Leslie Stroz

I live in the woods in Western New York. I am an artist, and sometimes that means I express myself by drawing portraits, making a loaf of bread, or knitting a scarf for a friend, and sometimes it means I write songs. I think there's too much pressure in our society to specialize in one thing and have always celebrated the myriad numbers of interests that spark my curiosity.
My life has been Renaissance in nature and I’ve explored visual art, writing, music, and theatre since early childhood. Classically trained on the piano because I had a mother who made me, it became a necessary catharsis for me later in life whenever I became too overwhelmed. I was fortunate enough to have parents who encouraged me to reach for my dreams, whether that meant writing, painting, acting, ice skating, or singing. My father carried me down mountains in a backpack when I was three while he skied, and taught me to ski on my own when I was four. My mother shared her love of poetry and classical music with me and we would lay sprawled on my bed for hours, reading favorite passages to one another in the waning light of summer. They bought me my first guitar when I was 12, and I learned a few chords and songs, but basically just carried that guitar with me wherever I roamed, dusting it off every year or so to play the few songs I knew. I moved from the Midwest, where I was raised, to California, and Arizona, and Wisconsin. I travelled on a voyage to the River Styx only to find it dry, but it whetted my appetite for mythology and the Classics, and for many years studying and writing was my life.
One day when I was uncommonly sad, when writing poetry wasn't enough, I longed for a piano to let out some angst. I didn’t have one available, and playing my paltry repertoire of guitar songs was unsatisfying, so I decided to write my own. To my surprise, it wasn’t terrible. I attempted writing a second, and then a third, and before long I was completely obsessed with songwriting. Perhaps because I don't know what I'm doing on the guitar the way I did on the piano, I felt a freedom and sense of discovery where my creativity had no parameters. It became the perfect way to combine my music and writing, and was a way to achieve my own catharsis time and time again. Some people liked my songs, so I started performing in cafes and bistros in the Midwest.
Since moving to Western New York in 2001, I've been immersed in teaching art, and have gradually entered the music scene in this inspirational part of the country. I write because I have to; I always have and I probably always will. It is part frightening and part exhilerating to share my music and am honored and amazed when something I have created touches someone or makes them cry or laugh. This is what drives me to perform. The songs here are from my first CD and are indicative of my early works. Soon, I'll add my newer songs, which I think are a little better, so hopefully you'll stop back from time to time...
I’m not here because I want to impress everyone by amassing thousands of “friends” whom I don’t even recognize. In fact, if you like me or my songs and want to be my friend, you should send me an e-mail first and tell me a bit about yourself and how you came upon my page; I’m not interested in reviewing my friend list only to find that I don’t recognize half of them! If you’re my friend, I know you, I’ve listened to your music or read your blogs or poetry, and exchanged comments and/or messages with you before. If you wouldn't sit down with me for a cup of tea, we wouldn't make good friends=)
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