A Musician's Life: Lived By the Moment - Oregon Music Hall of Fame

Naomi LaViolette states she is “feeling lucky” to be an independent singer-songwriter in Portland. But so much more than good luck is packed into a successful singer-songwriter career.

I admit to a fair bit of envy when I see how some of us can pinpoint our lives in such a direct path! I mean, how good is that, to say “YES! Here’s who I am.” To know, unequivocally, that it’s music you can and must do. Liking too that Naomi gives herself lots of room to breathe inside this definition and that she looks for small, everyday bits of life for much of her inspiration. It’s what makes songs like her “My Superman” work so well. Check it out inside our conversation below. ~Inessa

The piano and keyboard await! Both Naomi and I did the classic piano training during our kid days at almost exactly a piano like the one above. Upright, and wonderfully worn. The keyboard is reflective of some new ideas swimming around in Naomi’s head right now: a mix of old and new tech.

Before we turn on the bright lights at Mountain Air, a soundcheck. Naomi brought that little beauty to the session on her back. (Well, in the back seat of her car actually!) Nice to be mobile.

I hadn’t talked with Naomi since her debut album came out last year. Loads to catch up on. There are some fresh collaborations in the works that include Matt Brown and Josh Malm! And a new album starts to take shape this month!