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Sitting down and talking with Greensboro musician Molly McGinn feels very peaceful -- a talk with an honest and pensive person whose adeptness at utilizing her experiences is a conscious tool for growth and development.

Molly McGinn recently performed with the band of "Bloody Blackbeard" at Triad Stage and is really molding a place for herself in Greensboro.

And she has a killer voice.

But one of the most interesting things about her as an artist is probably her approach to her music, an approach arrived at through years of musical evolution, self-awareness, and an appreciation for home - wherever that may be.

McGinn moved to Raleigh the summer before her senior year of high school and then shifted over to the Triad when she began her undergrad work at Elon University. A middle child in a family who moved frequently, her father's work with John Deer took them from Dodge City, Kan., to Syracuse, N.Y. , Iowa, Wisconsin, and finally North Carolina. The trek around the country, through different cultures, schools and social groups in her formative years made an impact on McGinn's outlook on life. The ability to adapt and learn from environmental change, learning to value home and community, is ingrained in McGinn's outlook on life.

Now, at 33, McGinn says her 30 s have felt great, and things get better every year.

"I never was one of those that believed my youth was going to be my glory years... I always thought it was really ridiculous when people talked about their high school years as being their glory years," McGinn said. " I feel more open, more willing to learn, more capable of learning, willing to try with a lot of different things."

McGinn describes herself as a self-taught musician who plays electric guitar (a 1960s Harmony Red Rocket). She was raised on Willie Nelson's "Stardust," loves jazz and improvisation, and leans a little more towards alternative country in her own music. She says her music education came from her musical family and a bubbletop jukebox her dad bought in Kansas.

"I can remember her sitting down on the floor by the washing machine and strumming this ukulele I had...," said McGinn's father, Dan.

As a child she would sing and play ukulele to her father's guitar, a vocal practice that led to an eventual audition and gig with the Syracuse Children's Choir.

"I remember walking up to the audition and screaming at my mother that I didn't want to do this," said McGinn, whose mother ended up making the hour and a half commute for rehearsals and performances. "I think I've been like that with everything I've ever loved. It's like I get real scared and I just say that I don't want to do it. I also knew 400 kids were auditioning and only 40 were going to make it, and I was terrified."

McGinn's mother, Rose Anne, considers the work with the choir the "excellent foundation" on which her daughter's singing training was built, but that Molly "had creativity from the moment she came home ( from the hospital)".

"Her eyes were so big," said Roseanne. "People would always say, 'Don't worry, she'll grow into them'... She always had an alertness for creativity... She has dazzled our life with joy."

Her older brother, Danny McGinn, eventually started utilizing McGinn's knack for music when she would play rhythm guitar to his lead. McGinn says she really started creating an identity for herself through music when she started writing her own songs and making her friends laugh with her compositions. But she decided, however, that music was going to remain a part of her identity and not become the only thing that makes sure she is fed, clothed, and has a roof over her head. She does not want music to be her sole source of income. That goes against the goals of many aspiring musicians who long to quit the monotony of their day jobs and support themselves with their music.

"I do work part time for an ad agency," explained McGinn. "That's a conscious decision because I've gone through periods of time when I've thought about making a living with music and the inspiration absolutely dries up... If ( the inspiration) doesn't come from a place that's completely free of pressure, it just turns off. I really enjoy those aspects of music that I enjoy, but I certainly don't want to do it all the time."

McGinn speaks fondly about how she's been influenced by her relationship and talks with Laurelyn Dossett, the Greensboro based composer for Triad Stage's musical "Bloody Blackbeard " and a member of the music group Polecat Creek. Dossett is a mother of three and as a musician, explained McGinn, and one doesn't consume the other. Dossett explains it as the "idea of generosity."

"If you approach the world with generosity, you are not a scorekeeper," explained Dossett.

"I've always tried to figure out a way to do both, ( work and play music)," McGinn said. "That's why I got into journalism ( right out of college) . I thought 'This will be a way to support myself with my music' and it turned out that it wasn't the case.... And then I realized that what I wanted to do was work a little bit less and play a little more music. Over the last 10 years it's kind of been figuring out what that looks like. I know I want to play music forever. It's very much who I am. I don't want to burn it out." As a musical artist, McGinn says that her whole goal in life is to play with as many different musicians as she possibly can. This is evident on her upcoming EP, "Molly McGinn and the Buster Dillys" which she calls "a total mish-mosh of people."

The album, McGinn's second solo effort, was recorded at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville and produced by Greg Griffith (Le Tigre, The Butchies). And the "total mish-mosh" really is such a thing, with Andrew Lazare (from the former blues and funk group Carolina Clearwater) on bass; Dave McCracken (from Donna the Buffalo) on the Hammond and Rhodes keyboard; Tim Haisman (of Leadfoot) on percussion.

The EP also features soloists Jeremy Denman, Sal Mascali, and Ben Perkins, who perform courtesy of The Urban Sophisticates.

"( Molly) is really collaborative at her core," Dossett said. "She's always looking at ways to work together as opposed to making sure her agenda is met... She ( challenged) my creativity, and I think part of that is because she's always challenging herself."

McGinn's aspirations are very local, aided by her respect and love for Greensboro and the life that she leads here. Her commitment locally and her desire for collaboration has shifted how she approaches her current musical work.

"I was recently in a band and I realized that that wasn't what I wanted to do...," McGinn explained, revealing that her interests in side projects and other collaborations kept her from committing to one group. "I wasn't interested in the idea of going out to play bars in Maryland or South Carolina because I like North Carolina, and I love Greensboro, and I love sleeping in my own bed and being a part of the community... ."

McGinn's life has been a big journey. From Dodge City, Kansas to Greensboro, North Carolina; from homemade puppet stages, skits, and ukuleles growing up to EPs, theater, and networking projects, McGinn is going after her heart and what feels right -- and that's respectable. It isn't easy, but that is part of the challenge that fuels the fire.

Charla Duncan is a freelance contributor. Contact her at charla_duncan@yahoo.com.