The same way that individual notes come together to form a song, serendipitous pieces added together in a life can make great things happen… through the power of friendship, skill, motivation… persistence… and occasional acts of generosity.
Central to this particular story is the talent and sunny personality of Sally Mae Foster, a folk musician who performs delightful compositions and is often featured in regional music events.
We had the opportunity to sit and visit recently. Sally Mae’s musical journey grew organically out of her love of visual art and folk music. As a college student, reveling in her major of fine art, she found herself carrying an acoustic guitar as a solitary protective device — to give herself something to do at odd moments.
“You know, it wasn’t my plan to be a folk musician. I was an art major in college and loving it,” she said. “I enjoyed playing my guitar among small groups of friends and almost as protective covering while out in public by myself, but I never saw myself making a living making music.”
She started playing in small gatherings while in college, and mostly performing covers (which check “satisfaction and approval” boxes for listeners) and gradually introducing songs she composed herself.
The encouragement of friends played a large part — including a casual invitation to tag along to “play some tunes in the barn,” which turned out to be at The Barn at Capons Crossing in Wardensville, WV… with a few hundred spectators and the chance to play a short intermission set for Bud’s Collective. That performance generated ongoing gig offers — and is a wonderful example of the power of seemingly small gestures.
As fans of local music, we are happy it turned out this way.
What’s in the works? With years of self promotion, branding, navigating production, publishing, and sorting through merch options, Sally Mae is ready to pay forward and be a savviness resource for fellow musicians. Keep your eyes peeled for further developments from Steal Me Records!
Find Sally Mae Foster at www.sallymaefoster.com on Instagram @sallymaefoster and on Facebook @soulfolkmusic. Stream her 2017 release, Music Box on Spotify, Apple Music, and all major platforms.
Looking for CD duplication, t-shirts, banners, posters, flyers, palm cards, or other merch to round out your offerings?
Contact us to get started! 540-635-4181 mike@nationalmediaservices.com
