"When my life hit bottom almost a decade ago, I felt lost, confused, and wondered why I was even breathing. But at my lowest point was where Jesus met me... and I was surprised to find out I was a songwriter! I joined a local 12-step recovery group, and for three years, I wrote "recovery", restoration, and healing music, as I worked the 12 steps, and worked through my "stuff". I'd never been taught how to write songs... but all these songs just started coming because of the pain I was in... songwriting became my therapy and my connection with God.
Only as I look back, do I understand that this was a new beginning for me... God linking me up with the dream that had always existed in my heart... to sing and play guitar. I've been playing at local 12-step recovery programs, rescue missions, coffee houses, fairs, and churches since 2001.
In recent years, my band and I have been giving concerts in jails and prisons, including Bob Wiley Jail (Visalia, CA). On our schedule for 2010 is Corcoran State Prison (Corcoran, CA), Valley State Prison (Chowchilla, CA), the largest prison for women in the world (www.chapelofgrace.net), and Central California Women's Facility, also in Chowchilla, CA. One of my favorite places to share my music is with inmates. A lot of people think inmates are hardened and cold... mean and "scary" to be around. But I have found the opposite to be true. So many of them are broken and searching for answers to their lives... just like the rest of us. We all make mistakes. We all need God's grace and forgiveness. And from time to time, I even come across an inmate who is living a "freer" life behind bars, as opposed to so many of us on the "outside" who are bound up in our own issues, pain, and regrets. Christ offers freedom to EVERYONE, regardless of what our circumstances look like. I just smile when I see an inmate so full of peace and contentment... it would seem impossible to many of us, no money, no possessions, little physical freedoms, but truly "free". Wow!"
Check out Heather's song "AMAZING GRACE"... inspired by stories from female inmates who have endured the shame and regret of prostitution. The song can be heard under the "Music" tab. To listen to the song in its entirety, you can also visit www.myspace.com/heatherlaynemusic. Heather Layne's music reflects her life journey.
"I write out of my own life experiences... I also write songs about the lives of those around me... we all have a story. I believe music has a way of expressing the thoughts and feelings of thousands of people at one time, in one song. For me, that's what songwriting is all about... taking life's ups and downs and creating a song that can encourage someone else. We all need to know that we're not alone... we all need to know that there is someone out there who understands."
