Patrice “peach” Merzanis started making up songs before she could even carry a tune, mostly as forms of play and comfort when she was a child. She never attempted to remember or repeat any of them. Even as she started to write prose and poetry, songwriting never occurred to her until her older sister planted the seed of possibility in her head.

 

Peach grew up singing in three-part harmony with her sisters and, along with her eldest sister, accompanied their father – a regionally renowned oudist – as he educated audiences on Greek and Arabic instruments and the beauty of music as a unifying force. She was immersed in a world of music while she was scratching out ideas for poems, stories, and the answers to life’s big questions on every available piece of paper. It was only when peach hit a massive writing block in the middle of a freshman creative writing course that she finally began combining words and music and found her creative footing. She taught herself to play guitar through her songwriting. She has performed in bands, acoustic ensembles, and as solo act from Harrisburg to New York City, always with a focus on – or at least a nod toward – original music.

 

Songwriting, rather than performing, has always been and continues to be peach’s main driver. Subtle hints of the rhythmic and melodic influences of the Middle Eastern music she grew up with can be heard in many of her early songs and still pop up from time to time. Her songs play with themes of polarity and the constant pulls of light and dark.

 

The songwriting presented on her newly released album, Just Be Love, continues peach’s fascination with exploring the human condition. By most measures, Just Be Love is her debut offering, and its songs represent the reawakening of peach’s love for songwriting after a long hiatus from creative pursuits. She owes the album’s existence to the talent and perseverance of Paul Wegmann and Natural Music Studios in Carlisle, PA.  An experienced and deeply gifted musician, Paul brings texture, color, and shape to the frames of peach’s songs.

 

In addition to songwriting, peach has spent pockets of time helping people explore the voice and vocal toning as a means of meditation and self-exploration. She also holds a day job in not-for-profit management.