SANDY ZIO is a talented singer/songwriter from Princeton, NJ, whose smile can light up a room, and whose vocals can fill a canyon!

A relative "newbie" to the music scene, Zio has been performing in various circles, some of which include restaurants, coffee houses, pubs and public libraries.

Zio began playing the piano in earnest in 1999. While attending lessons, she sang an original song for her teacher. He was very impressed and urged her to pursue writing her own music. Buoyed by this, and drawing inspiration from her then roommate ALICE LEON of The Alice Project, Zio began writing her own originals.

Once she gathered enough material, Sandy became a regular at an open mic night in NYC which was hosted by Billy Joel's saxophonist Rich Cannata. Gathering more confidence with every appearance, Zio decided to explore the possibility of recording her own CD. The first step taken was to approach Cannata and ask him if he'd like to be part of her recording project. He readily agreed. Sandy didn't stop there. She next asked if any of the other members of Billy Joel's band would be interested in lending a hand. Enter drummer Liberty Devito. Throw in some other notables and the studio band had taken shape.

Giggling uncomfortably, she shyly admitted that the CD, entitled "All That I Am," took almost five years to record. This thirteen-track album was recorded in several studios in several states, and features "six and one half" songs solely written by Zio, four written by six different composers, and two cover songs. Now, by my count, that adds up to twelve and one half. The remaining "half song," called "Questo Dolce Segro," was translated and sung in Italian.

After spending time bouncing around in several bands, Zio has been branching out on her own more recently. Zio participates in a concert series called "The Songwriters In The Round." Here, along with several other artists, she performs in an intimate setting almost akin to a family room type setting. These shows take place in libraries, coffee houses and other small venues.

I've had the pleasure of attending two of these events recently and they are quite informative. Anyone who attends not only gets to hear some great music, but also learns the history behind it. Each song gets a brief explanation as to the why, when, and how it came to be written and, given the small setting, allows one to feel like the performers are talking directly to everyone individually. Somehow, I feel that given Zio's engaging and likable personality she could be in a football stadium and make everyone in attendance feel the same way.

SANDY ZIO can be found at www.sandyzio.com or at libraries, pubs, and coffee houses near you! Her CD, "All That I Am," can be found on all of the usual outlets.

This Sunday at 10pm EST on www.wifi1460am.com: PATTY BLEE is my guest on this week's ROCK ON RADIO! This acoustic/Americana artist is a "DON'T MISS" interview!

Listen for replays of Sunday's ROCK ON RADIO on my new affiliate www.hamiltonradio.net every Tuesday at 2pm EST.

Also, check out the new line of handmade handbags and accessories inspired by ROCK ON RADIO from designer Leigh-Ann Kline. The LAN COLE Collection is designed to "Unleash Your Inner Rock Goddess" and can be found at www.LANCOLE.com.

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