The musical ventures of Chad Clifford: How a small town guy made a home for music

Chad Clifford, 42, is an easy man to spot.  His neon yellow hair looks like he just stuck his finger in an electrical socket, he speaks as if he’s kicking back a beer with an old friend and his energy is contagious.  His frantic excitement seems to spread whenever he enters the foyer of Front Porch Music, his shop in Valparaiso, Indiana, which he owns with wife, Michelle, 42.  His over washed black Wilco t-shirt hangs loosely over his distressed jeans, which hang loosely over his gym shoes.  He’s not a traditional businessman dressed to the nines, but Front Porch isn’t a traditional business.  

Photo courtesy of irenetron.com

The shop is an old home transformed into a musicians dream offering everything from lessons in an array of instruments to open mic nights and sales.   If it weren’t for the sign out front, it would easily be mistaken for a residence.  The large slate blue veranda and slightly peeled beige siding make Front Porch look as though it should be on a farm.  But that just adds to its charm.

Clifford bought Front Porch in 2007 after working there as a manager for 10 years.  Ever since, he’s been busier than ever, running the shop, buying and co-operating The Alley recording studio, also in Valparaiso, and fronting his band, the Crawpuppies.  For most, this would be far too much to balance, but Clifford finds a way to engage in it all.

Clifford began working at Front Porch in 1997, after graduating from Columbia College with a degree in Music Management.  He started small, teaching guitar and eventually progressed to store manager.  The shop was a place to hang out and interact with friends and musicians.  “My wife used to get mad because I’d go in to buy guitar strings and take 20 minutes,” Clifford said. 

In 2007, the owners of Front Porch decided to sell it, leaving Clifford with one of the biggest questions of his life: should he buy the shop?  “I kind of thought it was time for me to move on,” Clifford said, “But then people came around to buy it and they were in suits and ties and I thought, these guys are gonna kill this place.”  He wasn’t alone.  Most of the employees agreed and feared the new owners would turn the laid-back music shop into a corporate hell.  “People kept pulling me aside and were like, come on! Please buy the shop!  Don’t let these people buy this place!” Clifford said.  So through a revelation, he did.  “It was scary, but I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather do,” Clifford said.  “I think he really always hoped he could own it,” Michelle said, “I’m glad he bought it, I love it here." 

Since Clifford bought Front Porch he and Michelle have done their best to preserve the homey atmosphere so many had grown to love about the shop.  “The biggest thing is that people feel like this place is home,” Clifford said.  It sounds cliché, young kids and adults alike finding an escape in music, but one foot inside Front Porch and it’s obvious that’s true.  “It’s like a family here, a lot of people have been here for years,” said Devin Whitten, a guitar teacher and clerk at Front Porch.  “A lot of people have said Front Porch is like a home to them, that’s why we continue to do it,” Michelle said. 

In addition to owning and operating Front Porch, Clifford also ventured into the recording aspect of the music world.  He bought the space for The Alley recording studio in May of 2008 and brought on Marc Nelson, a talented local musician, as his partner to be responsible for day-to-day functions and sound mixing.  One may think that with a successful business in tow, adding a project with such magnitude would be, well suicide.  Clifford thought just the opposite.  “I was a little high on the fact that Front Porch was going so well,” Clifford said, “But I’ve always wanted to own a little recording studio and when the space went up for sale I saw that as an opportunity to expand what I’m doing here [at Front Porch].”  Clifford owns the business and the name for The Alley, and Nelson owns the equipment. 

The Alley’s main purpose is to be a vibey getaway for artists and bands to record their upcoming albums, or, for those with a wad of extra cash, have some fun.  However, the studio has recently expanded its repertoire to TV show as well.  Nelson came up with the idea to host a series at The Alley, fittingly titled Live at The Alley, where local musicians from Northwest Indiana and Chicago can be featured and exposed for their talent.  Clifford hopes that the show will bring in more business for the studio, which has gone through a bit of a struggle starting up.  “It’s a rough time now, and the economy has changed things a little.  The studio was hit more by the recession than the store,” Clifford said.  “It’s a niche market, there’s only so many people who like music. Of those some of them are going to play, some of them are going to record and only some of them are going to come to me.” 

