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 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 Megasparkle

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Saturday, December 18, 2021

Megasparkle, the kickass all-female band from Maplewood, NJ, hasn’t let the pandemic slow them down. Delivering a mix of indie, post-punk, pop-rock deliciousness, Thea Kearney (lead guitar, vocals), Nancy Cook (guitar, vocals), Kristy Ranieri (bass), and CJ Jeiven (Drums) released their first 5-song E.P, “Swirling Glitter”, back in February 2021. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak with Thea and Nancy about their pandemic-related musical adventures in our interview below.

What are your names, where are you from, and what do you do?

NANCY COOK: I’m Nancy Cook and I live in Maplewood, N.J. I grew up in Glen Ridge next to Montclair about 20 minutes away from here.

I’ve always been creative. Right now, I am mainly making art, music and selling vintage clothing. I started my business, Crash Doll Vintage, in 2020. I make textile art, installation art and sew & knit. I sometimes paint and use pastels.

Before the pandemic, I was working for Parcel in Montclair and a co-op in town called Maplewood Mercantile. I was also their event planner and planned pop ups, music shows, art shows, tastings etc. I still continue to put on music shows.

THEA KEARNEY: Well, she's a really amazing seamstress. Amazing. Really, like a ninja on the sewing machine. I always see her posting pictures like, "Oh, I just whipped up this dress last night." I'm like, "Oh my God! I can sew a pillow, that's about it.”

NANCY COOK: Yes! I sew dresses and clothes! I had a children’s clothing line for several years called Wool and Violets. Nowadays, I mostly make knitwear under that name and recently created a capsule collection for Hearth Co. in Australia

I’m very much into tactile things. Guitar fits right in. I play guitar and sing as well. I also play bass guitar which I just picked up last year. As a child I played piano and flute. I picked up the guitar in 2018 at the same time as joining a band with Thea. She was like…‘Let’s start a band’ and I said ‘OK’ and so I started taking lessons. I had always wanted to play guitar!

THEA KEARNEY: Yeah! I mean, you're a multi-tasker.

Left to right: Thea Kearney, Nancy Cook, and Kristy Ranieri of Megasparkle. Photo by Sophie White.

Are you originally from New Jersey or the surrounding area?

THEA KEARNEY: I'm not originally from New Jersey. I'm actually from Brooklyn, although I was born in Washington, D.C. I moved to Brooklyn when I was six months old. I identify with New York City. I'm pretty much a New York City person. Although, it's funny. My mother is from New Jersey and kind of a funny story because she always tried so hard to get out of New Jersey. She's a writer and went to college and all that. She spent so much time getting away from the suburban provincial... She always kind of was like (scoffs) "Oh, New Jersey." We would only go back to visit the relatives, and so I was such a city person, I was like, "I am never moving to New Jersey, over my dead body."

NANCY COOK: I said I was never moving back to the suburbs either!

THEA KEARNEY: It's so funny because all my relatives moved to other parts of the country,  then I discovered New Jersey again. I looked at places in Rockland County, in upstate New York, and they were really expensive and not that nice, and there was a big highway that was always in everyone's backyard. Then I found out about Maplewood. I went and I fell instantly in love with it. I was like, "These beautiful houses and nature! This is New Jersey?!" and one thing led to another, and I moved here with my husband. I've been living in New Jersey for about 12 years now with my family. 

Left to right: Kristy Ranieri, Thea Kearney, and Nancy Cook of Megasparkle. Photo by Sophie White.

Tell me about your creative background.

THEA KEARNEY: I'm like Nancy. I do way too many things. Not so much with the sewing, but I have a background in graphic design. I have two college degrees in art, visual arts, a Bachelor's of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts. I went to the School of Visual Arts and was one of the first people to ever learn about computer graphics. I would say it was like the Stone Ages just because it was a lot harder to do stuff than it is now. Now you just press two buttons and it's done, whereas you had to follow like a logbook of steps to get anything accomplished with the graphics back in the day. I had done that for a long time. Website design. I used to design CDs, logos, and then I got kind of tired of that, so I started a face painting business called Fifi’s Face Painting, but the pandemic kind of put an end to that and I just sold the business this year.

I've been doing music my whole life, since I was really young, playing various instruments -- violin, piano, drums, guitar -- but I decided when I was a teenager that I would just basically stick with the guitar, so that's my main instrument. Then I started singing as well as songwriting, and that's what we've been doing in Megasparkle. 

Left to right: Thea Kearney, Kristy Ranieri, and Nancy Cook of Megasparkle. Photo by Sophie White.

Do you come from musical families?

NANCY COOK: As far as music, there’s not really anyone in my immediate family that’s musically inclined though one of my Uncles played guitar.

My Dad instilled a love of classical music in me. He used to take me to classical concerts as a child. That and learning to play the piano. My Aunt Lillian used to take me to NYC to see Mostly Mozart. She sang in a trio in the 1940’s on the radio. I guess you could say I’m a trailblazer in my family. At 12 I declared, I wanted to be a singer and my Dad said ‘No, absolutely not, you’re not good enough’ so ha, I am got to do that and I have songs now. He also told me I couldn’t do art and fashion and I’m doing that as well. So, I guess I burst his bubble! Ha!

