Trish Lester: Press & Reviews

Singer Inspired by U.S. Veterans -- Trish Lester performs 'Thank a Soldier' at Veterans Day Ceremony


Trish Lester always loved singing. As a civil servant working in the Army, she occasionally sang for troops stationed in Korea. It was only natural that when she took up songwriting and singing in 2001, composing and performing a song dedicated to American military personnel would follow in a matter of time.
That time came in 2006, when she wrote “Thank a Soldier.” Inspired by Army veteran Charles Province’s poem called “It Is The Soldier,” Lester dedicated several years to researching the poem before writing her musical rendition.
Hearing of the poem on several occasions due to her military background, Lester performed extensive Internet research to discover its source. She initially thought the poem was written by an Army chaplain — Dennis O’Brien — but discovered it was incorrect reference. Digging a little bit further to verify the true author of the poem, she discovered that Chaplain O’Brien found the poem and sent it in to “Dear Abby.” Many mistakenly assumed he was author of the poem, and he died before anyone sought out more information about the author.
Lester, who found a version of the poem published with the George S. Patton, Jr., Historical Society, soon discovered that it was Province who wrote the poem. With the author issue resolved, the next big challenge was to choose which rites to include in her three-minute song. Yet, knowing what the theme of her song would be, the selection eventually became clear.
“The message of the song is that freedom isn’t free,” Lester said. “It’s important to remember, and to thank, members of the military for their service and sacrifice. It’s through their service that we remain free as a country.”
Spending a few days writing the song to drive this point home, “Thank a Soldier” was recorded in 2006, and is on her current CD that was released in May 2007. The CD — entitled “Plymouth Belvedere” — features two patriotic songs: “Thank a Soldier” and “The World Changed Forever,” a song with a hopeful message that was inspired by the events of Sept. 11.
“I felt it was time for a new patriotic song,” said Lester of her motivation to write the song. “There are a lot of songs on peace. But peace doesn’t come without price.”
Yet, peace definitely carried the day Sunday, when she performed “Thank a Soldier” at the Veterans Day ceremony at the Veterans Historical Plaza in Newhall. Her performance evoked strong emotions from all who attended; soldiers and civilians alike thanked her for writing and performing the song.
The Newhall resident seemed destined to write this song. She is married to an Army helicopter pilot. The couple met while stationed at a missile base at Chun Chon in Korea — Larry serving as an officer, Trish a civil servant for the Army’s Special Services.
She joined the Army as a DAC — Department of Army Civilian. While in Korea during the Vietnam War, Lester created and executed several recreational programs for the GIs, including pool tournaments, special shows, movie viewings, and Vegas-style gambling.
“My experience in the military very much colored who I am,” added Lester, who almost dropped out of UCLA to join the Navy. Yet, she ended up completing college, and joined the Army right after graduation.
“It was wonderful experience for me because I had no rank,” she said.
While she still has her public relations and marketing business on the side, she intends to be a full-time songwriter. No doubt, she will always have the troops in the back of her mind, and she may very well write another song or two about those who served and will serve America.
In the meantime, for those who are currently abroad, Lester just has this to say: “We really appreciate your service and sacrifice.”
prohit@the-signal.com Copyright: The Signal
(Website link has expired)