Although The Alley hasn’t taken off quite as much as Clifford would like, he’s optimistic about the future of the studio and has complete faith in Nelson.  “I think if the show continues that will help things,” Clifford said, “It’s not a traditional partnership, but I wouldn’t be able to do The Alley without Marc.”  But, nothing about Clifford’s business strategies seem traditional, and they’ve suited him just fine.

As if the man didn’t have enough on his plate, he’s also in a band called the Crawpuppies, which he and friends started in 1996.  “We’ve done a lot of cool things over the years,” Clifford said.  “We’ve played at the Metro, the Aragon Ballroom, the Double Door and opened for Counting Crows last year at the Hard Rock in Chicago.”  The band, which Clifford sings in, plays guitar and writes songs for, is always doing something, whether it be a small tour, playing locally or tearing it up in Chicago.  “It seems like we’re still growing, we’re still an indie band, which is nice. We don’t have to travel too much,” Clifford said.  “I like the guys in my band, but a month straight together?”

With so much to do, even the ever -energetic Clifford has a moment.  “It’s challenging to balance, but I think it would be more difficult at this point if I worked for someone else,” Clifford said.  “Me and my wife were talking about this last night, and I think we’re just the kind of people that if our lives aren’t full, we’ll find something to fill them with.”  Like any good businessman, he knows how to prioritize.  The businesses come first, then the band.  And like any good family man, his wife and four boys (17,14, four and one, and yes, they’re all musically inclined) don’t figure into that equation, they are far above it.

Clifford is also a hands on boss.  But, he’s nothing like what most people think of a boss.  “Chad’s really laid back, really cool,” said Paul Uhrina, who teaches drums, clerks and interns as an assistant engineer at The Alley.  “That’s what makes him a cool boss.  Anyone can boss you around, and you do a good job when they’re there, but here, it’s always like that.”

Clifford doesn’t have to be a strict boss, or breathe down his employees’ necks because he makes sure to hire the right kinds of people.  “People joke that you have to ask me at least 10 times if you want a job here, but it’s because I only want people who really want to work here,” Clifford said.  Many of the employees at Front Porch have been there for a long time so they know and respect the kind of feel good, open aura the shop boasts.  “It makes it easier to balance everything when you have people you trust working for you,” Clifford said, “And it’s great to add to our family here.  I want everyone to feel welcome.”

The future looks like the past for Front porch, with some minor facelifts.  Like remodeling the basement, which currently has a mural of a front porch scene painted behind the stage, headshots of musicians who have played there cover the walls (the kinds of musicians only die hard musicians know) and a hodgepodge of chairs for open mic nights and concerts— a vintage atmosphere, but not quite as current as Clifford would prefer.  He would also like to add more educational activities to the roster of things Front Porch offers, such as strum alongs and more garage band sessions, which is a lesson kids can take where they are paired with other musicians and learn how to make music as a group. 

But the thing Clifford, and all the members of the Front Porch family, cherish most is going to stay intact.  “This place is home.  In a business sense, you can’t sell that,” Clifford said.  “I think if Front Porch were to close down people would feel like part of their history was gone.  That keeps me going.”

Front Porch is open Mon-Fri 10:00am-8:00pm, Sat 9:00am-4:00pm

Open Mic Nights are Thursdays, visit www.frontporchmusic.com for more details

How that tiny museum got all that art

Valparaiso University, in Valparaiso, Indiana, is a small college, less than 4,000 students small.  But inside that less-than-a-mile campus is the Brauer, a seven galleried museum located inside the Valparaiso University Center for the Arts, which is home to an impressive collection of over 3,300 works of art.  

Ranging from regional to famous artists, like Ansel Adams, Ivan Albright, Salvador Dali, Georgia O'Keefe and Pablo Picasso, to name a few, the Brauer Museum of Art is a small place that boasts big talent.

