Stephanie Pickard is a musician to keep an eye on. Her hard work, determination and professional attitude, paired with her natural talent and feel for her instruments, make her a great addition to any project. As a child, Stephanie always loved music, especially singing. Her mother noticed her vocal ability and encouraged it at a young age, but things really started to fall into place in her early teens when she started writing poetry and pairing it up with vocal melodies. Her father overheard her and suggested she “learn a few chords.” Shortly after, she signed up for guitar lessons at a local music shop. These lessons ignited a spark in her that still burns -- a drive to persevere and a love for music that forever binds her to her instrument. Improving at a rapid pace, her influences were constantly multiplying and changing. At age 16, Stephanie met Marc and Bill Minarik of Minarik Guitars at the NAMM show in Anaheim, CA. Impressed by her drive and ability at such a young age, they decided to take a chance on her and added her to their roster as a Minarik Guitar endorsee. This gave her the chance to demonstrate their guitars at events like the Rocker Girl Magazine convention in Seattle, WA, the LA Amp show in Van Nuys, CA, and the NAMM show in Anaheim, CA. Proving herself time and time again, it was at the LA Amp show in 2006 where she really impressed the Minariks and they upped her endorsement. “I
have been involved in the music industry for close
to two decades and have seen thousands of excellent
guitarists in that time period. Upon meeting Stephanie,
it was immediately apparent that she possesses starkly
obvious star qualities. Her relentless pursuit in
being an outstanding all-around guitar player, as
well as being "blessed" with lightning-fast
fingers, made her shine brightly among her peers.
Since our involvement with Stephanie, she has proven
herself with tremendous leaps in ability and opportunity
that were beyond all our expectations. Interest
from the major labels, regarding placing her into
groups does not surprise us. Loyalty, professionalism,
ability, and image make Stephanie Pickard the total
package." At age 18, Stephanie decided to attend the Musician’s
Institute in Hollywood, CA, following the footsteps
of guitar heroes Paul Gilbert, Bruce Bouillet and
many more. At Musician’s Institute, Stephanie was
surrounded by dozens of other guitarists striving
to make it in the music business. This was a very
important time for her. She grew as a player and
a person, studying under amazing musicians and even
getting a chance to take a few lessons from Paul
Gilbert himself! At Musicians Institute (MI), she
learned all sorts of different aspects of the instrument
as well as the business. After graduation, Stephanie became an Instructor
herself. MI gave her the broad range of musical
knowledge to excel at it, from studying ear training
and theory to many varieties of technique. She has
taught private lessons as well as working on the
staffs at Rock Nation, in Agoura Hills, CA, The
Peninsula School of Music, in Rancho Palos Verdes,
CA, and Opus Music in Torrance, CA. Stephanie has
always had a way with people, especially kids, so
combining these skills with her guitar abilities
was a great match. After Musicians Institute, Stephanie was also fortunate
enough to get the chance to study privately with
one of her guitar heroes, Bruce Bouillet. “Bruce
was the best guitar teacher I have ever had,” she
says. “He has seen me laugh and made me cry and
just pushed me harder. “When I first got into guitar and discovered soloing,
I pretty much didn’t care about anything else. It
got attention and impressed people, but that’s not
everything. Bruce made me realize how important
all aspects of the guitar are and made me focus
on my rhythm.” At this time in Stephanie’s life, she was totally
focused on only being a guitarist. However when
Bruce found out she could sing, he told her she
had to give it a shot. Unaware of how to start, Stephanie began taking
vocal lessons. It took a while for her to get comfortable
and take on this new instrument for real. Once she
found her current vocal teacher and producer, Kalen
Chase things quickly fell into place. Kalen is an
accomplished vocalist, instructor and performer
who fronts his own metal band, The Changing, as
well as singing backup vocals and touring the world
with world-famous, Grammy-winning rock group, Korn.
“Kalen helped me completely come out of my shell,”
says Stephanie. “He made me realize how ridiculous
it was to hold back, and helped me build and train
my voice. His confidence in me has meant a lot,
as I really respect him as an artist and person.
Once I showed him my lyrics, guitar, and vocal ability,
he said, ‘Face it, you’re a songwriter.’ He told
me to stop thinking about it and overanalyzing it.
Although I fought it for a while, I now can’t imagine
things any other way. It’s a weird feeling to realize
you are meant to be something different than what
you imagined -- but also a great feeling to find
your place.” Stephanie still holds that drive and that spark
to make things happen. She has always been self-sufficient
and worked hard to take advantage of the opportunities
that come her way. In 2009 she released her first
song singing and playing, the acoustic version of
“The Vicious Circle (Wasting Away).” “I am so excited to release ‘The Vicious Circle,’”
Stephanie says. “This song means so much to me,
and I learned so much recording it. It’s easy to
get down about things and feel like there is no
hope, especially in this business. But this song
gave me hope and confidence in time where I needed
it.” She is also working on writing and recording her
EP, which will include the Hard Rock/Metal version
of “The Vicious Circle” and much more. Stephanie
has finally found her place in the music world and
is focusing on putting out good songs, not just
solos. Stephanie has matured and learned that there
is a time and place for everything. And she believes
what her vocal instructor Kalen told her … that
musicians are “second to the song.” |
