LVNMUZIQ

EAU CLAIRE, WI - Michigan singer-songwriter Liz Snavely quit a lucrative telecommunications job to pursue music. In so doing,she lost her three-bedroom house, forcing her to move into a one-room apartment.

"I couldn't pay the mortgage anymore," Snavely said during a telephone interview. "It was either quit paying or go back to corporate America. I just said I'll quit paying."

Two days before she was evicted, Snavely gave a concert at her house in front of 40 friends. She recorded the performance, which is slated to become a live CD this April.

"It's a memorial of my house that I lost," she said. "That's the only place I've ever done music. I wanted to make it a special evening."

Chippewa Valley music lovers can catch Snavely's live show Thursday at the Acoustic Cafe. Eau Claire musician Elizabeth Christianson of the folk band QuinnElizabeth will open.

Snavely, 42, specializes in toe-tapping urban folk. And those toes are on display during shows.

"It's not to be cool," she said of playing barefoot. "I get hot. I got to take those shoes off. I'd prefer to keep them on if I could. The bottom of my feet, I get these calluses. Sometimes I'm playing on some pretty hard surfaces. I've busted my feet open from pounding so hard."

When playing, Snavely feels as emotionally naked as her feet. She overcame her anxiety by participating in open mics and accepting encouragement from friends.

"Even though I was nervous and uncomfortable, I just kept booking shows," she said. "I can say I'm a lot more comfortable now, but there's not a show where I don't feel stage fright. I still feel very nervous. It's still a very vulnerable thing to do - put yourself out there and share your personal stories."

Snavely,who also performs as LVNMUZIQ, refers to songwriting as "free therapy."She grew up in foster homes and now sings about pain, love, abuse,abandonment and courage.

"(Songwriting)has helped me go through a lot of necessary healing in my life, having come from a pretty horrific background. It's helped save me. It's given me hope," she said. "People ask about my songs, and it gives me an opportunity to talk about it. I'm always able to release my emotions now. It's been real freeing."

Snavely,who has "MUZIQ" tattooed on her right forearm, always wanted to be a musician. In elementary school, she and a friend sang along to classic rock songs on the radio and designed album covers.

Snavely has written poetry most of her life, but she didn't teach herself to play the guitar until about six years ago.

"The words have always come real easy. To try to do something with music without any training whatsoever, that was challenging, very challenging," she said. "I figured that a lot more people would hear it that way instead of just writing poetry in my journal and keeping it to myself."

Two months after her 40th birthday, she quit her corporate job and devoted herself to music full time.

"As you get older you start becoming more sure of yourself," she said. "Too bad it took a little longer than I wanted, but I don't have any regrets. It happened when it was supposed to."

She released her first full-length album, "Orange Kiss," in 2006. Her newest disc, "Contemplating the Void," came out in March.

Snavely, who is gay, has three songs featured in the upcoming movie "Fagbug." The documentary follows a New York woman whose Volkswagen was vandalized because it displayed a rainbow sticker.

Snavely wrote the film's theme song, "Back Seat," which plays during the opening credits. The movie has been accepted into international film festivals and will premiere April 10 in Los Angeles.

The song is a step toward Snavely's ultimate goal of writing music for TV and movies, she said. Considering all she's overcome, Snavely isn't afraid to chase her dream.

"I'm pretty much willing to take any risk you can throw at me," she said."It's very rewarding when it works. It's still rewarding when it doesn't work too."

Espe can be reached at 833-9206 or troy.espe@ecpc.com.