The Brauer specifies in 19th-20th century American art, world religious art and Midwestern/regional art, paintings, sculptures, drawings, print and photographs- from Asher B. Durand to Andy Warhol. The university was lucky at the start and received a donation from Percy Sloan in 1953, son of famed Midwestern artist, Junius Sloan, of over 200 of his father's paintings to be used as educational tools along with an endowment to purchase more art.  

That endowment is just one way the museum, which is run by only two people, Gloria Ruff, Registrar/Assistant Curator and Gregg Hertzlieb Director/Curator, acquires money for new art, exhibits, and events.

"We get the artwork either as gifts or we buy it. We have donors that give us money to buy something specific or they will just give us the artwork," Ruff said.

  

However, the process isn't as simple as that, and often times, gifts aren't pieces of desire.  "When something is given to us as a gift we have a collection committee it must go through, four professors, a person from the community, and Gregg and myself.  We look at things like will we use it and also storage and conservation issues.  A lot of times the things we get are clunkers.”  

The Brauer also gets grants, endowments and monetary donations to help purchase art at auctions, which are great places to obtain art.  "Our collection needs are many and varied, and much art exists in the market that appeals to us and suits our needs," Hertzlieb said.  These funds also go to help book traveling exhibits and artist appearances that are used for events like student coffee hours and gallery talks, where the public can also come in to hear from artists.

Much of what is displayed is on loan or borrowed from another museum to go along with an exhibit. "We have some paintings on extended loan and what we do is cover the insurance. For the short loans we do borrow pieces from here and there to go with an exhibit we’re having," Ruff said.  "Other places will borrow from us as well and that’s another great way to get word out about the museum."

But the most creative way of gaining exposure for the museum also gives back to students.

"We have exhibitions of regional high school art as well as Valparaiso University student work," Hertzlieb said.  "Both give campus and community members an idea of what young people are creating."  The student shows not only showcase young talent, but they also bring in exposure and awareness for the museum.  "The high school contest brings in a lot of families to see their kids' work and they find out about the museum," Ruff said.

Hertzlieb and Ruff are also working to try new marketing techniques with their advertising group. "The New Integrated Marketing and Communications Group wants to do more online things, like Facebook. We're also trying to get all our images in the collection digitalized," Ruff said. 

Running the Brauer Museum may at times be difficult and time consuming, however Hertzlieb and Ruff are happy to do it.  "Here, you can come in even if you only have 15 minutes and look at one thing, that's so valuable,” Ruff said.  "I hope students and faculty come in and wander."

MCA's two sides to Minimalism

An almost life sized painting of a black square may not be considered art to many people, but if Ad Reinhardt, famous Minimalist painter, were still alive, he'd tell you, "The more stuff in it, the busier the work of art, the worse it is. More is less, less is more."  

Morris's "Portal" courtesy of mutualart.com

That simple, yet explanatory statement is the theme for the Museum of Contemporary Art's newest exhibit, "The Language of Less: Then and Now", which gives patrons a look into the world of Minimalist art from its beginning in the 1960s to the present day rebirth of the genre.  

The exhibit, which opened October 8th, has two separate areas, one to showcase the classic, post Abstract-Expressionist Minimalists (open until April 8th) and one for five modern day artists who are redefining the meaning of Minimalism.  

The walls that house the exhibit are stark white, the floors a distressed, but plain gunmetal grey- neither draws attention, leaving that up to the array of paintings, sketches and sculptures. Like Robert Morris's "Portal", a life size cloud-white rectangular doorway that rests calmly in the front of the Then section- a good welcome to the simplistic, yet complex world of Minimalistic art.  

The rockstars of the movement are, for the most part, all there.  Sol LeWitt, Richard Serra, Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, Ad Reinhardt, and Frank Stella's work, evoke lengthy stare sessions and a few scratches to the head while at the same time inspiring wonder.  How a painting like Stella's "Clinton Plaza" (a black canvas riddled with a hazel colored maze-like design) can create such awe is an awesome question in itself.  

