Brent Michelle is performing at the AITP Festival in September, and was kind enough to join our interview series with the musicians with number 6 in the series. Smokey voiced Brent Michelle is a great musician and she always blows her audience away.

She moved to L.A. in the summer of 2008 after graduating and started performing in open mics for fun.  Usually accompanied by John Gannon on the cajon, she currently performs in local favorite venues like The Hotel Cafe, The House of Blues, The Mint and Room 5. Brent has been featured in showcases with Planet L.A. Records, Hollywood Music In Media Awards, Studio City Sound (with Grammy winner Tom Weir), L.A. Women in Music, UCLA Relay for Life, amongst others. She also showcased in SXSW in 2012 with GoGirls, Music Gorilla and Planet L.A. Records.

MTM: Let’s start at the beginning. Tell us a little about yourself. how and when did you start making music?

Brent: Music and performance has always been a part of my life.  I started performing as a gymnast as a young kid, which translated to musical theater and choir throughout my childhood and lead up to writing music when I was 18.  I grew up listening and going to Broadway shows since I could remember and music was always a huge part of my life and my family’s life.  I really started focusing on writing when I moved to L.A. 5 years ago and it has been an incredible ride.

MTM: Why do you do it, now?

Brent: I can honestly say I do it because I am passionate about being an artist and creating songs that can relate to so many of us.  I don’t do it as a job, I do it for the love!

MTM: What were some of your early influences and what inspires you today?

Brent: Musical Theater, John Mayer, Ani Difranco, Norah Jones, Joni Mitchel to name a few.  So many artists inspire me today including some of my fellow artists friends.  The people around me inspire me, life events; like the one time I wore my heart on my sleeve and the other time when I sat in a coffee shop thinking, ‘wow, I live in L.A.’, my jokes that are usually not funny that turn out to be great satirical songs. Mondays inspire me, sometimes Throwback Thursdays do :).

MTM: What was the last song you listened to (disc in the car or what-not)?

Brent: Currently listening to The Pretenders live album.  It was the whole CD so there’s no particular song.

MTM: How did you connect with Artists in the Plus and what attracted you to working with them?

Brent: I connected with AITP through some friends that were already a part of it.  John asked me to play a live show and the rest is history.  We’ve become great friends and have helped each other through the growth of this incredible group.  I loved the fact that this is truly about artists.  Really, all about the artists and love of music.  I’ve seen my ranks and YouTube views go up because of AITP.  I’m honored to be a part of it!

MTM: Last year’s festival was a huge success and changed a lot of things about music on the net. Were you a part of that?

Brent: Yes, I was a part of that and it was one of the coolest musical experiences I’ve ever had.  I am very glad to be a part this year again and cannot wait to see how many millions of followers this will attract 🙂

MTM: What would you like to see as a result of the festival, this year?

Brent: I want AITP to get some national attention from media as well as sponsors.  There’s really nothing out there like this.  I want to see artists grow because of the festival and I want people to enjoy the music and the energy and passion behind it.

MTM: Have you been using services like Hangouts On Air, U-Stream, Street-Jelly, or others to perform live via video on line? What kind of reaction are you getting?