By Stina SiegPost Independent StaffCARBONDALE – On any given weekend, Meagan Goodwin, 21, can be seen strumming her guitar or mandolin somewhere in the valley. A musician since childhood, she’s now part of the Tippitts, a homegrown girl band playing tonight at 8:30 p.m. at Steve’s Guitars. Her musical partner, Shanti Gruber, 25, plays piano and guitar and sings. Shanti’s sister, Sheena, 24, joins them whenever she can. Goodwin and Gruber took the band’s handle from their home’s mailbox, still bearing the name of the original owners.Why music? “Well, actually, it was my mom who was always playing. I just always overheard my mom playing Bonnie Raitt tunes. She kind of taught me stuff and then, eventually, I learned on my own.”

“I started singing when I was little, little, like 8 or 9, and I started the guitar when I was 12, I think.”Since then, how has your sound evolved? Goodwin laughed and mentioned how she had just listened to a show she played when she was 16. Though she thought she sounded awful, the audience was “very gracious,” she said. These days, she feels things have certainly improved.”Now, I think it’s a combination of things. Not having those nerves anymore has helped me come a long way with finding my voice.””I think the more you play with people, the more you learn about music.”Describe your sound now. “I would say my personal sound would be pretty folky, a little more of a meaningful, drawn-out sound.”

“The Tippitts has another sound. We’re still trying to find our sound. The Tippitts are still pretty folky, with a blues, acoustic rock element, too – especially adding Sheena to that mix.””Now that I’m more comfortable in my skills and how I sing, I’m really able to express what the song is really about.”What do you enjoy more, playing solo or in a band? “I think I’m more drawn to playing in a group, because when you get musicians around you, they bring their own styles, their own influences.”You lived in Fort Collins for more than two years. Do you miss the music scene on the Front Range? “When you’re first starting out in music, I think the smaller scene is supportive. We’ve grown up here, and we know people will come out to see us play. They want to support us because they know us, and they love us, and that allows us to really work on our art.”What do you see in the Tippitts’ future? “I think our progression would be to start here, get it down, and then go to the Front Range and see how we’re accepted over there.”

“We might go to Nashville. We’re not country, but Nashville is such a mixing pot.”What’s the most important thing in your life? “I would say our music is our priority right now.””To me, it’s more than just music, it’s perfecting what I’m doing. It’s perfecting what I love and putting it out there that I’m focused on, I think.”Contact Stina Sieg: 384-9111ssieg@postindependent.comPost Independent Glenwood Springs CO Colorado