Stella's "Clinton Plaza" photo courtesy of moma.org

The Now portion of the exhibit explodes with such difference the feeling seems to be lingering in the air, rather, on the walls.  There are no black boxes or bright geometric shapes. This is a different kind of Minimalism, perhaps not Minimalism at all, at least not in the same sense as the trailblazers from the 60s intended. 

Here, Carol Bove, Leonor Antunes, Jason Dodge, Gedi Sibony, and Oscar Tuazon display their contemporary versions of Minimalism.  These artists' works range from the simple, Bove's "Tears", delicate silver chains hanging from the ceiling, to the ridiculously simple (and nonsensical), Dodge's "In Lübeck, Germany, Marlies Scholz wove a piece of cloth. She was asked to choose yarn the color of night and equaling the distance (12 km) from the earth to above the weather", to the freakily intricate, Antunes's "Caledonia", a stringy creation made from black ropes that resembles the web of a spider crossed with a dominatrix.  

Dodge's "Lubeck" photo courtesy of mcachicago.org

The modern twist is apparent; the artists are not ridding their work from metaphor and deeper meaning or removing themselves, but in fact inserting those factors back in. Tuazon's work is described in the exhibit as displaying his frustration and anger relating to societal issues and Sibony's collection is crafted from materials found in debris from old homes, which is something he was exposed to as a child and carried with him through his art.  Not exactly a separation. 

Antunes's "Caledonia" photo courtesy of mcachicago.org 

The showcase is something not everyone will "get".  It's not obvious, it's not easy and it's certainly not always enjoyable; sorry Dodge- the lightning rod? The three pillows? But it is an experience, and a memorable one at that. For a slow, Sunday afternoon, it's an ideal place to learn a little bit about less. 

5 music icons who broke into fashion

Photo courtesy of USAtoday.com

Bob Dylan is a man best known for his pitchy, raspy voice, poetry and most importantly, his music. He is a music icon and a fashion one as well.  Dylan's laid back folk music stylings are emanated through his dress.  From his night black wayfarer sunglasses to his casual denim jackets and flowy scarves, Dylan broke out from just the music scene and left his mark on the fashion world whether he intended to or not. 

This act of fusing two industries, two worlds of entertainment, may not have started with Dylan, but it certainly was carried on by him and in turn, continues to be carried on by some of the most recognizable and respected artists of that generation, this and the next.  Here are some of the most iconic musicians/singers from the past 50 years.

Miles Davis: Refined
Infamous jazz legend Miles Davis is known for his phenomenal abilities to create new sounds in jazz, but he also became known for his new looks in fashion.  A man who knew how to dress for each new decade, Davis’s crisp Ivey League and clean cut style lives on along with his musical talents.  "Miles Davis had a unique, refined style that complimented his jazz career.  Tailored pinstripe suits were custom made with flashy printed silk linings that contained personal labels," says Board of Directors member and Membership Chair of Fashion Group International, Kathleen Haines Finley.

Photo courtesy of theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com

David Bowie: Androgynous

People didn’t know if Bowie's alter ego Ziggy Stardust was a man or a woman, and that androgynous character is one of Bowie’s most famous.  A mention of the name David Bowie, often exerts a quick flash of Stardust’s face; that vivid red mullet, the lightning bolt across the face and intense red rouge.  If anyone ever did question what sex Bowie’s alter ego was supposed to be, one glance at those skintight body suits cleared that up. "David Bowie was the Glam Rocker with androgynous costumes even wearing cosmetics to compliment his costume as Ziggy Stardust.  The flamboyant japanese garments became a driving force in fashion design in the early 70's.  In the 80's, David Bowie had revealed a retro 1940's club feel in a few of his dance-pop videos," Haines Finley says.

Photo courtesy of thewintersnowfall.com

Madonna: 80s Chic

Madonna may be one of the few singers who are remembered more for her imprint on fashion than her music.  With her triangle bra, almost sacrilegious use of the cross, candy apple red lips, wild hair and suggestive outfits, like a bustier wedding dress, Madonna changed fashion forever. "Madonna has definitely created a bold avant-garde fashion statement from the eighties to current day.  She can be a material girl, an elegant geisha, or portrayed as Eva Peron in Evita (she looked very glamorous in this role)," Haines Finley says. Though the 80s is thankfully over, her bold and girl power fueled trendiness remains one of the strongest influences to ever hit fashion. 

