Cortland Standard .net

By COLLEEN SIUZDAK
Staff Reporter
csiuzdak@cortlandstandard.net
CORTLANDVILLE — Alanna-Marie Boudreau, 23, remembers performing for the first time in the former Blue Frog Coffeehouse on Main Street as her dad played guitar and she sang at the microphone.
They sang “A Moonlight in Vermont,” a jazz song, along with some hits from Billy Joel, one of her favorite musicians.
“The first time, I haven’t worked up the courage to sing my own music,” said Boudreau, a Cortlandville native. “I felt very peaceful and very much myself.”
Boudreau won a “Sammy” for best singer and songwriter at the Syracuse Area Music Awards Friday night. She said she was shocked at her win but grateful for the recognition.
Boudreau started with piano lessons at 6 years old, but eventually picked up a guitar when she was 14. She has been writing songs ever since.
“It’s been an ongoing love of mine that continued to unfold,” Boudreau said.
Now living in Auburn, Michigan, the young artist has been traveling, with her first tour starting in the summer 2013 with the Nashville-based LoveGoodMusic band. She performed in 45 cities in60 days, bringing her across much of the United States, including Kansas, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
Her favorite places are Denver and San Diego.
“Those are my favorite places (because of) the beauty of the place and sincerity of the people who live there,” Boudreau said. “Just really good memories of the performances there.”
Boudreau was home schooled until college, where she studied philosophy and theology at the Franciscan University at Steubenville in Ohio.
She did not know she wanted to pursue music as a career until the encouragement of her friends helped her decide during her senior year of college. It was not until she met an artist with LoveGoodMusic that her career was able to really take off, she said.
Jimmy Mitchell met Boudreau in Ohio after a friendrecommended that he listen to her music.
“Immediately, I was completely floored.” Mitchell said. “But I knew there was something special there and about a year and a half later, we went on our first tour.”
Mitchell spoke highly of Boudreau’s music and said that through her music and lyrics, she is able to connect with people through her own experiences regarding love andrelationships.
Boudreau said she has been working with Syracuse-based SubCat studios and thanked them for their work on her new album, “Hints & Guesses.”
Jeremy Johnston, co-owner and engineer of the recording studio, said he was impressed with Boudreau after hearing her play for its SubRosa Series, a monthly event where a local, regional and national artist gets to perform for a small group of people.
“It was really remarkable, she put on a great performance,” Johnston said Monday.
Johnston said he started recording with Boudreau in May and was happy to work with her, adding that he is definitely a fan.
“She was really enjoyable to have in the studio because she was just so willing to try new things and try different approaches on her songs,” he said. “It was really great.”
Boudreau describes her music as “pretty transparent,” noting she writes her songs from experiences in her own life, sometimes not expecting when they come.
“Whether a person I’m thinking of ... or some experience of beauty, those things come through pretty strong,” Boudreau said.
She added that she also gets her inspiration from some of her favorite authors such as T.S. Elliot and C.S. Lewis.
Johnston said Boudreau’s album is inspiring and he listens to it in his spare time.
“I think she is going to be very busy over the next few years,” Johnston said of the album’s success. “I don’t think it’ll be long before she’s a household name.”
Ever since the first time she performed, Boudreau said Monday, the best part of the experience is meeting all different kinds of people.
“I think the best part is the encounter afterwards,” Boudreau said. “I can feel theconnection.”