Interview with Sean Tobin

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Sunday, May 22, 2022

Sean Tobin has been writing invigorating Irish folk rock for the past few years and is back with a new full-length June 10th titled Ghost of The Arcade. Following up 2020’s East Coast Artifacts, Tobin’s latest singles showcase his shore town storytelling with his solid backing band. Sean’s music fits in Asbury Park bars just as well as pubs in Galway. Combining traditional Irish instruments with punk ferocity, his music remains exciting and at times nostalgic. I reached out to Sean to talk about his band and their upcoming album just a few weeks away. Thanks again, Sean!

When did you first start releasing your own music?

I released my first single in the winter of 2018, “Winter (In an Ocean Town).” That was one of the first songs I thought might be worthy of putting out into the universe. The other was “This Midnight”, which was the title track to my first album that came out later that same year. Safe to say, production quality and base-knowledge of songwriting has grown since then, but I still put many of those songs into my setlists.

Who is in your current lineup? How do these players influence your sound compared to when you first started?

Drums - David Patiño

Bass - Jack Breslin/Backing Vox

Lead Guitar/Mandolin/Accordion - Jake Garbe

Fiddle (When We Can Lock him Down!) - Sean-David Cunningham

These guys were a hodge-podge of connections that I'd made over the years.

Dave grounds us in the punk-rock beat that I always gravitate toward, but has no problem holding back when the song calls for it. He's also the gear guy. Thank god for that.

Jack is arguably the most "professional" musician we have in the group. He's classically trained and incredibly talented as a jazz bassist. He has his own jazz trio and plays in a bunch of other ensembles around NJ and beyond. He and I do a few duo/trio sets here and there, so we have great chemistry when it comes to banter on the mic and performing live.

Jake is the most recent addition to the group. I tapped him when we were putting out “St. Patrick's Day Forever”, as I'd heard he could play a ton of different instruments. I heard correctly. His diversity instrumentally helps flesh out each song in whatever way it needs, from mandolin to accordion to ripping leads on electric. Jake even learned each guitar solo from before he was in the band note for note overnight. Kid's an animal. He also helps add that Celtic, Americana twang to tracks in a way that I've been searching for for a while.

Sean-David Cunningham is one of the most (if not the most) sought after violinist in New Jersey. Classically trained like Jack, he started playing in rock and folk bands a while back and hasn't stopped since. He's one of those guys that only needs to hear the key of the song to play along.

Basically, I surrounded myself with musicians far more talented than me. I think it's working.

Your latest two singles “Memorial Drive” and “On the Corner of Sunset” are real rockers. How did these songs come together? What is your songwriting process like?

These two were serendipitous. I wrote “Memorial Drive” sitting on my VOX in my old Asbury apartment, trying not to wake the neighbors after a night out. Lucky for them, I wrote the song in under an hour. The best ones always happen that way. I'd already written “Sunset” months prior, but I never really put the two together till much later.

When I was tracking out the album, I wanted to make it flow in a way that all my favorite records do. I love the way one song blends into the next in records like American Idiot, Abbey Road, Kick by Spanish Love Songs... When I was going through the track listing, I paired tracks up by the chord they ended on, and when “Memorial Drive” and “Sunset” matched up, it made too much sense.

I love the Irish influence in your music. Who are some of your favorite Irish artists? What is unique about Irish music to you?

First off, thank you! I grew up on The Wolfe Tones. My mom's family is from Northern Ireland, so rebel music was always on repeat at parties. I joke that my dad had three CDs in his car growing up: Let the People Sing, Born to Run, and Beach House on the Moon. 

RIght now, though, I've gotten into a bunch of up-and-coming Irish rock acts. The Scratch is my favorite at the moment. Palpable high-energy acoustic punk, check them out when you can. I also steer toward Dubliners, Pogues, Clancy Brothers and the rest depending on my mood. But right now, The Scratch, Junior Brother, New Pagans, the list goes on...

The lyricism of Irish music has always resonated with me, as even the most serious of songs often have a few quips inside. I love the Irish sense of humor. Dry as hell. I try to add that to my songs whenever I can.

Your full-length Ghost of The Arcade comes out 6/10. Who did you work with for this album? What can fans and first-time listeners expect?

We worked with Rob Freeman up at Audio Pilot Studio for this one. Rob is a veteran producer, as well as a well-known pop-punk musician of Hidden in Plain View. His studio is decked out with tons of state-of-the-art equipment, instruments, and even analog gear. Most importantly for me, though, it has an apartment upstairs, a fire pit outside the listening room, and tons of acreage to explore. We stayed up there for a week and fully engulfed ourselves in the process. It was a dream.

Do you have a favorite track off the new record? What makes this one special?

The album is so diverse, it's too hard to pick just one. I'd also be lying if I said I had a favorite, but there are a few that have yet to be released that I'm very excited about. "I'll Be Alright," for one, is an absolute foot tapper, and the piano on the track drives the album home. "Unfinished Business" is a love song, one that I sang to my wife on our wedding day, so it'll always have a special spot in my heart. "Eugene" is a song for my grandfather.. that importance goes without saying. So do I have a favorite song? No, but I can absolutely say that this is the best, most enjoyable record I've worked on to date. 

We've got shows coming up to support this album at the end of June.

6/24 in New Hope, PA at John & Peter's

6/25 in Asbury Park, NJ at The Saint

6/26 in Jersey City, NJ at JC American Festival

and a late-summer tour to be announced!

~

You can keep up with all things Sean here and make sure you see him and the band this summer!

Interview with Bobby Mahoney (New EP, "We Go On")

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Friday, April 15, 2022

Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son are no strangers here on Jersey Indie, and we are always anticipating their next release. Their work ethic is unmatched and their appetite for songs with big choruses and hooks just seems to grow more and more with each new single. Bobby and his band had been hard at work for their newest release, “We Go On” (which premiered on 4/8), and we can now hear what they have been working on these past few years. To help celebrate this momentous release, they hosted a two-day Release Weekend at The Saint in Asbury Park with a handful of talent from up and down the East Coast. I caught up with Bobby to take a closer look at their latest singles “Moth to the Flame” and “Lay It On Me”, as well as what’s next for the band. Thanks, Bobby!

When did you start writing for your newest release, “We Go On”?

We started writing these songs in fragments in the later half of 2019. They have definitely been a slow-burn. There are other ideas that have been around longer, but I felt strongly about these as they came together, so they got to cut the line a bit. 

How did writing for this record differ from past Seventh Son records? How have you grown as a songwriter? 

This record was collaborative with all four of us, James McIntosh, Andrew Saul, Jon Chang-Soon, and I writing together. I would come up with skeletons/outlines/hooks in acoustic demo form, then I brought them to the others for us to flesh out as a group. The actual pre-production was done remotely, or in-person but masked and socially distanced due to the pandemic. James and I jammed through songs on his electric drum kit, Andrew and I made home pre-production Logic demos, and Jon and I discussed overall “vibe”, soundscape, structure, and arrangement at length ahead of recording as well. We didn’t know if it was going to be an EP, or the first half of a full length, but we felt the five songs we chose really stood on their own, and were a dense, impactful twenty minutes of music. 

“Moth to the Flame” is a rocker, the song also seems autobiographical. What remains to be your favorite thing about playing live shows?

”Moth to the Flame” is extremely autobiographical! It is about our need to create, despite all the factors that try to deter us from doing so. My favorite thing about playing live is when all the hours of practice and prep come together so I don’t have to think, I can feel. Which sounds silly, but I think there is a Keith Richards quote about something like that. When the four of us lock in, we can ride the energy, follow gut/instinct, and do what we know we can do. There are so many hours of things that are NOT playing the guitar that go into being a musician, so when we get to actually do what we signed up for for 20-60 minutes, and connect with people who care about what we do, it makes it all worth it. 

You’ve been playing shows for quite some time. How do you feel shows have changed if at all since the pandemic? 

I think it would have been a nice change to come back to shows with people being a bit more respectful of other audience members and the performers, but I don’t necessarily think that has happened. I think if anything, we are all now less likely to take it all for granted, at least I would really hope so. Before the pandemic, I caught myself taking live music for granted, and after losing it for over a year, I am extremely thankful for any chance I have to go see a performance or to perform myself. In a lot of ways, nothing has changed, yet everything has changed. We are still in weird times, but things are healing.

Who did you record “We Go On” with? Did you and the group do anything differently from previous recordings that you’re excited about?

We recorded “We Go On” with our good pal Joe Pomarico in his parents' basement in Holmdel, NJ. Aside from home demos and some pre-production phone meetings, we actually only rehearsed these songs a handful of times as a unit before we began tracking in Fall 2020. I wanted the songs to feel fresh, live, real, and given the circumstances, I wanted to capture the basic sound of people playing music in a room together. We tracked drums, bass, and rhythm guitars live over one weekend, and then spent a year overdubbing when we were able to get together, and doing Zoom editing/mixing/production meetings remotely! It was a weird way to make a record, but for this record — these songs, at this moment in time — it worked and I am very proud of what we were able to create.

The songs are “classic Seventh Son” — catchy with loud guitars and drums — but they have a new spin with this current line-up working together that led to some of the most exciting and unique songs we have ever recorded. We definitely wanted to push ourselves in every aspect to put out an EP that we felt represented what we do, and where we would like to go. 

What were you influenced by for your latest single “Lay It On Me”? How did that song come together?

I started taking notes for what became “Lay It On Me” while visiting Paris in August 2019. In the lobby of a hotel, they had old American Western movie posters on the wall, and I wrote some titles and taglines down. Many of our favorite songs were inspired from cinema, and many of the best songs are movies in themselves. Incident at Phantom Hill was too good not to note, and Fistful of Dollars is a classic. The irony of going all the way to France to be inspired by the American “West that never was” isn’t lost on me.

“Flower power and violence” is directly about the protests we saw in 2020 for the murder of George Floyd, the fights many Americans have had to wage on our own soil in order to secure their own rights/freedom in our history — painfully recent history — and present. Who the fuck is anyone to deny another human being the same rights they themselves desire and demand? “Will we find redemption?/Tune in next week.”

The song ultimately is about recognizing our own boundaries, and how much each of us can take on at once without being burnt out, burned, or burnt alive.

Musically, I wanted to focus on dynamics- starting very quiet and then gradually getting louder and louder, until it becomes one of the heavier moments on the EP. 

Thanks to everyone who has supported myself and this project over the years. We are excited to share with you all, and excited to see what the future holds! 

~

You can keep up with Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son here. 

Interview with Rory D'Lasnow (New Release, "Songs From An Empty Room")

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Friday, April 15, 2022

Hailing from Bergen County, NJ, Rory D’Lasnow has been penned a “golden voiced troubadour” (NJ.com), and his latest release “Songs From An Empty Room” further proves that notion. Having released music since 2011, Rory continues to dig deeper and tap into raw emotions that listeners can't help but feel connected to. Rory is also responsible for starting The Songwriter Showcase, which was a web series during the height of the pandemic in order to keep songwriters together and inspired through those trying times. Following the release of “Songs From An Empty Room”, Rory was kind enough to answer some questions about the record and his process upon the return of his run of shows in California. Thanks again, Rory!

When did you first start releasing your own music?

I put out my first EP in 2011 right after college. I’ve been singing, writing songs, and playing guitar upside down and backwards since I was five, but I took a while to really be consistent and intentional about it. While I had my first proper “show" at twelve at the local library, my journey has involved a lot of fits and starts due to anxiety, self-doubt, and loss but I’m here now and I feel like having taken such a circuitous path has given me some sort of perspective and ability to hopefully encourage others who face similar challenges.

Who were your biggest influences when first picking up guitar?

I was obsessed with The Beatles as a kid — I wanted to be John Lennon so badly haha. Now I’m more of a Paul guy — but their presence loomed large in my musical development. I also really loved Queen, The Everly Brothers, and Billy Joel though, of course, he wasn’t much of a guitarist! Basically, anything other than the era I was born into. That changed eventually, though. And now I’m a sworn emo kid forever. 

You run The Songwriters Showcase. How did you start that community? What inspires you most when meeting different songwriters?

I do! I initially started it as a way to just stay connected with and provide a small platform for my pals in the music scene during the COVID pandemic, but then it grew a bit to include over 250 artists across twelve countries which is something I’m super proud of and still super shocked by. I probably most enjoy hearing about different folks’ approaches to the craft. There are so many different ways to arrive at this common goal of writing a song that is evocative (and maybe a bit catchy, too).

You’re about to head to the West Coast for a few shows. Will this be your first time playing out there? Where has your favorite out-of-state show been?

Yes! I actually just got back from my first three shows in LA — it was! I lived in the SF area for a bit around 2014, but I only played an open mic or two as I was focused on pursuing “rational” things like a career at a startup in the Silicon Valley (what could be more irrational than ignoring your creative passions?). I was fortunate enough to link up with some fantastic like-minded musicians out in LA, though, for a few shows and I was ecstatic to have the chance to play at Hotel Cafe, which is an unreal space that some great musicians have come through.

The shows in LA definitely are up there, but one other spot I really enjoyed playing was Birmingham, AL with my buddies Anna Hope and John Armstrong Feller. I did a little southern run in January across eight cities and I’d never been anywhere in Alabama but everybody there was so warm and welcomed me with open arms. Knoxville, TN was a really cool one, too — shout out to Melissa Hale!

Favorite show you played in New Jersey?

Oh man — there have been so many great ones for so many different reasons, but I recently had the chance to open for my buddy Jarod Clemons down at Wonder Bar in Asbury Park in celebration of his father, Clarence Clemons, and it was a really special night in so many ways. Jarod and I unfortunately both know what it’s like to have lost our parents and the evening really was just a spectacular way to commemorate them and the impact they had on us. He was kind enough to invite me back up to do “My Hero” with him (RIP Taylor Hawkins — I still can’t believe it) in honor of our dads, and there were just a lot of emotions that came to the surface. It’s been a long, winding road to playing music more consistently for me, but moments like that make me so glad that I decided to pursue what I love with reckless abandon. And I’m so grateful for Jarod and all of the other folks who have had my back. That sense of community is something I failed to anticipate when I sat on my hands for the majority of my twenties.

Tell us about your latest EP “Songs From An Empty Room.” What does this record mean to you? What do you hope the listeners will feel from this release?

The record represents so much to me. Most of these songs predate me losing my best pal — my dad, who gave me my first guitar and really helped develop my love of music — but the songs have become increasingly personally relevant to me as many of them touch upon topics like loss, grieving, and depression. My greatest hope is that people can see themselves in the record and feel a sense of comfort upon listening to the songs. I’ve found that one of the greatest qualities of music is its ability to transcend all kinds of circumstances and obstacles to unite people. Being able to share my story and hear stories from others is an indescribable gift. This record is my heart in five songs, so it’s a joy to share.

~

You can keep up with all things Rory here and listen to “Songs From An Empty Room” here!

Interview with Jackie June (Singer/Songwriter)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Friday, March 18, 2022

South Amboy singer/songwriter, alt-pop recording artist Jackie June just dropped a brand new single, “Falling Apart”, today. Written and recorded in collaboration with artists April Rose Gabrielli and Kulick, “Falling Apart” marks a sonic departure from Jackie’s previous music, while still being true to her penchant for deep, meaningful lyrics. As Jackie explains in her interview (Part 1 was filmed in March 2021, Part 2 in March of this year), while the subject matter of her songs may be serious, she likes to couple them with an upbeat, driving pop melody while also eliciting joy through refreshing and — as we’ll see with “Falling Apart” — playful music videos. Listening to Jackie June’s music, audiences are reminded to stop, reflect, and appreciate the beauty of the things and people around them.

Be sure to follow Jackie June on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) for up-to-date announcements about new music and show dates, and check out her YouTube channel to catch the official music video for “Falling Apart” which will premiere later this month.

To learn more about Jackie and the inspiration behind her music, watch our interview above or read the transcript below.

(Video and transcript have been edited for time and clarity.)

PART 1: March 2021

For first-time listeners, how would you describe your sound and your musical influences?

JACKIE JUNE: I think that my music is generally like pop-rock. I think sometimes people hear a little bit of a country influence depending on what the song is. I don't know where it comes from, but I do love country music. My influences tend to be a lot of pop artists and singer-songwriter-type artists.

Nice! And you're from around Toms River?

Yes. So I grew up in Toms River, but now I live in South Amboy, so Middlesex County.

Congratulations on the release of your music video for "Afterglow." It's a beautiful video. Beautiful lyrics. Where did you film it?

So we filmed the performance scenes up at Debonaire Music Hall in Teaneck. So shout out to David over there who's amazing and allowed us to use his space. The beach scenes in the video were over at Sandy Hook. So we went during sunset and got really lucky in capturing the most beautiful sunset, which we were really hoping for.

That shot is really gorgeous -- the colors and everything. It matches the colors in your hair, too.

It was literally pure luck. The filmmaker/director was Bart Lentini, and he had the idea to go to Sandy Hook. He's like, "I'm telling you, if it's a really good night, we're going to get really good shots" and I was like, "I trust you", and he nailed it. It was really perfect.

How did you and Bart meet up? Did you know each other before this?

So, probably a little over a year ago, I released a song called "On the Move", and at the time I was considering doing a music video for it. I wasn't really sure, and I had seen some work that I really liked. Taylor Tote had a video called "Heart's a Boomerang", and I had reached out to her and I said, "Hey, who did your video?" and she referred me to the woman who did her video. I reached out to her, and she introduced me to Bart. We talked a little bit. COVID happened, so no video, but as the year went on, I remembered that I loved his work and I reached back out to him and said, "Hey, how can we do a really cool COVID-safe music video?" We worked really well together. He was awesome to work with.

Who were your bandmates on stage?

So, I actually borrowed people from a bunch of different bands. So on the bass is Jamie McClanahan of The Victory Drive. On the guitar is Chris Laurie, and he's in the band Triple Addiction -- these are all Jersey bands -- and on the drums is Jimmy Meyer of The Dives. Fun fact: Jimmy Meyer is also the co-writer of the song, so we wrote it last summer [2020] via Zoom during COVID and all that good stuff.

