Join the journey with me… Jen’s 2015 Musical Vision Quest RocketHub Campaign!

How did I join my first band “Blush”? Well, they were first called “Next Of Kin” and my roommate Cyndy forced me to call them for an audition after she came across this flyer hung up around Stony Brook University campus. She said I’d been talking about how much I wanted to be in a band. Here was my chance. Thank you Cyndy!

Up until this point I’d been acting, singing and dancing in musicals and plays. Ya, I knew I wanted to sing and share the songs I’d been writing since I was a little girl. I was just so petrified to learn an instrument. Even worse, I was unwilling to be vulnerable and reveal what was inside my heart. Lots of judgment. Lots of having to be bad before ever being good. So, I’d keep writing my songs and I’d keep hiding them in my room.

I did audition for “Blush” and they welcomed me aboard! A month later we had our first show. About two years later we ended up as Semi-Finalists in Musician Magazine’s Best Unsigned Band Competition. We performed at “Mulcahy’s” in front of hundreds of people. Boy was that a hoot! We didn’t win, but we did give one amazing show! The Island Ear even wrote us up.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t use it for press. They got my name wrong. I mean like really wrong. In the article they said this, “Lead capably by the strong vocal presence of lead singer (READY FOR THIS) Jen Garcia, “Blush” is a tight swinging unit. Imagine the Gin Blossoms with a female lead singer…” Too funny, huh! 

Ya wanna know a fun fact? I was actually forced to play guitar. Seriously! “Blush” bought me my first guitar right before I left for Sonoma State University. I’d decided to go there for a semester to explore life a little, as I’d mentioned in yesterday’s post. They told me I’d have to learn guitar cause when I got back to NY and the demo we’d just recorded for “Blush” was done, I’d be playing in the band, not just singing. Holy Cow! Are you kidding me? Well, the rest is history….

My very first guitar…

More to come…

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