Tag: singersongwriter

BRYCE IVIE

BRYCE IVIE

by Noemi Capote "Mimi"

What are we going to be remembered for? Are we willing to work towards our legacy or let others create our path? It takes a special amount of courage to believe in our talents and trust our plans, while balancing life’s ups and downs, and going after our dreams with determination. Creative Soul, Bryce Ivie, pursues his artistic and entrepreneurial ideas with conviction in every step he takes. With a valiant heart, he’s pioneering auspicious projects that will have a long-lasting and rich impact on future generations.

Bryce Ivie is a singer-songwriter and lead vocalist and guitarist for the band, Sun State Blues. He’s also a member of Sugarshack Music Channel as a Podcast Host, Experience Director, and Venue Manager. 

Growing up under the Miamian sun, Bryce revealed his musical talents as early as three years old, grabbing pots and pans to make music. The son of a pastor, the ministry environment introduced Bryce to the creative arts, full of dancing, music, and community.

In his teenage years, while living in Orlando, Florida, Bryce was drawn to exploring the underground and hard-core music era and finding inspiration to join garage bands. Once in high school and living in North Carolina, he was in orchestra and jazz bands, playing at church on the weekends, and loving music.

At 17, he moved to Bonita Springs, his current hometown where he honed his musical talents and started to write songs. “I love the creative process of a song.” Bryce describes how he enjoys taking a song apart, putting it back together, and molding it delicately. He recalls borrowing instruments from his teachers and recording raw sounds, such as the rain, to mix with his music and produce the songs in a quiet classroom.

Together with his friends, Bryce turned their passion project into a career, forming Sun State Blues, an Alternative Country Americana band. In 2024, they had their first Sugarshack Live Sessions performance. They also perform around Bonita Springs and other cities, spreading positive vibes with their groovy music, available to stream everywhere.

Bryce got involved with Sugarshack Music Channel in the most flabbergasting ways: While working at a coffee shop, Bryce was included in the commercial videos that were being shot by Sugarshack Media. Identifying Bryce was comfortable in front of the cameras, he caught the attention of the Sugarshack crew. At that moment, they were looking to add a new member to their creative team and Bryce seemed prodigious. In July 2022, Bryce officially became part of the Sugarshack family as a Podcast Host and later became their Experience Director and Venue Manager. 

Bryce was an important part of the development and launching of the Sugarshack Music Experience, an unforgettable MUSIC DISCOVERY experience by attending an up close, exclusive, and live recording of a Sugarshack Session*. He oversees the guests and bands, assuring everyone has what they need and that everything is running accordingly and smoothly, creating a one-of-a-kind hypersurreal experience.

As the venue manager and booking director of Sugarshack Downtown, Bryce is happy to be part of a legacy of 20 years in the making and helping it grow. “It’s a work environment where the lifestyle and the workspace culture align with a person’s personal goals.” Bryce describes that being part of Sugarshack has been beyond fulfilling, and like no other business partnership. Bryce and the team are manifesting sustainable opportunities for local families, businesses, and musicians worldwide.

A DIY and hard-working soul, Bryce is reshaping the corporate and creative culture with groundbreaking and effective ideas made of steel. His journey is monumental, and his legacy will undoubtedly strike the earth and celestial horizons with the utmost rewards.

“If there is something in your life that you need to work on, try to slow down to do the work. Do it the right way, even if it’s painful. Be bold. Create something that is built to last. Whether it’s family, a creative venture, whatever it is, slow down and do the work, the hard work, to create something that is built to last.” – Bryce Ivie

Bryce & Family

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*CREDIT: WWW.SUGARSHACKSESSIONS.COM/EXPERIENCE

SARAH BETHANY

SARAH BETHANY

by Noemi Capote "Mimi"

No one sees us until we see ourselves, and we may need to face the shifts of the ocean and realize that in the midst of grueling moments, we ought to believe in our hearts unconditionally, first and foremost. Creative Soul, Sarah Bethany, is a starlight who didn’t let the ordeals she endured dictate her story. With her musical talents, she’s filling the world with a glorious symphony that caresses our souls with healing love and light.

Sarah Bethany is an artist and musician. She’s a prolific songwriter, producer, and composer, and her vocals are A-ve Ma-ri-a extraordinary. Though she can play any genre, her style is Jazz, Blues, and Soulful, with delicate lyrics that touch the heart as an ointment needed to soothe the pain. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she moved to St. Louis when she was 7 years old. She currently lives in Hawaii with her loving family, surrounded by nature’s benevolence.

In the early years of her life, Sarah Bethany watched her father devote time to learn to play the piano just as her curiosity began to grow. “It was an instantaneous magical connection…me and the piano,” she remembers becoming interested in this elegant instrument that produced such melancholic sounds. 

A love story began between Sarah Bethany and the piano, learning all she could about music throughout her childhood. When the dark night of the soul downed on her teenage years, Sarah Bethany felt confused about her vision of music, focusing on school and trying to figure out what to do to survive in this fast-moving world where making money is a priority. She went off to ride new waves, attending the University of Kansas for Architectural Engineering, but after one semester, she realized that career was not her calling. Feeling even more lost and not knowing what to do, she quit school altogether and started working as a housekeeper at a nursing home.