How did you and Jimmy meet?

We somehow connected on Facebook because I guess we had heard each other's music. We had never met. We talked about a potential collaboration at some point and obviously, COVID happened, but we were like, "You know what? Even though we've never met and it's the middle of COVID, let's write something." So we actually wrote the song before we ever even met in person, which was kind of crazy.

Who produced the song? Where did you record it?

So that was recorded up an Audio Pilot Studio by Rob Freeman of the band Hidden in Plain View. They're a really awesome band, and he's such an incredible producer and just musician and person in general.

"Afterglow" has such beautiful lyrics. Thank you for including them underneath the music video. It's really a nice thing to be able to follow along!

Thank you, I felt really proud of these lyrics, and I think there are a lot of things that sometimes can get easily missed, or maybe my inflection, or the way I sing something. It happens all the time with music. There's misunderstood lyrics and stuff. So I was like, "You know what? I'm going to put these lyrics in the bottom." There's a lyric video, but I didn't do anything crazy with that, so I figured I might as well include them.

How would you describe this reference: "I dance with Marilyn, Norma's cutting in. How can one girl have two smiles?" What is that a reference to, for those who don't know?

That is literally one of my favorite lines in the song. I am a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe. I have pictures of her all over my music room in here. So when I was writing with Jimmy, I was kind of just looking around my room and I was looking at Marilyn and I'm like, "Oh man, I love her", blah blah blah, and I thought it would be interesting to incorporate her somehow in the song. Her birth name is Norma Jean Baker, for those who don't know, so the idea behind that line is, number one, the song is about kind of going a little crazy during -- I mean, for me personally, it's quarantine -- but it could be anything for anyone, where things are just raw and you just feel like you're going bonkers. I think that the imagery of having these two personalities in one person kind of combined, to me just seemed like a cool visual. I think it also shows that there's always going to be a little bit of two sides to how someone feels. I thought it was a good representation for feeling that way.

You also released another single during 2020, entitled "Can't Quit You", which you co-wrote with Jes Hudak. Tell us a little bit about that. You have a little bit of co-writing history with her as well.

Yes, I do. Jes Hudak, she is my mentor and I love her to death. So quick back story about Jes. I started off as her vocal student a few years ago, and this is before I had even started even thinking about writing. We were working together and she said, "Try songwriting, I feel like there's this artist within you and I think you should do it" and I was like, "You're nuts, I can't write a song." She really motivated me, and we wrote my whole first EP together, my EP "Wildflower."

We kind of came back together early-2020, maybe even by the end of 2019, and we started writing "Can't Quit You" together. It kind of came about because I had been having such an emotional roller coaster about, "Do I want to keep doing music? Do I not want to keep doing it?" There's just always this constant battle as an artist about whether or not you should even try. So funny enough, the song comes off as a love song, but it's really my love song to music, about how it doesn't matter what's going on and how much sometimes it can hurt, being an artist and really trying to do this thing, I just can't quit it. So I always love writing with Jes. She's the reason I do this. She's awesome.

What can you tell us about the music video? It's really beautiful. I got teary-eyed while I was watching it.

So, with a release during COVID and quarantine, there was really no opportunity to do any sort of music video. I thought, wouldn't it be really cute if "I can't quit you" kind of has like this double meaning? It's a love song, but for me personally, it means one thing. For someone else, it could mean something else. So I thought it would be a cool idea to reach out to people on social media -- friends, family, anyone who is interested -- to submit a really short clip of them showing me something that they could never quit, or something they just couldn't live without.

I got some really cool video submissions of people who like to run, so they're running, or there's people with their kids, and there's people with their girlfriends or their boyfriends, or eating chicken wings. I mean, just all these really cool ways that I feel like people were able to get creative. I just loved it and it came out really cool. I'm very proud of that video, so I'm really glad you liked it. It was really important to put out something that was really like a feel-good kind of thing. I think everybody has had some kind of loss, or hasn't been able to do the things that they can't quit, the things that they can't live without, and I like to think it was a nice little reminder for everyone to be like, "We still have these things. We're still going to be able to do them. Let's just have a little fun." Shout out to Ryan Hanratty of Frosted Green Productions for the editing. He did a great job.

In October 2020, I saw on Instagram that you were interviewed for a documentary about the New Jersey music scene. How did that happen?

So, this is cool. His name is Fulvio, and he is a filmmaker/documentarian. He's been interviewing musicians of all types and of all genres of people from the past and the present. Initially, I think it was going to be a movie documentary, but so many people wanted to be involved in it that I think he's going to make it more into a series now. Big shout out to Rory D'Lasnow, who's a singer/songwriter here in Jersey as well. He made the introduction. It was a really cool project and was excited to be a part of it, for sure. It's called The Jersey Sound, and I've been following them on Instagram and been following Fulvio. He's still out there and he's still meeting people and filming and interviewing. I'm excited to see when the videos start to come out.

Speaking of Rory, you also did a livestream with him sometime during the pandemic, in Asbury Park was it?

Caroline Davidson opened up a beautiful art and music-type studio in Asbury Park called Ghost Harbor Creative. She has an adorable little stage in there, and obviously, with COVID, it was hard to make it a public event, so she had the idea of coming up with livestreams recorded from Ghost Harbor. So I met with Caroline, and we set something up for me and Rory to perform there, and we did kind of a back and forth set, like a mini songwriters round. It was a lot of fun. It's a great place, and people should definitely check out Ghost Harbor because they're really doing a great job supporting the art scene in Jersey.

Do you come from a musical family or are you kind of a trailblazer?

My mother did a lot of theater growing up. My mom has a beautiful singing voice, but she didn't really pursue that. My father, he's a music fan, but not very musical. But my father's family is very musical. A lot of them live out in California and do a lot of singing and performing. My aunt's a belly dancer -- like a famous belly dancer. It's crazy. So she does all of that, and there are a lot of vocalists on that side of the family. Definitely artistic people.

Looking back, what have been some of the highlights that you've experienced as an artist so far?

I would say there are probably two really specific moments that stand out for me. No, three. I'm going to say three. The first one is playing a Sofar Sounds show in Atlanta last year, which first of all, it's so cool to play a Sofar show. I always heard really great things about how engaged the audience can be at a Sofar show, and they were not kidding -- very attentive and welcoming and just such a cool experience that I won't forget.

The second thing is there's an adorable little girl named Olivia who actually used my song "Chasing Nightmares" in her dance routine for her dance competitions. So that was really cool to see. I have the video up on my YouTube. She's so talented. So that was really cool.

The third thing that really stands out as being like a super highlight for me: I played a show last year -- again, this is right before COVID -- in Baltimore, and there was a little girl sitting with her parents, probably about 5-6 years old, she really little, and after the show, her father came up with her and said, "I just want you to know this little girl has been listening to 'Chasing Nightmares' over and over and over and over again. She found you on a playlist on Spotify, and we saw you were randomly coming to Baltimore, so we drove 45 minutes to come see you." I started bawling because I'm still such a small artist, you know? To even hear, number one, that anybody would even come that far to see me is crazy, and then people who I don't know, that's cool, too. To be completely out of New Jersey and have that happen with like... I think I cried for hours after that. I would say those are my highlights, for sure.

That's always a great feeling to know -- in any profession -- that what you do means something to somebody, and that that's how they're spending their downtime, their free time. They're connecting with something you created.

It's literally crazy. I've only been doing this for about three years, and I'm just a local artist here in New Jersey. So the fact that people want to hear it and it's not going on deaf ears, it's just one of those things that keeps you going.

Are there any words of advice or encouragement that you would give to people -- and not just artists, but really anyone -- who are trying to wrap their heads around how much the world has changed and are trying to stay productive, or just stay mentally healthy? What would you say to them?

Oh man, I wish I had the answers because I'm still working on it myself. I think, personally, what's helped me is I think I allow myself the time to take a break if I need to, instead of forcing it. So for me, specifically when it comes to being creative or trying to put this pressure on myself to write a new song that I think is great, I think sometimes it's OK to tell yourself, "You know what? I need a break right now. There's no pressure. The song will come when it comes," and I think that's with anything that anyone wants to do or create. Just let yourself off the hook a little bit and be kind to yourself because I definitely think it's hard when a lot of things in the world right now are out of our control. The only thing we can control right now is ourselves and how we handle it. For me, it's been working on being kinder to myself and not putting so much pressure on myself to create. Also, I've actually been journaling a lot. I find that it can be very therapeutic, especially in these times where, although we have social media and we have video chats and things like that, it still does feel lonely and disconnected sometimes. So I think it definitely helps to write things down and get it out.

Is there anyone who you'd like to give a shout-out to, whether it's family or friends or other artists or favorite restaurants that are closed or business or anything?

I think it's important to think about supporting independent artists and independent music, but also local mom and pop businesses. I think right now they are the ones that are hurting the most. So my shout-out is to all those who have been pushing through when it's been a difficult time, when it's hard, and just a shout out to all the people who've been staying strong and pushing through and still creating. I know it's been hard, too, as a musician, with shows canceled and we're trying our best. So shout out to all the people that are struggling and doing their best.

PART 2 - March 2022

I saw that on Instagram that you had posted a little sneak peek clip of your new single, "Falling Apart." How long has this song been brewing, and how did it get to where it is now?

That's a very good question because I feel like this song has been the longest journey of all my originals. During 2020, when we were obviously all in lockdown, I found myself not super inspired, but there was one day where I just got this melody and idea in my head for a song, and I would play it on the piano over and over again, and I knew that this would be a really catchy chorus. I had lyrics ready for it and everything, but no matter what I did, I couldn't finish the song. So I just kind of put it on the shelf, put it aside and was like, "Whatever, maybe I'll finish it another someday."

I had already been familiar with April Rose Gabrielli's music prior to all of this. She was in a bunch of different rock bands and we had connected a little bit on social media at some point. When I first started doing music in 2018-2019, I had always been a big fan of her writing and her music, and so she released her first solo single called "Do You" and as soon as I heard it, I was like, "You need to tell me who produced this. This is just incredible. I love it. I've been trying to figure out a way to take my music to a different... I don't want to say a "different level" because that sounds so cliché, but literally try and go a little bit more outside my comfort zone." She was like, "Oh, actually, I produced it, along with Kulick" and I was like, "Well, how do I work with you guys? I need to find a way to make this happen."

I brought them the chorus, the melody that I had, and the lyrics that I had, and I went out to see them for a week --  they live out in Pennsylvania -- and we just spent the weekend finishing the song, writing and producing and recording it. Everything was done in two days. I was just so proud of it, and it was just such a really good experience working with the two of them because I absolutely admire them as artists, but as writers as well. So I a lot of fun.

I love the lyrics, "I keep on falling apart in all of the right places, taking my time to find the right pieces." What can you tell us about the lyric-writing process? What initially inspired it? Was it something from personal experience?

It definitely came from a personal experience. I'm trying to be to honest and more vulnerable when I talk about the stories behind my songs. Around that time, I had just been diagnosed with an eating disorder, and I felt very confused. I had been doing a lot of reflecting about how it took me this long to kind of figure out what was going on and how hard the work was and the healing process was. So the idea behind the song was that, yeah, sometimes you have to fall apart and you have to break and you have to do all these really hard things in order to get to a better place and to be, whether it be in recovery or whatever it might be, that your struggle is, right? Sometimes you just have to pull out that splinter. It's going to hurt, but afterward it's going to be a lot better. So one of the things I wanted to do with this song was show that it's OK to feel vulnerable. It's okay that we have to suffer and struggle and all of those things. But I wanted it to be uplifting and empowering, that it's worth it.

That's a beautiful message. Thank you for sharing that.

A great thing about music is the way that it can make people feel less alone, give them a sense of belonging, and keep them pushing through. I know music has helped me get through some really tough times. It's just such an amazing medium in that way.

It also is a testament to your artistry, that you can write/create something that can bring people in. It's kind of like you give your listeners permission to just sit and stop and reflect on the things and the people that they have in their lives, which I think is really important to soak up.

That makes me so happy to hear that you hear that because I feel like that's something I've been working on for myself. I think I've always been very good at just being like, "OK, I don't need to feel sad. I need to find something to make me feel better, or what is the point of feeling this feeling," right? I feel like I have been working really hard to embrace that. Embrace those feelings, allow yourself to feel them. It's OK. We don't have to sit in them forever, but there's nothing wrong with having them. A lot of times, I write these songs as my own sort of therapy to remind myself, "OK, you know, Jackie, it's OK if you're crying right now. It's OK if you're having a tough time right now because you know what? It will get better. This is all part of life and you're going to be OK." My music, I feel like there are these very serious topics, but I tend to make the music and production... I like it to be fun and uplifting. There is that pop element. This song, it's just such a serious topic, but I have made it very playful, which you'll see in the video. I took a very emotional, serious topic for myself, but things can be serious but you can still laugh and you can still be playful regardless of that, you know? Hopefully, that will come across in the video.

Yes! How did you meet the director? Who came up with the concept for the music video?

So his name is Tom Flynn, and he is amazing. He was actually a referral from April Rose Gabrielli and Kulik. They both have worked with him for some of their different music videos, and when I saw the work that he had done, I was like, "Oh my God, I have to work with this guy!" We had a call about the song, he listened to the song, I sent him lyrics, gave him some understanding about what my intentions were behind the song and what it meant for me, and he was like, "I have this crazy idea. You're either going to love it or you're going to hate it." He kind of gave me the idea, and then we worked together to flesh it out a little bit more. But yeah, it was mostly Tom. I just thought it was great because it kind of has that whimsical feeling, that kind of vibe that I go for.

The people that were in this video were all friends of mine. Some are other musicians in the Jersey music scene. They were really good sports. It was a very cold day. It was late fall or early winter. I want to say like November or December. So yeah, it was very cold. I felt terrible. But they're all good friends.

Where did you film? Is it filmed in New Jersey?

Yeah, actually it's in my neighborhood, in South Amboy.

How did you find the costume for the main character? Was it handmade?

Oh my gosh, no. We bought it online.

Who is the actor who's in the costume?

So, he is going to create a reveal video that I will post on social media so you can see who it is. He's an amazing guy and really knocked it out of the park. To be able to do any sort of acting while wearing a head like that, it just shows he did a great job.

Tell us more about April Rose and Kulick.

They are like the dynamic duo. I swear, they make magic when they work together. They're both touring musicians. April's actually in Kulick's band. She plays the keys and backup vocals. She also has her solo project, which is going incredible. Her song "Do You", which was her first single, was charting on Billboard Hot A/C [Adult Contemporary] Charts and things like that. They're both just amazing, and I feel so incredibly blessed and lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them, but also to now say they're my friends. They're just really great people.

When we went to write this song together, when I went out to Pennsylvania, it was maybe October. I honestly was really forcing myself to do it. I had not been very inspired. I had not really done much with my music in a while. I released some covers last year, but for the most part, I hadn't released anything original in about a year. I was like, "I'm going to do this. You're going to work with new people. You're going to. It's going to be good. It's going to be good." I left that weekend feeling so re-inspired and feeling like, "OK, I still love this, thank God!"

Where did you record “Falling Apart”?

With them. They co-wrote with me, produced, mixed, mastered -- all of the above. They're very multitalented people. They have a home studio, and it's amazing and beautiful. It was just such a great experience, and it was a very comfortable experience, too. I think sometimes when you're in these more formal big studios, it can be very intimidating -- at least for me. I felt very comfortable being there with them, and it was just really nice. They have this adorable dog named Ellie who made it even more fun. It was really a great experience.

Do you have any other songs/projects in the works?

It's funny, I feel like in the past -- because I started doing this whole music thing so late in life -- I felt like I was rushing everything and having to get the next song out and the next one, and this and that. I feel like I'm at a point now where I'm like, "You know what? That's exhausting." If I get a bunch of song ideas in my head and I decide to record and release them, great, I will do that. But for now... I mean, I definitely have a phone filled with melody, ideas, and concepts and things, but nothing fleshed out. Everything is really just in lots of little pieces, and hopefully they'll turn into something kind of like "Falling Apart" did, where it just kind of started with a little piece of a couple of things and then it came to life when I found the right collaborators. So, we will see.

The music business, whether it be on a local level or a global level, moves very quickly and people can forget about you very quickly and people want to hear the next thing right away. But you know what? Putting the pressure on yourself to keep up with that just takes a lot of the joy out of what you're doing. For me, I do this because I love it, and if people listen to it, that's a bonus. If people want to play it, and when it comes to a show, that's a bonus. But I just don't I don't want to feel that pressure, you know?

Is there anyone new who you'd like to give a shout-out to?

I have to give a huge shout-out to April and Kulick. You guys need to check them out! April Rose Gabrielli and Kulick. They are both incredible artists that are releasing just such great music, and they're also really wonderful people to support and they have been so supportive of me. They've really changed my way of thinking with a lot of stuff in music that can sometimes make you feel a little bad or make you feel a little bit knocked down. They are just so uplifting, talented, wonderful human beings. So, everyone, check them out! They're great.

Last year, you mentioned some of the career highlights that you had. Have fans still been reaching out to you?

I actually just saw a family friend last night and her daughter was like, "I told my friends that I know a singer." The little kids are just too cute. She was telling me, she's like, "I love your song 'Wildflower.'" I think she's 8 years old. Just hearing that, especially from little girls, I just wish I had someone like that in my life, especially with music, growing up as a kid.

Yeah, that is so important for little girls to have positive role models.

I noticed from this interview and also from your last one, you're so modest. For the caliber that your music is at in terms of the lyrics and the melody and the artistry, really, you have some bragging rights. You've got really solid work that you've put out.

Oh, you're going to make me cry now.

Feel free to brag. You've earned bragging rights!

Thank you. I'm definitely very proud of myself. I never thought I would be able to do any of this, let alone write originals, record them, and share them with people. So it's just... To me, I'm just very proud of myself.

I'm so excited for the music video for "Falling Apart" to drop and see what people's responses are.

Me, too! When you listen, you're going to know it's Jackie June song, but it's definitely taking it to a different place, which I'm really excited about.

