Jen Miller loves music. She loves making it, writing it, listening to it.
But lately she's discovered an even bigger passion: helping other artists get their music heard.
"I have this passion to see younger and newer artists have a place to play," she says.
Miller has taken on the job of putting together music nights at the Waves coffeeshop at 4250 Kingsway.
Every Thursday starting Oct. 13, young and emerging artists will be on hand to share their music from 8 to 10 p.m.
Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.
Miller, taking time out of her afternoon for a photo shoot and interview at the Waves, is enthusiastic about the series. She likes the corner of the coffeeshop where the artists will set up - by the fireplace and large gilt-framed mirror, with windows behind overlooking the street.
The coffeeshop vibe is a good one, she says, especially for those people who aren't into the bar and pub scene, either because their too young or because it's just not they're thing.
"It's a good stepping stone for people to get their music heard," Miller says.
The Burnaby resident will be performing on the first night, along with Megan Metcalfe and a third yet-to-be-confirmed artist.
Miller, a Nova Scotia native, was first exposed to music through church and says her earliest musical influences were from the "Christian bubble" - foremost among them Christian contemporary star Jennifer Knapp.
She came west originally seven years ago, to attend a Christian missionary school.
"I sold everything I owned. What I didn't sell, I gave to the Salvation Army," she says. "I had two duffel bags and my guitar."
After overseas missionary stints with the school in Morocco and Scotland, she returned to B.C.
Miller found herself in music somewhat by accident, after a pub owner heard her music on MySpace and asked her to play.
It was, she confesses, quite a change for someone used to playing in church.
"I went to this pub and played music, and it was really awesome," she says with a grin.
It looked like her music career might take off - she even found someone interested in recording her. But the recording didn't work out, and she started to think she might just get a "real" job instead.
She didn't give up music, though. "I can't not play and not write, it's something I always do," she says.
It was a friend attending the Art Institute of Vancouver, who wanted to do some recording projects for school, who got her into the studio again. And when he got a job at the Hive recording studio in Burnaby, he asked her to do an album.
She decided to give it a shot, figuring, as she says: "I'm 30. If I don't do it now, I'm gonna regret it later."
They recorded seven songs before she ran out of money, so she hasn't been in the studio for about 10 months. She's actively fundraising and looking for grants and donations to help her finish the project.
In the meantime, she's balancing her work as a manager with Public Storage and her career as a performer - besides the Waves night, she also has a gig at the V Lounge above Earl's in Yaletown on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
Her folk-pop sound is influenced by such singer-songwriters as Ray LaMontagne and Damien Rice, she says, but she admits it's hard to pigeonhole her music - or her tastes.
As for her favourite band? Southern rockers NEEDTOBREATHE - and, of course, all the local talent that Miller's finding as she hits the streets to look for performers for her coffeeshop series.
She laughingly admits she's not at all shy about inviting people to take part. If she sees someone with a guitar on the street, she'll go over and introduce herself and ask them about their work. She's posted ads on Craigslist, and she's constantly networking with all the musicians she's met in the city.
"The local musicians in Vancouver are so amazing it just blows me away," she says. "They're constantly on my playlist. People that should be famous aren't."
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The music nights are at the Waves coffeeshop at 4250 Kingsway (west of Willingdon Avenue, at Olive), on Thursdays starting Oct. 13. Music runs from 8 to 10 p.m. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.
For more, see www.jenmiller.ca. She's also on Reverbnation and Facebook - you can find the links at her website - and on Twitter, @jenmillermusic.
If you're an artist interested in taking part in the series, email Jen Miller, [email protected].