Sarah Bethany was no longer holding the keyboards in her hands, instead, she was holding a toilet brush that kept her busy and nauseated. “I gotta figure things out soon because this ain’t it,” she pondered as she scrubbed and scrubbed, having a sudden awakening that motivated her to pursue her creative dreams once and for all. 

As a love story that is meant to be, Sarah Bethany and the piano found their way back to each other at the nursing home. Just steps from her, a piano stood still awaiting revival. The sparks were ignited and she started playing piano for the people at the facility, and that’s all she needed to do to be reminded of what she is made of, music. 

“Music is my place. This is who I am,” Sarah Bethany declared after experiencing the joy and gratitude from everyone at the nursing home. She promptly went to pursue a music career and started to prepare herself for the next steps to entering music school. She attended the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory of Music, focusing on piano performance and music composition, gaining a Bachelor of Arts in Music. Yet, she wasn’t aware of her superpower – her voice.

For some time, she lived in a cabin in a forest in Big Sur, California surrounded by redwood trees. It was there amongst the majestic trees that their energy activated her vocal cords, when she started to sing Amazing Graze, surprising herself with the beauty and high-vibration flow of her voice. Although she didn’t think of herself as a singer, she couldn’t deny the vitality of her vocals, and her relationship with music started to flourish more and more, even writing her own songs. 

Sarah Bethany put a pause on her creative dreams to make some others come true, as a wife and a mother. Time went on and when her daughter was 5, Sarah Bethany got a divorce that catapulted her into poverty, living as a single parent through the roughest of circumstances. 

“In unbelievable life situations, you need to express your emotions and sometimes the worst moments make you feel the most vulnerable and they open you up to honesty…” Sarah Bethany recalls living in little shacks with no plumbing system, using any natural resources she could find to help her and her daughter survive. It was then, she started writing music from the heart, actualizing the songwriter in her.

As her life continued to spiral, Sarah Bethany crashed hard at the bottom. “My soul needed for my life to fall apart to make me whole again,” she explains. Desolation and frustration are subtle descriptions of the painful memories from those days. Sarah Bethany is an admirable woman, whose determination and love for her daughter gave her the courage to face her ordeals and rise above the impossible.

It wasn’t long before she met an angel who changed her life, Michael Suprenant, a professional drummer, producer, and sound engineer, and her life partner. They started to make music together, manifesting their goals, and building their recording studio. Riding a new wave into the music world, they founded Mana Music & Media, a music production and boutique library. 

Sarah Bethany started to gain trust in her talents becoming her authentic self. Her husband, Michael, helped broaden her horizons, introducing her to the music scene on the Big Island and getting her to play in various bands of all genres from Brazilian, and Reggae, to Jazz. She also became a member of the house band at Hawaii’s Songwriting Festival. Sarah Bethany was busy with music and her repertoire grew, but she couldn’t see what her partner saw in her, a raw diamond waiting to show its brilliance.

2020 pumped the breaks and all of her performances were canceled and she had nothing left but herself and the piano, giving her the chance to tune to the music she carries within. With a clear focus, Sarah Bethany started to write and record her own songs. In 2021, she started to release music and attended music conferences like Durango, putting herself out there little by little, getting positive feedback, not all there to launch herself as a solo artist, but her path was getting brighter, and bigger.

Sync Secrets with Ash opened the doors to a realm of music she was born to be a part of. Taking the workshop empowered her as a musician, giving her the tools to learn about the music business and how to monetize and earn an income with her songs. She polished herself and got ready to pitch her music, getting her first placements on TV shows such as “The Game” on Paramount and “Sacrifice” on BET+. Most recently, she got a placement on the ABC drama show, “The Company You Keep,” writing and recording the song for the opening scene. 

Her love story with the piano has become a fairy tail for the books, and the anchor that kept her sinking was no longer a part of her story. Doors are now swinging open for Sarah Bethany, collaborating with other professionals she admires and releasing singles such as Speak Easy, Prayer Song, and O Holy Night, available to stream on all platforms.

Sarah Bethany went through passages that could’ve made her give up on life and turn her back on the possibilities that are found in between the layers of pain. Her Creative Soul flows through the vast waters of life, inspiring us to stay strong as we flow with the current of our journeys, ready to believe in every part of our being, because we are not just mere waves, we are the entire ocean.

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JOS MCLAREN

JOS MCLAREN

by Noemi Capote "Mimi"

There is no denying that we all leave this earth eventually, but things are different when we are given a specific timeline, counting down the days until our last breath. What would we do with our time if that were the case? Would we go down a spiral of desolation or would we gear up to climb up the rocky mountain with a courageous heart? Creative Soul, Jos McLaren, has the irrevocable certainty that God holds the true calendar of her life, and she is here to make every single second count, filling the world with songs that elate the heart with heavenly notes.