Interview with the Dynamic, Multifaceted, Multidimensional Dara Starr Tucker

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Friday, March 11, 2022

Today on Interviews by Gregory Burrus Productions, we encountered a truly fabulous, soulful multidimensional singer. As you may know, a  live music career is a business that requires the performer to stay relevant in the audience’s mind. The performer in order to be successful must be committed to ensure long-term relevance. Dara Tucker has found many ways to stay in the minds of fans using multiple platforms and, as her bio proclaims, singer/songwriter Dara Tucker is no stranger to producing “composition as commentary.”  

“Dreams of Waking (album) refers to the hope that our society will develop an awareness of the inequities that still exist,” Tucker said. “It’s the dream that we will become fully conscious and attuned to the hopes, dreams and needs of every human being.”

Happily for us, we were able to book Dara Tucker for a Jazz973 event at Clements Place Jazz. Having done some preliminary research, we wanted to catch up with Dara and understand more about her upcoming event and get to know a little more about this multidimensional person. Take a listen.

Dara Tucker - Interview by Lynette Sheard 

Dara Starr Tucker Interviewed by Lynette Sheard for Gregory Burrus Productions.

Dara Tucker - Singer / Songwriter

Dara Tucker has an extensive singing career with many successful awards and accomplishments.  She began songwriting while living in Switzerland in 2003 and moved to Nashville in 2004 to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter. She recorded the first of her albums, "All Right Now" in 2009. It featured mostly Great American Songbook standards. Her second album, Soul Said Yes (2011), was a blend of R&B, jazz and Gospel and it made Amazon.com's top 10 R&B chart within a few weeks of its release. Tucker's third release, The Sun Season (2014), was recorded in Astoria, Queens, New York. It reached number 62 on the JazzWeek charts on September 22, 2014. 

In 2015, Dara was interviewed by Tavis Smiley for his PBS television show, where she performed an original song she wrote with her sister, Diamond Tucker, entitled, "Giants" from The Sun Season. In 2016, she opened for Gregory Porter in Nashville at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. That year, Dara Tucker was a finalist in the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival's vocal competition. In 2017, she won the silver medal at the "American Traditions" vocal competition in Savannah, which requires singers to perform in 9 separate genres.

Dara Tucker — Entrepreneur, Documentary Filmmaker and Writer 

Dara has produced a docu-series on Nashville musicians called, "Music City Select" through her production company, GoldenTime Films. She is a contributor to the Huffington Post where she writes essays on her personal experiences as a minority and a woman in the entertainment business. Her article, "Here's to the Ladies Who Cuss" was featured on The Huffington Post Voices homepage. In my research, I found this comment:

“In the coming year, I will be more loving, and I will be kinder. I will also stake a claim in my own life. I am compelled to make room for myself. I will not always be pleasing or appropriate, but I will blossom. If something is deemed inappropriate for my life, let it be me who does the deeming. I will scream when I need to scream. I will shout and be heard. And I will cuss when I feel like cussing.”  

This definitely leads us to the other Dara, who produces “composition as commentary.”

Dara Tucker — Social Commentator 

The great part about these interviews is the advanced research we do, and on this one our interviewer Lynette Sherd was way ahead of me. While I saw music, Lynette alerted me to the massively active and successful TikTok-er, Dara Starr Tucker.  

Now, for those that think TikTok is just dance and jokes, you should know that the Economic Times reported that: “The rankings show that TikTok knocked Google off the top spot in February, March and June this year, and has held the number one position since August. San Francisco: Popular short video-sharing platform TikTok has surpassed tech giant Google as the most popular website of the year, says a report. Dec 25, 2021.” Well, being in the top ten is huge; knocking off number one is phenomenal.

Dara, as a social commentary person, definitely delivers on the statement that I love, which is producing “composition as commentary.” This is evident when you jump on the other Dara Starr Tucker channels. With 17K followers on Instagram, her individual videos have received in some cases over 12K comments. Meanwhile, her social commentary on TikTok has 687 thousand followers, with individual videos garnering 1.6K comments. The engagement she has is truly amazing. 

Dara Tucker — Performs at James Moody Scholars Performance

More recently, we had the pleasure of listening to Dara Tucker when she was a guest performer at the James Moody Scholars event. The event was special for us as Linda Moody wanted to honor the James Moody Scholarship Scholars with a live music concert during her time here as the first lady of the TD Moody Jazz Festival.  There has been a recipient each year of the scholarship and now there were enough of them to have a band with a rhythm section. You can read more here as the James Moody Jazz Scholars Honored His Legacy In South Orange NJ. 

This is where we first heard her wonderful voice and we encourage all of you to come on out and listen to her sing. It's a treat you don’t want to miss.  

Jazz973 Presents Dara Starr Tucker and her Band at Clements Place Jazz

Dara Starr Tucker is making her mark in the world of music and activism as a singer, satirist and social commentator. Her latest album, Dreams of Waking: Music For A Better World (2021), was featured on Grammy.com and in American Songwriter Magazine. On the album, Tucker embraces the urgent, topical works of songwriters of the protest era, along with her own compositions, as vessels for justice awareness, instruction and healing. Last summer, the album reached #7 on the Jazzweek National Radio Charts and reached #6 on the ITUNES jazz chart.

Additionally, Dara Starr Tucker is the co-writer of "Oklahoma," the title song on Keb Mo's 2020 Grammy-winning "Best Americana Album." Tucker's justice and musical commentary on social media has been featured with HBO and Yahoo News. She has toured as a member of master guitarist Charlie Hunter's trio, appeared on NPR's Jazz Night in America and made her national television debut on PBS. Most recently, Dara has performed at Central Jersey Jazz Festival, Newark Museum of Art Jazz Series, Birdland (VocalMania), Smoke Jazz Club and Minton's.

Join Us: March 23, 7 - 10PM, Clements Place Jazz. 15 Washington Street, Newark, NJ.

Click to learn more: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jazz973-presents-dara-tucker-and-her-band-at-clements-place-jazz-tickets-295322667047

 About the Author — Gregory Burrus

Gregory Burrus is a local live music ambassador, producer, promoter, event planner, and community partner. He combines his extensive corporate business and technology expertise with his love of live music and being a strong community advocate. 

I love writing about it all. My mission is to help community groups, live music bands, and local nonprofits, reach their goals and accomplish their missions while enjoying the day-to-day process of life. 

https://www.jerseyindie.com/ji-blogger-gregory-burrus   
https://patch.com/users/gregburrus 

Interview with Katie Miller (Kate Dressed Up)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Thursday, March 3, 2022

If you find yourself part of Katie Miller’s inner circle, consider yourself lucky. Over the years, this South Jersey singer-songwriter has managed to surround herself with a diverse group of creative and talented people, sending the right energy out into the universe and attracting it back. When I first spoke with Katie (almost exactly a year ago) her band Kate Dressed Up had just released a single and an accompanying music video for the song “Ride Home.” Now, a year later, Katie has released a second song, entitled “The Fountain”, this time accompanied by a beautifully produced animated short. As it goes, a lot has happened in Katie’s life over the course of a year, but what has remained constant is her dedication to her craft, her practice of gratitude, and her ability to continue welcoming people in with open arms.

To learn more about Katie Miller and Kate Dressed Up, watch our interview above or read the transcript below. Be sure to follow Kate Dressed Up on social media and/or sign up for their newsletter so you can be the first to know about upcoming performances and the release date of Kate Dressed Up’s upcoming album.

(Video and transcript have been edited for time and clarity.)

Interview Part 1 (February 2021)

What's your name? Where are you from? What do you do?

KATIE MILLER: My name is Katie Miller. I currently live in Moorestown, NJ, and I have a band called Kate Dressed Up. I'm also in school right now for electrical engineering, and I do a few other things here and there.

Wow. Electrical engineering. I wasn't expecting that! That's pretty cool.

I just started a little less than a year ago because with the pandemic and the whole music industry being really wonky right now, it just seemed like a good time to kind of diversify, I guess.

For first-time listeners, how would you describe your sound? What musical influences do you draw from?

I was thinking about this earlier, actually, because it's a fairly common question and I always have a hard time answering it, but I would say lately, and for this record, there is some Sheryl Crow in there. There's some Bright Eyes, some Fleet Foxes, anything kind of in that indie-folk world.

I always have my acoustic guitar as kind of the centerpiece, at least in the writing process, and so that determines a lot of the rest of the sound palette that I use.

Congratulations on your new single, "Ride Home", off of your upcoming album. You also had a music video that you released. What was that whole process like? How long were you working on the song? What inspired it? Can you give us any behind-the-scenes tidbits?

I began writing most of it, I would say, 2017 into 2018. Right around the time that I was going to start self-producing it, which I had done with previous works, I met my current producer. His name is Ravi Bhavsar. He goes by SPHMRE [pronounced SOPH-O-MORE]. He was working at a place called Flux Studios in New York City. Basically, through a very weird kind of butterfly effect chain of events, we linked up and hit it off instantly. After going back and forth with just a one-off song that we did together, he actually offered to do the entire album for me/with me, and so what we basically did was we just worked in Flux any time that it wasn't booked. It's a super busy studio, so we ended up doing sessions from midnight to 4:00 in the morning. We worked from noon to midnight on the 4th of July one year. We worked on New Year's Day 2020. So basically, this has been a year's long process now because of the way that we went about making this, and we really took our time with it, which is something that I'm learning not all artists get to do in the studio.

Regarding the video, I'd been familiar with Bob Sweeney's work for a while, and so when it came time for me to reach out for someone to do the video, he was an obvious choice for me. I was lucky enough that he was down to do it. The other actress in the video, her name is Leah Scully. I've known her since my freshman year of college, so I reached out and asked if she would want to do it and she was down. My brother, who produced my first two EPs, was on set with us and was helping during the day, too. We shot that out behind the house I grew up. It backs up onto a lot of state land up in North Jersey. It kind of just fit the mood. Bob is super talented. He brought this great vision to life that just totally brings a new dimension to the song. So I'm very excited about both the song and the video.

It's beautifully shot. I was like, "Is that shot on film, or was it shot digitally and then had cinematic effects added to it?" The sun, the time of the day that you shot, it came together really beautifully.

Thank you. The very next day was the first day that it snowed that year, so we got it right at the perfect time when it was like that dead kind of end-of-fall vibe going on. The very next day, it looked totally different. So that was pretty cool.

It looked like it was cold. Was it cold?

It definitely was cold, yeah. My friend Leah is a trooper. She was just wearing a dress of mine that I wore to a wedding a few years ago. She did really great that day, too.

What is your process like in terms of writing songs? Does the music comes first and then the lyrics? Do you see a movie playing in your head and you write a story? Or is it based on personal experiences?

It's part fiction and part nonfiction is kind of what ends up happening. There's not really a set process for me, necessarily. A lot of times it'll just be little dribbles of lines or notes here and there, and sometimes those will grow into songs, and then other times I'll hear the whole thing all at once and it's done.

I'll be inspired by something that I observe or experience in my day-to-day, and then that transforms itself through the writing process into something that's "me" but it's also separate from me. I don't know how else to really explain it. Then other times, a song just comes out of nowhere, and then a year or two later, I'll be like, "Oh, that's what that was about" and it makes sense in retrospect.

You started out as a solo project and now you're a five-piece band. What inspired that? Who are your bandmates?

A big part of the reason that I started as a solo project is because a previous bandmate of mine, who's actually with one of my current bandmates and my best friend, logistically our lives kind of physically separated us, and so our project took a backseat because of the way that life happens.

From the beginning, I always wanted my best friends Vin [Karaitis] and Elyse [Kiedaisch] to be a part of Kate Dressed Up. The two of them were pretty much always non-negotiable from the start. We've been singing together for pretty much a decade now, and the three of us have just been very much a unit through our late teens into adult lives. Vin is one of the best musicians and the best songwriter that I know, period. He's just next level. Elyse is one of the best singers I know.

There have been a lot of other iterations of Kate Dressed Up over the past two and a half or so years. My cousin Christopher, who's a drummer, and my friend Elaine Rasnake, who owns Daughterboard Audio — she's a Mastering Engineer — they were in the band at times.

Going into 2020, I had plans to take the band on a real full band national tour. I planned that with my business partner, Mickey [Skabla]. I set up the band to be me and Vin. Ryan Hilsinger, who is a producer and owns AGL Sounds which is a studio in New Jersey, he's a drummer. I asked him to come on tour and he was down, so I added him. My friend Nick [Iacobelli], who I actually met through Christopher in a previous iteration of the band, is an incredible bassist and an incredible musician, like next level. Same thing as Vin. They're like freaks. So are Ryan and Elyse, honestly. They're all kind of like musical freaks in my eyes, in the best possible way. Nick, I'm lucky enough that he likes my band and my music and he was down to come on tour. 

Then when the tour fell through, I just asked them if they wanted to stay in the band and keep making music even though there's not really any prospects right now, and they all said yes, and so we've been making more music. This current lineup that I have is like… Something is making sense in a way that it hasn't yet, that I've been looking for. So I'm feeling good. I'm feeling excited about releasing all this new stuff and having them back me up.

What are you most looking forward to in 2021, assuming the world opens up more than it has and things return a little more to "normal"?

I'm getting married in May. I was supposed to get married last May, and you know, everything happened.

We have more songs in the pipeline. We have a ten-song full LP in the pipeline. Ravi engineered all the production at Flux, and he's also mixing and mastering it. At this point, years we've been working together, our visions have not diverged at all, like musically and in the sound palette and what the finished product should sound like. He understands my imagination of the songs and not only understands it, but he also supplements it and agrees with a lot of my tastes and ideas and supports me to bring them all to fruition and manifest this vision together, so it's cool.

When Ravi and I'm very first met, there was definitely just an understanding. We musically clicked right off the bat, which was cool because Ravi mostly produces hip hop, and so him working on my stuff is really different for him, and it was a new thing for me to be working not with my brother as a producer. It's been just amazing. This album, the whole thing has live drums, which is fun. I had a drummer from New Brunswick, Evan Tsioni, and he's just extremely talented. I'm lucky that he played on these songs. That was fun for me, too.

So take us back to the beginning. Do you come from a musical family?

Both sides of my family — moms and dads — there are musicians on both sides. In my house growing up, my dad played the guitar. He was the musician. So that was just always around. I started with piano lessons when I was young. As I got a little older and got slightly into my teen years, you have these new feelings and you want to start expressing them. You know what I mean? So it just was totally natural for me to pick up the guitar. I started on drums because hitting stuff to music is really fun. And then I wanted to sing, and singing to the drums is kind of hard. So there are guitars around. That's what my dad played. I picked up the guitar. That was that. I've been playing ever since.

That's nice that you have a little bit of a drumming background. You don't hear that a lot. You usually hear piano or clarinet.  

I played piano before that. I took piano lessons from 7-13, but when I started wanting to get into more contemporary music and stuff, the first thing that I wanted was drums. So I played that for six months, a year, and then onto the guitar.

What words of advice or encouragement would you give to other fellow creative people who are maybe trying to stay mentally healthy during this very unusual time? Do you have any words of advice for people who are maybe just trying to get through day to day, some things to look forward to?

I would say, take care of the basics. Try to sleep and eat well. Try to walk a little bit, as much as you can. If you want to talk on the creative side, remember to be nice to yourself and have fun with it and let it be a therapeutic thing and not something that causes you to feel like you're under some kind of pressure because you're not.

That is important, just remembering the simple things like sleeping, turning off your phone, and making sure that you actually get to sleep through the night.  

I actually started leaving my cell phone in a different room when I go to bed. Going to sleep and waking up without a cell phone, I mean, it's a very small thing, but I found it to make a pretty good difference in the way that I start and end my days.

That's a good idea, putting it in a different room. I feel like I need to put it in another zip code.

Looking back, what would you say are some of the highlights that you've experienced musically, either performing, writing, or anything about the creative process?

Oh, man. I have been so lucky and just really blessed with a lot of really great experiences. So, to take it back first, to my best friend Vin. I was like 22 and living with my mom after I graduated college, and he was in his freshman year and was going for music. At the time we had our band together, which was called The Fox and the Rose, and for a whole year of my life, every day he would finish school and come to my mom's house and we would just make music for, I would say, anywhere from 3-5 hours, and he would teach me everything that he learned that day in school. So I basically got the first year of a music education through him just telling me what he learned that day. That year made me a way, way, way better musician, guitar player, singer-songwriter, the whole deal. That was super formative to my whole musical existence. So that's a big highlight.

Then, for Kate Dressed Up, we've played at World Cafe Live. We've headlined there. That was really, really fun, one of my favorite shows. Last December, we got to play Asbury Lanes for the "What a Wonderful Year" show. That stage is just so much fun to be on. It sounds so good up there.

I've been lucky enough to do three Gurlzilla shows, which is a feminist benefit show that I've been doing since 2016. I did one in Flemington in 2016, one in Asbury in 2018, and then last November [2020] we did a virtual one where it was Philly artists and artists from Minneapolis, so we had a two-city virtual thing going on.

Making the album with Ravi at Flux Studios is obviously top of the list. I'm just so lucky to have had a series of really great events, whether they've led to a person's conventional idea of "success" or not, I am having a great time and everything is working out in a way that I'm very happy with.

It just comes down to gratitude because happiness, that's like a little too lofty of a goal, I think. If you're like, "Oh, I want to be happy." Happy? That's a transient feeling. You're happy for a moment and then it... It's not like a state of constant being. But you could be grateful constantly. You could choose to just look around you and say, "You know, I am fortunate in my own way to have these things" and I very much feel that.

Very wise words. That was deep. I feel like I gotta put that somewhere, like on an arch over a castle or something.

That sounds good to me. Just put my initials "KM" in the corner. Or "KDU" for Kate Dressed Up. I don't know. 

Put your URL up there.

It's like a little QR code just chiseled into it.

Oh, for sure!

Interview Part 2 (February 2022) 

I've been scouring social media to check up on everything that's been going on. You've been busy!

I've been as busy as possible, yeah.

