We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kathy Sheppard. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kathy below.

Alright, Kathy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

There have been so many meaningful projects throughout the course of my career, but the one I must choose is Shepstock, a musical fundraising endeavor. During the course of my husband’s battle with mesothelioma, we discovered the Best Answer for Cancer Foundation, which helps patients afford insulin potentiation therapy, a treatment not covered by insurance. After his death, a member of our former band from high school approached me about reuniting the band to perform a series of concerts in my husband’s name, to benefit this charity. Shepstock became a pet project for me, that raised a substantial sum for BAFC over the course of five years. I was able to organize five major shows at New Jersey’s Starland Ballroom, as well as several smaller events, all featuring musicians that my husband or I had performed with over the course of our careers, including guitar virtuoso John Gatto, of the legendary Good Rats. We also featured our young son singing and playing drums, along with his talented elementary school classmates, and several student musicians from the School of Rock that I owned. Videos of our performances can be found on Youtube.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been a musician for over five decades, working in the performing and recording industries, as well as teaching at the college level. My background is in classical piano, but my work is mainly in jazz fusion and musical theater. Although I often perform as a piano soloist at private and public functions, my main work is with Curiosity Shop, a jazz fusion trio that performs original compositions exclusively. With Curiosity Shop, I play electronic keyboards, featuring the Moog synthesizer. I also write, perform, and record original electronic works for a project called Elektragaaz, under the City Canyons Producing and Publishing Company.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Artists will not survive without an audience. We need society to encourage average people to seek out musical experiences that don’t involve celebrities. There is so much great music out there, that anyone can enjoy! All they need to do is seek it out! Colleges, cultural centers, and even some independent venues still exist that are offering exceptional musical experiences.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to educate anyone who will listen that celebrity does not equal artistry. Mainstream audiences have a tremendous capacity to fall in love with great music, as long as they are exposed to it.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/190734282581139
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Va6k-J_TDg&list=RD5Va6k-J_TDg&start_radio=1