Jos McLaren is a musician and singer-songwriter from Leeds, U.K. She knew music was going to be her main language at an early age, going to church singing worship music, and being inspired by her mother, a pianist, and guitarist. In high school, she joined the school chorus, attended competitions, wrote songs, and recorded music with the school. 

Alas, at the age of 41, Jos was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer, and 5 months later, it was found to have spread to 2 vertebrae, giving her, according to the doctor, only a couple of years to live. “Only God can call me home,” Jos wouldn’t accept her doctor’s diagnosis. She felt it was not God’s plan for her life to end yet as she still had so much to do.

In the midst of the turbulence, dealing with emotional pain and overcoming fears, Jos gave birth to a song where she poured out her honest feelings. Dying to Live was born to awaken hope, love, and light. It is her attestation that no matter what anyone can predict for our future, we hold in our hearts our true compass and Jos’s is pointing toward the North Star. 

Not sure what to do with the song, Jos was advised by a friend to create a social media account to share her music, and as she did some research she found out about a songwriting conference at Abbey Road Studios in London. She took a leap of faith and submitted an application without even having the song ready to share. Jos was selected and without telling anyone, she went off to the conference. On the way, she wrote the second verse of Dying to Live and recorded a rough demo that night in her hotel room.

For Jos, hearing the panelists share their wisdom was amazing. “If I got to sit on the front row I was going to be courageous and ask a question,” Jos had made a deal with God the day before, and guess what? Part way through the session the panelists asked to take a couple of questions and this was her opportunity. Till then, she hadn’t shared about her health with anyone at the conference, and her question was fair: What to do with a song when you literally were given an expiration date by a doctor? Jos received helpful advice from the panel and God had an unexpected gift for her.

After the session, Mariela Silva, another conference delegate, approached Jos and asked Jos to send the song to her boyfriend, Liam Narrie. Liam is a music producer and engineer, who trained at Abbey Road Institute. After hearing the rough demo Liam invited Jos to record it in London.

Mariela, together with Liam, surprised Jos in unbelievable ways and even had her blindfolded as a driver took her to a mystery destination in London. Jos couldn’t believe her eyes as she stepped onto the ground where The Beatles had walked, and she was about to do that and more. Inside one of the studios at Abbey Road, there were some musicians. As Jos approached, she could hear her song being dressed with the sound of drums, strings, and keyboards… her soul was overjoyed as God winked at her.

Her dreams began to blossom and on the two-year anniversary of the terminal diagnosis that she was given, she threw a party to celebrate her triumph, and on the following day, she went to a songwriters retreat in Spain, as part of The Songwriting Academy. There, Jos met her soul tribe, including Keahi Rozet, Kelly Jett, Kathleen Schobel, Farzana Khan, and Kathi Fran. She started writing songs with them, understanding each other, coming from different backgrounds, races, and cultures, and sharing the love of music. “It’s not all about your thoughts with co-writing. It’s about adding each other’s touch. It’s like hanging out with friends,” Jos loves spending time with her soul family and they visit each other from one continent to the next. Music, love, and a lot of laughs keep the group growing strong and bright.

In January of 2023, they met again at the Drill Down Level Up music conference in Sandestin, Florida. She was given the opportunity to perform her song Dying to Live, blowing everyone away. Learning about sync, Jos has started working with music supervisors to try and place her songs in TV and film, and she continues to expand her field of blooming daffodils, creating music from the heart, and channeling the grace of God through her voice and presence. 

Filled with confidence and knowing well how valuable time is, she started reaching out to cancer charities to help promote their work through using her song. She wants to make sure people become aware of these services such as makeup, skincare, and yoga for cancer patients, so they can improve their well-being. Jos’ story has been published in a regional newspaper and various radio stations have played her song. Though she’s not interested in fame, she’s excited that her song is reaching others and uplifting them.

Jos will soon be releasing an EP, which Liam Narrie will produce, including “The One Thing I Would Do.” Jos wrote this song, inspired by her nephews, about how spending time with the people you love is the most treasured thing.

“It’s all God,” Jos declares, a stage 4 breast cancer survivor who is using her skills as a nurse to do her injections at home, which has helped her tremendously in maintaining her holistic care… However, Jos has also received negative remarks because she’s not bald and doesn’t look unwell, but instead she has the biggest smile, and the brightest eyes, with the most positive words of advice and delicious cookies and chocolates to share.

No, no one would ever know that Jos deals with cancer every day of her life. She’s not here to make us sob with a sad tale or use her story to gain anything in return. Her joy is genuine and she’s an example that our faith should be bigger than our problems. 

What ends our lives is not necessarily sentenced by an illness but by our attitude towards it. Jos’s conviction surpasses any diagnosis and criticism, and she’s encouraging us to trust in the undeniable ability of miracles to enter our lives. Jos is not only an example that we can move mountains if our faith is as big as a mustard seed. She’s an inspiration that dreams do come true if we put our hearts into it and trust in our mission. She is light, and she is love… Jos is the essence of God on earth.

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