In March 2021, you had some vinyls printed?

Yes, the Leesta Vall stuff. We marketed it in March, took preorders, and then we actually recorded it in Cherry Hill at AGL Studios in June, and then we sent those files off to Leesta Vall and they got printed and sent out over the summer. So that was really exciting to have some physical music of ours out in the world. They turned out beautifully. 

That was a cool idea. How did you think of that?

Actually, the label, Leesta Vall, their whole business model is to have bands sign up to run preorders on these singles, and then bands most often will actually go to the Leesta Vall studio, and they'll print the performance directly to vinyl there in the studio, but because my drummer actually owns a studio, we chose to use their studio, AGL. That turned out great, and we sent off the digital files for them to print. It was a lot of fun. We ended up — in one day — recording for 33 vinyl prints.  

That's amazing!

It was pretty intense. We played "Ride Home" like 20 times and a bunch of other songs. I think there were only five songs to choose from, so there were a lot of repeats. We just had a marathon of recording for four or five hours, where we just banged them all out and sent them off. We were all very tired at the end, but also very satisfied. It was physically taxing but spiritually fulfilling to be able to do that.

That's a really cool concept. I think I read something about there'd be a customizable greeting in the beginning?

Yeah, so they sent us the names for each order and what song they wanted, and so each performance was for a specific person. So to start the recording, Ryan would hit "1, 2, 3, go" and then I would say, like, "Hey, Evan, thanks for supporting" and do a little personalized message in the beginning. So everyone that got one of those has a completely unique, doesn't exist anywhere else performance from us.

That's brilliant.

Yeah, it is a pretty cool model. I'm really glad that Leesta Vall asked us to be a part of it. I actually had done a run with Elaine Rasnake a couple of years ago. We actually did go to their studio and recorded some songs with her. So I've been aware of it for a while and I knew that they ran a tight ship. So when they reached out, I was very excited.

Nice. It sounds like it must have been very organized for all that to run so smoothly.

Yeah, they definitely have a good operation going over there. I'm just very glad that a few vinyls exist out in the world with my music on it.  

In April 2021, you released a music video for "How Could I Have Known." That looked like it was fun to film. You got a lot of friends together, friends and family? What was that whole process like?

I rallied the troops for that one. The video was directed by Andrea Morgan, whose work I had admired for a while because I'd seen her do work with an Asbury Park band called The Foes of Fern. They had put out some great stuff. So I reached out asking if she would be down to do a video for this song, and she got back me saying, "Yeah, let's rock." Very much, as the same as with "Ride Home", I chose her because I wanted her vision applied to the music. I didn't really have too much of a solid concept, so that video, I would say 98% of the credit, was Andrea's idea. She told me the kind of space we needed, which luckily my living space fit what she needed, and told me the storyboard that she had in her head.

I got everyone involved — bandmates, significant others, friends, bandmates from other bands that aren't Kate Dressed Up. Everyone was really cool. We got everyone pizza and beer, and Andrea brought some decorations. The second she showed up, it was all business. It went super smoothly. She had all her shots in mind and told us what to do. The three supporting players, Elyse Kiedaisch, Elaine Rasnake, and Tal Demirjian, they were just super willing to be a part of the whole thing and just go with the flow and what Andrea was telling us to do. We had a lot of fun doing that. I had fun with all the outfit changes. It ended up being pretty much an actual party because while I was shooting scenes, everyone else was just hanging out. It just cultivated a really good energy that I think comes across.

Yeah, definitely. It looks like it was a lot of fun doing that.

It definitely was. Making art with people you care about, who care about you, who also care about your art —which is a completely separate thing from just caring about me as a person — there is literally no higher honor to me than that having a friend who also for some reason will also care about this thing that I've been doing for years now. It's so special to me. I really can't overstate that.

You can't replace that depth and dedication.

No way. Yeah.

Is there anything you want to say about the song or the inspiration behind it?

It's obviously super queer. It's the first thing that I've put out that's very overtly queer. The way it was received has just been incredible, the way that people took it. I had a friend message me saying "This is the bi anthem that I've always needed" or something along those lines. So I'm just glad that the thing that I was going for in that song, which is kind of like a whimsical facepalm of looking back and just seeing all of these opportunities kind of float by, and not experiencing regret, but just... It became kind of an inside joke with myself to look back and notice those moments in my life, and then now to be in a place where I experience a lesser degree of self-consciousness in those situations, and now being able to share that, that's really what's special to me now, and seeing the growth from where I was writing the song to now having released it and having this part of myself be so much more prominently publicly displayed. And that's been cool.

I love it. "Facepalm" is a good term.

Like, "How could I have known?" but then the whole joke is like, bro, come on.

I think we've all been there, in one way or another. We've definitely had those baseball moments where it's like, well, yeah, looking back, obviously.

Yeah, and that's not a distinctly queer experience. Obviously, that happens to straight people, too, I think. But I think all of the kind of weird stigma and baggage that comes with queer relationships kind of amplifies those experiences a little bit in a way. So that's where I was coming from really, with sharing that whole story and an idea.

I like that. What was it? "The bi anthem?" What did your friend say?

Yeah, like "This is the bi anthem I've always needed." Something along those lines. She was basically saying, like, “Yes, I also am a queer woman terrified to talk to other queer women.” Really almost more than anything else, when that particular friend reached out to me, that's when I was like, OK, I'm glad that I made this. You know what I mean? To share that and have it actually resonate and someone else feel what I was feeling when I wrote it. That's the most important thing, that connection. That's what makes it all worth it.

Definitely. It's something that people can relate to. It gives a voice to a situation or an experience or a series of experiences so you feel like you're not alone. Like, "OK, I had a facepalm moment, but someone else did, too!"

In May 2021 you had a wedding ceremony?

I did, yeah. I married my husband, Roger [Kunkel], so that's pretty funny going from the queer song to marrying my husband. It was such a trip in the best possible way. I don't know if I really fully expected ahead of time for it to be the best day of my life, but to date, I would say that it was, by a long shot. Our great, great friend and business partner Mickey married us, so that was really special. My best friends, my bandmates, Elyse and Vin, who sing with me all the time and you see them everywhere, they sang me up and down the aisle.

We had a small ceremony, but we didn't want to sacrifice any of those things that made it really special. The food and music were just top-notch. Having my family around was so special. From the time that we kind of all came together to the end of the night was just so much love. And it's been cool since. Being married, I would give it an A+. It's great. So yeah, that was a huge life event that happened for me.

Congratulations! Bigger is not necessarily better. Really those important, really personal parts are the things that you're going to remember.  

Yeah, it really is just about the people who were there and being able to share and celebrate our love with them. We'd been together nine years already, and it was like our third wedding plan, too, because we were supposed to be married in 2020. I could not have changed a single thing to make it better than it was, really.

Well, it sounds like you attract the right kind of people to you, too, that it's not just by accident.

I hope so.

You're sending out the right vibes — attracting the right energy and repelling drama.  

It seems that way, just based on the people in my life and how literally amazing they are. I mean, my brother's great friend was our videographer. It was his first time doing a wedding, and he nailed it. Nailed it! The video is amazing. My drummer Ryan, who owns AGL, came through at the last second to be the second videographer to capture a second angle. Even people who weren't right in the wedding were pulling through for us in really big ways. There was a snafu. We were going to be in a venue and then we moved it to my mom's house, and one of my brother's other really great friends ended up driving for us. We rented a 15-passenger van and he drove for us. So, really across the board, everyone came through whether they were there or not. It was just such a special thing, almost to the point of being overwhelmed in a good way of just how much love and care we really have in our lives. I feel very happy and blessed and grateful for all the people in my life because it's really been a year of just people, for real.

Did you sing your vows?

No. Haha. I did make everyone there do a sing-along after we got married to "With Arms Outstretched" by Rilo Kiley. Elyse and Vin sang it, crushed it, and everyone else was singing and clapping. That's all we wanted. So that's cool.

It sounds like you've got some amazing bandmates pulling through from every angle, every aspect.

Vin and Elyse are my best friends. We go back, at this point, going on 12 years. Vin, I know from my hometown. Elyse, I know from college. When I introduced them, they instantly created a super connection. So the three of us have been like... They're my family. They're amazing. Even Ryan, too. Ryan is a late addition. They've been so supportive of Kate Dressed Up and of me as a person since we started working together for a couple of years now. So, yeah, I love my band. And Nick, my silent bassist, is somebody that has just been down for the ride since he got in on the band. I feel strong when I'm around them. I feel like they lend to my existence in a way that I feel very lucky to have.

So you had your five-year anniversary of Kate Dressed Up?

Yes. The self-titled came out September 2016. Seeing that day come and go was... It was interesting because the project is so much more and so much better than I imagined five years ago. The flip side of that coin is there are so many things that I thought I would have done by now that I haven't gotten to yet. So it's been this weird meandering thing that I've been doing, and I'm enjoying that journey in itself.  

Speaking of journeys, I love the story that's told through "The Fountain."

Oh, thank you.

I love this lyric: "It was as if I’d been sleeping, and only then was I awake." That's one of my favorite lyrics of 2021. The whole song is beautiful, and then the animation, too. It's all really beautifully done, on all aspects. What was that like? How long was that in the works? Had that been kind of brewing for several years?

So, that song is a little different because it's the oldest song in terms of writing, but it was also the final addition to the album. Vin and I had a band before Kate Dressed Up called The Fox and the Rose. I wrote the skeleton of "The Fountain", so I had verse, verse, chorus, verse, chorus. I had that kind of outlined, and I had the lyrics. I brought them to Vin in our previous iteration. Vin helped me with the arrangement, the harmonies, and some of the melodies in certain spots. Basically, Vin co-wrote the song with me. Then it kind of just sat, and The Fox and the Rose took a turn where it was not really a thing anymore, in a business way. It kind of went on the backburner when I moved to South Jersey and Vin was still living in our hometown in North Jersey. 

Flash forward all these years later, and I have nine of the songs on the album done, ready to go. I have some songs that I wrote more recently, and I was kind of looking through them. They all didn't feel right. And then this song kind of popped into my brain because the person who inspired the song in the first place made an appearance in my life toward the end of the album coming together, and it sparked my brain to remember that song and make that connection, like, "Oh! This song is the one that's supposed to finish the album."

The album is The Little Prince-themed. It started out as somewhat of a concept album and it kind of diverged, but it kind of still is a concept album. In The Little Prince, there is a plot point where the pilot and The Little Prince are looking for a well in the Sahara Desert, and the pilot is like, this is stupid, we're going to die, and the Prince is like, no, don't worry. Obviously, they find the well. In that way, it fit. It fit the narrative of the other songs. It fit the feeling of what I wanted. So I asked Vin if they would mind me putting it on the album and they were down, and so this song is actually the only one on the album that we live tracked at Flux Studios. So we brought in Vin and I, and then Nick, my bassist, and Evan Tsioni, who is the drummer on the rest of the album, and we rehearsed, and then we went into the city all together. Ravi set us all up so that you could just go "1, 2, 3, go" and we played the song, and that was magical. Playing music with people is such a different feeling than just tracking something or doing it alone. I feel like that is really captured in the arrangement. Then, Vin and I went back and we recorded the vocals at Ravi's house after the fact, we added organ, and then the song was done.

For this song, I just had it in my head that I wanted an animated video. Through a recommendation, I was introduced to KXB Studio, which is owned and operated by a woman named Tina who does all kinds of really amazing animation work. I told her I wanted something that was almost childlike in its simplicity, and I sent her illustrations from The Little Prince. Working with Tina was so cool. She sent me a storyboard. I asked for one little adjustment, she sent me another storyboard, I said, "Cool, great. Go do your thing", and then I didn't see it for like 8-10 weeks, and when I did eventually see it, I was blown away. No edits, no changes. It's perfect. She just really understood the feeling that we were trying to capture. I really think that the way she put the video together is just like... I think it's moving, and I think that it touches the same thing that the song itself does. Actually, I don't know if they'd want me to share this, but the first time that Vin saw it, they definitely cried. Actually, the day that we finished the vocals for it, we watched it all together for the first time and Vin definitely cried in a good way. And that's how I knew. I was like, "OK, this is good. This is a good thing."

It's like, you can't pick a favorite child, but I love it a little extra just because of Vin's partnership in it, because of the video that goes with it, because of this particular time in my life that is not in itself connected to the time and place where the rest of the songs were written, but did kind of still complete that picture. It was really nice. I was really, really glad that it ended up on the album. I think it's turned out amazing.

It's really beautiful. I really enjoyed listening to it, I really enjoyed watching it. It came together perfectly. The animation was just the right style for it.

It's crazy, too, because with animation, because of the work involved, it's just expensive because a lot of a lot more hours go into animating than into live-action stuff. Tina and I worked out something that would work for the budget that I had. Her other animations are nothing like what she made for "The Fountain." Like, they're beautiful and really cool and interesting, but they're just really different than what she did for me. When she sent the video back, I was like, "Wait a second. That's what this got me? Like, this budget that you said was simple. You did THIS with it?" It just completely blew my mind. It blew me out of the water. It exceeded every expectation that I had, which was already pretty high I'd seen Tina's other work. She still blew us all the way. Just amazing.

It's one thing to work with people you've known for 10 years, you know what I mean? But to hire somebody on a recommendation and to have them really get the vision, and not only that but amplify it and add their own touch in a way that it just fit. I was just so, so stoked on it. I'm so glad that you like it and that it hit for you also.

Yeah. She got it! 

Again, same thing with the other videos. I cannot take any credit there. That is all KXB Studio just absolutely nailing it. I love working with other creatives. It's amazing.

It shows the power of your music and your artistry as well, that you're able to do something that moves somebody or that paints a really strong image in their head and then they can take what it was and translate it into another medium, like live-action video or animation. So that's really a testament to your talent as an artist that you're able to create that whole world and someone else can be like, "OK, I totally get it," you know, some perspective of it.

That's always the hope. So far, the feedback that I've been receiving has been indicative that I'm on the right track. So I'm rolling with it, for sure.

I'm waiting to see "The Fountain" in a trailer for an indie film or something.

From your lips to God's ears. Yeah, absolutely, I would love that.

I saw that you launched also an online store?

Oh yeah, I'm so excited about that. Earlier this year, right before I released "Ride Home", I kind of did a rebrand, which was really the first time that I was branding Kate Dressed Up at all because I'm not a brand designer. The store and everything in it is designed by Purva Sawant, who is a graphic designer based in New York City. When we started working together, she was designing visuals for the UN, like the United Nations, and I think she has since gone into private firm stuff for businesses. I met her through Ravi. She does not work with any other artists or musicians. That's not what she does. She works with businesses. So again, I feel so lucky to have her talents in my corner because girl is a freak at what she does. Same with everyone that I've managed to work with. I don't understand how this happens. She's incredible. 

When we started working together, she sent me questionnaires and quizzes to get a feel for my stuff, and every step of the way I would be like, "OK, well, I imagine this" and then a week later, she would be like, "I imagine this thing that you didn't mention at all, that's completely different that you never would have thought of" and every single time she did that, I was just like, "Your idea is better. Let's go with that." So we very slowly kind of brought this together with the logo and the fonts and the color palette and everything. I mean, she's really leveled up the aesthetic of Kate Dressed Up.  

Along with the branding, she designed everything in the merch store. I'm stoked. The shirts are super soft. The bandanas are really cool. I've been getting a good response from it. People have been ordering stuff, and that's been really special. It's also kind of a relief for me as an artist to have a revenue stream at all right now, so I am glad that that's up and that has brought some income in a world where I haven't really taken any shows this year, and I don't have any lined up because every time I try to play on a show, I have to cancel it. So I'm very much in a place where I'm still exploring ways to be an artist in this circumstance. All this to say, yeah, go buy stuff from my online store, please! 

I'm going to grab myself one of those green t-shirts!

The company is called Top Banana. They're based in Philadelphia. It's one of Roger's oldest friends. So again, just so blessed, so lucky to have this spider web of love and support. When I said to Antonio, "Hey, what do I do?" he was like, "OK, well, this is the softest and best fitting t-shirt. You can stop looking." I was like, "Perfect, let's do that." So that's been great. They are super soft, and he does such a high-quality job with them. They were all printed digitally. Not screen-printed. So yeah, that's been really cool to see my stuff out in the world. I have plans to get more designs for the store, so I hope to keep that interesting and have that be a way for people to support us directly in a world where music has literally been devalued to zero. I mean, we could do a whole podcast interview just talking about that.

Definitely! Is there anything you have coming down the pike that you want people to know about?

So, the album is still in its final stages. It was supposed to get done and then Ravi got COVID and life happened, as with all things. I am very excited to prioritize art going forward. So, my album will be out when it's ready. I have a cool thing with the band that I have planned to go along with it. We're not playing any shows for the foreseeable future because I don't feel like it's the responsible thing to do. That being the case, any support, any attention, any purchase on my online store, any purchase of music off the Bandcamp page, any time you tell a friend that Kate Dressed Up exists or you play them our music, that goes such a long way and helps us keep making this art. That is the message that I want to send to people. I want to be an artist that's not just trying to win a popularity contest. I want to be an artist that is making something that I believe in, that I feel is truly worth sharing on a human level. So that's what I'm turning toward going forward, and we'll see where that leads.  

One thing I will say is, I've been working on this thing for literally 3-4 years now, and I still love these songs. I'm not sick of them. I don't feel like, "Oh, it's too late to put them out now." Like, no. They're good. I'm psyched. It's going to be fun.  

It's going to be awesome. If any of your past work is evidence, it's going to be awesome.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thank you again.  

Interview with Chelsea Carlson (Singer/Songwriter, Musician)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Wednesday, February 9, 2022

NJ’s Chelsea Carlson has been keeping busy during the pandemic as a multi-genre singer/songwriter, member of the Renaissance Faire-inspired trio Bardy Pardy, and as a music teacher giving virtual and in-person lessons to students K-12.

On Friday, February 11, you can also see her perform live as she opens for the band The Wag at The Coffee House in Edison, NJ.

