Making the transition from high school to college was not a difficult move for Carleigh Nesbit. Not only did she grow up in Charlottesville, but she is also the product of two U.Va alumni. Despite her Cavalier roots and her close proximity to a homemade meal, Carleigh also had music to guide her through her first semester at the University.

Carleigh’s sound can be summed up as acoustic, country, and roots country. The Charlottesville community evidently appreciates her sound, as she frequents shows at many of the local venues, such as The Southern and The Jefferson. Carleigh is a seasoned Charlottesville performer and used to play at Gravity Lounge. Fellini’s is a special place for Carleigh, as it hosted the first show she ever played.

Carleigh now joins her boyfriend, Carl Anderson, in a musical duo. As corny as it sounds, venues are fond of publicizing the duo as “Carl and Carleigh.”

Carl helps fuel Carleigh’s inspiration when it comes to experience and lyrical inspiration. “Carl writes two new songs, I write two new songs,” says Carleigh. A lot of times, the two will write songs together. “It starts with tuning a little bit, and then coming up with the words,” confides the songwriter. To add to her inspiration, Carleigh believes that attending a good concert or meeting somebody new helps a lot.

The two have been playing for so long that rehearsals are not crucial to the duo’s success unless it is a new song. If it is, Carl and Carleigh sound check with that material before a show. Carleigh believes “it’s not very complicated because it’s just me and him. When we had a band it was a lot of practicing.”

In the meantime, Carleigh is content being a freshman at University while juggling a bustling music career.

“I don’t necessarily want to be Taylor Swift, but I would like to make enough money to live, even just live out of my car, and I feel that is an attainable goal.”

However, it is essential to mention that the young artist has recently pitched some of her songs to the said Taylor Swift. Carleigh believes being a part of a duo is perfect, not only because two guitars fit perfectly in one car, but also her harmony mixed with Carl’s experienced guitar playing make for an ideal sound that is catching on around town.

Check out her music at www.myspace.com/carleighnesbit.