Career
Carla started writing songs in college (when she was supposed to be practicing "real" music). Despite the distractions, Ulbrich received an American Finance Association in music from Brevard College. Having many parody or novelty songs in her repertoire (such as "Duet with a Klingon" based on "Let"s Call the Whole Thing Office", with a Klingon taking the male lead), she is featured regularly on the Doctor Demento Radio Show and XM radio, and has also appeared on United States of America, World's Greatest Newspaper, WVIA and PAX television, as well as Sirius radio, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and numerous National Public Radio affiliates.
Many of her pieces are of a humorous nature, reflecting on human life.
A self-proclaimed ambassador for forgotten song topics, she has written songs about unappreciated elements, such as "The Guy Who Changes the Lightbulbs (Changes Everything)", "Nothing to Say", "Prednisone", and "The Wedgie". Her 2004 album Sick Humor deals with Carla"s real-life recovery from multiple strokes and kidney failure she suffered in 2002.
This collection of songs has led to appearances at The Alaska Palliative Care conference, Medicaid, the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor, the Society for Arts in Healthcare, and other medical gatherings. Her song "If I Had the Copyright" was featured in the 2006 documentary Fuck, directed by Steve Anderson.
Touring since about 1997, Carla has performed in England, Canada, and much of the United States (including Alaska), appearing at venues small and large.
She has graced the stages of the Bluebird Cafe, Eddie"s Attic, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Florida Folk Festival, South Florida Folk Festival, Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, Avalon Nude Folk Festival, DragonCon, MarsCon, FenCon (and numerous other science fiction and/or filk conventions), various colleges, a few comedy clubs, private and corporate parties, nursing, patient and caregiver conventions, a few unusual weddings, and the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Convention. Carla has taught guitar at 3 colleges, 3 music stores, and her own private teaching studio, as well as Hummingbird Music Camp and the National Guitar Summer Workshop. Her music instruction book Notespeller was published by Alfred Knopf in 2001.
Carla has recently penned a book of humorous essays on recovering health after a catastrophic illness titled How Can You *Not* Laugh at a Time Like This?.
The book was released by Tell Maine Press on February 1, 2011.