Chelsea has a ton of new music coming out later this year, as both a solo artist and through Bardy Pardy. So how has she been able to juggle all these creative endeavors while remaining so upbeat? Find out by watching our interview above, or by reading the transcript below.

(Video and transcript have been edited for time and clarity.)

Chelsea, thank you for joining me. It's good to see you here today.

CHELSEA CARLSON: It’s nice to see you, too.

So why don't you tell our viewers/listeners a little bit of background about yourself, who you are, what you do, where you're from?

My name is Chelsea Carlson. I am originally from Mount Olive, NJ, but right now I live in Brick, NJ. So, I'm enjoying the shore. I've been playing music forever, but I've been doing the whole singer/songwriter thing for about 12 years now, which is crazy to me. I also am in a folk trio called Bardy Pardy, so I've got some music going on there as well. I'm also a music teacher and a cat mom.

I, too, am a cat mom. Cat moms unite!

For first-time listeners, how would you describe your music? What genres would you say that you touch upon?  

I don't like to box myself into a genre because I listen to almost everything and so I kind of write almost everything, too. My music that's already out there is very much classic rock-inspired. So if you were to go online today and look me up, a lot of the stuff you'll find is very rock. My new music that I've been working on is a little bit more in the singer-songwriter/pop realm, kind of like Sara Bareilles/Adele style. I have a little bit of everything going on.

So you do solo work and you also have the trio. How did that come about? How do those two worlds interact?  

Well, I've been doing the solo thing for a long time. I've been in a number of different bands. I love being in bands, it's a lot of fun, but it can also be very hard with scheduling and stuff like that. So, sort of all along the way, when I've been in bands I've also done solo stuff. At some point, around 2013 or so, I just decided, you know what? I'm mostly going to do solo stuff, and that is mostly what I've done.

My trio Bardy Pardy (I know, it's a fun name), we actually met while we were on the cast of the New Jersey Renaissance Faire in 2017. We were just assigned to work with each other to put together a show for the Faire that year, but we ended up gelling so well that we were like, "We should just be a band." So we have been since then, and we actually just finished up in November recording our first album, so we're hoping to release that this spring.

Who are your bandmates in Bardy Pardy?

 Stephanie Krause and Hannah Ward. They're actually both from Pennsylvania, so we're an interstate band. 

Your new music — can you tease us a little bit? What are the songs about? How many tracks are there?

I've been bursting to tell people. I've kept it secret long enough, I feel like. I originally was going to record a new album, and I have recorded enough songs to make an album, but I think I'm probably going to release them as singles instead. So you're going to get a ton of singles over the next few months to a year. So there are 10 new songs. About half of them, I'd say, were written during the pandemic. So they're fairly new. So pretty much unless you've watched one of my livestream shows, you really haven't heard those songs, so that's pretty cool. And then some of them are a little bit older. I've got some what I would call "fan favorite" songs on there, including — this is the weirdest song I've ever written — "The Ballad of the Sausage King."

You'll definitely recognize some songs if you've listen to my music before, but I've got some new stuff as well, and kind of a lot of different genres. We're really playing around with different sounds and things. I have one song that I've put in the '90s rock Alanis Morissette zone, and then I have other ones that are very pretty singer-songwriter-y, and then "The Ballad of the Sausage King" is like a blues song. I have one song that's going to be very much more electronic that's called "No Superhero" which is really cool.

Content-wise, I try to not be too same-y with the topics I cover in my songs, so we've got a lot of different things going on. I have songs that are more story songs. I have songs that are definitely about the way the pandemic affected my mental health, and I'm sure a lot of other people's as well, and then everything in between. No breakup songs, though! I didn't write any breakup songs.

I'm looking forward to hearing the variety!

How would you describe your song creation process? Are you walking along and you get a melody in your head? Do you come up with the lyrics first? Are there any specific things that you like to draw inspiration from? Is it from your own life or do you get inspiration from movies?

It really depends on the song. In the past, I tended to write music first, or more or less do both at the same time and then just fine-tune it after the fact. A lot of my more recent songs, I found myself writing lyrics first, which is funny because it's something I have never, ever done in my entire life. So I was like, "Oh, this is new," and it seems to continue to happen.

There is one song that I wrote, and I actually released a demo of it in 2020, called "The Same Old Mind." I came up with the piano part and then months later wrote lyrics separately, not even thinking about that, and then was like, "Hey, I wonder if those will go together" and they did. So it really depends on the song for order of how I write things.

In terms of inspiration, pretty much always my songs are about myself or somebody close to me. Usually myself. I do have two songs on this new project I've been working on that are straight-up story songs that I got from other places, like "The Ballad of the Sausage King" of course is not a personal story. That's a story inspired by a True Crime documentary I watched. I have another song called "Oppy," which is about a Mars Rover. So those are not about me, but pretty much the rest of them are about me.

So you said you have one song that's inspired by the pandemic. What was your experience through the pandemic? How has that affected your songwriting? Are there any words of advice or encouragement that you have for people who are creative like yourself and could use a little boost?

Yeah, the pandemic definitely was hard on musicians because there were no shows. For 2020, especially, I had a lot of really exciting things lined up that when the cancelation started rolling in, it was very sad for myself and I know for a lot of other people. So at the beginning of the pandemic, I was very disappointed about a lot of things, but then I kind of settled in and was like, "Wow, I have a lot of time." Like back in the day, I spent so much time in my car because I was living half the week with my parents, half the week with my fiancee and I just never had time for myself.

When it was like, "Well, I'm working at home, I have no commitments," I just found myself becoming more creative, actually having time to be like, "Hey, let me write some songs and actually spend time on it and let me be creative about other aspects of my music career. Let me take new photos. Let me do all these things" because I actually had time. So in a way, it was kind of nice to not have a crazy schedule because it allowed me to focus more on my artistry.

The state of the world definitely found its way into my songs. One in particular, which I've been calling "Promise Me", I would have just called it "The 2020 Song." It kind of covers everything that happened, my feelings about it. It's definitely going to be the most rock and roll of my next 10 songs because that's just the feeling that was behind it.

The pandemic, I think, really forced a lot of people to think outside the box in how they could continue on their paths or maybe change their paths. So my advice for anyone who's still trying to find their way is just take it as an opportunity to reinvent yourself and find new places to do things and new avenues because there actually was a lot of opportunity for that over the past two years. Now that things are opening up again, I feel like I actually have a better sense of myself as an artist and where I want to go than I did before all of this happened.

Where have you been recording? Have you been doing things at home or have you been going to a studio? What's that process been like?  

I've been recording with my producer, Tommy Strazza, who I've played a lot of gigs with, like duo gigs and stuff. We've recorded at Volume IV Studios in New Brunswick, the majority of the stuff. Some of it we've done at home. It's been a really fun process getting to work with him. I've also been working with Joshua Van Ness, who played drums. It was just really nice because as a soloist I've heard my songs by myself with piano and guitar and nothing else, and so kind of hearing all of these other instruments bring my songs to life has just been really cool and they got my vision right away. So it's been really fun.

I haven't recorded in a studio for many, many years. My entire last album was done in a home studio. All the stuff I've recorded myself, obviously, was in a home studio. So actually going to like a real music studio again has been cool. It feels very official.

As for Bardy Pardy's album, we've been recording with Dave Pirrocco, who produced my debut album. His studio is JackedCat Productions. That's been a really fun experience, too, because this is actually the first time I've recorded with a band that wasn't just playing my music but we all collaborated on, so that was a lot of fun, too.

What would you say you're most looking forward to in 2022, aside from the pandemic going away and the world returning to "normal"?  

This is going to be the craziest year for me that I've had in a long time, and I feel like that's compounded by the fact that I haven't done anything for two years. But in my personal life, I'm getting married, so I'm very much looking forward to that. Of course, I have so much new music coming out. I'm just putting the finishing touches on my original music. I have some music video ideas lined up, so I'm very much looking forward to filming those and getting my own original music out.

I'm really, really looking forward to Bardy Pardy's album coming out because we did a Kickstarter to fund that album in December 2019 and then the pandemic happened, so it's been a long time coming, and I'm just excited that the world will finally get to hear it.

I have a lot of really exciting shows of my own coming up. My next gig is going to be at The Coffee House in Edison. I'm opening up for The Wag. It's going to be a lot of fun. That's on February 11th.

Bardy Pardy, we're mostly a Renaissance Faire act, so we're going to be playing at a lot of different Renaissance Faires. One really exciting one, which I'm not allowed to say yet because we haven't signed all of the paperwork, but we're going to be traveling quite far for one, so I'm very excited.

My fiance, Eric, started a nonprofit called the Artist Collective Troupe. We're based in Ocean and Monmouth County. It's to support the arts communities within our area, putting on theatrical shows, offering educational opportunities and different things, open mics. Our next show is going to be a musical revue, which is going to be on April 23rd. We're holding auditions, and I'm going to be Music Directing it. It's going to be all songs from your favorite animated movies. So I've got a lot of things happening that I'm very excited about.

I love that! Congratulations on your engagement!

The Artist Collective Troupe, is it a community group?

We're still in the process of becoming official, but we are a nonprofit organization. We had an open mic that we ran in October, and then we did Christmas caroling at several different things during the holidays to raise money for the Ashley Lauren Foundation, which is "Hope and help for children with cancer." So, our goal really is we want to support artists and children and teens who want to get into the arts in various different ways, but then use the events and things that we do to raise money for other local nonprofits. So we're hoping to have our next one go to Make-A-Wish. We're again in the paperwork for that, but we got a lot of good stuff going on. 

Where can people find you, both you as a solo artist and also Bardy Pardy and the new nonprofit?  

There's so many things, right? Well, you can find me on all of the social media — Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. The easiest way to get to it would be through my website, which is ChelseaCarlsonMusic.com.

You can also find us on all the social media for Barty Pardy as well. Our website is BardyPardy.com. As we were founded at a Renaissance Faire playing peasants you can't read, Bardy Pardy is misspelled, so "Pardy" is spelled with a "d", not a "t."

The Artist Collective Troupe, you can find at ArtistCollectiveTroupe.org.  

Is there anyone who you'd like to give a shout-out to?

Oh, there's so many people. I don't know how many I'm allowed to give shout-outs to.

As many as you’d like!

Well, of course, shout-out to Tommy Strazza, who's producing my album. He has a bunch of his own music and he's in a couple of different bands, so check him out.

Joshua Van Ness, who played drums on my album. He's also in The Wag.

I want to give a shout-out to two of my former students who have been releasing music. I've been teaching lessons for over a decade and two of my students who were with me for several years, they're now both in college, just released new music. One is Lauren Onufryk. She just released her debut single "Haircut" on Spotify a couple of weeks ago. Her stage name is Ren. Another one of my former students, Isabelle Tarran, just released her debut EP a few months ago on Spotify and everything, so check them out.

And then just two people that I love to listen to who are local New Jersey girls are Sof, who just released her debut album, "Dawn", and Gina Royal, who has just released a ton of fantastic music over the past year. So check them out.

Do you feel a pride, like a mom pride, of seeing your music students grow and take off?

Oh yeah, so much. One of my students, who's now a freshman in college, texted me last week a YouTube video of a benefit concert that she was in at her college, doing a song that I taught her in lessons like three years ago, and I literally was holding back tears. I was like, "Oh, my baby's all grown up!" because I taught her since she was 11, you know?

My longest-running student that I have now started in 2012, and she's now a junior, I think, in high school, so it's just like... Oh, no, she's a senior! Oh my God, she's a senior in high school! I started teaching her when she was in third grade.

Classroom teachers, you get them for 10 months. I get you for 10 years. Like, I really get to know you by the time we're done.

It's amazing that you've kept busy and also so positive and upbeat.  

I've been lucky. I know a lot of people have not been as lucky as I have over the past year. Even at the height of nobody going out and everything, I was able to continue teaching my lessons on the internet, and I feel like I got to see people as a result of that. Like I saw 30 people a week from teaching. So I was lucky that even though my life kind of came home, it didn't stop. But, yes, it's been a ride, hasn't it? The hardest times, sometimes we come back even better and stronger than before.

Stay connected!

CHELSEA CARLSON

Website: http://www.chelseacarlsonmusic.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cecmusic
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/chelseacarlsonmusic
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/chelseacarlsonmusic
Bandcamp: http://www.chelseacarlsonmusic.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2rW3khB2vAwULlvPfABAXS?si=wK5SyPGsTwimk4G3-_kZpw

"The Seed" - Aurora cover

"Belong" - Original song

BARDY PARDY

Website: http://www.bardypardy.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bardypardy
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bardypardmusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF8YJjhf24yoktd0iwjF91w
Bandcamp: http://www.bardypardy.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5cdFIJ6rLKRUmluZMiI38S?si=aYDKzWryQ5WraEU2wMPlVQ

Bardy Pardy - “The Parting Glass”

Bardy Pardy - “Like Ships Need the Sea”

ARTIST COLLECTIVE TROUPE

Website: http://www.artistcollectivetroupe.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/artistcollectivetroupe
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/artistcollectivetroupe

MUSIC LESSONS

Website: http://www.chelseacarlsonmusiclessons.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chelseacarlsonmusiclessons
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/cecmusiclessons

Interview with Teen Idle

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Thursday, September 30, 2021

Teen Idle is the moniker under which Sara Abdelbarry writes, records and performs her own music. Since the release of her first EP in June of 2020, she has released a handful of singles, and even performed her first show this past August. When I saw Teen Idle, I was enthralled by the atmospheric guitar playing and mood she set with just her vocals and a guitar. Since her recordings include some more studio work, I recently asked Sara about her project, her recording and songwriting process. Thanks again, Sara! 

When did you first start writing your own music?

I’m pretty sure I wrote my first song when I was 15. At the time, I was taking lessons at Lakehouse Music Academy in Asbury and being introduced to and surrounded by so much music. Plus, most of my teachers were in touring bands of their own, so being in such a creative musical environment like that definitely sparked my interest in songwriting. I also owe a lot to the show American Idol, which I used to watch all the time with my family and cousins, for introducing to me a lot of classic ‘70s and ‘80s artists which piqued my interest in songwriting.

Who were your influences when you first started and how have they changed?

My biggest influence was and will always be Fleetwood Mac. All three songwriters in that band are impeccable, the production is intricate and smart, and the songs are super emotional in the best way. I know people who listen to my music might not hear Fleetwood Mac as an obvious influence, given my music sounds quite different from theirs, but I think each member of that band influenced my approach to writing music in a big way: Stevie’s lyricism, Lindsey’s production, and Christine’s melodies and affinity for jazz chords. Sometimes I’ll write something and feel later on that band was a subconscious influence, even if just for the groove and feel of a song. I find myself drawn to the dancy nature of many of their songs in my recent songwriting.

If we’re talking direct sonic influences for my releases as Teen Idle, that’s all over the place just like my music taste. For my first EP and most of the stuff I was writing at that time (2018-2019), there’s a heavy shoegaze and almost slowcore-ish influence. At the time I was really into bands like Beach House, Alvvays, and Slowdive, so the music bears a slight sonic resemblance. That kind of reverb-drenched, dreamy sound with shrouded vocals suited the subject matter I was writing about at the time, like heartbreak, so that just happened naturally. Now, though, I don’t really have an interest in that particular shoegaze sound anymore and want to focus more on lyricism and letting vocals shine. The new stuff definitely still has a ‘90s type influence and dreamy guitars, but I’d say recently I’ve been influenced by artists like Mitski, SASAMI, Japanese Breakfast, and Sharon Van Etten. 

How did last year's lockdown affect your songwriting if at all?

In the beginning, around March, I was super productive and even managed to curate this pandemic compilation with the intention of donating the money to COVID-relief efforts. I ended up getting artists from I think 10 countries on it, made some new international music friends, and contributed a song I wrote at that time, called “When Yr Gone”. That was probably my favorite stretch of the lockdown, if one had to choose. But towards November, I stopped writing songs entirely or even listening to new music really, which wasn’t intentional but just happened. I’m usually always writing and interacting with music, so it was a super weird and depressing time for me. 

Like a lot of us were, I was feeling very down about the fact that I couldn’t be out in the world anymore. I like to be out and about, I like to travel and explore, and I’m a pretty social person who loves to meet new people and go out, so I feel like that part of my life was stolen away, making it hard to feel inspired. My writing typically comes from real life experiences, encounters, or other people’s stories I hear, so in a way I didn’t feel I had anything to write about. I was also more focused on maintaining my mental health than songwriting at that point. It was difficult to get myself out of that place mentally because I felt like I was in a hole for so long. I’m so glad that stuff is all over, and that my mental health is back to being as good as it used to be now that normal life has basically resumed. I did end up writing one or two songs I’m very proud of last winter, so I do cherish those.

What is your songwriting and recording process like?

This will probably be a long-winded answer — usually I’ll start a song with guitar or piano. I’ll usually be noodling around on either instrument, or on rare occasions the bass too, sometimes with the intention of writing a song if I’m feeling a certain way, other times just fiddling around. Then I arrive at a progression I really like and make sure to record it on my voice memos. Once I have that basis, I’ll keep building on the progression. When I feel that I have something there, I’ll start singing random words over the instrument to figure out where I want the melody to go. I’ll work on the melody for each part of the song, sometimes starting with the bridge, sometimes starting with the verse. It also varies because sometimes I’ll have an idea for a bridge that I want to write with strings in it or something and then build the song from there. 

As for lyrics, a lot of the time I’ll keep some of the random words I was singing while figuring out the melody, or just use words that rhyme because they match syllabically. Then once I know exactly what I want the song to be about, I’ll chip away at the lyrics, usually writing them all at once or over a span of a few days. I usually will refine the lyrics until I feel like they get the message across exactly how I intended. 

