Sing and heard

One true sign of a good entertainer is a

demostrative ease of diversity. This is to say, you can place them in any context, and they’ll do what entertainers are meant to do: They stun, they stand out, and they shine.

This is a talent. This is something that can be fine-tuned and nurtured over the years, but it is not something that can be taught. It’s like they say: You either got it, kid, or you don’t.

For local singer-songwriter Lacey Mattison, this is how her journey has been defined.

She first started singing when her father purchased a guitar for her at a garage sale when she was 16. Her father, a self-taught musician, taught his daughter. She took this knowledge and became a featured musician at the Reno Music Project at Walden’s Coffeehouse for many years. She performed nightly as a “ta-da” girl in the magic show at Golden Phoenix for three years. She has performed for years in local musical theater. She was the lead singer of the band Nothing Like the Dame.

After she and her band split up last June, she found herself at a pivotal juncture where she needed to decide her next move, and she felt a great need to return to her roots.

“After the band broke up, I had every intention of getting into the next Brüka musical,” she says.

Which she did by landing a leading role in their production of The Wild Party. But, after that production, and playing with NLTD for so many years, she’s taking time to plan her next move. She knows she wants to pursue a solo venture, but in what capacity?

“It feels weird to just pick up a guitar again, and fall backwards, you know, just being alone singing and songwriting. Because, when you’re in a band you have all that force behind you.”

For someone with roots in the local music scene it can be a difficult task. She has many people asking her to play gigs, but, like her role in The Wild Party, she wants it to be something special.

“I want to keep gigging, because singing makes my soul sing,” she says. She’ll be playing shows this summer for a few different weddings for friends, and was invited to participate in a sock hop for Hot August Nights.

“But, I want to make sure that the gigs that I do are really important, and that I am touching people with my music.”

Mattison seems more interested in the quality of the work than anything else. She seems resigned to the idea that she doesn’t need to plan, but that gigs and musicals will present themselves, and that she has the right eyes to see a worthwhile project when it presents itself.

“If I’m presented with an opportunity that vibes well with me, I’ll jump in with all my soul and all my energy and I’ll pursue that.”

She’s a true talent, a creature of diversity. She’ll soon be entertaining in a coffee shop, theater, bar, casino or wedding near you.

“Right now, I imagine myself in a little boat,” she says. “And I’m on a river. Instead of trying to paddle upstream, I’m letting the oars go, sitting back with my umbrella, sipping on a martini, you know? I’m just letting the universe guide me.”

She laughs.

But she’s serious.