Live!

Who: Celeste Starchild When: 8 p.m. tomorrow Where: FireFlies, Alexandria When: 8 p.m. Wednesday Where: Evening Star, Alexandria

First things first: Celeste Starchild is this emerging local singer-songwriter's real name. She grew up in an "alternative" household in the mountains of southwest Virginia, where picking dandelions for dandelion wine, chasing chicks and ducks in the yard and farming shiitake mushrooms were childhood activities.

Her early memories include jam sessions, as Starchild is the daughter of musicians. Her dad, Rick Schmidt, performed with the likes of Doc Scantlin's Imperial Palms Orchestra and Lowen and Navarro at various venues, including the White House. Her mom, Judith Starchild, is a singer-songwriter with several full-length albums to her credit. At age 10, Celeste was testing out her burgeoning musical skills in the recording studio with her mom.

And yet, music wasn't always the younger Starchild's career path. She entered the business world first and is a vice president of a national real estate software firm.

Which brings us to the superhero-like origins element of the story, where an old guitar acts as a catalyst to a new identity. Starchild's father died some years back and left her a vintage Gibson acoustic guitar. She taught herself to play and began writing songs. In 2005, she recorded a demo, "Cowgirl's Bible," and a second career took hold. Now Starchild finds herself balancing daytime business attire with nighttime musical venues.

"It's awfully hard," the singer said in an e-mail interview. "I don't do much else and I have a lot of late nights. It's probably the reason why I'm not dating anybody."

Starchild's debut EP, "Time Release," was produced by Kevin Gutierrez at Assembly Line Studios in Vienna and released in June 2007. True to her emotional inspirations, one track, "Darlin'," is based on lyrics she discovered in her father's belongings.

In the two years since the release, Starchild has been building a loyal fan base in the Washington area, playing at venues including the Iota Club and Cafe, Jammin' Java, the State Theatre and Bangkok Blues, switching among a variety of live configurations, from solo to acoustic duo to a full-tilt band, Butter Sweet.

Starchild said these two May shows "will be trios including Aaron Lowenberger on lead electric guitar and Rit Eru on hand percussion and harmony vocals. The trio is a really enjoyable setup for me personally because the focus can be on the songs and lyrics, but I'm supported by Aaron and Rit's talents enough that I can even set my guitar down sometimes and just do what I love -- sing!"

She has a history at both venues. FireFlies is the place where she held a release party for her debut full-length CD, "XOC," in March. "A lot of artists hold their CD release parties at the biggest venue they can find," she said. "I was more interested in finding a place that was comfortable, where we would have a sense of a gathering of fans and friends where there was space to sit and eat, get up and dance, or just lean at the bar. FireFlies fit the bill for me, and I've played there since."

As for the Evening Star, she calls it "my 'home venue' for some time. They are also committed to primarily original artists and have a super atmosphere. The audience there is always fantastic!"

"XOC," produced by Gutierrez and recorded at Assembly Line, is available on iTunes and CD Baby and at live shows. It's a diverse and sophisticated collection, predominantly guitar-based but willing to explore other melodic genres. The lyrics of "It'll Be Alright" ride atop an intriguing electronic soundscape. "Rick's Café" is a rollicking, bluesy narrative in the manner of Bob Dylan's "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts." "Naked" has a playful pop bounce, and "Break" touches on Southern fiddle blues.

Given the high quality of Starchild's material, there might soon come a time when the real estate world loses a VP and the music world gains a full-time MVP.