For production, that doesn’t happen typically until I have a finished demo of a song on guitar or piano on Voice Memos. I have the structure of the song laid out in a demo, I’ll start building it in Logic from the ground up. I like to start with the bare bones: drums, demo vocals, and then guitar and bass. From that point, it happens rather serendipitously and without explanation. I address each part of the song — verse, chorus, bridge, very likely cinematic outro — separately, working to make each part flow into the other and match the emotions the song conveys. I play and record all the live instruments at home myself, except drums which I let a very talented friend do in a separate studio, and use analog sounds with a combo of virtual instruments, synths, and weird Logic presets and effects to get the sound I want. Songwriting is more calculated, whereas in production I feel like it’s more divine intervention, where I let myself go wherever the song takes me. Sometimes I come across sounds I never expected by making mistakes or putting effects in a chain that engineers would scoff at. Then I do a rough mix and send the songs off to a mixing engineer because they do that better. 

What does your project name mean to you?

Teen Idle is a name I had in my back pocket since freshman or sophomore year of high school, I think, after I saw a Marina and the Diamonds song with the same name. I never even listened to the song, but I remember thinking it was an amazing pairing of words, so I never forgot it. I always kind of knew I wanted that to be my band name if I had one in the future. But now that I think about it, I was kind of an idle teenager; not by design, but I didn’t go out of my way to get good grades in high school, never studied, and never really went out either because I was super shy at the time. So the name for me reflects how I was a late bloomer in life, basically blossoming in and after college and coming into my own then.

What is your favorite song you've written? Why?

This is hard to answer, so I won’t answer directly. I think out of the stuff I’ve released, I’m pretty proud of “Dreaming” because it was the first song I ever released. And it was written rather randomly after jazz practice in college one day, but I’m proud of the lyrics and how the song builds based on the same chord progression. I am also really proud of “In the Morning” because I think it’s the most different from the songs on the EP, and “Sometimes” for the build up to the outro at the end.

Plans for the future?

I’m hoping to keep playing gigs in the area and NYC, building my audience locally, and just continuing to release albums I’m proud of and show my growth in my craft.

I just also started producing for other artists, so I‘d like to keep doing that as well as write for more artists I believe in, maybe even producing full albums for artists. In the long term I’d definitely love to write the score for a movie soundtrack, or have a song be in a TV show or movie. I also have some future plans to start a record label.

You can keep up with all things Teen Idle here and listen on Spotify here ! 

Interview with Christian Sparacio. New Music "About Time" and "I Melt With You"

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Friday, April 23, 2021

Christian Sparacio is a singer-songwriter hailing from Marlboro, New Jersey. Since first releasing music on SoundCloud back in 2017, Sparacio has released ten new singles, playing shows to support the tunes. The two latest singles include an original, “About Time”, and a cover of the Modern English hit “I Melt With You”. I got to speak with Christian about his songwriting, producing a music video, and the talented musicians who worked on these tracks with him!

Who did you work with on your newest song “About Time”?

For About Time I worked with Rob Chiarappa at The Barbershop Studios in Hopatcong, NJ! Rob is a mad scientist producer with a crazy ear for pulling the potential out of a stripped down song like “About Time” and making it a production masterpiece. 

When did you write this song? 

I wrote “About Time” about 2 years ago between sessions of watching the movie About Time. About halfway through I got super inspired and wrote it, then about a month before recording I wrote the bridge section which was a cool testament to letting songs grow on the back burner. 

Did you approach this song differently from past releases?

I approached this song a bit differently because it was the first that I went all out on a music video for, and also had a way more experimental experience producing it. I sort of let my eclectic production taste speak in. this one and I am super happy with it. 

Who did you work with for the video? How did you find them?

I worked with Chantel Erin and Peter Dolshun on the video. I found Chantel via an Instagram ad for her production company, and met Peter through Chantel. We all quickly became friends and our creative processes meshed super well. Then we enlisted Clotilda Demauro as an actor through backstage.com and she, too, quickly became a friend. 

Who did you work with for the Modern English cover?

For the “Melt with You” cover, I stayed in the family and worked with Rob's brother Mike Chiarappa at DIMM Studios in Freehold, NJ! We wanted a more live sounding track, and I knew the simpler set up at DIMM and Mike's ear for feel would be perfect.  

What made you choose that song in particular to cover?

Well, I actually grappled and experimented with covers for a few months before settling on this one after my friend Jimmy suggested it. He put it perfectly when saying that the original song has heartfelt lyrics disguised by an upbeat 80's rock arrangement. This was my opportunity to match the music to the lyrics and deliver an authentic reimagination to pack a punch to the feels. I am super proud of this one. 

You can keep up with Christian Sparacio on his website.

Interview with Jonathan Francis. New EP "Borrowed Songs, Vol. 1"

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Jonathan Francis is a singer songwriter based out of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Having cut his teeth in the New Brunswick punk scene with his band, The Moms, their 2019 split led Jon to start working on music under his own name. Jonathan released his “Borrowed Songs, Vol. 1” EP on March 10th, a mix of covers as well as an original, stripped down version of his own track, “Borrowed Song.” This first release is just a fraction of what is to come from Jonathan Francis, having recorded a full band release as well last year with his trusty producer Pete Steinkopf. Jon was kind enough to let me in on the process of making the “Borrowed Songs” EP and the importance of working harder despite the current circumstances. 

When did you first start releasing music under your name?

JF: The first official release was on November 2nd, 2020.  It was my version of Woody Guthrie’s “Tear the Fascists Down” which is part of my new EP, “Borrowed Songs.” I kind of pushed this track ahead of other stuff I’ve been working on because of what was going on in the world.

What was the songwriting process like for your new release "Borrowed Songs"?

The title track, “Borrowed Song” is one that I’ve had forever. I put together this EP which includes 3 covers that resonate loudly these days.

Woody Guthrie, a big influence on the “Borrowed Songs” EP. Listen to “Tear the Fascists Down” on Spotify.

Who did you work with on this release? How did they influence your process?

This one was just myself and Pete Steinkopf (The Bouncing Souls). It was Pete’s idea to turn the whole thing up and ditch the acoustic for the 335, and I’m glad we did.

How has the pandemic affected your songwriting process, if at all?

I’ve been keeping with it and trying to constantly expand my approach, but at the same time feel like I’m just drifting without progress. I know that’s not true, but it’s definitely easy to feel like time is stalled. We don’t do anything the same these days, so the milestones I used to make in my mind with a track are not the same as they once were. Additionally, the lyrical content has been focused in a different direction, naturally, as nothing is the same as it was pre-pandemic.

You released a cover of Woody Guthrie's "Tear the Fascists Down" late last year. Did you plan on digging up older songs for this project, or was that a spontaneous decision due to the state of our country at that point?

It just kind of happened. The songs are all from different decades. I guess they were just resonating with me particularly heavily due to the state of things. The idea to make an EP out of the songs came later. Each of the covers was its own endeavor when I started putting them together.

How have you been maintaining your sanity as a musician over the past year?

Well, I’ve been TRYING to maintain my sanity, but it doesn’t always feel like it’s working. It’s been hard but the three W’s help.... Weed, Water, & Willie. No, but for real, getting outside (even though the Jersey winter is no fun) and playing music with the same intention that I’d have if tomorrow was a show. It was easy to get lost for a while, time seemed even more fleeting, but staying focused on what I love doing makes it feel like there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Now, if I could just remind myself that every morning haha.

Any bands/venues you are looking forward to playing with when shows come back?

Too many bands to name, but where we will play is the bigger question. Punks are resilient, like cockroaches. There will be places to play, but it is a bit anxiety-inducing to wonder where, knowing that so many places have already and will close. It’s pretty scary to say the least. But we’ll be okay.

Photo by Abby Clare.

No Great Pretender Releases Debut Album, "The Piano Project"

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Friday, February 19, 2021

If you’re craving tunes with an indie/folk, singer/songwriter vibe, look no further than No Great Pretender’s debut album "The Piano Project,” which was released today on Spotify and other streaming platforms (via Mint 400 Records). No Great Pretender is the solo project of Eric Sosler (Union City, NJ), who also is a member of the band The Racer. The first music video for the album ("Comfort") also premiered earlier this week on Blood Makes Noise. Check out our interview with Eric, below, to learn more about the inspiration behind his album, what it’s like to solo-crew a music video, and more.

Congratulations on the release of your debut album "The Piano Project" and your music video, "Comfort"! What can you tell us about the inspiration behind this album? How long has it been in the works?

Thank you! I started writing for this album in the beginning of the pandemic. I lost my job as a bartender and had all this extra time and decided this was a great opportunity to start doing something I had been wanting to do for a while. Write and sing my own songs. My own ideas. Being in the band The Racer, it's always been great to be able to write songs in a group setting and all the ideas get molded together, but this was a chance to do something completely on my own. So as bad as the pandemic and quarantining was and is, I am grateful for the opportunity it allowed for me as a songwriter.

Where did you record? Who did you record with?

I am fortunate enough to have a best friend in The Racer, Michael Esserman, who was able to carve out some time to record these songs for me. It was interesting as I was able to send him all the piano tracks in email that were recorded on GarageBand (I have very limited knowledge on all these programs), and he was able to transfer to his ProTools sessions. I was then able to record vocals in his studio, which we did in only a few takes. I am new to singing as a lead vocalist, and I also did not want to strive for perfection on these vocals. I wanted them to flow naturally and for Mike to capture what came out without singing a hundred takes. Of course, I rehearsed and had a game plan for it, but I was curious to see what would come out in real time.

I think Mike did a really good job of enhancing the intimacy of the project. In his words, his vision when presented with the songs was to make it sound like I walked into an empty room and played on an old dusty piano. I am grateful for his work on this!

What was the music-video-making process like?

So, I love making music videos! We have a bunch of videos for The Racer that I love being involved in. The biggest challenge is always what can be done on basically zero budget. The “Comfort” video is a perfect example of this. The goal was to just try and capture all the emotions, uneasiness, discomfort, comfort, pressure of being in front of a camera when trying to perform or interview, or just attempting to stay sane in your own mind.

I was by myself doing this video, so that was unusual and a little weird but still fun (like looking around for someone to laugh with after I just did one of the angry emotion takes). But I just cleared out a section in my home of all the furniture and set a tripod up with my iPhone11 and let loose with all the ideas and went with the flow.

I'm also very proud of this video since I was able to do everything myself, especially the editing. Technology has really advanced in the sense of being user-friendly for people that aren’t the most tech savvy, and something I've been able to do over the course of the pandemic is learn just enough to edit a simple video such as “Comfort” using the iMovie App and VideoLeap App on my phone.

Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? What has your journey been like?

I’m originally from Monroe, NY and always grew up with that New Yorker sense of pride and New Jersey is gross mentality! I moved to Jersey City almost 7 years ago and boy was I wrong. I now consider myself so lucky to be part of this Jersey music community, and I like to think I have made it to the point where I can say I represent New Jersey now! It feels like home to me.

There’s so much going on here with all the arts and music, which has really influenced me in growing as an artist. It’s allowed for me to develop my own ideas and venture off into this solo adventure. Up until now The Racer, the band that I am in and have been in since 2001, has been my only real creative outlet.

The idea of No Great Pretender and me finally writing my own songs came to fruition in the beginning of the pandemic. The name is from the song off of The Roots’ 1996 album, Illadeph Halflife. I love what that name conjures up for me. The imagination. The possibilities of it all. So I don’t want this to be just about music. I want it to represent a creative practicing lifestyle, and I want to continuously grow with it.

How would you describe your musical style? Who are your influences?

I don’t want to be beholden to any one style. I just want it to be me. For “The Piano Project” there’s a ton of influences in the songs. Most notably Gregory Alan Isakov, Justin Vernon, The National, Frightened Rabbit to name a few. I love the sad, melancholy type vibes and it definitely showed up in the songs. I think “indie folk singer songwriter” is what I put down for this album, but the idea of No Great Pretender is ever evolving. I want to collaborate with artists. Do all different types of music. I have really been getting into Jazz and Blues and trying to learn that as much as I can, but I'm open to anything.

Do you have a favorite song on "The Piano Project" and if so, what is it about?

“Hardly Anymore” was the first song I wrote for this solo idea. So in the beginning, I was just so proud of it and kept playing it all the time so I wouldn’t forget it and of course loved it for that purpose alone.

Over time, “Comfort” has stepped into a nice role for me. I think the video enhanced it for me. I really let that vulnerability feeling out on that one so it’s developed into something special personally for me. I'm not used to being the focal point.

What are your goals, personally or professionally, for 2021? What are you most looking forward to?

I just want to keep growing as an artist. Keep improving and learning from others. I’ve learned a lot during this pandemic time period and mostly that I don’t know a lot! So I just want to keep improving and keep creating as much as possible. I’m looking forward to playing live music in whatever capacity. Although, I am worried about my nerves getting the best of me, so I will have to rehearse a lot for it!

Finally, how can people find you?

You can find me at:
www.instagram.com/no_great_pretender
www.nogreatpretender.com

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

“Cause I'm the soul avenger, remember I'm no great pretender” - Lyrics from “No Great Pretender” by The Roots’ Illadelph Halflife. I love that line in the song.

Interview with Cara Introcaso

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Wednesday, January 8, 2019

Cara Introcaso is a 23-year-old singer/songwriter based out of Middletown, New Jersey. Her first EP, Post Grad, was released late 2019 featuring seven original tracks. Self-described as “all over the place” when it comes to having a definitive genre, Post Grad has something for every type of music fan. Since the release of Post Grad, Cara has been performing throughout Monmouth County, both solo and with a band. I recently reached out to Cara to ask her about writing and recording her first release. Thanks again, Cara!

When did you first start releasing music?

I started recording music on my own when I was 17—putting out covers. The first cover I recorded was a piss-poor version of "An Illustration of Loneliness" by Courtney Barnett. I wrote and recorded my first original song called "Apples" when I was 18, which I did in my college dorm room. I hated that song, and promptly set it to private on my SoundCloud, and continued on to write a few more originals that I posted. Some are still up there, what have I got to hide? We all start somewhere.

Who were your influences for this release?

This is a difficult question for me… every artist has a "sound" and I'm not too sure that I've found mine yet. I like writing songs that are jazzy, like Amy Winehouse and Norah Jones, just as much as I like writing indie songs, like Pavement and Built to Spill, just as much as I’d LIKE to write intricate musical arrangements seen in the stylings of my favorite artists, Radiohead and Wilco. I even enjoy toying with synth-y stuff and making beats. Gun to my head, I probably (definitely) could not come up with a genre that I’m going for, which is mirrored in the songs that I released, and the reception that I received in that all of my friends had a different “favorite.” It’s kind of all over the place, but then so is my taste, so I suppose the short answer is “I’m really not sure.”

What was the writing process like for Post Grad?

As the name suggests, all of these songs were written in the one year following my graduation from college. Anyone can attest to the fact that it is a tumultuous, confusing, sometimes disheartening time, getting out there and assuming your responsibilities as an adult. I really hated my first job in New York City, with a burning passion, and became all existential about the confines of the working world and the whole rat-race rigamarole, and had about one hour each day after my commute to do something that I enjoyed until I quit that job. Many times I took my frustrations out by writing songs, and 4 out of the 7 I wrote and recorded all in one night.

Some are reflective of that – I wrote “Modern Thing” on the bus ride home, observing people’s reactions to our bus being broken down for 2 hours. I wrote “Conversation starter” in the midst of my unemployment, after driving to a parking lot alone with a keyboard and my mic and recorded it right then and there – I mostly did this because I read that Will Toledo from Car Seat Headrest used to do the same for his first few solo albums. In “Devandra” (I was listening to a lot of Devandra Banhart at the time) it’s kind of a nihilistic, sarcastic ode to being in a rut, and “Pull me in” was really just me fucking around when I was wine drunk and really emotional one night (I didn’t even write down those lyrics, I just made the track and sang whatever I felt like over it).  And of course, you gotta have the love songs, which are seen in “Cool jazz,” “UDKB” and “Mindspace.” I write lyrics first, like a poem, and then figure out how I want it conveyed in the music.

How did you record this release? Advantages/disadvantages?

Hah. I recorded all of it on GarageBand, with a microphone that my friend Baha got for me (he also lent me his keyboard), a Scarlett USB recording interface, and my guitars. I did all of the mixing and editing myself, and the majority of the instrumentation myself. It has its ups and downs – I know how to play guitar, piano, bass, drums, and sing, so it’s cool to release something that was wholly my own. But, if I had the opportunity to record in a studio with other people, I’m sure it could’ve sounded more finished. It’s my first EP, so I guess it’s fitting that it has that bedroom-DIY imperfection to it. That being said, the reason it took me so long to release any of these songs is that I was never (and still am not) totally happy with how they sound, so I’ll probably seek out studio time for the next one.

Who else played on Post Grad?

I wrote “UDKB” with three of my best friends—Jack Killilea played the drum track on an electric drum kit, which was really fun to watch if you know the kid at all. He also came up with the chord structure for the guitar part, and Justin (Clappsy) did guitar fills in the background which, in my opinion, makes the song. I didn’t feel like writing a second verse, so I had Nick Mitwasi rap over it—everyone who took the time to listen to his lyrics let me know that they thought it was hilarious, on top of the fact that the kid can rap. The song is a bit fluffy for my taste in terms of the lyrics, but it was just fun to write and record with my pals so it’s still one of my favorites. Jack also came up with the chord structure on the verse of “Cool jazz,” and other than that it was all me.

What does this project mean to you?

Oh we’re gonna dig deep now, huh? I have been playing, performing and studying music and musicians since I was in elementary school, and it’s an integral part of who I am. I always wanted to do more than I was doing because I never had my own band… I always played with different people and would take any opportunity to perform throughout high school and college (remember that time I filled in for 2 gigs on bass with your first band, Deaglan?). I never even entertained the idea of going to school for something music-related, because my left-brain is just as decisive as my right-brain, so in my adult life music has been my hobby, my passion, and a creative outlet, but not my career. The benefit of working full time is that my own stability is not contingent upon the music that I make, so it never has to become stressful, even if I do get jealous of those whose main gig is… playing gigs. So first and foremost, this project means a lot to me in terms of having something to share with people who may not get to see me play, or have only heard me play covers, and to have had something to work on so that I didn’t fall victim to complacency and stop creating my own music.

