THE SUN - SAN BERNADINO AND THE INLAND EMPIRE

gilli moon remains in motion, By Michelle J. Mills.
gilli moon has her fingers in so many pies, that it's amazing she's hungry for more, but she is. "It's like an adrenaline rush for me to find a new project," Moon said. "It drives me to keep moving forward." 

Singer/songwriter Gilli Moon will perform at Rio Hondo College in Whittier on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008. (Courtesy) Gilli Moon has her fingers in so many pies, that it's amazing she's hungry for more, but she is.

"It's like an adrenaline rush for me to find a new project," Moon said. "It drives me to keep moving forward."

Moon has released four albums, including her latest, "extraOrdinary life" (Warrior Girl Music), and penned the book, "I Am A Professional Artist: The Key to Survival and Success" (Warrior Girl Publishing). She also has appeared on a clutch of other artists' albums and has had songs in the soundtracks for Nickelodeon's "South of Nowhere," Disney's "Rip Girls" and CBS' "That's Life."

She heads up Warrior Girl Music and Publishing, Songsalive! and DayJams Summer Music Camp in Pasadena. Moon's music has garnered her many awards and led to global tours. The Sherman Oaks resident is also a record producer, a painter and a lecturer.

Wednesday night, she'll appear in a free concert at Rio Hondo College in Whittier. Moon will treat the audience to an acoustic set showcasing her new style, including re-workings of many of her popular songs. She will be seated behind a grand piano and accompanied by musicians on upright bass and semi-hollow guitar.  "I hope that my music relates to everybody in their own way," Moon said. "I hope they can find the message in my songs and feel inspired."

Moon was born in Italy and grew up in the Watagan Mountains, just outside Sidney, Australia, in a solar powered home her parents built.  "My neighbor was a piano player," she said. "When I was 4, she was 6 and I wanted to be like her. I asked my parents for piano lessons.'

Moon has a degree in visual arts from Australian Catholic University in Sydney and has worked her share of jobs to make ends meet, from picking fruit to teaching, as well as working as an assistant in television and as an event producer. But her passion is music and, although she plays piano and guitar, she likes being the lead singer the best.

"I would say my sound is very mainstream," Moon said. "It's pop with an edge, more adult pop. It's hard to label me, I'm eclectic and I like it that way."

Travels home to Australia spark inspiration; Moon enjoys spending time in natural habitats.  "To me, to be creative on a daily basis is very important," she said. "I do the business side of it. I think that if you really love what you do and you're creative and passionate about it, the money comes. You have to think a little bit out of the box."

Thinking this way led Moon to start Warrior Girl, a recording and publishing company, in 2000, to release her own work. She now has other artists signed to her label and has begun putting out an annual compilation disc, "Females on Fire."  Moon co-founded Songsalive! in 1997; it is a nonprofit organization in Australia that supports and promotes songwriters and composers. The group provides programs, workshops, performances, a CD sampler, networking and other opportunities to more than 4,000 artists and songwriters worldwide.

Moon also is the director of the Pasadena DayJams Summer Music Camp (www.dayjams.com) held at New Horizon School annually in July and August. The program has been in Pasadena for four years and is part of the nationwide camps sponsored by National Guitar Workshop. It is open to all musicians, including absolute beginners, ages 9-15. The children form a band, write a song, record a CD and perform.

"They learn all the different instruments in a rather long two weeks and then they play a concert," Moon said.  Moon is currently working on a new album and another book, "Just Get Out There," which is geared to help musicians begin and continue performing. She has shows scheduled in Colorado, San Francisco and Las Vegas.

Moon plans to marry spoken word artist J. Walker in the fall. He developed Rhymecology and is a regular on the "Loose Canons" radio show on 570 AM.