User:Lara Conley

Lara Conley is a singer and songwriter currently living in East Devon and plays folk-rock, acoustic, folk, and alternative genres. Born in Hertfordshire, England in 1982, by 1989 Conley's family moved to Malvern in Worcestershire, UK, where she first set eyes on her Uncle's piano which began her love of music. At school she was greatly involved in drama and dance productions. In the noughties she moved to the bottom of the country to the seaside town of Exmouth, East Devon, to read for a Degree in Theatre and Performance at the College of St Mark and St John at Plymouth, UK. Conley continued to play sessions on the local circuit, but it wasn't until a trip to Australia with her mother that inspired her to perform more. Soon after she hooked up with some talented Exmouth musicans and artists: Chris Stuckey, Mike Sykes, Richard Bridge, Robbie McGrath, Malcolm Horton and Mark J Boden et al. Winning the singer/songwriter competition (2004) in Exeter lead to playing the Exmouth Festivals and further gigs in the South West. Currently Lara Conley is completing her MA degree in Youth and Community (JNC) at the University of Exeter, UK., and intends to pursue her musical career. Her influences stem from Joan Baez, Tracey Chapman, Joni Mitchell, Show of Hands, Jack Johnson, Seth Lakeman, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Bjork, Penguin Café Orchestra, Beatles, Diana Krall, amongst others.