For me personally, this was like one long diary entry for the most transitional phase of my life this far. Shit’s hard! I spend a lot of time contemplating and had a series of existential crises and fell out of love then in love and considered about 18 different career paths and a lot of the time I wanted to rip my hair out—and I’m a pretty optimistic person! I watched people I love go through the same thing, and all of it was just very real and I love that I could create something out of all those feelings I felt. Listening to it now brings me back to the moment in time when I wrote them, and now that I’m out of that rut it’s nice to go back and recall those memories.

Favorite song you have written so far?

My favorite song on this project is “Conversation starter.” Though I mainly perform on the guitar, I love the piano, and that song came out of me like a brain dump. I hate songs with fluffy lyrics, with cliché idioms all angsty and whatnot, and the lyrics on this song are probably the only ones I’m completely satisfied with on Post Grad.

Interview with Jake Benjamin

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Last night, Saddle River singer-songwriter Jake Benjamin celebrated the release of his newest single, “4 Hours”, with a show at Rockwood Music Hall in New York. Earlier this year, he also released another new song, "Bound to You.” The two are part of a what will become a “loop pedal trilogy.” You can catch Jake peforming live at Mercury Lounge on January 20 (click here for tickets). In the meantime, check out our interview, below, to learn about the inspiration behind his music.

What's your name, where are you from, where are you based now?

My name is Jake Benjamin, and I am an independent singer-songwriter from Saddle River, NJ. I am currently stationed in Manhattan.

How would you describe your sound?

I would describe my sound as a blend of indie-pop with jazz tendencies.

Who are your musical influences?

My writing has been influenced by artists across many different genres like Damien Rice, Becca Stevens, Björk, Imogen Heap, Mat Kearney, and Bon Iver. I love listening to so many different songwriters who have extremely different approaches to writing and producing their own music.

Congratulations on the success of your single, “Bound to You.” What was the inspiration behind this song?

Thank you so much! "Bound to You" started off as a composition assignment I had toward the end of grad school. Since I had been performing with a vocal loop pedal, my instructor had asked me to compose a loop pedal tune for a class demonstration. After the class demonstration had gone by, I had this wordless composition. Towards the end of my Master's degree, I had a date with this girl one night and after I had gotten home, I started to think about what it would be like to find someone I really found a connection with. I decided to write a stream of consciousness and by 3AM, I had turned the words in my mind into the lyrics of “Bound to You.”

Photography by JMBOESPHOTO.

Tell us a bit about your creative process. Which comes first for you, the melody or the lyrics?

It's kind of a toss up regarding which comes first. It just depends on when I have a concept presented because sometimes it'll be a motif or a type of groove and other times it'll be a lyrical hook.

Is there anyone who you actively collaborate with, or would like to collaborate with in the future?

Well, for “Bound to You” and the next two singles, I had the opportunity to collaborate with my college friends Gabe Berenbaum and Russell Pollack on producing these loop pedal compositions. This is one of the reasons why I love being in NYC, there are so many talented artists that are so open to collaboration. I don't have a single musician I work with all the time, but I do have a few colleagues I love to jam and bounce ideas off of to try and make some new songs happen.

Listen on Spotify.

You just had a new single drop on December 6th, "4 Hours." What can you tell us about the inspiration behind it?

“4 Hours” is the second song of this loop pedal trilogy. It's a song with melancholic and dark themes that came from a very vulnerable time in my life. It really serves as the emotional foil to “Bound to You” where the expectation in an incredible moment with someone turns into obsession. It's a rather difficult moment for me to relive when I play this live because this song is tethered to a connection that happened a year ago in a snowstorm.

What has you personal journey been like so far? How’d you get to this point?

It's been a whirlwind to be honest, which is a mix of the good and the rough times. I'm proud of myself for having the guts to keep moving forward even when the gigs haven't been successful. I'm also extremely grateful to have met some of the most amazing people and musicians in New York City and have a network of the most supportive family and friends. I think the challenge for me is making sure that I am not a critic of myself. I tend to get in my head a lot when writing and performing and it does nothing but hinder the artistic process.

Photography by JMBOESPHOTO.

Do you have any words of advice for people who share a similar passion or have maybe faced similar obstacles/challenges?

The only thing I can say is something that my professor told me when I first started gigging: if you feel like your voice should be heard, then nothing should stop you from pursuing a life of an artist.

Finally, what are some ways that fans can connect with you online?

Yes! You can reach me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jakebenjmusic) and Instagram (@jakebenjmusic). I also have a website which is www.jakebenjaminmusic.com. My released music, "Bound to You" and my EP Finally Back Home are available for your ears on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and most major streaming and digital music platform.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Thank you so much for the opportunity for this interview. I'm so glad to represent my New Jersey roots as an artist and I hope to make you all proud!

Sean Kiely to Perform at Cathedral Arts Live (Nov 22)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted November 13, 2019

Jersey City’s music scene is continually blossoming, due in part to Cathedral Arts Live, a monthly live music series launched by Grace Church Van Vorst five years ago to celebrate diversity in music-making while also strengthening community. On Friday, November 22, Cathedral Arts Live will welcome singer-songwriter Sean Kiely and singer-songwriter Abbie Gardner to its stage. Check out our interview with Sean, below, to learn about his musical influences, what to expect at the upcoming Cathedral Arts Live show, and how New Jersey’s awesome community of artists are supporting one another. To purchase tickets to the show, please visit cathedralartslive.org.

What's your name, where are you from, where are you based now?

Sean Kiely, born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, raised in Bergen County, residing in Jersey City for nearly 12 years.

How would you describe your sound? Who are your musical influences?

I’m drawn to music that sustains a feeling or emotion for the length of a song, and that's what I try to do in my writing. I typically play in acoustic configurations where a rotating group of musicians can express themselves and improvise in that context. My music is influenced by folk, jazz, and experimental music. Some of my musical heroes are the Grateful Dead, Leonard Cohen, Gillian Welch, Bonnie Prince Billy, Joanna Newsom, The Bad Plus, Yo La Tengo, Bill Callahan, Cass McCombs, The Beatles, and many more!

From “It Sure Was Good” [2018]
Animation: Hannah Subotnick

You have an upcoming performance with Cathedral Arts Live. What are you most looking forward to? What can people expect?

I’m really looking forward to sharing the bill with Abbie Gardner – we’ve played together quite a lot in a traditional bluegrass setting (she sits in with my bluegrass band The Go Bailers often at our 3-years-running Wednesday night residency at The Archer in Jersey City), but this will be a treat to play our original music on the same night. The acoustics are special at Grace Church Van Vorst, it’ll be a thrill to sing and play in that room. At least from me, I’d say people can expect some sad songs that are cut through with humor and hope.

How did you hear about Cathedral Arts Live? What are your thoughts about New Jersey's music scene?

I’ve attended a few shows in the series, including Walter Parks and the Hudson West Folk Festival. It’s really well-curated and I’m honored to be included this year. As far as the NJ music scene goes, I love living and playing in Jersey City – there are a bunch of fantastic venues around town now that weren’t here even five years ago, like Fox & Crow, The Archer, Pet Shop, and FM.

Photography by Anthony Mulcahy

What has your personal journey been like so far? How’d you get to this point?

I play and listen to a wide range of styles of music, so my journey has been full of a lot of detours and crooked lines. The thing I’m most proud of is the company of musicians that I keep, who all play in a way that’s present, joyful, playful, and beautiful. I have a difficult time staying present and in the moment in my life, so I cherish that creative space we’ve made together (myself, Bobby McCullough, Dave Heilman, Rob Hecht, Jonny Lam, Jeff Taylor, Jesske Hume, Zac Colwell, Maddie Witler, and more).

Do you have any words of advice for people who share a similar passion or have maybe faced similar obstacles/challenges?

Find gigs and play a lot. Try and be prepared, but the best way to find yourself is by being open to the moment and playing all the time. Play with a lot of different kinds of people and kinds of musicians.

Finally, what are some ways that fans can connect with you online? (Website? Facebook? Spotify? Etc.?)

seankielymusic.com
instagram.com/sean0sean
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2KdSg93

DOWNLOAD: http://bit.ly/MONUMENTS

All proceeds to benefit RAICES (https://www.raicestexas.org) All musicians and engineers generously donated their time and energy to this recording so that all funds raised from it be donated to RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to under-served immigrant children, families, and refugees.

Interview with Rory D'Lasnow

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Bergen County singer-songwriter Rory D’Lasnow has been part of New Jersey’s music scene for well over a decade. He recently performed a solo acoustic set as part of Asbury Park PorchFest, earlier this month he was interviewed on Danny Coleman’s ROCK ON RADIO, and he also recently shot a music video for his new single “Never Be Mine” featuring Jamie McClanahan of The Victory Drive (coming soon). Rory released his first EP When All is Fading in 2011, followed by an Acoustic EP in 2015. Last month, he formed a new alternative rock band, Black Rose Revival. Check out our interview with Rory, below, to learn about his journey and the inspiration behind his music.

What’s your name, where are you from originally, and where are you based now?

My name is Rory D'Lasnow. I'm originally from Englewood, NJ and grew up there for sixteen years. I spent some time in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and California - but now I'm back in North Jersey over in Teaneck. The people are a lot friendlier everywhere else (just kidding), but my heart is here.

Tell us about your musical background. You do a bit of everything -- singing, songwriting, and playing multiple instruments.

I have been singing, playing guitar, and writing songs since I was in kindergarten but picked up the guitar upside down and backwards - which is how I still hold it. I actually recently found a home video of my father, who also played guitar, encouraging me to turn the guitar right side up as a little boy, but I seemed to gravitate toward playing it wrong - with the low E string at the bottom, not at the top. I also play a little piano.

How would you describe your genre/style?

I would say I gravitate between an acoustic singer-songwriter style and a harder alternative rock vibe, especially with my band - Black Rose Revival.

Who are your influences?

My influences are pretty varied. I grew up on The Beatles, Everly Brothers, John Fogerty, and other older music. I would say my music is influenced by them to a large extent - but I also am inspired by some more modern rock like Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Say Anything, and Jimmy Eat World.

What's the inspiration behind your music?

A lot of my inspiration for my music comes from things that have impacted me in life. I often explain to people that I lost my mother when I was fourteen and this strongly shaped my world view and provided a lot of the ideas behind some of my sadder songs. I write a lot about love - shocking, I know - as well. I aim primarily to write songs about things that touch us on a deeper level, but hopefully in a way that hasn't been done a hundred times before.

How has it progressed over time?

I would say my music has progressed in that my songs have become a bit more contemplative. My first song was called "Nana's Still Askin' For Milk" about how my grandmother was displeased with what my father and I had picked up from the grocery store. I hope I address more complex issues than that these days, but then again - that definitely was a difficult topic ha!

How do you hope people will feel when they listen to your music?

My sincerest wish is that people feel something when they hear my music. Some of my greatest joy has come from people walking up to me and saying that one of my songs resonated with them. I do have simple pop songs, too, but I probably most value the songs that are raw and emotional.

What has your personal journey been like? When did you discover that you loved music?

As I alluded to before, I've actually been playing guitar since I was a little kid. My mom and dad encouraged me to play little concerts at the Englewood Library or Borders Books (back when they were in business), and I often participated in talent shows on cruises when I was younger, as my mother was a travel agent and we used to get discounts. This kind of love of performing was instilled in me at a young age. Music has been in my life since I was a little boy, and I was about as Beatles-obsessed as they come (I was Team John, now I'm more of a Paul guy!). I would listen to anything I could get my hands on, and I think I knew right out of the gate that music was my passion.

What are your goals as an artist? What would you like to accomplish by the end of this year?

I would say my primary goal is just to reach as many people across as many places as I can. Music to me is about connection and people are what make life so interesting, so I most look forward to sharing my experiences and sharing in others experiences along the way.

On a more practical level, I hope to be able to be a self-sustaining original music artist. I recently made the jump to becoming a full-time musician, and I've found that playing cover gigs has been financially sustainable for now (knock on wood) and has really helped me stay sharp. That said, as much as any songwriter would respect a song like “Sweet Caroline” - eventually you do tire a bit of playing it!

Who would you like to meet?

As far as people I'd like to meet - I'd say if you're reading this interview - I'd like to meet you! In all seriousness, there isn't one kind of person so to speak. I've found that no matter what your background or where you're from, there are often more commonalities than differences between us. That shared human experience is what makes connecting with others so special.

Are there any artists, bands, or producers who you'd love to collaborate with one day?

Boy, as far as collaboration goes - the list is long! I'm sure I, along with everybody else, would dream to some day work with Paul McCartney. I also greatly admire a lot of the musicians I listen to - Max Bemis of Say Anything, Hayley Williams of Paramore, Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Ben Platt, Regina Spektor. I'm one of those people who really delves into what inspires people and what peoples' stories are. I'm not writing fan fiction or anything (though if you're into it - I can't knock it!) but I do enjoy trying to get to know the people behind my favorite songs.

Do you have any shows coming up?

On Friday 11/15, I'll be taking part in a Citywide Charity Event sponsored by NorStep Productions down at Bourre in Atlantic City. On Wednesday 11/20, I'll be at Havana in New Hope, PA as part of Pat Foran's Music Showcase, and the next day - Thursday 11/21 - I'll be opening for Nick Clemons at Crossroads in Garwood, NJ with Mike Rocket.

What words of advice or encouragement would you give to someone who wants to follow a similar passion, or is maybe facing obstacles similar to what you've faced?

Oh man - I actually have a lot to say about this. I spent almost ten years second guessing music as a career path. Please - don't doubt yourself. If you love something - pursue it with reckless abandon. And here's the biggest reason why (besides all of the YOLO stuff I could say and the preaching I could do about how life is too short): things do get easier.

If something scares you because you've never done it before - well guess what - it's only the first time ONCE. For the longest time I thought "Oh, I want to play in Hoboken, but I'm kind of nervous." I started with open mic’s and met some of the best people I've ever known. Then breaking into NYC a bit seemed like an insurmountable obstacle. Now I play shows in New York all the time and have come across tons of wonderful people over the course of different events I've attended. I'm hardly the world's biggest success story and I hope my journey isn't close to its end yet, but at the end of the day I think I embody pretty well the idea that you should just go for it because the pieces come together along the way. What is at one point anxiety-provoking and replete with possible obstacles can often become second nature. And then - it's a lot of fun.

Black Rose Revival

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I'd just like to say, please don't hesitate to reach out - not just about music! I'd love to hear from you as I love people as much as I love music. And keep an eye out for my new band, Black Rose Revival. We just got started last month, but it's myself with three other veterans of the NJ Music Scene - Phil Beam and Roy Brunston of RESURGE and Sergio Arsenio on drums.

Where can people find you online? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube, etc.

The best place for people to reach me is Instagram (instagram.com/rorydlasnow) or on my band account (instagram.com/blackroserevivalofficial).

My music pages are also on Facebook (facebook.com/rorydlasnowmusic) and (facebook.com/blackroserevivalofficial).

I have a couple of solo EPs and a single on Spotify and SoundCloud under my name and hopefully some BRR tunes will be to come as well.

Youtube and Twitter I have been trying to use more, but both are similarly able to be found by looking up Rory D'Lasnow or my band name, Black Rose Revival.

In addition, my official website, rorydlasnow.com, has a comprehensive list of all of the events I'll be a part of with press links/photos/videos etc - all that good stuff. Thank you for your time!

~

You can also listen to Rory’s music on Soundcloud, Spotify, and YouTube.

Sammy Kay – “Civil/War” (Album Review)

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Sunday, October 13, 2019

“If there is one thing this past year has taught me, it's the true meaning of the word ‘Unconditional.’” This was part of a eulogy Sammy Kay spoke to a crowded AP Brewery last May, in between new songs that would be on his next album, Civil/War.  Five months later, Civil/War has been released into the world, and I truly believe we are all better off for it.

Civil/War is an album unlike anything we have heard from Kay before.  While his previous records included influence from ska and roots rock, C/W is a much more stripped back record.  Calling upon local musicians and friends from Nashville, TN, Kay is accompanied by lap steel guitar, organ, piano and bone chilling harmonies (e.g. “Thoughts and Prayers"). This record was also recorded at Little Eden by the great Pete Steinkopf, another crucial member of the New Jersey music scene.  Additionally, this album was helped funded in part by fellow fans and friends throughout the world.

            Civil/War is a heavy album.  While album opener “Silver Dollar” invites you with its major chords and harmonica, the mood starts to change almost immediately after.  “Thoughts and Prayers” is a title alone that criticizes the way people handle heavy situations these days.  The album deals with depression, self-doubt, loss, just about any pain you can imagine.  Though the topics and stories may be heavy, the songs provide a deep sense of comfort.  The album ends with “Orange Swirl”, the perfect crescendo to cap off the album, leaving the listener to reflect on “fireflies and summer nights.”

            Do yourself a favor and listen to Civil/War as soon as possible, and tell your friends and family that you love them.  

Interview with Jackie June

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Friday, October 4, 2019

South Amboy’s Jackie June is an alt-pop singer/songwriter who is set to release her newest music video for her single “Wildflower” later this month on YouTube. She will also be opening for ‘80s pop icon Tiffany at Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, NJ on October 19th (click here for tickets).

We were fortunate to be able to connect with Jackie June and ask her about the inspiration behind her song, as well as her thoughts about her upcoming performance. Be sure to tune into Jackie June’s YouTube channel on October 16th when her music video for “Wildflower” goes live, and in the meantime head on over to www.jackiejunemusic.com to stay up-to-date on everything Jackie June.

What's your name, where are you from, where are you based now?

I am Jackie June and I am originally from Toms River, NJ but currently reside in South Amboy, NJ.

How would you describe your sound? Who are your musical influences?

I would say I am alt-pop, others might say singer/songwriter. I definitely have a pop vibe but with more moody, emotional lyrics, haha. My musical influences tend to come from the late ‘90s/early 2000s — Singer/Songwriters like Michelle Branch and Hanson. I am also influenced by more current artists like Lady Gaga, Marianas Trench, Pink, etc.

Congratulations on the release of your new music video for “Wildflower.” What's the inspiration behind the song? Which came first for you, the melody or the lyrics?