TRISH LESTER -- The long road back to folk music


"Plymouth Belvedere. Yeah, a Plymouth Belvedere. Rusty, broken down, that car is killin' my career." So sings Trish Lester in the title song of her folk CD. But don't worry about her career. The humorous song is a work of fiction. In fact, a Plymouth Belvedere may have actually helped Lester by bringing that vintage automobile into the national consciousness again. If you remember, a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere was dug out of a muck-filled "time-capsule" in Tulsa several months back. It was big news around the country.
"When it was dug up, I got calls from people who said, 'I thought of your song,'" Lester said. "I got an invitation from a morning talk show in Tulsa - but it was last minute and we couldn't make it work."
In regard to "career," Lester is covered in several ways. Her music is just one, and it was actually re-discovered in recent years.
An SCV Base
Lester and family have lived in Newhall for more than 20 years. There she and her husband, Larry Lester, raised two children to adulthood. Larry Lester owns Lester Creative Incorporated. Headquartered on Ave. Crocker in Valencia, the company designs and builds large-scale shows and attractions for casinos and theme parks around the world. Are you familiar with Treasure Island in Las Vegas? Lester Creative ensures the hotel's pirate ship battle works perfectly. A quote from their Web site: "Due to the technical expertise of Lester Creative, this amazing theatrical experience has taken place more than 10,000 times to date."
Trish Lester helps her husband's company with public relations and marketing, and she has her own, separate, PR firm, Signature Communications. Her firm has served many clients around the country, from the Newhall County Water District and Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, to IBM in Houston, to the National Watermelon Promotion Board in Orlando. She has been a member of the International Association of Business Communicators for more than 25 years.
The Long Musical Road
Trish Lester grew up in the Los Angeles area, attending University High School and graduating from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She said she started picking out tunes on the piano when she was four years old and has "perfect pitch." She took piano lessons for five years as a child, and can employ that perfect pitch to pick up songs without reading the music. "If I can hear the song, I can play it, pretty close," she said. "I can accompany anybody on Christmas carols."
Lester learned to play the ukulele and guitar on her own. "I taught myself to play guitar in high school," she said. She explained that she was always singing in glee clubs and choirs, but had no formal vocal training. "I was always singing around the camp fire," she said.
Folk was the popular music when Lester was in college, and she studied with Bud Dashiell, of the folk duo Bud and Travis. "He taught me a whole lot," she said.
After college, Lester went to work for the U.S. Army, as a civilian. She worked as a recreation program director at a military base in Korea. There she teamed up with two soldiers who were folk singers, and they performed at several military bases in that country. They were known as "Doug, John and Trish." Her partners eventually finished their time in the military and the trio-chapter of her life closed.
While in Korea, she met Larry Lester, who was a helicopter pilot. They both finished their stints in Korea at the same time and came back to the U.S. and got married.
Trish Lester got involved with musical theater at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. Calif. and then "just started doing other stuff" besides music. She had a series of jobs, including being a youth director at a YMCA in Long Beach. This is where she began to be interested in public relations. "I seem to be good at promoting programs - ad copy, press releases," she said.
After the YMCA, Lester worked for seven years at Saint Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, in PR and marketing. She then started her own PR firm. A year later, in 1986, the family moved to the SCV, and her firm moved with them. "I still do a lot of business in Long Beach," she said. She noted that any money earned from business outside the Santa Clarita Valley gets spent in the SCV. "I'm an importer of dollars to the SCV," she quipped.
During all this career-building and family-raising time, Lester's music was waiting for a chance to come back to her.
Pain and Rediscovery
Motivated by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Lester created her song "The World Changed Forever." But she "kind of put it aside" because of her busy career and because of personal losses and grief that filled the years 2002 and 2003. "My mother died. My brother died. My stepfather died." she said. She became so busy as the executor of her parents' estate that she had to give up her business for a time. "It was crazy," she said.
Then came the musical epiphany. "One day I literally woke up and said, 'Who is this woman?' I'd been living someone else's life," she said. "I basically started questioning myself. 'What am I doing. I need to be making music. It's why God put me here.'"
She said she was watching the folk-singer parody film, "A Mighty Wind," and really enjoyed the music. "I realized people still like folk music," she said.
Lester started downloading the lyrics for every folk song she could sing, and put ads in Folkworks Magazine and Craig's List, seeking to join with others who missed folk music. She started meeting with other musicians to sing and play. She wrote "Plymouth Belvedere" in 2004, and started writing other songs and taking classes in song writing. During one of these courses she wrote a song in tribute to her late brother, who was a flamenco guitarist and a very creative person. She entitled it "Your Special Gift."
When Lester met producer Travis Allen, she learned how easy it was to create an album of songs on CD these days. She works with studio musicians in Nashville - musicians she has never even met. They all do their parts separately, transport them back and forth electronically, and then it's all mixed in Nashville. "All this was not possible 20 years ago," she said.
The process of creating "Plymouth Belvedere" took about two years, and it had it's official CD release party at the Roast House in Saugus this year. While "folk" would fit it's musical offerings in general, the songs range from the humorous "Belvedere" to the patriotic "Thank a Soldier" to the heart-wrenching, yet uplifting "Your Special Gift."
Lester plays live venues whenever she can, such as Java Dave's or the 49er festival in Lake Hughes. "If anyone is going to hear my music, it's because I'm out there singing it and promoting it," she said. "Otherwise I'll die with a closet full of unopened CDs."
One of Lester's songs from the "Belvedere" CD, "How Do We Go on?" is also on a CD featuring 14 female artists and a mix of styles. That CD, "Beautiful," is a compilation of their songs, and Lester sings backup on some of them. "Fourteen women, 17 songs, one great cause," she said. A portion of the proceeds from the CD sales will go to women's shelters. "It's the latest wrinkle in my life," she said.
Other wrinkles include awards. Her song, "It's Just a Cookie," won honorable mention in the North Star Awards for Lyrical Excellence - a contest for songs that say something positive and encouraging about life.
Her upcoming play-dates include The Coffee Connection in Tarzana, Oct. 4; a radio "appearance" Oct. 6 on KCSN 88.5 FM; the Joyce Beers Community Center in San Diego Oct. 13; the Far West Folk Alliance Conference in Portland Nov. 2-4; and a concert in Pershing Square in Los Angeles on Dec. 11.
But even as Lester pursues her musical destiny, she won't neglect her public relations clients. After all, that's where her income is generated.
"Although I wanted to make music, I am now my own, biggest, non-paying PR client," she said.

