Sharla Jackson Band Profile

Most people in Evergreen, Colorado, probably know Sharla Jackson. Even if they've never seen her full band in its regular, packed gigs at the Little Bear or her small band sets at Tanglewoods, they may have joined her in singing worship songs at Lookout Mountain Community Church.

Jackson met all her bandmates at the church, and most of them have stayed together for seven years. While the band brings the positive spirit and energy of the church to shows, Jackson's group is no gospel choir.

"We're not out there only doing Christian music, but it's our goal to be a little bit of a light out there," said Jackson.

Most of the songs are not obviously spiritual. The Sharla Jackson Band plays upbeat Colorado-style pop-rock with acoustic guitars and prominent basslines. Think Big Head Todd and the Monsters with an alluring blonde lead singer.

Jackson has been singing and playing music all her life, and started a band in 1997, about a decade after moving to Evergreen. After a few lineup changes, she settled down with Bair, drummer Jenny Morgan and bassist Rob Horton in 2000. The latest addition to the band is singer and guitarist Syd Hostetler, who harmonizes with Jackson and plays with Jackson and Bair in SJB Light, a smaller, quieter acoustic coffee-house version of the band.

Both groups play Jackson's original personal songs, as well as covers of her favorite tunes by Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, Edie Brickell and other female singer-songwriters. Other SJB covers include the Beatles' "Blackbird," K.T. Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," Train's "Calling All Angels," Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me," Lucinda Williams' "Essence," Cracker's "Happy Birthday to Me," Alanis Morissette's "Head Over Feet" and "Ironic," Phil Collins' "Land of Confusion" and Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home."

"I wear my heart on my sleeve," she said. "Pretty much every song is about my relationships. ... I don't feel like any of them are mindless, stupid songs."

However, she said she prefers singing other people's songs and redefining them with her band.

"We want our music to impact people at a heart level," Morgan said. "For us, that's a spiritual level."

In addition to regular gigs at the Little Bear and Tanglewoods, the band also plays at Greenfields and the Buffalo Rose in Golden. For details and song samples, visit www.sharlajacksonband.com.

This story was originally published in City and Mountain Views magazine.