Terry Holder

If you haven’t paid attention to the music of Terry Holder, slap yourself, hard. That’s pretty much how I felt when I first listened to her. I first came across her at Folk Alliance a couple of years ago. I didn’t know who she was at the moment, but I knew something special was happening. Ticket To The Moment is Terry’s third album. Holder continues to explore her passions through her heartfelt and gutsy songs. The CD delivers her emotionally driven songs around lyrics that take you on a journey with flashes of abandon, heartbreak, love, social- and self-awareness. What amazes me about Terry Holder is her ability to write songs that are so different in sound, but so true to talent. “Cross Your Mind” rocks out with a hint of sassiness that’s provocative. Your toes end up tapping to the strong back beat before you know it. “In God’s Eye” continues to show off Terry’s amazing ability to craft lyrics that evoke a response, whether positive or negative. “Wrecking Ball” is a classic country & western ballad (look out, Nashville). Great imagery! On the Ocean” shows a totally different style. You’ll love her wonderful cover of the Everly Brothers tune “When Will I be Loved?” Recorded in Seattle and Anchorage, she was joined in the studio by veteran musicians Freebo, Gary Shelton, Joel Tepp, Ben Smith, Jerry Holder, John Nyman, Cynthia Morrow and John Morton. Go to www.terryholder.com for concert information and CDs. Terry now resides in Olympia, Washington. I hope they realize what a treasure they have in their back yard! (Matthew Moeller)

CONCERT REVIEWS

Terry Holder walked into a room full of new patrons and actually knocked them down and out! I knew what she could do and was not surprised, but for her to WOW our most jaded music supporters was a total surprise to me. She brings her audience along with her on her love odyssey.
Jimmy Duke - Dark Thirty Productions

San Diego, CA
www.darkthirty.com

"Terry Holder was wonderful. A fabulous songwriter with a voice to break your heart."

"Terry’s performance in our house concert series was pure delight! The very personal, introspective stories Terry delivered with her beautiful voice, the guitar and vocal accompaniment by her husband Jerry, the background story Terry and Jerry wove between songs about their time together and her transition from stay-at-home Mom to singer songwriter, and the touches of comedic banter with the audience all had folks engaged on multiple levels and asking for more."

"Terry performed a great show at our house concert series, playing an engaging blend of folk-oriented music that had our audience asking for more. Thanks for a great show!"

Alaska Public Radio Network Interview - November 4, 2006 - Alaska Public Radio Affiliates.

An interview on Alaska Public Radio with Ashley Gross. Terry discusses her journey as a singer/songwriter.

Anchorage Press - May 2004 CD Review - “Colored Rooms”

Fans of her previous album, “Am I Here, Is This Me”, won’t be disappointed. Holder’s knack for songwriting and a distinctive voice still carry the record.

The lyrics are sparse enough to let the listener relate but at the same time Terry sprinkles her songs with fifty-cent words and gets away with it, “Interrogated by your own Conscience”...”harboring heartache.” This is the stuff that ordinary people can barely say, let alone sing. The absolute bottom is “Broken no more” but when you get there the fall is cushioned by harmonies as soft as a flannel-lined quilt. Not a bad landing.

Anchorage Daily News - 2004 CD Review - “Colored Rooms”

The second CD from local chanteuse Terry Holder seems to have everything going for it: her adorable voice, a feather bed of acoustic guitars, decent songwriting and a warm intimate recording job by Toneworks studio of Anchorage. There are 14 pleasant tracks with the thrill moment when Holder and daughter, Erin harmonize nicely on “In Shadow.” It’s the best track on the disc aside from the mildly rocking opener, A Kiss Away.

Alaska This Month - May 2004 “Stay at home mom now stays out nights, performing without limits.”

Took a death and her kids leaving home to jostle Terry Holder’s latent talent with words. Empty nest syndrome set in, till one day Holder began writing her way out of depression. One line led to another and all of the sudden she had a hat full of songs and a fierce desire to record them for her kids. Couple of those works, “Twilight Love” and “Good Night”, recorded on her debut CD “Am I Here Is This Me” landed in the top 5 folk and pop categories in APRN’s 2001 Alaska Song of the Year Contest. “People my age tend to limit themselves,” she said. Now three years later Holder’s releasing her follow-up CD “Colored Rooms.”

Anchorage Daily News - May 14, 2004 “Empty – Nest Blues Cured by Music”

Terry Holder doesn’t recognize her life anymore. A growing album catalog. Release parties. Minor celebrity. Strangers confiding that they’ve connected with her music. Where did all this come from? The local singer/songwriter led a different life five years ago, when her full-time job was stay–at home mom. The position was downsized when the youngest of her three daughters moved away, a transition that coincided with the passing of Holder’s own mother. Holder’s home was empty, and her heart was broken.

While Holder used her first record “Am I Here Is this Me” as therapy, “Colored Rooms” is an outgoing disc, mirroring her bubbling confidence as a performer and writer. It’s also a journal for the relationships in and around Holder’s life, a place of lovers, family and friends.

Some words to describe the Anchorage singer and acoustic guitarists impressive debut CD: pretty, tender, breathy, sweet. Holder possesses a voice that sounds young and petite. If you go for sensitive female singers, a mellow version of Lisa Loeb, then check out this disc. The production is airy and tight and Holder shows nice songwriting skills, letting down an unwanted suitor in one tune with “cordially I’m saying goodnight.”

Holder offers lots of gentle gems here. The opening track, “Twilight Love”, had me listening over and over.

Media - Press - Reviews

VICTORY REVIEW - Acoustic Music Magazine - November 2009 (read)

Terry Holder – Ticket to the Moment - (Saffron Blonde Records)

Alaska Public Radio Network Interview - November 4, 2006 - Alaska Public Radio Affiliates.

Anchorage Press - May 2004 CD Review - “Colored Rooms”

Anchorage Daily News - 2004 CD Review - “Colored Rooms”