Singer-songwriter Christa Wells’ voice led the singing of a Baton Rouge family’s home.
The Pourciau family has had a rough couple of years, but according to them, it’s times like these that bring back hope.
Wells traveled from Nashville to Baton Rouge Saturday to play at downtown’s Haven Gallery and Listening Room. For Wells, this wasn’t just another show on her tour. It was a rare opportunity to spend time with her long-distance friend, Bonnie Kate Pourciau, who was shot in Aurora, Colo., in June 2012.
That day, James Holmes turned the lives of a theater full of people upside-down. Baton Rouge native Bonnie Kate happened to be in the audience that night. She was on a road trip traveling from Vancouver when she stopped to watch a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises.”
At just 19 years old, Bonnie Kate was wounded by one of Holmes’ bullets. As she lay in a Colorado hospital bed, her Aunt Rose sent the family one of Wells’ songs, “A Thousand Things,” to listen to on a Sunday when they couldn’t leave Bonnie Kate’s side for church.
The song became a huge part of the entire family’s healing process. Bonnie Kate said her father made everyone who entered the hospital room listen to it — nurses and doctors included.
“Music just speaks to your soul,” said Kathleen Pourciau, Bonnie Kate’s mother. “Words and ideas can get to your mind, but music takes it to the heart.”
Bonnie Kate agreed, saying music can help people empathize with one another.
“It makes you feel like, ‘Oh, I understand! That’s how I feel, too,’” Bonnie Kate said. “And to not just say it, but sing it, and with such a beautiful voice and so much talent.”
Soon after, Max Zoghbi, a close friend of Bonnie Kate, contacted Wells and told her the story. He did it as a birthday gift to Bonnie Kate, asking Wells if she would mail him something like an autographed picture. Wells responded by sending Bonnie Kate a “happy birthday” song, CDs and a T-shirt, and her connection with the Pourciau family was sparked.
Zoghbi stayed in touch with Wells and eventually arranged the musician’s first visit. Wells came to Baton Rouge last year, and spent every night at the welcoming Pourciau house while Zoghbi shot one of her music videos.
Wells fell in love with Baton Rouge and everyone she met. Ever since then, she has looked for another excuse to make her way south and visit her far-away friends.
“They told me about the Haven Gallery, and I said, ‘OK, I want to play there because I want to have an excuse to come back down and see you guys,’” Wells said.
With seven children, it’s a full house when visitors are in town, but the Pourciaus adore the company.
“Everybody loves her,” Bonnie Kate said. “She’s such a bright spot of joy, it would be hard not to. It’s been so special. Like, when they go to school, all the little ones listen to her in the car.”
Touring since 2009 with her friend Nicole Witt, Wells worked the Louisiana stop into their schedule without worrying about a place to stay; the Pourciaus’ house would be their home for the night.
“We’d cry if she didn’t stay here! We love her,” Kathleen said as Wells practiced her music in the living room with the entire family joining in.
Describing her style as piano-based indie-pop with lyrical writing, Wells feels her music is comparable to Norah Jones and Sarah McLachlan. She and Witt often travel with a band but didn’t bring them down for the Haven Gallery show. Instead, it took on a more intimate setting with just a piano and a fiddle.
“I think it’s going to feel like being with family,” Wells said ahead of the show. “It’s going to feel kind of like doing a house concert, and we love doing house concerts.”
Wells and Witt met in Nashville trying to make it as published songwriters. Throughout the span of a year, each of them would write about 75 songs with only four or five of those ever reaching the mainstream market.
“You have all of these other songs that really matter to you, and they’re just sitting there on your piano,” Wells said. “It got to a point where I was kind of growing out of the performance anxiety. It was still there, but my desire to share the music became greater than that. Then I met Nicole, and she was kind of in a similar place.”
According to Witt, the two have supported each other on many projects since 2007. Wells describes the duo as “different sides of the grain.” Wells is the organizer and planner, while Witt carries the calm confidence.
“She’s the Energizer bunny. She’s just the ‘yes’ person,” Wells said of Witt.
Both continue writing for other performers, mainly in the country, pop and Christian markets, while they perform their other work themselves.
Of their songwriting careers, Witt treasures the moment Kenny Rogers sang a song she co-wrote, “Merica,” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Wells favors her song, “Held,” that was picked up by Christian artist Natalie Grant and launched her career.
To both artists, though, the people they meet along the way are most important.
“I love people. I am a people lover,” Witt said. “We feel like it’s a cool opportunity to bring what we do to people who don’t know who we are or what we do.”
The singers’ welcoming attitude carries so much into their shows that they invited Bonnie Kate’s 13-year-old sister and a few of her cousins to grab a mic Saturday night and join them.
“I like her better live than even on her CDs,” Bonnie Kate said. “It’s magical just getting to hear someone’s, like, almost their soul. It’s so open, and at Haven it’s so intimate, too.”
Now 20, Bonnie Kate said she’s just living life and trying to heal. She still experiences knee pain from her gunshot wound, but has found a job at Magpie Café, where she can sit with her leg propped up and bake her heart out.
For Bonnie Kate, it’s the hope in Wells’ lyrics that truly hits home. Things may go wrong, but she always tries to keep a positive attitude and keep focus on the future.
A woman’s voice led the singing of a household of children.
Singer-songwriter Christa Wells’ voice led the singing of a Baton Rouge family’s home.
