the winnetka current | august 24, 2011 | winnetkacurrent.comStyle under the StarS Winnetka Board hosts fashion show preview party, Page 25

A lifetime music lover, WinnetkA’s

vAl HAller creAtes vAlslist to Help listeners

get bAck in tHeir oWn music groove, pAge 23

In her album cover-lined office, Winnetka’s Val Haller holds up some of her records and CDs as she talks about helping adults get back into music via Valslist. LAURA MICHAELS/22ND CENTURY MEDIA

Get Sauced Barbecue headlines this month’s Quick Bites, Page 26

winnetkacurrent.com THE wINNETkA CURRENT | August 24, 2011 | 23Life & Arts

On the right trackHow a Winnetka woman

found her music niche

Lauren FinkLer, assistant editor

Val Haller has lived in Winnetka since 1979, when she moved to the area with her high-school-sweet-heart-now-husband Mark. But as the founder/owner of Valslist.com, her website reaches music lovers across the globe.

Haller’s website – which just celebrated its fourth anniversary, launching Aug. 17, 2007 – lets us-ers purchase personalized playlists through iTunes, download the free song of the week, discover artists, and get insight and information into local Chicago shows. And that’s all thanks to the work of Haller, her busy interns, local moms and her new music partner Joy Hart.

So, how did Haller transition from an insurance broker, to a stay-at-home mom, to a wildly success-ful “music concierge”?

It all began when she combined her passion – music and crafting playlists – with her knowledge – knowing it’s hard for busy adults to keep up with music.

“I knew I had a product. iTunes started when my generation got busy. We got skipped over,” Haller, 54, explained. “There’s so much music; it’s like we’re all trying to drink from a fire hose and we don’t know where to start. It’s a good problem to have.”

But who has the time to sort through all the music and find the best music out there?

Well, Haller does. She spends her days and nights

sorting through the “sea of music” and bringing the best artists and tracks to the surface for her users.

“My taste is anything but Top 40. You won’t hear most of my selec-tions on regular radio,” Haller wrote on her site. “I organize tracks on each playlist to flow effortlessly and set a mood. I surprise you with two vintage oldies to make you smile [always tracks 5 and 10]. I’ll throw in a world tune to expand your ho-rizons. I have been told my music

is predictably good, not predictable music.”

This needle in a haystack mental-ity earned Haller immediate, credi-ble recognition a mere three months after she launched the site.

David Gilmour, guitarist and vo-calist for Pink Floyd, wrote Haller and said he immensely enjoys her “eclectic mix of music.” Renowned music analyst Bob Lefsetz stumbled across the site and wrote about how the world needs more music sites like Haller’s.

Many other artists, websites and users have joined in on the recom-mendations. The Winnetka Board of the Northwestern University Settlement House also chose Haller to handle the music for its upcom-ing “Style Under the Stars” fashion show.

“People often ask how I’m differ-ent from Pandora, and I love Pan-dora, but it’s a computer algorithm. I’m a human,” Haller said.

“It’s just different. I’m not going to give you exactly what you say you like,” she continued, explaining how her site helps users find new tunes they’ll love.

In addition to her extensive reach on the web, she helps local adults learn how to use their iPods, how to navigate iTunes and how to down-load music from her site. One of these presentations is coming to the

Women’s Exchange on Sept. 23. (See infobar on page.)

“If I had a dollar for every adult who said ‘my kids download music for me, but I don’t love their music,’ I’d be a billionaire,” Haller said.

However, it’s not just baby boom-ers to whom Haller caters – it’s all busy adults.

“I have a foot in the young mu-sic scene, but a major foot in the ‘boomer’ lifestyle,” she said. “I’m really just a fan trying to share good

music with a fan. I’m an older per-son in the industry, but I absolutely belong here.”

She often knows the next big band before her four sons do, and the oldest, Andrew, 26, has even turned to her site to find new music.

“I know in 10 seconds if I love a song or not,” Haller said, explain-ing how she seeks out unique tunes with something unexpected, such as a mandolin, an electric violin, a cool harmony, or even world music

in Latin, Turkish and French.Although multiple talented art-

ists’ songs have stood up to her “10 second test,” Haller’s personal fa-vorites include: Pieta Brown; Greg Laswell, whose music she said “gets into your veins”; and Zach Heckendorf, an 18-year-old out of Denver with “unbelievable” guitar and voice abilities.

“When I’m in a room with their music, the whole world goes away,” Haller said of her select favorites. “I think music is the spice of life. Life is flat without a soundtrack behind it. I love how music enhances any-thing. Music motivates, calms, dis-tracts and heals you.”

Thousands of subscribers have already signed up for Valslist.com newsletters, with the most recent highlighting Haller’s three-day Lol-lapalooza experience, where she no-ticed her group contained the only “boomers” not in a VIP Lounge. The newsletter includes tips for next year, videos of various artists and Haller’s commentary on the good, the bad and the ugly of the festival.

To find out more, visit Valslist.com.

KnoW Your Bono From Your GaGa ProGramWhat: Hear from Winnetka

resident val Haller, founder

of valslist. she’ll speak to

“boomers” about using their

ipods, how to download music

and give other tips for those

who feel out of touch with

today’s music industry.

When: friday, sept. 23, 4-5:30

p.m.

Where: Women’s exchange

(inside Harkness Hall, 620

lincoln Ave., Winnetka)

cost: $20; call (847) 441-

3406 to sign up

Winnetka resident Val Haller, creator of ValsList.com, joins musician Andrew Belle before his concert at DePauw University, which Valslist sponsored. PHOTO SUBMITTED

Sitting in her Winnetka home office, Val Haller holds up her book of ticket stubs from the hundreds of concerts she’s attended. LAURA MICHAELS/22ND CENTURY MEDIA