Iolan Maggie Wilson will bring her considerable musical talents to the Iola Community Theatre Warehouse Thursday.
Wilson, a 2011 Iola High School graduate now studying at Emporia State University, will perform as part of ICT’s “One Night Stand” series at 7 o’clock. Admission is free. Doors open at 6:30.
Courtesy of her acoustic guitar, and occasionally via her harmonica, Wilson offers a blend of what’s best described as “folk pop” music, leaning heavily on musical influences such as The Beatles and K.T. Tunstall.
Most of her music covers previously released songs, although Wilson may perform a handful of original tunes. She’ll also be joined on-stage periodically by her younger brother, Michael, a member of the IHS marching band.
Wilson took her initial foray into music as a band student at Iola High, where she focused primarily on drums before taking up guitar on the side.
Learning the guitar “wasn’t that hard, although I still have some trouble with the picking,” she said. “Learning the chords was pretty easy for me.”
She learned guitar enough to offer lessons to her father, Larry, one of her biggest supporters.
“Dad will occasionally offer me ideas about how to perform certain songs,” she said. “They’re usually good ideas, too.”
Wilson admits she’s her harshest critic, often replaying songs in her mind — particularly original pieces — to see if they can be improved.
“I’ve probably written 20 songs or so, but five or six are ones I really like,” Wilson said.
Still undetermined on her course of study, Wilson spends a good portion of her spare time practicing guitar in her Emporia State dorm room.
“That’s really the key,” she said. “Just keep practicing to get better. I like trying to find the music that works for me. I want to be the best I can.”
Aside from her performances with the high school band, Wilson’s public performances have been limited.
The ICT warehouse performance will be her first official foray into such an environment on a solo basis, where the entire focus of the audience will be solely on her.
She’s performed on occasion at Sidelines Bar and Grill, at the invitation of owners Mark and Jenise Wade.
“But there, people have other things going on, like eating or watching TV,” she said.