Photo courtesy of sweetlyrics.com

Lady Gaga: Avant-garde

She’s an enigma.  It’s almost as though she’s not even a real person.  But no one since Madonna has revolutionized fashion like Lady Gaga. She made bows made out of hair mainstream, not wearing pants a trend and white blonde hair coveted.  But she’s gone beyond influencing conventional fashion.  "Lady Gaga has the ability to change her wardrobe in an instant! Through her wearing of exotic masks, wigs, and millinery to accent her eye-popping creative ensembles, nothing should be simple. There are no limitations with extravegant and extreme fashions," Haines Finley says.

Photo courtesy of womenshair.about.com

"Live at The Alley" goes live

Nelson(right) and Costas(left) at The Alley recording studio
Photo courtesy of liveatthealley.com

Marc Nelson, 31, sits in a dark recording studio, The Alley, in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he works as a mixer and partner. The red and blue squared retro wallpaper seems to make everything around it look vintage, including Nelson.  His posture is almost regal, which is fitting since he looks like a king sitting amidst all the shimmering silvers of the microphones, mixing boards and sound tools.  He fiddles with his iPhone4, which quietly chimes every few minutes, directs Oliver, his four-year-old Weimaraner, to the lush leather couch in the corner and regales stories from when he lived in Los Angeles.  “If you haven’t noticed, I’m very ADHD,” he quips. 

Though his attention span is close to a puberty stricken teenager’s, possibly lower, it’s exactly those tendencies that lead him to the idea for “Live at The Alley”, a TV series that exposes musicians from Chicago and Northwest Indiana.  The series, which airs Mondays at 9:30pm on Lakeshore PBS, is a thought child long in the making for Nelson.  It certainly wasn’t all strawberry fields getting started, but with the help of Evan Costas, 24, the idea has come alive.

Nelson has long been part of the music world.  He lived in L.A. and worked with studios as a mixer, managed the studio that The Alley came to replace and has been performing small gigs where he plays the guitar and sings. But it was when he worked as an assistant for CRC, one of the Midwest’s largest record studios, that he got the idea for the show. “They [CRC] had these things for Q101 where these massive national bands would come in to do radio programming and they would come in and perform live in the studio that night.  But they never had any visuals, ever and I always wondered why,” Nelson says. 

Throughout his time at CRC, the seed grew from a thought to an idea.  “Over the years I was thinking how we could do this and I started thinking about doing local showcases.”  Eight years later, Nelson met Costas, an energetic recent college graduate who took on camera work as a hobby.  “After I graduated my dad (who is the mayor of Valparaiso) thought it’d be a good idea to get some cameras and do a few commercials,” Costas says.  “So I initially did that and started getting into it and doing research and that’s how the passion grew.”

  The process for the show started after Costas filmed Nelson performing at Valparaiso’s annual Popcorn Festival.  “He shot the video of me and the next day he had it done.  It was missing some technical aspects, but man, he had the eye,” Nelson says.  From there, Nelson approached Costas about doing a show, he agreed and the idea Nelson had for so many years was finally falling into place.

Lakeshore PBS picked up the show after Nelson mentioned it at a local awards ceremony.  “I was in the area’s 20 Under 40, an entrepreneur award, and I mentioned I wanted to do the show while there and PBS contacted me and said okay.” The station gave Nelson and Costas an exact time space for 26 minutes, 46 seconds. According to Nelson, the specific time allotment combined with figuring out how to shoot the show made the first few steps miserable and caused a few hiccups in production.  “We shot the first episode, which was originally going to be 30 minutes on one band, which was great for about 18 and then all of a sudden you’re like I’ve got 12 more minutes left on the same band!”  A decision was quickly made to have two bands per episode, which made the show more engaging. Costas also admits, he wasn’t prepared for how extreme the work would be.  “I was kind of lazy about it at first,” he remembers.  “But Marc got on my case about it and I didn’t realize it’d be so intense so I busted my ass on the first show and it all started to work.”

