Wendy Duffy

With upbeat pop-rock driven sounds and endless lyrical optimism--Wendy Duffy started writing music in 2002 as a way to express herself and create the kind of music she always loved to listen to growing up. Duffy, who grew up in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, spent nearly every summer hitting up Milwaukee's World Largest Music Festival called Summerfest--listening to the bands that left a lasting impression on her as a fan and an artist. In addition to being an avid concert goer by the age of 7, her grandfather, Burnett Kubly, was an accordian player and shared his music with Wendy at a very young age. Music was timeless to Wendy, as songs were like kodaks from her personal scrap book. One play of a song from 1984, and she was right back to that place and that feeling she had at the age of 6. Duffy always dreamed as young girl she would leave Wisconsin and head West. A few months after graduating college in 2001 from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and saving some much needed cash, she packed her bags and moved to Los Angeles. Once she landed with her feet firmly planted down, she tried her hand out at acting. Although she ejoyed acting and still does-- it was while attending those acting classes where Wendy realized she had something she wanted to say/share with the world, so she began to write. After she started writing what she calls her "journey", she naturally wanted to learn an instrument so she chose guitar--an instrument she had always wanted to learn.



The story of a small-town-girl trying to make it in the big city is NOT a new one but Duffy has something special that seperates her from all the other dreamers--a "never-give-up-attitude in accepting anything less than living the dream." She worked several jobs to make ends meet over the years and even briefly sang back up and wrote with a band called Better Off Red (who were and still are great friends of Duffy). Those friends have only strengthened her desire to make the music she has longed to make. She has also truly realized over the past few years, that it takes time and hard work to get where you want to get in life, and making music is no different, "It's hard to get ahead in music--to get where you want to get, which is ultimately making music and getting paid to do it--but enjoying the journey and the process is 75% of the fun," and that is exactly what Wendy is doing. “The songs I have produced so far are truly a reflection of where I’ve come from, where I’ve been and where I am going as a person and an artist,” says Duffy, “I’m constantly writing and to be honest, I don’t feel I can get things produced fast enough—because every time I write and create news songs I like the new one better than the last one.” During her time spent in Los Angeles, she also met and married her husband Drew in June of 2005. Later that summer, they decided to take a much needed "industry break," and spend the next 5 months living/working in Salzburg, Austria. In January of 2006, Duffy moved to the songwriting capital of the world, Nashville, for a richer music scene. As of 2009, Duffy now spends her time going back and forth between Nashville to Los Angeles for business and loves both worlds for different reasons.



Over the past 4 years, Wendy has performed at several songwriting venues including The Commodore, Brentwood Sports Bar, Hall of Fame Lounge, The Listening Room, Cresent Cafe, Limelight, French Quarter, The Basement, 3rd & Lindsley and Ri'chards. Duffy completed her first independently released EP titled Roads Less Traveled in the summer of 2007 and finished her full album project titled, October Road- release in the November of 2008. She will kicked off 2009 with a small tour in Wisconsin, Texas and Colorado to promote the self-released album, October Road and can be found on Itunes/Rhapsody/Nashville Independent Music/CD Baby. In May 2009, Duffy returned home to perform at 3rd & Lindsley for a great crowd and will continue performing & showcasing new songs and old for many years to come. Currently, Duffy is between Nashville and Los Angeles producing a third album tentatively titled Enough, due out in spring of 2010. Duffy's primary focus with the third album is to find music placement within TV & Film, which is why she's teamed up with several talented singer/songwriters such as Rebecca Hosking, Nathan Brumely and Beth Kille. Duffy's ecstatic about the collaborations to be completed and released on iTunes early next year.



FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY?

That's tough- I really have too many, butI will try. It's a toss up. I spent my summers on a lake in Eagle River, Wisconsin and those were such special times. Swimming on the lake, boating, playing games, racing go-karts--we stayed busy as the cottage did NOT have a TV. Yes, and this was just in 1982. No TV? What on earth did we ever do! Second favorite childhood memory? Growing up on top of a Swiss Restaurant my parents owned, The Chateau. I have too many great memories to even start!



SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT?

Ok, I hate to say something cliche (although it's true), like love--but honestly that would be my number one--I think life is truly all about loving others/giving love and being loved--and all different kinds of love (friend, child, parent, spouse). Outside of that.I would say it's easy.Wine, Coffee, Cheese, Movies, Music. These are things I NEED to have almost daily and I pretty much do. :) I will forever maintain my theory that there is NOTHING wrong with a glass of wine a day. :)



WORST JOB YOU EVER HAD?

This is a tie--but it was during the same time period when I first moved to LA and I had two jobs. 1, I handed out fliers for Universal Studios in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood--everyday for 4 hours. AWESOME. That clearly did not make me enough money, so I worked in customer service for a vending machine company- wow. I won't even name the company.



ANIMAL YOU WISH COULD BE A PET?

Chipmunks. It all goes back to my days at the cottage in Eagle River--we got to feed them peanuts as they crawled on our legs!



BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION ABOUT WENDY DUFFY?

That my life is perfect and I'm always happy. I think people see what they want to see, not what really exists or is truth. I've always been a pretty happy gal--positive--but it has not always been EASY. I WANT to be happy, so I choose it and I focus all my energy on it. (What you think about you bring about- I believe that is truth.) My faith is what pulls me up when life brings me down--and trust me, I too have been VERY down, in fact, most of my early 20's. I've loved and lost in many ways and I have had a lot of disappointment/struggles in my life (as has my family)--but it never stops me for long. My sister shared with me something she had heard from a 12-year-old student of hers and it really stuck with me. She said, "Life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% of what we make of it/how we deal with it." I never forget that.



CURRENT SONG YOU CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO?

"Hey Soul Sister" by Train. Everytime that song comes on in the car I have to open my sunroof and sing at the top of my lungs---the song immediately puts me in a great mood. I'm also really loving Kris Allen's song "Live Like We Were Dying" as it reminds me to live for the moment and soak up everthing life has to offer everyday---and it's fun to sing along to!



TOP 6 FAVORITE SONGS:

In Your Eyes-Peter Gabriel, Faithfully-Journey, Billie Jean/The Way You Make Me Feel -Michael Jackson, Free Fallin’-Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Tiny Dancer- Elton John



MOST INFLUENTIAL ALBUMS:

Room for Squares- John Mayer, Rumors- Fleetwood Mac, Thriller- Michael Jackson, Speechless- Steven Curtis Chapman, C'mon C'mon- Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile- Brandi Carlile, Nothing Left to Loose- Mat Kearney, Frontiers- Journey, Indigo Girls-Indigo Girls



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