GOLD HILL — In her young adult years, Maya de Vitry set out with friends on a road trip across the United States from her home state of Pennsylvania. She began busking at 18 years old, and on the road trip, she intended to see where busking took her.
“I got a feel for setting up, opening a guitar case, playing fiddle tunes and Johnny Cash songs, and seeing how much music would mean to people when you surprise them with it,” recalls de Vitry.
She’s transitioned from a fiddle performance background to a focus on guitar and singer-songwriter music. Although she still enjoys playing fiddle in jam sessions with others, guitar has become her primary instrument.
“I love the chance to play for people who are ready to go for the journey of the night with me, the different stories and songs and characters, what it opens up in them,” she says.
De Vitry previously performed as a member of The Stray Birds. Joined by Oliver Craven and Charlie Muench, the trio often highlighted three-part harmonies and flashier instrumental solos in their songs.
In her own sets, de Vitry utilizes singing in harmony and playing electric guitar in lively moments, but she’s also embraced a more contemplative side of her musicianship. This includes telling her own stories in between songs, whether they directly relate to the music or simply anecdotes she wants to share.
“After the show, sometimes people would be like, ‘I love that story about whatever,’” says de Vitry. “And I’m like, ‘Oh, I guess the stories are sort of a part of the show, too.’”
Talking about her writing process, de Vitry compares finishing songs to growing watermelons from vines—she lets her ideas flow, and as time passes, she supplements the ideas that stick until they bear fruit. She finds music particularly connective, whether a song resonates with someone’s personal experiences or audience members allow themselves to focus on the music.
“There’s that connection of being with people in a room and making those phones go quiet,” says de Vitry. “It might be the only two hours of the week somebody gets a chance to be with other humans in real time like that, talk to them and connect with them.”
Maya de Vitry will perform at the Gold Hill Inn, located at 401 Main Street in Gold Hill, on Saturday, October 24 starting at 7:30 p.m.
