Maggie Sayles
Maggie discovered her musical talent at an early age—a general fascination with the family stereo, which she knew was off limits to her greasy little fingers, earned her many a spanking. She persisted however, despite her parent’s numerous attempts at behavior modification. “I was very persistent…and pig-headed…and defiant”, she says with a laugh. “My mom says I’ve never outgrown my terrible twos…” Her saving grace was her intuitive Aunt Bea, who bought her a Sears & Roebuck’s flame-top 6-string guitar. With the connection finally made, the house was soon filled with sound, as the young performer, without any sense of rhythm or knowing a single chord, loved on that little guitar.
Guitar lessons would soon follow, for the sake of her parent’s sanity, and music dove-tailed with her formal education. During high school she auditioned for a position with the concert choir and appeared in several musicals. She accepted a position as an instrumentalist with the swing choir and rapidly became a regularly featured vocalist instead. Maggie attended the prestigious Marylhurst College, majoring in composition and theory. “I have very fond memories of Marylhurst. It was such an important period of growth for me. But I needed something different. I just didn’t see myself fitting in. I wanted to touch people on an intensely personal level and to experiment—to do things that had never been done before.” Having gained a deep respect and appreciation for classical music, she decided to hit the road in search of something more personally fulfilling.
Her travels took her musically into the far corners of the world. She filled her ears with the music of Viét Nam, the rhythms of Africa, the sounds of the Ituri Forest Pygmies and Native American flute. She experimented with midi, studied studio recording, jazz guitar and video production. During this time her songwriting flourished. “I guess the military connection is a family thing. My grandfather was in the Dutch Royal Navy, my father in the Air Force, my sister in the Navy. Thank goodness I had more sense, given the way I like to test authority”, she says with a flash of a smile. “Growing up in a military family was both a blessing and a curse, though. The traveling was an urban safari adventure, which I loved, and provided the opportunity to make new friends and see new places but there wasn’t much room for emotional expression. Music was my only real emotional outlet and I poured everything I had into it. There’s a level of passion and intensity to my writing, as a result, and my songs are incredibly personal.”
Maggie brought that passion and intensity to each band she played with—some of whom achieved limited success playing the local club scene. “It was fun and I’ve shared music with so many incredibly special people. But something just felt like it was missing. I needed time to recharge creatively. I needed a direction. Eventually, I laid down my guitar.” During her down-time she focused on building a very successful career as a multimedia producer. “I missed playing music, though. Looking back, I think intellectually I was ready for solo work but I wasn’t ready for the artistic vulnerability and emotional responsibility of it. I needed to meditate on the Tao of Music, to steep and let that direction develop and intensify.” In April 2006, Maggie quit her day job to make room for music again and in January 2007 released her debut album, “Trust”. “The ability to make music is such a wonderful gift. I’m barely breathing without it. There is no other path…”