PROFILE // Mieka Pauley Brings Independent Tunes To Saturday's Craft Fair

In addition to the many mind-blowingly crafty vendors, Saturday's Handmade Holiday Craft Fair will also feature some superb live music from singer-songwriter Mieka Pauley.

If you haven't heard Pauley's music, we think her press bio sums it up nicely: "Imagine Radiohead tiptoeing silently behind Patty Griffin as she makes her way backstage. Imagine Jeff Buckley in drag, singing along loudly at a Nirvana concert. Imagine Death Cab hiding in the back of an Emily Dickinson reading."

After receiving her degree in Biological Anthropology from Harvard in 2002, Pauley didn't embark on the career path you'd expect from a typical Ivy League graduate: She threw her guitar in the trunk and hit the road. By summer's end she had won the BMI/Rock Boat Song Contest and made a serious impression at Colorado's renowned Telluride Festival. After snagging few more awards and playing major showcases like the Newport Folk Festival, Pauley was back in Boston in 2004, opening for the legendary Eric Clapton. She hasn't let up since, winning the first ever Starbucks Emerging Artist Award in 2005 and the nationwide Cosmopolitan StarLaunch competition in 2008 and sharing stages with Jason Mraz, Citizen Cope, Wyclef Jean and Black Eyed Peas, just to name a few.

Pauley's debut album, 2007's Elijah Drop Your Gun, was funded entirely by donations from her fans, and she's taking the same route with her forthcoming record, which has already surpassed her fundraising goal. You can still donate, though, with perks ranging from a digital download of the album to your own intimate acoustic concert.

The success and accolades that Pauley has racked up over the past decade are a perfect example of the independent and creative spirit that we thrive on here at 3rd Ward. She's proof that you don't need to settle for a desk job or wait for a major label to come along before you can follow your dreams. Just get out there, do what you love and show the world what you've got!

Watch the video for Mieka Pauley's "All The Same Mistakes" after the jump.

-- John Ruscher