The Pourciau family has had a rough couple of years, but according to them, it’s times like these that bring back hope.
Wells traveled from Nashville to Baton Rouge Saturday to play at downtown’s Haven Gallery and Listening Room. For Wells, this wasn’t just another show on her tour. It was a rare opportunity to spend time with her long-distance friend, Bonnie Kate Pourciau, who, in June 2012, was shot in Aurora, Colo.
That day, James Holmes turned the lives of a theater full of people upside-down in a shooting. Baton Rouge native Bonnie Kate happened to be in the audience that night. She was on a road trip traveling from Vancouver when she stopped to watch a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises.”
At just 19 years old, Bonnie Kate was wounded by one of Holmes’ bullets. As she lay in a Colorado hospital bed, her Aunt Rose sent the family one of Wells’ songs, “A Thousand Things,” to listen to on a Sunday when they couldn’t leave Bonnie Kate’s side for church.
The song became a huge part of the entire family’s healing process. According to Bonnie Kate, her father would make everyone who entered the hospital room listen to it, nurses and doctors included.
“Music just speaks to your soul,” said Kathleen Pourciau, Bonnie Kate’s mother. “Words and ideas can get to your mind, but music takes it to the heart.”
Bonnie Kate agreed, saying music can help people empathize with one another.
“It makes you fell like ‘Oh, I understand! That’s how I feel, too,’” Bonnie Kate said. “And to not just say it, but sing it, and with such a beautiful voice and so much talent!”
Soon after, Max Zoghbi, a close friend of Bonnie Kate, contacted Wells and told her the story. He did it as a birthday gift to Bonnie Kate, asking Wells if she would mail him something like an autographed picture. Wells responded by sending Bonnie Kate a “happy birthday” song, CD’s and a T-shirt, and her connection with the Pourciau family was sparked.
Zoghbi stayed in touch with Wells and eventually set up the musician’s first visit. Wells came to Baton Rouge last year, and spent every night at the welcoming Pourciau house while Zoghbi shot one of her music videos.
Wells fell in love with Baton Rouge and everyone she met. Ever since then, Wells has looked for another excuse to make her way south and visit her far away friends.
“They told me about the Haven Gallery, and I said, ‘Okay, I want to play there because I want to have an excuse to come back down and see you guys,’” Wells said.
With 7 children, it’s a full house when visitors are in town, but the Pourciaus adore the company.
“Everybody loves her,” Bonnie Kate said. “She’s such a bright spot of joy, it would be hard not to. It’s been so special. Like, when they go to school, all the little ones listen to her in the car.”
Touring since 2009 with her friend Nicole Witt, Wells worked the Louisiana stop into their schedule without worrying about a place to stay; the Pourciaus’ house would be their home for the night.
“We’d cry if she didn’t stay here! We love her,” Kathleen said as Wells practiced her music in the living room with the entire family joining in.
Describing her style as piano-based Indie-pop with lyrical writing, Wells feels her music is comparable to Norah Jones and Sarah McLachlan. She and Witt often travel with a band, but didn’t bring them down for the Haven Gallery show. Instead, it took on a more intimate setting with just a piano and a fiddle.
“I think it’s going to feel like being with family,” Wells said ahead of the show. “It’s going to feel kind of like doing a house concert, and we love doing house concerts.”
Wells and Witt met in Nashville trying to make it as published songwriters. Throughout the span of a year, each of them would write about 75 songs with only four or five of those ever reaching the mainstream market.
“You have all of these other songs that really matter to you and they’re just sitting there on your piano,” Wells said. “It got to a point where I was kind of growing out of the performance anxiety. It was still there, but my desire to share the music became greater than that. Then I met Nicole, and she was kind of in a similar place.”
According to Witt, the two have supported each other on many projects since 2007. Wells describes the duo as “different sides of the grain.” Wells is the organizer and planner, while Witt carries the calm confidence.
“She’s the energizer bunny. She’s just the ‘yes’ person,” Wells said of Witt.
Both are still writing for other performers, mainly in the country, pop and Christian markets, while they perform their other work themselves.
Of their songwriting careers, Witt treasures the moment Kenny Rogers sang a song she co-wrote, “Merica,” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Wells favors her song, “Held,” that was picked up by Christian artist Natalie Grant and launched her career.
To both artists, though, the people they meet along the way are most important.
“I love people. I am a people lover,” Witt said. “We feel like it’s a cool opportunity to bring what we do to people who don’t know who we are or what we do.”
The singers’ welcoming attitude carries so much into their shows that they even invited Bonnie Kate’s 13-year-old sister and a few of her cousins to grab a mic Saturday night and join them.
“I like her better live than even on her CD’s,” Bonnie Kate said. “It’s magical just getting to hear someone’s, like, almost their soul. It’s so open, and at Haven it’s so intimate, too.”
At 20 years old now, Bonnie Kate says she’s just living life and trying to heal. She still experiences knee pain from her gunshot wound, but has found a job at Magpie Café, where she can sit with her leg propped up and bake her heart out.
For Bonnie Kate, it’s the hope in Wells’ lyrics that truly hits home. Things may go wrong, but she always tries to keep a positive attitude and keep focus on the future.

Gallery • 10 Photos

Charles Champagne

Singer/Songwriter Christa Wells performs with friend Nicole Witt Saturday, Nov.16 at Haven Gallery and Listening Room