Every night of the week, and sometimes early afternoon and evenings, beautiful live music can be heard around Bucks County. Keli J. Vale, who grew up in Philly and now calls the Northeast near Bensalem home, is one of the local musicians that makes that happen.

We talked to Ms. Vale about her music, recent CD release, and what it's like to be a Musician here in the area.

BH: Describe your sound, how would you tell someone about your music?

KV: I mainly sing Jazz, with some Blues mixed in, and I'm blessed to have some of the best musicians in the tri-state area accompany me. I also do solo cover gigs that are really easy listening; it's just me and my piano, playing Carole King, Alicia Keys, Eric Clapton, et cetera.

BH: Tell us about your experience in the music business so far and how you got started.

KV: I've been singing professionally for almost 25 years. Just within the last four years, I learned enough piano to accompany myself, which really expanded my gig base. What got me started was jumping up and singing with friends' bands, and then one of the guys in one of those bands asked me to do a weekly duo gig with him, which turned into four different weekly gigs that lasted several years. After that, I expanded to Jazz, Gospel, Blues, et cetera, and earned my degree in Vocal Performance.

BH: What keeps you in this area?

LOCATION!! It's five minutes from I-95 and ten minutes from the Turnpike! Being a traveling musician, that's GOLDEN. I also love that it's so safe up here; I'm never afraid getting home from gigs and unloading my gear. There are also lots of live music venues from Bensalem to Doylestown that really respect working musicians.

BH: What would you say about the Bucks County vibe?

KV:  LOVE IT! They're not pretentious like in some areas, and they're a lot of fun. The crowds are either politely quiet, telling me how much they've enjoyed what they heard on my breaks or when I'm packing up, or they're right up front having a great time with me! The venues are appreciative and respectful, treating me like a co-worker for the afternoon or evening – like we're all in it together, which we ARE!

BH: You recently released a CD tell us about that process.

KV: The process was nothing short of extraordinary! It truly was a fantastic experience. Several people buy them at my gigs, and I'm still getting emails about online sales. The manager at Dog & Bull also put my CD in their iPod rotation! It's an amazing feeling to know that I'm among so many amazing artists as the “house music” that sets a venue's atmosphere! I'd love to make a hundred more CDs, but one thing at a time, right?!!

BH: So where in Bucks County can we see you perform?

KV: I perform at Dog & Bull Brew and Music House in Croydon, PA three times a month. I do every 2nd and 4th Sunday brunch solo from 11am-2pm, and I do every 4th Friday Jazz Happy Hour with a jazz accompanist from 4-7pm.  I'd love to pick up some more Bucks County venues to play, whether it be straight up Jazz with one of the many local Bucks County brilliantly talented musicians by my side, or the smooth listening music that I do Solo. This is a great area with great people, and there is more and more music appreciation here all the time.

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