JWalker@The-Signal.com Copyright:The Signal
(Website link has expired)

Entrepreneurs Part 5: Profiles

Sometimes we want to make a change in our life or career and the idea just has to percolate for a while before it’s ready to pour out. That’s what is happening to Trish Lester.
For full story, click link below

I've listened to more than half of your CD as I drove to work this morning, and I think it is fabulous. All the songs tell wonderful stories, and I think it can be listened to over and over and each time the listener will discover something new. Excellent work. I wish I had your talent. And I can't get the tune of "Plymouth Belvedere" out of my head!

You have a wonderful voice and some great pop hooks. The CD is a real showcase for your songwriting talent, in addition to being really fun to listen to. I especially love the cookie song.

You sound amazing!!!!! Plymouth Belvedere is a mindblowing track, but I'm sure there are LOTS of them on the cd, keep it up with the production, it's great!

I stopped for just a moment to listen to you in Claremont last night. Your honesty and clarity of purpose in the two songs I heard came through. I play too, and like millions of folks out of the ‘60s, which of course you are too young to remember, have used music, mine and theirs, to heal. Thank you for being the doctor that was in the other night.

I love your vibe! Thank you so much for closing out our event. Jimm and I very much enjoyed your work. I've been humming "It's Just A Cookie" all week!

I listened to the songs on your website and really like them all, especially “The World Changed Forever” and “Your Special Gift” and “The Words Keep Coming Through.” You have a wonderful God-given talent.

Last Saturday you joined me on a long drive. A couple of times, since I was driving longer than you were singing. I loved your CD! The next day you joined me on a bike ride. In my head, that is. I replayed “Plymouth Belvedere” over and over.

I just listened to your Christmas Letter song, which is so clever. And your voice is soooo beautiful.

Thanks so much for sending your newest songs. You’re amazing---a songwriter AND a singer. Both talents are top-notch, just like everything you do---you’re so versatile. I especially liked “I’m Drifting.” Your voice is beautiful in this ballad, which is perfectly suited to you. I also loved the orchestration---pretty impressive.

I very much enjoyed your music and would love to hear more of your creations. Once in while, I am captivated by an individual, sometimes for unknown reasons and last night was one of those few times – when I met you and listened to your songs. Seems like there is a very genuine feeling goes into your songwriting, and it definitely comes across.

I just loveeed I'M DRIFTING. It is beautiful. Since you are not, as yet, a bigtime recording artist....I wish that someone would pick up this song and make you a millionaire.

I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your show. You’re a great performer…you’re so personable! That’s the best thing for me as a member of the audience. I just love someone who interacts with the audience.