Photo of Sydney Rhame at a prior performance at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur. Photo obtained via https://www.facebook.com/sydneyrhame

I’m not gonna lie.

When I heard about local artist Sydney Rhame, I was skeptical. Rhame is a Decatur High student, and my attitude is that there are a lot of talented high school students. They aren’t all going to grow up to be rock stars.

Rhame’s mom is Julie Rhame, a member of the City Schools of Decatur Board of Education. To Julie’s credit, she’s never tried to get me to write about her daughter or flooded my inbox with press releases. She prefers to let her daughter’s work speak for itself.

On Saturday evening I went out to Eddie’s Attic to show support for my friends The Bitteroots. Rhame was the opener.

When I heard her play, I was just amazed. There was a lot of sound coming from one girl and her guitar. She had great stage presence and handled the audience like a pro. I don’t think my reaction was unique. The rest of the room watched with a quiet fascination. The Bitteroots were great, don’t get me wrong. But it’s clear Sydney Rhame has a gift.

I don’t know how far Rhame’s music will take her. Like so many things, it depends on circumstances and luck. But if you’re placing bets, the odds are in her favor.

It was a great night spent among friends following what has been a pretty crazy week. Thanks, Decatur. I needed that.