Thank you! I am super excited about this one. "Wildflower" is the title track off my debut EP. It's definitely my most fun, upbeat song to date. It's celebratory. I wanted to write a song about being misunderstood, but I didn't want it to be sad. I wanted it to be uplifting. Wildflowers are strong, vibrant and beautiful. Maybe not the most traditional flower or even the most perfect, but they grow wild and free in the strangest of places. Personally, I can relate to wildflowers and I think others can, too. For this song, the concept came first. I knew what I wanted to write about and had a few melody ideas and a few lyric ideas. I brought these ideas to Jes Hudak, who co-wrote the song with me, and she helped me make it the song that it is now! I am really proud of this one and it wouldn't be the song it is without her.

Tell us about the music video-making experience. What filmmaker did you work with, and where can we see more of their work? Who's featured in the video? Where was it filmed?

Oh man, it's SO much fun but also incredibly exhausting. Haha! I worked with Anthony Corvyx of Vyxen Visions. He is a brilliant artist, videographer, and director. You guys really need to check out his stuff. Joey Dean assisted with the video as well. He is also an insanely talented artist. Definitely check out his band called Pros & iCons! As far as the band in the video, we have Jon Loree on Drums, Chris Dubrow on Bass, Tre Davis on Keys, and Dominic Zamora on Guitar. We filmed the video at Fenix Studios in Staten Island, NY. They had the perfect big white room!

You also have a show coming up in Teaneck where you'll be opening for Tiffany. Very cool! What has your journey been so far that's led you up to this point?

Yes, I am opening for Tiffany at Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck on October 19th. This is probably my biggest gig to date, and I am so excited about the opportunity! I even found my Tiffany vinyl record from the late 80s!! This music journey has been a whirlwind. I released my first single in August 2018 and since then have been gigging a lot, did a small tour around the northeast, filmed 2 music videos, and release my debut EP. I spent a long time fighting this passion for music and I guess I am making up for lost time, haha. I just feel really lucky to be doing any of this. It's really a dream come true.

Do you have any words of advice for people who share a similar passion or have maybe faced similar obstacles/challenges?

Do it. Don't spend your life wondering "what if.” I have found the more I challenge myself and do things I am scared of, the more awesome things happen. It's worth the risk.

Finally, what are some ways that fans can connect with you online? (Website? Facebook? Spotify? Etc.?)

My website is www.jackiejunemusic.com. I am on Facebook and Instagram — JackieJuneMusicNJ. My EP is available on all streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc. I also have a YouTube channel!

Interview with Olivia Rohlfs

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Tuesday, August 27, 2019

For fans of - Death Cab For Cutie, Boygenius, Sharon Van Etten

Olivia Rohlfs is a singer-songwriter based out of Bergen County. Having recently obtained a music degree from Monmouth University, Olivia assembled a band and headed straight to the studio. Its efforts will be her debut release, sometime in 2020. In the meantime, you can listen to a live session of her latest track “June 8th” on her YouTube channel. Olivia was kind enough to answer a few questions about her new project. Thanks again!

What is your background in music?

I like to think that music runs in the family... My grandmother was a singer, and my grandfather was a professional pianist who ran with the likes of George Gershwin and Irving Berlin during his day. Unfortunately, they both passed while I was young, so I never really got to press them for stories of their glory days, but I definitely think that I’ve inherited whatever made them both gravitate towards music. I didn’t really appreciate music too much as a kid— I loathed playing the clarinet and oboe in the band because it was the farthest thing from cool. It wasn’t until late high school that I bought a guitar off eBay and started to teach myself just enough to cover my favorite songs. I’ve become somewhat of an instrument hoarder since I bought that first guitar, and typically alternate between guitar, piano, ukulele, and mandolin.  

Fast-forward to present day, and I actually have my Bachelor’s degree in the Business of Music from Monmouth University. I spent most of my time in college attending, playing, and hosting house shows with the talented friends I’ve made in Asbury Park’s flourishing music scene. I’ve interned for local labels like Sniffling Indie Kids in New Brunswick doing everything from digital marketing to website design and PR. I’ve played in bands with friends for Monmouth University’s record label, and hosted a weekly radio show on Monmouth’s radio station, WMCX 88.9. After graduation, I took an assistant job at Hearst Communications in NYC to get a handle on my student loans but still find myself spending every spare minute that I have spent consuming, playing, or writing music.

When did you first start writing your own music?

This is sort of an embarrassing question for me to answer because I feel like I’m such a late bloomer with my songwriting. I only started writing my own stuff in 2017. After years of simply covering my favorite musicians and attending their shows, I would always walk away thinking, “I could write like that” or “I could do that.” It’s only now that I’m actually getting around to it. “Time You Knew”, which will be on the record, was actually the first song that I ever finished. I’m pretty proud of it considering it’s my first. The only reason that I actually wrote it in the first place was because another musician had been writing songs about me and I felt inclined to return the favor—so thanks to that guy!  

Who are your influences? 

The list of artists that I love runs long. My first CD that I got as a kid was a Beach Boys Sounds of Summer album. Growing up, my parents played a lot of Bruce Springsteen, Beatles, and Tom Petty, so those classics remain some of my favorites. Some modern artists that I love are all over the place… Phoebe Bridgers, Maggie Rogers, Your Smith, Haim, Kacey Musgraves, Vulfpeck, Anderson .Paak, Bleachers, Margaret Glaspy, The 1975— I could go on, but I’ll spare you. 

How long have you been working on this upcoming release?

 These songs have existed since 2017, but we finally went into the studio for the first recording session this July. I wrangled a few of my friends to back me as my band, and we’ve finished almost half of the record already. “Time You Knew” and “June 8th” are the first two tracks that I’ve been holding onto for a while. With those two in the bag, we have a couple sessions left to round out the record with a few more songs. It doesn’t have a name or a release date yet, but I’m figuring it all out as I go. I’ll likely release a single while wrapping up the loose ends of the record. My fingers are crossed for a release in the late fall of 2019 or early 2020… 2020 has a nice ring to it.

What musicians did you work with?

The best part about being a music major in college is that your school pals quickly become some of your favorite musicians. I was lucky enough to have Owen Flanagan (drums & percussion), Justin Murray (lead guitar), and Jon Bass (bass) as my wrecking crew. Owen is a top lad, my former roommate, and one of the most sought-after drummers in NJ. If you’re out at a bar on a Saturday night where there’s live music, the odds are pretty good that Owen’s there on drums. I still remember playing “Time You Knew” for him and my other roommates in our living room the day that I wrote it because I was so excited. We joked that whenever I needed a drummer that I’d come after him, so he’s really been in it from the beginning. Justin & Jon are two peas in a pod that lived around the corner from Owen and I when we were in school. We always had a lot of fun together and I admired their musicianship when I watched them play in other bands. When it came down to picking musicians to work with, this crew seemed like the obvious choice. 

Where are you recording? What made you choose this place?

We are recording with Adam Vaccarelli of Retromedia Sound Studios in Red Bank, NJ. It seems like everyone and their mother has been going there to record, and I’ve liked everything that I’ve been hearing. Jon, Justin, and Owen had all recorded there multiple times over with their own projects, so I trusted their referral. I finally got to see what all the fuss was about, and Adam lived up to his reputation. He’s a cool dude who really knows what he’s doing, and has some awesome gear in the studio. He is so easy to work with and fosters a really fun vibe in his space. 

Self-releasing? What is that like?

Adam will be mixing and mastering the whole project, with me hanging over his shoulder adding touches here & there. My obsession with perfection can be crippling and it’s really hard for me to leave good enough alone. I think that’s why I’ve put off releasing anything up to this point—I’m afraid it won’t live up to my own expectations. I’m very happy with how it’s going so far, and hopefully the music will speak for itself once it’s out there in the world. I plan to self-release the record… I really couldn’t care less about the numbers that it does on Spotify or anything like that. I’m simply putting the music out there for the people that have come up to me after I finish playing a set to ask where they can find “that one song”. I’ve grown tired of telling them to look me up on YouTube because that’s the only place my original music exists as of right now. My family and friends have generously gushed over the songs that I’ve played for them, and I’m over the moon that I can finally share my music for real this time.

~

You can keep up with Olivia Rohlfs and new music on her YouTube channel.

Interview with Freddie Koechlin (Rainville)

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Thursday, July 25, 2019

Rainville is the latest project from Freddie Koechlin, based out of Red Bank, New Jersey. Freddie also plays bass and sings in America Part Two, a rock outfit also based out of Red Bank. However, Rainville seems to be a departure from the raucous sounds of AP2. Rainville’s latest single, “More Than Anything”, appears to be a step in the singer/songwriter direction. With beautiful finger picked guitar and a passionate vocal take, Freddie proves he is more than capable of quieting down when he is not playing with AP2. Freddie was kind enough to answer a few questions I had about Rainville for Jersey Indie. Thanks again!

What made you choose "Rainville" as the name of your new project?

Rainville is actually my Mom’s maiden name. Since this project is all solo material so far, the name Rainville definitely fits for me and helps paint a vibe.

How did Rainvile start?

2 years ago my band America Part Two/friends moved into a house with each other. We influenced each other because we wrote and jammed every single day. We usually write as a unit which in return helps us find who we are as songwriters individually.

How do you approach songwriting for Rainville compared to America Part Two? 

I think America Part Two writes best in our live energy. I think it’s amazing and most fun when one of us will bring a little idea to practice, it allows the 3 of us to do our thang. For Rainville I prefer to write completely alone. I’ll write in the house, at the park etc... but I most enjoy when I can write and release all my thoughts and energy alone.

What does Rainville mean to you? As a project and a name?

Rainville means everything to me. It’s my family name, and I chose it to represent myself and the group because I do really like it and it’s honoring the fam. This project is intended to help document and understand my family’s history. It’s to promote positivity and I’d hope to show any other weirdos like my friends and I, that the answer is in the art and helping others.

Tell me about your latest single, "More Than Anything." Who did you record with? What was that like? What does this song mean to you? Why did you choose this to be the first Rainville release?

I recorded with Stephen Kellner from NJ! Steve and I recorded a bunch of songs, some that I still hope to finish soon! We tracked 9 songs in 3 days. Steve produced, engineered and mastered. For “More Than Anything” we rigged up a mic on the floor and a mic for my guitar. I live tracked the guitar and my foot stomps... we tracked vocals after. When I was writing this song it was one of those moments where you feel your life changing, and I felt cleansed from the feelings/emotions the very song captured. I released it first because it felt like my true first song.

What is it like recording all of your own instruments compared to playing with a band?

For any full band song I would much rather live-track drums, bass and guitar (recording in the same room at the same time) then... overdub vocals and other guitars.

I feel that captures the live experience as best as possible while also keeping that audible quality. For Rainville, I’m working to get to the point of live-tracking guitar and vocals and then layering the rest. “More Than Anything,” for example, I tracked guitar... then vocals. 

Any plans for full band shows?

We are hopefully gonna jam more full band shows for the rest of eternity! Also keep an ear open for new music! I’m finishing up a lot of new stuff in the studio with Rob Chiarappa of The Stolen. Don’t want to say anything too soon but it’s All Good!!!!!! And to all Y’all reading this!!! Thank you for your time!!! If you  want... follow @AmericaPartTwo and @Rainville.usa !!!

https://www.facebook.com/AmericaPartTwo/
https://twitter.com/AmericaPartTwo/
https://www.instagram.com/americaparttwo/

https://www.facebook.com/Rainville-2128210060548561/
https://www.instagram.com/rainville.usa/

Interview with Joe Mifsud (Singer, Songwriter, Musician)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Friday, May 17, 2019

In 2013, Bergen County singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Joe Mifsud released his sophomore album, Stay Calm And Carry On. Drawing from a variety of influences, his music has a decidedly alternative/rock/pop bent with new folk/lo-fi elements via his side project, Here for Now. (On top of that, Joe is also a standup comedian. Check out his Facebook page for upcoming performance dates.)

Now in 2019, Joe is ready to jump back into the scene, writing new songs, playing shows, and meeting/collaborating with like-minded creatives and music lovers. Before you listen to his new work, be sure to check out some of his past gems, as well as our interview below to find out more about his personal journey and hopes for the future.

What’s your name, where are you from originally, and where are you based now? 

My name is Joe Mifsud. I was born in New York, New York but grew up in Harrington Park, NJ in Bergen County. I currently reside in Harrington Park.

Tell us about your musical background. You do a bit of everything -- singing, songwriting, and playing multiple instruments. How would you describe your genre/style?  Who are your influences?  

I've generally described my music as a cross pollination of several influences, but if I HAD to describe it to people I usually say my sound would be if The Beatles met The Foo Fighters. Or just very Foo Fighters-like in nature.

Musically, I play guitar, bass, drums, sing, write my own lyrics and music. I do enjoy a lot of different types of music. Growing up, my dad really enjoyed Motown music, Doo-Wop music and the Jazz and Soul Singers. My mom listened to all different types of Spanish Music and top radio hits of the 80's. My sister listened to a lot of jam bands like Phish & Dave Matthews Band along with early 90's Alternative Rock. My brother was listening to 80's Metal and Progressive Rock like Rush when we shared the room together when we were kids.

My childhood best friend Kevin and I listened to a lot of 90's Alternative Rock as we grew up as well as a lot of Classic Rock. We would raid his parents' Classic Rock collection. My influences are many to name but a short list would include The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, Black Sabbath, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Foo Fighters. More importantly to me were the local influences, musical peers and my brother (who used to play guitar and bass in a band) and my dad (who used to sing in a barbershop group with his friends on the street corner).

What's the inspiration behind your music? How has it progressed over time? How do you hope people will feel when they listen to it? 

The main inspiration behind my music is relationships.
Not always a romantic love relationship,
but it comes from a very literary sense.
Man and nature.
Man and woman.
Man and himself.
Man and society.

I appreciate the very therapeutic value of songwriting. I tend to write very autobiographically as a way of coping and understanding myself and the world around me. I have been fortunate to use music and songwriting as a way to develop my personal and artistic voice. I hope that people find a connection and comfort in what I bring to music. Music to celebrate the good times and good memories and bring people together. Music to find solace and comfort in during the hard times. I hope that people are able to connect with the music on some level that strikes them even if it is just the tone or sonic soundscape or the lyrics and message or all of it. 

Ultimately, I would like to give back to music what it gave to me. Music gave me a sense of home, comfort and purpose.

What has your personal journey been like?  When did you discover that you loved music?

My personal journey started when I was young. My earliest memories of music were listening to Spanish music in the living room and tapping out the rhythm on the conga drum with my dad. The first song that really struck a chord with me was The Beatles' “Lady Madonna” because of the ragtime-type groove and the cartoon-like vocal section that reminded me of a Looney Tunes song. I loved when there would be classical music in cartoons when the characters would have a play off of classical songs on piano. Queen's “Bohemian Rhapsody” is my favorite rock song of all time. Nothing quite captured my imagination in so many ways about the possibilities of Rock than “Bohemian Rhapsody”! As I got to be about ten or eleven years old, the first band that I was able to claim as my own was Nirvana. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and its accompanying music video blew me away! When I saw Dave Grohl playing the drums, I knew that I wanted to do that! Play Drums! Play Music for a living ! I felt empowered by Nirvana and their music because, similarly to The Beatles' effect, they were just normal people making great music. I felt like I could do it, too, and that it wasn't totally beyond me.

 I discovered that I loved music very early on in my life and that it became a goal and a challenge that I accepted to be like my heroes. I wanted to learn to sing, write lyrics, play instruments and write my own original songs with a level of proficiency.

What are your goals as an artist? What would you like to accomplish by the end of this year? What kinds of people would you like to meet?  Are there any artists, bands, or producers who you'd love to collaborate with one day? Do you have any shows coming up? 

My goals as an artist are to have the music reach people and touch their lives in a positive way. By the end of the year, I would like to have accomplished jumpstarting a life in music and sharing music that I've written with as many people as possible and through multiple channels such as live shows, interviews, social media, streaming services, reviews and podcasts, personal connections, etc. I would like to reach people that genuinely love, support and appreciate music and the arts. I am open to meeting people that are creative, passionate and awesome! There are many artists, bands or producers that I'd love to collaborate with one day. At the top of my lists would be Rick Rubin for producer and Dave Grohl for Musician.

I do not have any shows coming up, but I am looking to plan shows for 2019 and beyond and will keep you updated!

What words of advice or encouragement would you give to someone who wants to follow a similar passion, or is maybe facing obstacles similar to what you've faced?

Words of advice or encouragement that I would give to someone who wants to follow a similar passion or is maybe facing obstacles similar to what I've faced: Believe in yourself. Trust your voice. Trust the process and trust that an audience will be attracted to your vision. Always stay true to yourself and the original vision because when it's all said and done you have yourself to be accountable to.

DO! Don't let anxiety or insecurity or excuses counteract productivity. Your older self will thank your younger self. 

Create, Create, Create! Hopefully you get a job where you have the time and income to fund and realize your art without interference.

It may take time but stick with it!

I will be your fan! 

Where can people find you online (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube, etc.)?

Official Music Website: https://www.mifmusic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeMifsudBand 
Bandcamp: https://joemifsudband.bandcamp.com/
Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/1l3m0OFBgPLMmgssBl3cBO
Instagram (Seldom Used but I should use it more): https://www.instagram.com/mif95/?hl=en
Twitter (Seldom Used but I should use it more): https://twitter.com/JoeMifsudBand 

YouTube (Videos including live, promo and music videos that I've uploaded):  https://www.youtube.com/user/davidbedert/videos

YouTube Official Music from the Albums: 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyz5pd9_aSOU0ROmAMHGWlg

For the Streaming Music, the music is available on all streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon, Tidal, Google Play, etc.

My side acoustic/indie/folk project is called Here For Now. The album is called Letters Home.

Here For Now Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/herefornowband/
Here For Now Bandcamp : https://herefornowthereforlater.bandcamp.com/album/letters-home-there-for-later-edition

Also available on all streaming music platforms - Here For Now Letters Home