Why is your business called "Messiah Refugees Music"? This is a tongue-in-cheek reference to my New Age upbringing. Along the way, I met a number of self-proclaimed messiah types, from which I consider myself a refugee of sorts. I'm also sometimes asked if I'm a Christian or an atheist, and I'm neither. I'm sort of a "syncretistic pantheistic free-form mystic" and a soft skeptic. I've written a song called Messiah Refugee to fully explain myself; see the Music and Lyrics pages.

Why do you describe your music as "Theatrical Folk-Rock"? I have three main musical influences. The first and most obvious is the folk of the '60s and '70s, most especially Joni Mitchell's music. I've also been influenced by newer artists such as the Indigo Girls and Natalie Merchant. I've also listened to rock all my life, starting with the Beatles. Among my favorite rock artists are Neil Finn (of Split Enz and Crowded House) Andy Partridge (of XTC), Ed Roland (of Collective Soul), Don Henley, and Sting.

But what makes my music unusual is the Broadway influence. It's evident in my tendency to set scenes and tell stories, in my unusually frequent use of exact rhymes, and in my use of a wide variety of musical styles. When some people hear the word "theatrical" applied to popular music, they think of David Bowie. What I'm trying to convey is the influence of Andrew Lloyd Weber, Tim Rice, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, and other great composers and lyricists.

In my singing style, you might be able to hear a bit of Julie Andrews. I listened to musicals growing up, studied opera, performed in a few Gilbert & Sullivan productions, and had to loosen up to sing popular songs. However, I've retained enough of my training in diction that people tell me they can clearly hear every word I sing. Too many artists in popular music neglect diction. Why bother to write lyrics only to mumble them?

Why do say you're "acoustic" but use a keyboard at some shows? Because an acoustic piano is really heavy. When a venue has a real piano that's in good condition, I use it. When they don't, I have to make do with an electronic approximation, because transporting the piano in my living room to every gig is just not practical. All the venues I've talked to accept this. When a venue wants acoustic music, typically it's because they have one of the following concerns:

• Tone - My big keyboard has excellent piano sounds with each note individually sampled from a real piano. If you close your eyes, you would swear it was the real thing. My little keyboard doesn't quite sound real, but it's not cheesy either.
• Power - My little keyboard has built-in speakers and runs on batteries, so if there's nowhere to plug in, I do fine.
• Volume - Even at full volume, my little keyboard is not as loud as my unamplified voice. My big keyboard is only as loud as I turn the dial on my amp, and I tend to keep it low.

Do you ever play other people's songs? Not very often. My own songs keep me quite busy. I also frequently perform at venues that don't have ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC licenses. These venues accordingly restrict their performers to self-written or public domain material. Lately, however, my husband Gary and I have been doing duet versions of Sting's Fields of Gold, Toad's Walk on the Ocean, the Doors' Crystal Ship, and a few others where permissible. We'll learn a song if requested, but mainly we play what we like.

Do you ever play at weddings or other private parties? I've played Night Ship at weddings and You Will Find Me at funerals. I've also played at house concerts hosted by other people. I'm always open to new possibilities. I don't seek out work for hire much because it tends to detract from writing and performing my own songs.

Do you adjust your material to your audience? Well, I try. I avoid playing songs like World in His Pocket if I know an audience is conservative, and I avoid playing songs like Kill His Memory if children are present. I try not to preach too much, and I try to keep my songs PG-13 or cleaner. If a venue requests that I not play a particular song, I don't. But this rarely happens.

Who did your CD cover art? My husband Gary Lee Parks designs stained glass and etched glass windows for a living. He is the resident designer at Glass Paradigm in Mountain View. He can do any kind of illustration, from murals to cartoons to CD cover art (including mine). He's also a voice actor and an operatically trained singer.