Like so many others, Linq took piano as a kid and taught herself the guitar as a young adult, but she made a detour to become a pharmacist. Not just one of those white-coated clerks at a chain store, but at her own store. At the young age of 55 she climbed up on stage, sans the lab coat, and sang for an audience that was so enthusiastic that soon after she sold the pharmacy and made music a focus. On this release, her fourth full-length CD, she shares some "up close and personal" stories about our failed health care system that only an insider could tell. “I left the profession in 2004 because I could no longer be a pawn in the games being played within the health care industries,” Linq confesses. “These songs were derived through personal experiences as both a health care professional and a small business owner.” The tales are intense, lyrically rollicking from tongue-in-cheek comedies to tear-jerking tragedies as clever melodies drive the messages home. Rx and the Side Effects documents our brave new world. Too bad we’re all too sick and broke to enjoy it. Who better than a pharmacist to guide us through the maze of our broken health care industry? Produced by June Millington (Cris Williamson) and featuring musicians who have worked with Ferron, Dar Williams and Bonnie Raitt. Rx and the Side Effects kicks off with “Prescription Chaos” an upbeat 60’s rock tune complete with doo wop vocals: It’s the American Way / We can all feel better, take some drugs today. “Side Effects” has a more modern feel, with stabs of electric guitar from June Millington. There’s a more contemplative feel in “Money Today,” about a guy who earns money even after he dies. The minor key and beautiful cello work from Jami Sieber helps reveal the sobering tale. The award-winning “Tired” tells the story of a woman who can’t make her meager income stretch far enough to buy the drugs she needs to get well. Linq pulls no punches on “What Happened to the Care”: Profits over people, money over care / The fox is in the hen house with a nest egg sitting there Julie Wolf (Ani DiFranco) adds some soulful keyboards. The next time you call a company and get an automated system, listen to “No Person on the Line” a few times and vent with Linq. “Gun in Hand” is the biting true story of a pharmacist being held up but refusing to give the drugs the gunman demands. The disc wraps up with “Small Business Blues,” one you know is a true story. It’s a jamming blues-rock number punctuated with distorted blues licks and driving drums. Linq believes that music is the most effective tool we have to bring people together, to celebrate each other and to break down barriers. And if it takes a former pharmacist to do that, all the better. It’s a medicine we can all use. “Tired” won an Honorable Mention in the 2006 International Narrative Song Competition (INSC). From the media: “… Linq offers a musical manifesto on the current societal issue of fixing the health care industry.” R. Lynch, Kweevak Music Magazine “New England sensation Linq is back…” “Linq has the knack of story-telling in a moving and musical way.” ”Get a box of tissues ladies or you won’t get through this collection.” Women’s Rising Music “Linq… has a lot to say about our country’s health care system, and she’s in a unique position to get her message across.” “… a talented singer-songwriter.” Arts and Entertainment The Recorder “Royalston singer-songwriter Linq knows what the doctor orders.” “… a timely look at what is perceived as the chaotic world of health care.” R. Duckett, Telegram.com “I am still feasting on Linq’s fantastic album, Life Goes On, from earlier this year; Rx and the Side Effects is a remarkable successor.” Pop Making Sense, Windy City Times