Casual Affair

Casual Affair, made up of Lewis Major and Jennifer Woodman, is all about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. It is evident in their music and lyrics. Every song is constructed from life's experiences, especially when it comes to love. Relating to their lyrics is very easy for many people. From finding love, to keeping love, to the heartbreak of letting it go, the lyrics are as honest and straight forward as the music.

Lewis Major, songwriter and guitarist, began his venture into music at the age of nineteen when he picked up the guitar for the first time and began to teach himself. Soon after, he began writing his own songs.  During his time playing with different cover bands, he was drawn to writing and enjoyed working and writing with other musicians. They would spend endless hours experimenting with recording their ideas.  Lewis quickly learned he had a deep passion for writing about pure emotions and knew he wanted to make that same connection with people through his music.

Jennifer Woodman, vocalist, began her love affair with music and performing at the early age of three.  Her early days on stage were through dance but she quickly turned to music, joining church and school choirs. She excelled through high school music groups including concert choir, show choir, and musicals. It was during this time she realized the stage is where she was meant to be. Jennifer found it easy to connect with people in the audience and knew she had found her true passion. In college she continued to study voice and became actively involved in the top choir at her school.  

It was an ironic twist of fate and mutual friends that brought Lewis and Jennifer together in April of 1997 to form the acoustic duo of Casual Affair. Although very diverse in their musical tastes, Lewis's writing in combination with Jennifer's delivery of his lyrics made for a perfect match. Over the next six years, they performed at various venues in the Midwest giving listeners the gift of a live musical performance. Lewis's heartfelt guitar playing and song writing in combination with Jennifer's pure, melodic voice gave people something to smile about. It is the musical diversity of the pair that created such an interesting mix. Their influences range from Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, and Howie Day, to Jewel, Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLaughlin, and a little bit of Poe just to name a few.

In June of 2000, Casual Affair released Evolution. It was a ten song recording with a little something for everyone. The mood ranged from upbeat and happy to smooth and emotional. In June of 2002, the group began working on their new album with producer J. Hughes in St. Louis MO. concentrating on building a foundation for which to showcase their acoustic based songs, the pair enlisted the help of musician friends to expand the sonic palette. Their new record, "The Pursuit of Happiness," is proving to be much more musically diverse, while remaining true to the strength and emotions of the songs. From the country tinged ballad “Don’t Want to Cry” to the poignant, atmospheric “Haunted”, Casual Affair is creating the best music of their career, and are anxious to release it to the world.

While holding professional careers, Lewis and Jennifer have not let their music simply remain a hobby. Weekends and time off have been spent in 12 hour commutes to St. Louis to record and work on songs, or in rehearsals and performing live around the Midwest. Their common vision of using music to connect with others on a deep emotional level, and their pure love for music is what drives these artists. Casual Affair is intent on taking their music to the next level, and in the process, sharing it with as many people as possible.

Listening and watching Casual Affair means opening the heart to life's experiences. Their songs are about real people and real emotions which hit home for many. The passion these two artists posses for their music shows in their writing and emotional delivery. Success to them is simply making that same connection with the people who listen in hopes that they can relate it to their own personal journey through life.