Now, with 23 episodes shot, things are moving more systematically.  “We try to get the bands in and out in around three hours,” Nelson says.  “The band sets up around 3:00pm, Marc sets up all the equipment and I show up and start shooting the interviews, then we shoot the songs,” Costas explains.  “We do two takes of one song to see which one is better and they’re usually out by around 6:00pm.”  Three hours may seem like a short amount of time, but for busy musicians, it’s helpful.  “They really had their stuff together,” says Stephanie Ruggeri, a singer who will appear on “Live at The Alley”.  “It was cool seeing them both do what they love while I got to do what I love.”

As they move forward, a shared vision and desire to represent local musicians bonds the minds behind “Live at The Alley”.  “It’s hard for bands to make it big,” Costas says, “It’s great to see them get the exposure they deserve.”  “The big thing is to expose as much as you can to this generation.  The awareness thing is important for these bands that are good,” Nelson agrees.  The bands are also excited about the exposure aspect.  “I think people will be surprised to see how much talent there is in the Chicago/Northwest Indiana area.  There’s a lot of people who just don’t realize what’s out there,” says Nelson’s Alley partner, Chad Clifford, who will also appear with his band, the Crawpuppies, on “Live at The Alley”. 

The future of the show is up in the air.  Nelson and Costas are signed with PBS, but can shop around for a new network for the show’s second season.  There are lines of bands wanting to get a spot on the series and Nelson and Costas plan to continue their mission of getting good music out to the masses.  “We want to take it as far and as big as it can go,” Costas says.  The team doesn’t make any money from the show yet, but that’s really not the point.  They have too much energy and passion to worry about that right now.  “The show will be done after Christmas, so I’ll have to find something to do… we’ll probably be shooting season two and working on commercials, which I’d like to do more of,” Nelson says.  “I can’t just sit at my house, I can’t watch TV I have to be doing something constantly.”  There’s that ADHD kicking in. 

Dream House fails to live up to its name - 1 1/2 stars (out of 4)

With a cast like Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts, Dream House should be just that, but the eerie fairytale quickly turns into a moviegoers nightmare and the only thing dreamy about it are Craig's crystalline baby blues. 

Will Atenton (Craig), his wife Libby (Weisz) and two young daughters, Trish (Taylor Geare) and Dee Dee (Claire Astin Geare) move from Manhattan to a tranquil New England town so Will can have the quiet and time to write.  However, the family soon discovers that just five years ago, a grisly murder of a mother and her two children occurred in the very place they now call home.  

Desperate to protect his family and solve the mystery that surrounds his new home, Will uncovers unsettling details and stupefying truths that lead him to unearth secrets that he has long forgotten.  

Dream House begins with a ghostly suspenseful undertone.  Youngest daughter Dee Dee is scared of a man she sees outside the window, the two girls discover a hidden room in their closet filled with belongs of the murdered children, and neighbor, Ann Patterson (Watts) shoots weary stares in the direction of the Atenton residence.  

The wonder ends here.  With a twist at every corner that bogs down the plot, Dream House, looses its ghost story aura and becomes tiring.  Director Jim Sheridan (In America, In the Name of the Father) seems desperate to create an intense psychological thriller by adding too many layers, muddying up the already murky plot.  The surprises are predictable and have already been done (spoiler: think Shutter Island, Ghost, The Others).  Even the talents of Craig, Weisz and Watts can't save the thriller from becoming stale or dragging.

Wait to see Craig in a psychological thriller until The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo comes out this December.  

Stephanie Ruggeri, a local musician on the rise

Stephanie Ruggeri doesn't look like a rock star.  As she speaks and plays with her chicken fried rice, her mocha eyes peer shyly over her thick rimmed glasses, her style is girl next door (she's in love with wearing tee shirts and jeans) and her hair isn't dyed strange colors or adorned with wigs like Gaga.  She is in fact a musician, but even more, she's a real person.

