Album Notes

"Full of Heart"..Johnsmith

Veena's music is widely influenced by acoustic jazz/rock and the more surreal and ethereal as well as folk, it tells stories about who we are and how we get from the proverbial here to there. Her music speaks about life.

Veena had a dream as a teenager that she was playing guitar and singing. Soon after that dream she bought a $34 guitar and taught herself to play. At 15 she had to drop out of high school and work in a factory, but music called her on to school and she put herself through college and graduated with a degree in Music Ed.

Her road from there was far and winding. She hitchhiked across the country, singing for her supper, worked as a sound engineer for two casinos in Nevada and lived for a time in "The Live Music Capital," Austin, TX where she was a regular attraction at acoustic venues in and around the city, as well as a voice teacher in the public schools and at music stores. She then toured nationally and internationally from coffee houses in the US, to pubs in Ireland and even performing before huge audiences in places as far off as India.

Veena now lives on Maui and is embracing the island feeling of Aloha. Inspired by the islands' color and beauty she is, along with her musical endeavors, creating fused dichroic glass jewelry and intricate, hand woven crystal. Veena is a member of the Lahaina Arts Society and can be found "under the Banyan Tree" on select weekends throughout the year. She is also a member of the Maui Crafts Guild in Paia, where a nice selection of her work can be found. Veena is excited to share her art, be it music, glass, or the art of life and hopes to it bring others joy though it.

John Conquest, of Austin's 3rd Coast Magazine said, "In a town full of singer/songwriters Cahlander stands out sharply from the pack: a different voice and distinctive themes."

"An exceptional voice and impressive vocal range." Karen Impola, of KUNI