Bri Cauz

Keizer musician Bri Cauz generally performs for an audience aged between 18 and 65, so her music understandably covers a diverse range of genres.

With influences from Coldplay to Carrie Underwood to Taylor Swift, all the way to a Pacific Northwest trio of sisters called Joseph, Cauz covers a little bit of everything.

“I’ve always had an appreciation for all different types of music, so when it comes to me performing I usually try to do covers from the 1980s to today,” she said.SUBMITTED - Singer Bri Cauz moved to Oregon just three months ago, but has already played a number of local Newberg concerts, including at the Old Fashioned Festival, Social Goods Market, Chehalem Cultural Center and the Coffee Cottage.

SUBMITTED - Singer Bri Cauz moved to Oregon just three months ago, but has already played a number of local Newberg concerts, including at the Old Fashioned Festival, Social Goods Market, Chehalem Cultural Center and the Coffee Cottage.


She picks “fun, upbeat and positive” songs to perform, which includes covers from Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, The GooGoo Dolls as well as her previously mentioned influences.

As to her original music, Cauz said she’s only recently started writing her own songs and so it’s new territory for her.

“I’m still trying to discover my sound in that realm,” she said.

Hailing from the Bay Area, Cauz recently moved to Oregon with her husband, Donald Miller, who grew up in Newberg and is a George Fox University alum. Miller often accompanies Cauz in performances, adding percussion to her guitar, piano and vocals.

They live in Keizer, although Cauz has appeared at a number of Newberg venues just in the three months they’ve been in Oregon: she performed at an open mic and later at an art night event, both hosted by the Chehalem Cultural Center. She’s played at the Coffee Cottage multiple times, and also appeared at Social Goods Market and at the Old Fashioned Festival children’s stage.

For the next few months, Cauz said, she and her husband are playing all around the state, “from Medford and Cottage Grove to The Dalles.”

Her performance will begin at 7 p.m. Friday at the Coffee Cottage.

For more information, visit www.bricauz.com. - Colin Staub

San Jose singer/musician Bri Cauz is blessed with an exquisite, exceptionally expressive voice.

Her set at Red Rock on Friday night will reflect her diverse musical tastes. "I do all kinds of stuff, songs that are played on the radio now and some of my all-time favorites -- country, rock, a little bit of pop. I do a lot of Coldplay stuff, Third Eye Blind, John Mayer, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Colbie Caillat, Taylor Swift. I do some Christian alternative music, too. It's kind of a mix of everything."

The common thread is the uplifting feel of her music. "I try and take stuff that does have a more positive influence. I do a song called 'Say Something' [The Great Big World hit. Her video version can be found on her website, www.bricauz.com.] It's a love song, very emotional, but there's a lot more to it. For the most part, I try to pick stuff that every age would like, not just people that are my age [22]. I try and attract people of all ages."

Cauz, who plays piano and guitar, puts her own spin on every tune she covers. "I like to add my own little twists. I'm not like a huge writer. I've written a couple things of my own. But that's not my strong suit right now. So I typically have other people play with me and they'll do some harmony work, to add to a fuller sound. Typically, when I do covers, I try to make them my own, even though I didn't write them. It's still my own creation, in terms of how I present it."

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At Red Rock, her friend, singer/guitarist Josh Peterson, will join her for part of the set.

Cauz was born in Redwood City and grew up in San Jose's Almaden area. Her mother plays classical piano. Her father plays hard rock guitar.

"They were both a huge influence on my music. There was always music around the house, when I was growing up. My mom was really involved in choir, so I became involved in that, too. They were very supportive."

At age 2, for Christmas, Cauz received a little plastic toy microphone. Then a karaoke machine became a fixture in her room. "My mom says I could sing before I could talk. I would just hum."

Cauz (born Causey) began learning to play piano in third grade. Her senior year of high school, she took up guitar. "My sister got a guitar for Christmas and we kind of learned together. She ended up not wanting to pursue it, so she gave it to me. My dad, who is such a good musician, taught me the basic chords and then I would surround myself with musicians who were better than me, so they could teach me."

Her schools were based in performance arts. She attended Almaden Country School. "From first grade to fifth grade, I was on stage doing plays. I think that's why I am so comfortable up there now, because I was on stage at such a young age. Now it's like second nature to me."

For a time, Cauz participated in Children's Musical Theater San Jose. At Castillero Middle School, she was on the dance team and in the concert choir. "We would travel and compete, like down to Disneyland to compete with all the other middle schools in the whole state. That was really cool. In high school, it was mainly choir for me."

Cauz sang in choirs, church and school, from first grade all the way through high school. "That's where I received a lot of my vocal training. That's where I learned musical theory and how to read music, as well as learning how to use your instrument, your diaphragm and all that."

Her relationship with God has been a vital element in her singing. "Growing up, we went to church like on holidays. But, after going through a period of searching and rebelling, I found my own faith and that concept of grace. I feel blessed to have this gift and I try and pick songs that I think bring a deeper meaning to people."

She says that she often performs solo, but she's never alone: God is by her side. "I just kind of let his light shine up on stage," she says.

She looks up songs on YouTube and figures them out by ear. She began playing shows more frequently about 18 months ago. "When I did my first show, I was definitely nervous. I get really nervous right before I go on, but then went I get on stage, I feed off the crowd and the energy and the vibes and I start singing and it's all OK. The more I've done it, the easier it's become."

Cauz has performed at such venues as Santana Row, Sonoma Chicken Coop, The Brittania Arms, Station 55 and The Santa Clara Country Fire Station. She would like to tour in such areas as Portland, Seattle or Los Angeles.

She plans to work on her songwriting, in preparation for recording an album someday soon. "It's hard for me to just sit down and write. I can't force it. I have to really have something on my heart, on my mind, before I can put it down on paper."

Her heart and mind are filled with excitement about her wedding, which will take place in September. Her fiancé, Donny Miller, who's in building supply sales, enjoys harmonizing with her. Once she settles into married life for a month or two, Cauz, with Miller's encouragement, will fully focus her energy in her music.

Cauz says, "From the time I was little, I strongly felt that I was born to sing, whether that was for an audience of 20 or 20,000, I just loved singing and I just wanted to share that with people. As I got older, in high school, in college, I pursued it more and more seriously.

"I love performing. I feel that's what God wants me to do. Being able to go up there and play for strangers and see people in the audience get teared up or come up afterwards and say, 'I've had such a hard week, you totally made my whole week with the music that you played,' little comments like that are what keep me going. If I can be a light to other people and be an encouragement to them, that's just a blessing in itself."

Email Paul Freeman at paul@popcultureclassics.com.

Music

What: Bri Cauz
Where: Red Rock Coffee Co., 201 Castro St. Mountain View
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Admission: Free; information at 650-967-4473
Artist sites: www.facebook.com/BriCauzLive;
www.bricauz.com - Paul Freeman