Ruggeri, 24, has been steadily picking up followers as a local musician in the Northwest, Indiana region, playing shows at restaurants and bars as she works her way to becoming what she really wants - a known and respected singer/songwriter. 


Music and performing has long been part of Ruggeri's life.  "I remember when I was three we had a picnic table in our yard and I'd climb up there and just sing and dance," she says.  Her enthusiasm for singing and performing was given a boost when Ruggeri was 10 and got her first guitar.  "It was either the guitar, piano or drums, so we just went with the smallest one," she laughs, "but I did always have a fascination with the guitar."  


During the first years of high school, music became less important and was replaced with the usual teenage angst and anxiety until her passion was reignited.  "Don't laugh at me," she says, taking a huge breath, about to drop a bomb of information, "I saw a Dashboard Confessional song and it made me pick up my guitar again and start writing.  That's when I started writing my own stuff." 


Her style, however, didn't follow the overly emotional, dramatic whining of the band, but instead took a more lively turn, drawing inspiration from 90s alternative.   "Counting Crows lyrics are awesome," Ruggeri coos, almost falling into a trance while she thinks about them.  "I've always loved female artists, so anyone from the Lilith Fair, Jewel, Sarah McLachlan and more recently Ingrid Michaelson.  I like her style," she says.


She continued her life of music in college, attending Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN to get her Bachelors in Music Industry Business Administration.  Throughout those years, Ruggeri worked on developing her musical style. 


Ruggeri's style tends to lean towards folk-pop, her voice has a soft, lullaby sound, even when she talks.  "I wish I had a husky voice," she sighs, gazing out the window of Amore, a local bar in Crown Point.  She pauses for a moment, lost in thought, sighs again and continues.  "My voice is pop, I can't get away from it."  


Writing her own songs is something Ruggeri finds the most difficult, but also the most freeing.  "I usually write my songs from the third person," she says, "but most aren't about me, me, me."  Most recently, she's begun to experiment with writing about unfamiliar subjects.  "I just started to write about things outside my comfort zone, outside my own experience, which is hard because I'm not used to it." 


The first time Ruggeri performed was at a 6th grade talent show, where she fell in love with the feeling of singing in front of an audience.  "The talent show was the first time I ever felt like, oh... this is really cool, I want to do this," she recalls. 


Now, years later, Ruggeri is a regular local performer, frequenting restaurants like Pikk's Tavern in Valparaiso and Amore lounge in Crown Point.  She also put out an album last April called Small Talk.  The compilation of songs were her way of breaking through as a musician and proving to herself that she could do it.  "I saw my friend play and she was so fearless, it made me want to be like that.  Honest and blunt," she muses.  


This month Ruggeri has taken another step further into the music world by recording a segment on Lakshore Public Television's new series, "Live at The Alley", which takes place at The Alley recording studio in Valparaiso.  The show features two Chicagoland/ Northwest Indiana artists per episode and gives a look into what it's like to play music while at the same time exposing and exploring local talent.  "I still don't feel like it's real because I haven't seen the episode yet," Ruggeri says.  "I'm excited because I've never been part of something like this before."


She's onto something, whether Ruggeri realizes it or not.  Developing her singing and performing skills over many years, she's gotten to the point where people are definitely starting to take notice.  "She's very confident," praises Alley Studio Chief Engineer and creator of the show,"Live at The Alley", Marc Nelson.  


Ruggeri has come a long way from her 6th grade talent show and she wants to go as far as she can.  "Right now, I do this because I love it," she says.  "I would love to make it my one job someday so I do local shows to save up and practice."  


For now, Ruggeri is living in Crown Point and booking local gigs whenever she can.  Her first priority isn't to be a multi millionaire, but the passion of having a job that you love and making enough a long the way to be comfortably happy. "I hope this leads me to a bigger city, and I won't have to stress about money everyday," she says.  She looks down at her chicken fried rice and starts laughing.  "Okay, maybe I'd buy a really nice purse."