Musing about drunk people and ASU students, one music and communications sophomore is not afraid to step up to the mic and make her mark throughout the Valley.
Tempe native Hannah Lopez can be seen at multiple locations throughout the week. Not only does she gig professional throughout the Valley but she writes her own personal music.
"A dream I'd like to accomplish in my music career is to tour, performing my originals," Lopez said. "I'd just absolutely love to have a tour bus and hang with my bandmates."
She said her desire to perform began when she was about 14 years old. She loves being in front of people because of the exhilarating feeling that comes from performing for an audience.
Lopez said she recalls early memories of singing along to the Dixie Chicks. She currently finds inspiration from what she calls "women that rock," such as Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks and Britany Howard.
Although Lopez is mostly a solo artist, she has had her own band called Hannah Lopez & the Luck-eez for a few years. She currently performs with guitarist Sean Hogan and her brother Aidan Lopez, who plays drums.
Lopez said she does not come from a musician family, but rather one that has always appreciated music and supported her to pursue her dream as a musician.
"I've always sought out music classes but if anyone made me stay motivated, it would be my family members," Lopez said. "My mom, she's like my 'momager' — my mom-manager — and she's always there for me. I feel like maybe if my family wasn't as supportive as they are, maybe I wouldn't so passionately pursue music as a profession instead of just a hobby."
Lopez has not gone unnoticed in the local music scene as Phoenix musician and booking agent Cameron DeGurski said he met her when one of his friends and Valley Musician Jeff Sullivan mentioned her name. DeGurski works with quite a few artists around town, but he said Lopez stands out because she has "it."
"'It' is that intangible aura that separates 'okay' musicians from great musicians," he said. "It's no secret that she's still in the infancy of her career. She's not blowing anyone away with shredding guitar solos or superhuman vocal runs. But she just has 'it.'"
DeGurski said that aside from being engaging and fun to watch, she has that extra layer to her voice that separates her from the open-mic'ers and the average indie crowd.
"Every time I see her perform, she gets better, more confident, more polished," he said. "It's been a pleasure seeing her learn and grow."
Some ASU students may have already heard Lopez perform as she played at ASU's Battle of the Bands and taken ASU's Rock Band class where she said she's met and been able to connect with other musicians on-campus.
"I do think I gained a bigger fan-base at ASU during the Battle of the Bands, which was awesome!" Lopez said.
Patrick Redl, drummer for Phoenix area band KAB, confirmed her fan base has grown as he said he found her on Facebook one day and really liked what he heard so he invited her to come before between his band's set before a crowd at the Chandler Harley Davidson event.
"She has a killer voice and plays those classic rock songs, we were very impressed," he said. "She's really taking off. We are trying to get her come back and play with us but that girl is always busy with her gigs."
Redl said her voice is beyond her years and sees her accomplishing her career goals.
"I can see her going somewhere with that voice of hers," he said. "She's not afraid, she takes risks and she's not afraid to put herself out there. She's going to school so she's not letting that take a back seat so I see her absolutely doing something with her life.
If you want to check her out in the Valley, she has a listing of gigs she will be playing on her website.
Reach the arts reporter at rsantist@asu.edu or follow @ryanerica18 on Twitter.
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