On Wednesday, the Campus Activities Board will kick off the spring semester with a performance by up-and-coming musician Rebecca Loebe. The show will take place inside the campus Barnes & Noble bookstore at 7 p.m.Loebe’s influences include Norah Jones, Jodi Mitchell and Randy Newman, but she has her own unique style.
“I describe it as acoustic folk pop,” she said. “I use my voice as much as I can. My style is singer-songwriter.”
Loebe’s performance will bring a slightly different style of music to Starkville.
“[Loebe is a] little girl with a big voice,” CAB member Patrick Young said. “She’s very acoustic pop/folk. [She has a] good personality and great music. You don’t hear much pop/classical type music around here, so it’s something extremely different.”
Music has been a presence in Loebe’s life since her childhood in Atlanta.
“I’ve been playing music since I was little,” she said. “I started noodling around on my dad’s guitar when I was 11 and got my own when I was 12. I took three lessons then stopped.”
According to her Web site, www.rebeccaloebe.com, Loebe’s music career really took flight two years ago in a recording studio in Boston when she worked with acclaimed engineer Robert Hadley, who has worked with artists Stevie Nicks and Carly Simon. Loebe recently released her debut album Hey, It’s a Lonely World.
Loebe caught CAB’s attention in the fall.
“We all went to a conference in October,” Young said. “She was one of the showcases. She blew all of us away, so we decided to bring her down for January. Her voice comes from nowhere. She sings from her toes. You’d think ‘small, little quiet voice.’ But once she started singing, she [showed she] can belt out.”
Loebe claims her goals and joys as a musician center on her audience, and she’s especially known for her ability to please crowds.
“I want to have a long and happy career as a musician,” she said. “I consider myself a performer foremost. I love using my voice, telling stories and watching the emotions I’m conveying land on people’s faces. My goals don’t really have much to do with enormous record sales or magazine covers or anything like that. It’s more about connecting with people.”
Loebe maintains that while her performances include numbers to convey many emotions, her overall desire is to spread happiness.
“I’m an overall happy person, so my shows are pretty upbeat, even when I’m singing a sad song,” she said. “I can put intimate details into a song, and that’s sort of a way to connect with people.”
Loebe says that Wednesday’s show will be a bit different than her average show at a club or bar.
“The show that I typically play for a college performance is really different than a club audience,” she said. “People are generally paying attention. When I decide what songs I’m going to play I can pull up a few songs I wouldn’t normally play for a bar crowd. I’ll probably play 45 minutes to an hour of mostly original songs.”
MSU’s Southern location will also influence Loebe’s selection of material for the show.
“I love playing in the South,” she said. “I grew up in the South, and a lot of my songs are story songs about that.”
Her experiences gained from growing up in the South add a personal note to her performances.
“She’s a great storyteller,” Young said. “She gets up on stage and tells lots of good stories. She’s a lot of fun. Her personality will win you over.”
For more information call CAB at 325-2930, or visit Loebe’s Web site at www.rebeccaloebe.com.