for better or for worse. Ashland resident Jeffrey Gillespie is a Daily Tidings columnist, arts reviewer and freelance writer. Email him at [email protected].