Send us a text A guest mic at her brother’s wedding turned into a career. That’s the spark Pamela Lewis chases across this fast, funny, and deeply honest conversation about craft, persistence, and finding meaning on and off the bandstand. We go from the Floral Terrace first-dance rehearsal where she landed a job offer, to years of calling bandleaders until a spot opened, to the reality of singing in a 10-piece unit where six vocalists juggle egos, schedules, and the pressure to sound effortless under fluorescent lights. Pamela opens up about nodules, quitting cigarettes, and learning to support her voice. She breaks down why dinner-theater improv sharpened her timing, how high school chorus wired her ear for harmonies, and why the banquet staff’s thank-yous often mean more than the guest who says “you sound just like the record.” There are war stories—flambe timing jokes during Viennese hour, a bandstand near-brawl, introductions gone painfully wrong—and there’s the quieter truth of feeling invisible while making a room move. Through it all, she keeps the bar high, arguing that owning an instrument isn’t the same as honoring a craft. We also dig into originals with guitarist John Hurley—Secret Language, Dreams Come True, and a batch of unreleased Nashville cuts—and why it’s time to get them out into the world for sync opportunities. Pamela shares the heart behind her cabaret work, from Family History and The Dog Walking Diva to Daddy’s Little Girl, which won a BroadwayWorld award. Her next show, Unapologetic, celebrates her mother with story and song, a reminder that the most personal material often lands the deepest. If you love real talk about gig life, harmony nerdery, and the tension between paying work and personal art, you’ll feel right at home. Hit play, then share this with a musician who needs a nudge. If the episode moved you, leave a review, follow the show, and tell us your favorite bandstand war story or the moment music made you feel seen. Support the show
