THE FRESH FACED MUSICAL CLARITY OF
GRETCHEN TOTH

By Robert E. Martin

Gretchen Toth

Everyone needs a Someone
Everyone has a dream
I want a little room to breathe
I need a little room for me.

- Gretchen Toth

The first impression that strikes interest about Gretchen Toth is the
remarkably expressive voice that emanates from the lips of the diminutive
Bay City native, coupled with the fact that she has chosen the avenue of
solo acoustic guitar to provide the musical accompaniment to her finely
crafted original compositions.

Currently attending Saginaw Valley State University, Gretchen's debut CD of
original material (available on MP3.com) is filled with melodic and varied
tales rendered in the poignant and compelling style of such 'classical'
singer/songwriters as Joni Mitchell and Melanie, burnished with the
influence of such contemporary musical solo icons as Jewel, yet the lyrical
content of her material is entirely distinct, singular, and embracing.

Indeed, Gretchen represents a breath of fresh air for a local musical scene
largely dominated by Rock, Metal, and Blues bands, her stature boosted even
more at the realization that although only in her early 20s, Gretchen has
already penned 30 original songs of aspiration, longing, hope, and elation.

"I first started singing when my friends were all in plays at school and I
wasn't," recalls Gretchen. "I was jealous because they seemed to be having
so much fun. Consequently, I tried out for a show and nobody could hear me.
I was the quietest singer in the whole place!"

Given the full tone and lush expressive texture of her voice, this problem
was aptly addressed by starting voice lessons.

"I started training with vocal instructor Eileen Harrigan in the Summer of
'96," continues Gretchen. "In fact, she still makes fun of me whenever she
seems me now because my voice used to be so quiet, like a mouse, like a
whisper. But my friends all took from her and recommended her."

With her vocal confidence intact, one year later Gretchen got her first
guitar as a high school graduation gift and started lessons in the Summer
of '97. "I was horrible on the guitar," laughs Gretchen. "But then my
teacher picked it up and said 'No wonder you hate it, the action is too
high'.   I got it adjusted so that I could more easily press the strings
down and hit the frets, and it wasn't so bad."

Throwing herself with a passion into tracing the musical contours
percolating within her heart, Gretchen started writing original songs and
developing her 'sound'.  Shortly after she started performing live at the
now defunct Midtown CoffeeHouse on Bay City's Midland Street.

"I played a couple of times and then did my first real show in the April of
'98 with one of my friends, Joshua Jacobs, who plays in a band in Detroit.
I've performed at Churchill's in Flint and The Metropolis for two or three
years off and on.   It's funny, because I would play between these
screaming bands and after they'd finish, I'd walk onto the stage with just
me and my guitar saying 'Hi'.  It was good experience, though, because it
trained to me become used to performing before rowdy people, but they
seemed to enjoy it."

Little wonder, considering that the poignant and full lilt to Gretchen's
voice hits one with the all the power of a screaming Thrash singer
bellowing in pain, even though it flows from a softer space and quieter
place.

"I think that each time I play shows people come up to me and say they know
exactly what I meant by this or that song," she reflects. "They can relate
to the different songs and fortunately I'm able to always establish some
audience connection that tells me they share similar feelings."

Her musical influences reflect the nature of her laconic material.
"Obviously, I was influenced by Jewel. You couldn't have been around in the
late '90s and wanted to be a singer and not say 'I want to be like her when
I grow up'. Jeff Buckley is also a huge influence, and pretty much any
chick with a guitar."

Gretchen started recording her debut CD around Thanksgiving of 2000 and
finished the project in the Spring of 2001. Sales on MP3.com have been
respectable and she always sells copies at her live performances. "But it's
hard to get college kids to spend money," notes Gretchen. "I'll do shows
and they'll say they love my stuff, where can the listen to it.  So I have
three songs, Frustrated, Reality, and The Vegas Song available for free now
that people can listen to on MP3, where they can also purchase the CD."

Currently, the most challenging thing about the music business for Gretchen
is finding new places to play that will allow people to appreciate her
talent.

"It's hard to play live when it's just you standing on the stage and
everything rests on your shoulders. You're like, 'Hmmm'. That's one of the
hardest things about it. Finding people to appreciate the music isn't the
problem, but finding the coffee houses to play where you know people will
come in and listen is difficult."

"But anytime I perform it's awesome. I need to get out and do it more,
because I'm back in school now and it's hard to find the time. I'm working
on a degree in communications and then going back for a teaching
certificate, so I sub during the day, have classes to attend, and next
semester is going to be ridiculous, but that's okay."

When Gretchen does perform it is usually at Bay City Coffee & Tea and
Saginaw's Red Eye CoffeeHouse.  "Usually if I feel like performing, I'll
call a week ahead and ask if I can have a show on a certain day. It's
difficult to work around scheduling."

In terms of her songwriting, Gretchen says the 'muse' comes & goes. "I'll
write 10 songs in a couple of months and then do nothing for a few months.
It depends upon what's happening in my life. I play upon my life and my
friends' lives and what's going on, so I'm more of a confessional
songwriter in that sense. It's all based in reality somehow, but you've got
to have that connection."

Gretchen Toth is undoubtedly an important musical force to grace the
tri-cities in early 2003, possessing intelligence, talent, poise, and that
all-important spark that strikes the flame of originality.
Look for more of her in the upcoming year.

Gretchen Toth's album can be purchased on MP3.com and also by going online
to Shoestring Entertainment.