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."