A Band of One: Lesa Silvermore finds freedom in playing solo

Lesa Silvermore sits on a blanket in the grass near the New College bayfront. Here, in her favorite writing spot, guitar in hand, the Sarasota native picks out a few notes in a chord as she warms up.

"I get kind of spoiled playing alone," she says with a laugh. "I can write music wherever I want. I love coming here; it's so calm and peaceful, and I don't have to worry about being around a bunch of other people."

Silvermore wasn't always a solo musician, though. She first began playing nearly 10 years ago, and she's been in and out of bands ever since. But as her taste and style of music has grown and evolved from punk and rock ’n' roll to more mellow indie rock, she says she's found a certain sense of freedom and comfort in playing alone.

"I love collaborating with other people," she says. "That's something I really enjoy. I do miss the passion of having a lot of people on stage, because you're all sharing something. But as a solo artist, it's cool that I get to sing these songs that are my stories. I think that's why I love playing solo so much — I'm getting me out there."

Catch Silvermore live this Friday, Aug. 15, at the Flow Factory or Aug. 28 at the Cock and Bull Pub.