Patty's Experience

I took some piano lessons as a kid and joined choir and theatre programs in school, where I also taught myself how to play guitar and ukulele and to write songs. Determined to make a career for myself in music without the means to go to college, I learned everything I know about music and the music business from books, the internet, and my mentors. I have been a self-employed musician since 2018. As a solo artist in brewery corners, I tested out material and honed my performance skills. I’ve stomped on stages and even done table-to-table request hour to entertain rooms of people who were fully committed to ignoring my solo acoustic act when they came in the door. This approach didn’t always work but I do still have people come up to me on occasion and say they remembered when I took their request at dinner some evening many years ago. Once I felt truly comfortable singing original music in front of an audience, I decided to start a band. I had the great fortune of working with wonderful musicians through a few iterations of my full band project but finally landed in a blues-rock power trio called Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps. I was originally meant to be a rhythm guitarist but it turned out that good bassists are hard to come by, so I picked up a five-string behemoth and haven’t much put it down since. In 2021 I got a call from beloved Michigan Americana band, The Accidentals, to play bass, guitar, ukulele, and mandolin on their tour for their album, Vessel. This was a great experience for me, being able to work alongside women who also played a variety of instruments, often trading instruments between songs. I learned a lot about living on the road, identifying chord progressions, and managing a business during this tour. Almost immediately when I got back the Accidentals tour, I got a call to audition for progressive rock original band and Rush tribute, YYNOT, which I later officially joined as their lead singer. Having seen the potential for our own original music through these touring experiences, The Mayhaps and I decided to move away from our comfort zone in West Michigan to Nashville, Tennessee. I have been able to sustain my musical career through a variety of collaborations as a studio musician and touring musician, but also as a content creator on Patreon. As a self-employed artist I have also had to develop a variety of skills, including band management, booking, accounting, graphic design, web design, directing, and video editing. At this moment, I’m currently excited to explore new parts of the US on tour, make a new record, and collaborate with new artists.