Local recording artist Mindy Gledhill kicked off her fall tour at the Velour Friday night with a special introduction of her family-friendly tour bus.
In her performance, Gledhill surprised the audience from the start by appearing in a sparkly gold shirt and decorating the stage with vintage umbrella decorations. She threw a lot of enthusiasm into her act, dancing on stage and even stepping down into the crowd.
Tony Anaya, a sophomore at BYU, initially went to the show to see one of the opening acts but left with a new interest in Gledhill and her upbeat music.
“She engaged the audience in such a way that anyone seeing her for the first time instantly becomes a fan,” Anaya said.
Gledhill is excited to test out the new bus that will carry her around the country to tour her album “Pocketful of Poetry,” released in 2013. The odd vehicle is called a Crown bus, a brand that has become basically extinct due to harsh weather conditions and age. She found this novelty in Arizona, where it was amazingly preserved by the warm climate.
“I did a lot of research to find a bus with character and vintage flair, but a lot don’t run anymore,” Gledhill said. “Everyone is amazed that this one runs really smoothly.”
Gledhill designed the decorations to reflect her quirky style, spending hours working alongside her husband to gut and refurbish the bus’s interior. It became something big enough to hold not just Gledhill, but her three kids as well. The purpose of creating the bus in the first place is so they can join her as she tours around the U.S.
“My kids need their mom, and I need them,” Gledhill said.
Gledhill worked hard to get to the point where she could have the best of both worlds and wants other women to see that they can do the same thing.
“I just think it’s cool that she makes time for her family as well as makes time for her career,” said junior Alyssa Taylor. “Some people get so caught up in their careers, and I think it is important that she has that time to spend with them.”
In Nashville, one of the tour destinations, Gledhill even plans to film a series about making a music career mesh with family life. It is her first time performing in Nashiville, a place crawling with incredible musicians. Because Gledhill can now take her family with her, she does not have to worry about spending too much time chasing her dreams.
“I’m a challenge magnet,” Gledhill said. “I want to play in places that are hard and grow as a musician.”
She starts touring in Nashville Sept. 24 and continues on to Lexington, Kentucky; Vienna, Virginia; and New York City.
More information about her tour dates can be found at https://www.facebook.com/MindyGledhillMusic.
