By Brett Ratner

Susie Monick is what some would call a "Renaissance Woman."

Classically trained as a dancer in her childhood, Monick later moved on to classical guitar, only to discover bluegrass banjo, which she complemented by picking up the mandolin, an activity she enjoys as much as her painting and her work with clay sculpture.

Monick has been working at a breakneck pace to entertain all of her interests the past 20 years. In that time, she formed a popular all-female bluegrass band called the "Buffalo Gals." Monick also helped pave the way for artists like Bela Fleck, giving the Banjo a voice as a lead instrument in jazz. She has performed and recorded with countless bluegrass artists, and has toured overseas many, many times.

"I just like all the arts," Monick said. "I think in comparison to so called 'straight jobs,' I have an artistic or creative nature that's essential to my life. It's where I have to create to be happy. It's not like I'm in the music business for the money or to be a star. I have to do it for some weird reason."

Keeping many irons in the fire is one way that Monick draws inspiration, but she says it can also be limiting in comparison to focusing on one activity.

"In a way, it makes it so I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none," Monick said. "Like with the banjo, I've taken it to certain heights, but I didn't take it all the way because I insisted on also playing a mandolin with a songwriter, and the next day, I'm painting a picture or working in clay. The blessing and the curse is that I'm talented at many things and I like to do them all."

Monick notes that having a variety of interests, not to mention having to put food on the table can have an adverse effect on one's music.

"The problem is when you have regular jobs and an art career, I haven't really focused on all music," Monick said. "I'm kind of afraid of it because I've been where I've chosen to do just music and sessions, then it's not enough to live on sometimes. It's like you're a millionaire one month and then poverty-stricken the next one. So the jobs have given me a little security, but it's also made it difficult to do too much. I could juggle everything like a puzzle right now, but the puzzle is going to explode."

Monick's puzzle has many pieces because instead of attempting a solo career, she has earned herself a solid reputation as a sideman and band member.

"I'm not a front person. I've tried it once. I don't like being the one who stands in the middle. I like to be a part of the group. By nature and astrologically, I'm a team player."

Monick's first major "team" was the Buffalo Gals. This band, which performed and recorded from 1970 to 1974 and then was reformed by Monick in 1976, earns the distinction of being the fist major all-girl bluegrass band, and a very good bluegrass band at that. The members didn't set out to play professionally. Their "for fun" jam sessions became so popular, they were forced to go pro.

"It just kind of happened in college, it was just the crowd of folks I ran into," Monick said. "And then we started playing just for fun and to learn, with my female roommates and people started gathering around. That was how The Buffalo Gals formed. It wasn't even intentional it was like, 'Wow! Cool! A bunch of girls playing. Here's some jobs. We got work almost before we were ready."

At the time, Monick was playing classical guitar. While the move to bluegrass may seem slightly odd to some, Monick says it was a natural progression.

"Classical kind of leads to the bluegrass because it's mainly instrumental-oriented, and I'm not really a singer," Monick said. "Most females are known to be singers, where I was insecure about my singing, so the banjo was a great instrument to play tunes on. I just love the fact that it was instrumental, and when I made the Jazz Melting Pots, [1976] album, it was kind of one of the first albums where a female was featured as an instrumentalist and not a singer. It's not even a gender-related thing. You can't just be good for a girl, because on an instrumental they don't know if it's a guy or a girl. It almost becomes the ultimate women's lib thing."

The influence behind the influential solo album was derived from Tony Trishka, Monick's first teacher. Trishka also taught Bela Fleck in his formative years. Monick says Trishka played a role in helping her fuse the various styles exhibited in Melting Pots.

"Classical guitar is mainly fingerpicking, and I like pretty melodies," Monick said. "That led to the reason I like banjo so much.

And the jazz influence?

"Bluegrass is almost like jazz. You play the melody but you also have a lot of improvisation."

More recently, Monick toured Europe and recorded as a member of Richard Dobson and State of the Heart. The experience with that group demonstrated the vast cultural difference between us and our neighbors across the big pond.

"In Europe, we play in castles, we're pretty famous there," Monick said. "Then to come back, get off the plane and have to start waiting tables. The thing is they say if you move there and play there all the time, you're not a novelty."

Currently, Monick is playing with several artists and weighing her options before going on full-time with any particular group. At this stage in her career, she can afford to be picky.

"I'd like to if it's the right band, that's why I play with many different people, because with a band, you have to be like a family," Monick said. "If you're going to travel with them and see them all the time, you might as well be married to them. So musically, it's gotta be satisfying, but you have to get along personally."

Regardless of what artists she will end performing with, it's certain that she will always continue to play and dance and paint oh yeah, and sculpt.

"It's part of my life, Monick said. "I can't feel like I could get rid of these things. It's like walking. You can't say 'well I'm going to quit it when I turn 60. I can see me doing all of this, pretty much until I can't."

Susie Monick performs and records with her 1912 Gibson "A-style" Mandolin and her 1950's Gibson Mastertone Banjo.