Vanessa Silberman from Diamonds Under Fire. (Courtesy photo)

Los Angeles local Vanessa Silberman makes up the one-woman band Diamonds Under Fire. Silberman has been performing under this alternative pop-rock alias for eight years and will be performing at Flagstaff Brewing Company Feb. 12.

Her passion for music, however, has thrived much longer than Diamonds Under Fire’s existence.

The now 27-year-old Silberman moved back and forth across a portion of the Pacific Ocean for the sake of her mother and father during an early part of her life.

“I moved around a lot growing up,” Silberman said. “I was mainly split between living with my mom in Hawaii and my dad in the Bay Area.”

Silberman learned how to play violin as a requirement for grammar school but said she considers the guitar to be the first instrument she learned.

“When I was 11 years old, I got my first guitar and knew that I wanted to play music for a living,” Silberman said. “How to play music for a job was completely unknown, and the fact that I lived in the middle of nowhere, on an island in the middle of the ocean, didn’t seem scary.”

Silberman said she believes starting to play the guitar at a young age gave her a noticeable advantage in her future career.

“I think being young and naïve is so powerful,” Silberman said. “Ignorance is very much bliss. My belief really gave me a strong foundation in myself at a young age and assured me that things can fall into place.”

Silberman said she is influenced by a wide variety of music and, unlike many other musicians, is not limited to listening to one genre. She said her favorite bands include Nirvana, Silverchair, Helmet, Sonic Youth and the Pixies.

“A lot of bands from the early ‘90s and other classic artists like Tom Petty and Depeche Mode [influence my music],” Silberman said. “Currently, I listen to a lot of hip-hop, urban and pop music, because I love the production and can’t deny a great pop song.”

Silberman said her main goal in making and performing music is to inspire optimistic emotions in listeners, just as she was affected by music at a younger age.

“I want to make a difference while I’m here on Earth,” Silberman said. “My goal is to give positivity and hope to people through music. It’s a powerful thing when I think of all the times I felt saved by music in my teens, and what a life-changing experience it gave me over the years. Above and beyond all, I want to give back to other people through music. I believe when your intention is good and to somehow help other people, there’s nothing that will stop you.”

Diamonds Under Fire will be taking part in a 12-date West Coast tour that spans the month of February. To listen to Diamonds Under Fire or to learn more information, visit diamondsunderfire.com.

Click below for Lumberjack exclusive video by Kristine Cannon about artist Diamonds Under Fire.