As one door closes, The Devil In Me walks out a new door

I like to reflect back on past moments in time to see how my life has been impacted. One such moment took place on November 9, 2010, which for the remainder of this entry will be referred to as The Moment. This moment just so happened to be the end of one chapter in my life, and the beginning a new chapter. I didn't know at the time how things would change.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I was at one time very much into local band Meg & Dia. Well I had seen them play live at least twenty or more times. The Moment would end up being my final time attending a live Meg & Dia show. I arrived at The Avalon early enough to be up front. I didn't know who the openers for the show were. Sometimes you just connect with music instantly. Music has always been extremely personal to me. While awaiting Meg & Dia's set, two people walked onto stage that would become an enormous influence in my life.

Melody & Tyler at The Avalon 11/9/10

For the next 20-30 minutes I was introduced to Melody Pulsipher and Tyler Forsberg. They called themselves Melody & Tyler. As they played their unique brand of acoustic music, I was drawn in further. By the end of the set I was so impressed, I just had to meet them. I made the walk back to the merch station. I found them to be very friendly, and was given a free demo CD. After the show was over, I stuck around to hang out with the members of Meg & Dia as was the usual for me. I saw Melody and Tyler hanging out as well. We exchanged a few more pleasantries, and the night was done.

In the days and weeks that followed, I had to find out more about Melody & Tyler. I listened to all the music I could find. I started to attend their live performances, and found they played just about every weekend. As I attended more of their performances, our conversations became more personal. I was nervous to come out and tell them about being transgender, as I always am. Well once I did finally come out, they were completely awesome about it! It was great being able to talk openly with them about it. As more time passed, a friendship developed.

In the time that has passed since that initial meeting, I have been fortunate enough to create so many great memories with these two amazing people. There was the time Melody came to my place to watch Lady Gaga's Monster Ball HBO Special. We just hung out, and had a lot of fun. Another time Melody treated me to a Birthday dinner at Olive Garden. I have seen them perform their music more times than I can count.

I was humbled and honored to learn that Melody had been inspired by reading my previous blogs to write a song. The song is titled "The Devil In Me". The song is about people judging others just for being true to themselves. It makes me happy to know that I could influence something as wonderful as this song. I've been incredibly touched at the way Melody to this day introduces the song by telling the audience it was inspired by me. It's a true gift that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Melody & Tyler made their Utah Pride debut at the 2012 Utah Pride Festival. It made me very happy to share this special weekend with them. I am proud of the show they put on at Pride. Having them play "The Devil In Me" at Pride was truly awesome.

Melody, Katie, and Tyler after Utah Pride 2012

Melody and Tyler have proven to be a force to unite a community. I am amazed at the way they bring so many different people together. I have met more new people and local musicians through them, than I can point to at any other time in my life. The biggest example of this, is the Acoustic All-Stars Festival. The fifth edition of said festival took place July 20, 2012 through July 22, 2012. They organized an event with an incredible lineup of local Utah talent. It was impressive to see the room filled with people. I came away from the weekend with new appreciation for the local music scene. Melody and Tyler are doing wonders to build the scene bigger and better than it has ever been.

I am truly honored to call Melody and Tyler friends. Really I feel they are more than friends to me. I consider them to be part of my family. I look forward to the exciting times ahead. This is still just the beginning of the story. I love you Melody and Tyler!! Let's go conquer the world!!