British singer/songwriter Holly Golightly said her world changed when she learned a bar chord.
"I had always been fascinated by music," said Golightly during a phone call from Vermont. "But when I tried to play a guitar, it never sounded like I wanted it to. I would play something and say to myself, 'That doesn't sound like the Buzzcocks.' But then one day, I learned a bar chord, and my music writing took off from there."
Golightly, who tours with her partner-in-crime Lawyer Dave as Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs, has been recording CDs since the mid-1990s. Her style is a mix of blues, rockabilly and soul.
"My mom was a keen dancer," she said. "She danced to a lot of soul music, and I got into music like that long before I decided I wanted to play music.
"I have always been a music fan and tried my hand at piano and guitar," she said.
Playing music these days is just something she does, she said. "I can't think of doing anything else. This is the life we've chosen. We drive ourselves to our own shows and do things ourselves."
Throughout the years, Golightly has befriended many people during her tours. In fact, she said, she considers her audiences and concert producers as family.
"I've been around for a while," she said. "And it's great going into a city that we've played many times before and meeting up with people we've met in the previous gigs.
"I get a lot fans showing me pictures of their children as they have grown through the years. It's very satisfying to know that my music and our shows have been a part of their lives."
Golightly released a new album, "Dirty Don't Hurt," in October. She said it was written and recorded throughout her last tour.
"That was a bit of a project," she said. "We were in the middle of a tour and were trying to piece songs together. Some of the songs on the album we have played live many times and we decided when we recorded it to record our sessions live."
From 20 songs, Golightly and Dave cut the list down to 14. "We needed to make sure all of the songs fit together somewhat," she said.
Getting a set list these days is a little more challenging than it was five years ago, she said. "We have a lot of new songs. And we're excited to play them. And we, of course, have those old staples that people want to hear. So we find we do adjust our set list throughout the tour. We add, take things out and add some more."
Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs have played Salt Lake City before, she said. "I just remember driving into the city. It was a beautiful place with spectacular mountains. I hope people will come see us this time around, too."
If you go ...
What: Holly Golightly, Delany Davidson, Heart Pharmacy
Where: Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
How much: $10
Phone: 467-8499, 800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com or www.24tix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com