By John McCallum
Editor 

Karen McCormick plays Sutton Park

 

Last updated 7/18/2014 at 9:41am

Contributed photo by Karen McCormick

Cheney High School 2013 graduate Karen McCormick's musical travels have brought her back to Cheney for a concert July 23 at Sutton Park, accompanied by fellow CHS grad Drey Davis on drums.

One of Cheney's own is returning Wednesday, July 23, to perform in the Summer Concert Series at Sutton Park.

Karen McCormick - pronounced "Car-en" - is a 2013 graduate of Cheney High School who has been following her dream to write and perform music that "people can relate to and have fun." McCormick began her musical career at age 7, and began learning guitar around age 11.

About that same time, an event helped shape her musical direction. McCormick said she was in the car with her dad when he turned on the radio and out pumped Taylor Swift's "Tim McGraw." It was then she came to realize that her preferred musical genre was country.

McCormick got her first guitar for Christmas at age 13. In an interview she gave for the website coremag.com, within 30 minutes of receiving it she had written her first song.

McCormick sang all four years of high school in the choir. In 2012 she gave her first public performance - in front of over 400 people in the second annual Spokane's Got Talent contest, which she won.

"Since then I've been trying to do as many gigs around town as I can," she said in a July 14 interview.

That same year, 2012, she traveled to Pendleton, Ore. to audition for the "American Idol" TV program. McCormick was one of the 200 contestants chosen, and got 60 seconds to impress the judges by singing a capella.

She was then among a certain number of contestants given a second chance to perform for the judges, this time for two minutes. McCormick said she was then picked among an even smaller number of contestants to travel to Chicago for more auditions.

McCormick writes her own songs, but mixes in country and pop tunes from other artists for her performances. She's performed locally at coffee shops and bistros such as Cheney's Mason Jar, Revel 77 in Spokane and at last year's Spokane Interstate Fair.

"A lot of fairs and festivals," she said.

Among her writing influences are country artists Carrie Underwood - the first performing artist she saw live - along with Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and the band "Perry," who she said she got to meet. Currently she is writing songs and hoping to find a producer/engineer who will work with her on releasing an EP of her material.

"It's all about finding a person who has the same vision," she said.

McCormick will perform at 6:30 p.m. at Sutton Park's Gazebo. With her on drums will be a fellow CHS graduate and good friend Drey Davis.

"I'm really excited about this show," McCormick said.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.

Author Bio

John McCallum, Retired editor

John McCallum is an award-winning journalist who retired from Cheney Free Press after more than 20 years. He received 10 Washington Newspaper Publisher Association awards for journalism and photography, including first place awards for Best Investigative, Best News and back-to-back awards in Best Breaking News categories.

 

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