6 One of Us
Ponte Vedra Recorder · November 5, 2015
Where are you from originally?
Originally, I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I grew up there.
What brought you to Jacksonville?
It just got to be so cold, and it’s gloomy
80 percent of the time in Pittsburgh. It’s a
great city, but I just really needed sunshine! So, obviously I was like, ‘I’ll go to
the Sunshine State.’ I kind of moved all
over the state; I lived Tampa and then I
lived in New Smyrna and that’s where I
met my husband. He lived up here, and
eventually I relocated to Jacksonville. I’ve
been here for 12 years.
When will you be releasing your second
album?
I don’t have an exact release date; it’s
going to be sometime in the winter —
December or maybe January at the very
latest. It will be available on iTunes and
Amazon and CD Baby and then I’ll also
have physical copies. I’m going to do a
CD release party, I just don’t have my date
yet, but I plan on doing stuff all around
town. I love doing listening rooms, so I
really have this kind of vision of having
a listening room kind of launch with it
because I love telling stories. Each song
has a story and a meaning behind it. I feel
like it’s so nice because that’s how you
really connect with your audience, telling
them where the song came from.
Where did the inspiration for the songs on
your second album come from?
I think this album was all about being
a new mother. Suddenly, I was faced with
this moment of like, where do I fit in into
my own life? And so I just had all of these
questions within myself about myself and
where I fit into my world with my daughter now and the growth of my family. It’s
a confusing time. I recorded the album locally at Chromatic Studios in Jacksonville.
What do you enjoy doing in your free
time?
Mere Woodard
Photo by Toni Hernandez
moved to Florida from her hometown of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, over a decade ago in search of sunshine and a more temperate climate. She met her future husband while she was living in New Smyrna Beach,
Florida and relocated to Jacksonville. The couple now live in Ponte Vedra Beach with
their young daughter. Woodard is a singer/songwriter who finds inspiration for her
songs from her life experiences. Her first album, “Dance in the Rain,” was a children’s
album she wrote for her daughter in 2013. But Woodard is not a children’s songwriter.
Her second album, “Like the Sea,” explores her new role in life as a mother and the
changing role of self that motherhood brings. Her sophomore album will be released this
winter. Woodard enjoys performing locally in intimate setting such as listening rooms
and house concerts, coffee-house-style performances which allow her to interact with the
audience and tell the story behind the song.
— Carrie Resch / The Recorder
I love to write music, and that’s really
what I do in my free time. I don’t know if
that’s considered free time, but that’s what
I love to do. And I love to exercise to. I’m
always doing something; I’m constantly
picking up little hobbies.
Where do you perform? Do you have any
upcoming performances?
I’ll be performing at the Leading Ladies
904 Launch Social on Friday, Nov. 6 from
6-9 p.m. I’ll also be performing from 11
a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14 at the
Manatee Festival at Jacksonville Zoo &
Gardens and Katie Grace Helow’s album
release show Thursday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m.
at the Barnett National Bank Building in
downtown Jacksonville.
You can follow Woodard on Instagram at
@merewoodard to see where she will be
performing next.
To learn more about Woodard and hear a track
from her upcoming album, visit
www.merewoodard.com.