THEA KEARNEY: So have you played Megasparkle for him?

NANCY COOK: I did play one or two songs for him, but he hasn't heard all of them yet. I should have my family sit down and listen to Megasparkle. Maybe next time we have a holiday gathering and we can all be together, I can play Megasparkle for everybody.

THEA KEARNEY: That would be cool. I'd like to hear what they have to say.

My mother was a jazz singer. She's more of a poet and an award-winning published author of more than 18 books, but she's also written a few songs. My father played the flute for a while and the recorder, but he's one of those people who has the radio on 24/7, so since I was a little kid, he would have the classical music station on all the time, so I was listening to that since I came out of the womb, basically. Even though I'm a rocker, I still kind of love classical music, too.

NANCY COOK: Wow. We never actually knew that about each other!

THEA KEARNEY: Yeah! We don't talk about all these things. My mom sings, and she also had a harp that she used to play. She's also a very creative person. She's done all kinds of stuff, too. I have some cousins who play music, but nobody famous or professional, as far as I know. 

It's funny, actually, when Nancy said that about her dad, I was like, "My mom does not like the kind of music that I like," and I feel like there's a little rebelliousness going on here with, "Well, this is what WE like." You know?

NANCY COOK: My parents never liked the music I listened to. My Dad hated certain bands and songs and if he didn’t like it, I would sometimes play it louder like The Smiths, The Cure, Sex Pistols, The Clash etc. He hated hardcore the most. I would play it so loud the chandelier would be shaking downstairs. I still like it really loud. I get into trouble now for playing the music too loud in the car when I pull in and out of the driveway.

THEA KEARNEY: It's funny because we have kids now, and I don't know if this is what happens with you, Nancy, but our kids are like, "We don't want to listen to that loud rock music, turn it down!" They want to hear this weird electronic stuff. Some of it I actually like, but some of it is like, well, there's no melody. There's no real instruments. I'm just so used to... I think Nancy would probably say the same thing. We just grew up listening to live musicians playing live instruments, so that's what we tend to gravitate towards. 

For first-time listeners, how would you describe the sound of your album, and who are your personal musical influences? Who did you draw inspiration from?

NANCY COOK: That’s a really hard question because I have so many musical heroes and people I look up to, but I think with this project, in particular, I think we were kind of going for... Sonia mentioned earlier about the 70s, that we kind of have a 70s influence. I kind of think that we were kind of thinking, or at least maybe I was thinking, about The Runaways and Blondie and just kind of like that old school beginning, powerful female sound and rock and roll, but with kind of a punk and indie aspect to it. A little bit less pop-y than Blondie and Joan.

I also really love punk and a lot of the ‘90s bands, so I was probably thinking about that. A lot of the music that came out of Washington D.C. like Slant 6 and bands from Olympia and NY…

THEA KEARNEY: Yeah, we're both like punk rockers, right?

NANCY COOK: Yeah! I mean, I love all the punk rock. I love Agnostic Front. Thea and I were like, "We should write a song that kind of sounds a little like an Agnostic Front song” and we could totally do that, but I wasn’t looking to make a sound that came from men. I was thinking more about women in this project.

THEA KEARNEY: I'm actually glad you went first because I completely forgot where my inspiration was in the beginning for this whole idea of starting a band that would be an all-female band.

I guess part of it was the desire to... because I've been in other bands before, and I was in a local Maplewood band called Dollar Store Riot with all guys that I played in for about six years, and then I decided that it was just time for me to close that chapter of my life, and so I'd always wanted to have an all-female band.

I'd had a couple of false starts in the past when I was still living in the city, and I have a friend that I went to high school with, actually, which you may have heard of, Sindi B.. She was in this band called The Lunachicks. We hung out in the NYHC, the New York hardcore scene when it first started in about ‘81-84. Our misspent youth was spent doing that and we both bought our first electric guitars at the same time. I was the goody-two-shoes. I went off to college and just did what was expected of me and she didn't. She quit, dropped out of college, and formed this band. I always wanted to do the same thing, and so I was just like,"Well, Nancy, why don't we just try starting an all-female band? I've always wanted to have an all-female band. Let's just have a go for fun." 

At the beginning, it was just the two of us, and then we started writing together, and then eventually we found the drummer, CJ, and then we found Kristy.

Listen to the Megasparkle Mixtape on Spotify

It was just all those influences from The Donnas, The Ramones, all the punk rock I listened to, DISCHORD, all of that stuff. The Flex Your Head album, I still have. That was on permanent rotation when I was a teenager. All of that. Then all the newer stuff, too, became an influence. One of the songs has kind of a My Bloody Valentine influence.

I feel like every song on this album is a little different. We didn't really set out to have a particular sound on every one. It was just like, "Let's write a song." One song was a Ramones kind of idea that I had that we put lyrics to, and then another one was like, "Let's just write a shoegaze song." So we kind of just went in that direction.

NANCY COOK: One has kind of like a Juliana Hatfield feel. It's got a totally different vibe, too. They all have a different vibe.

We still haven't covered all our bases. We could just keep going, with all the different sounds that we like. We actually have on our Spotify a mixtape of bands that we like and the influences.

We also worked on some covers and things that we liked, like the White Stripes was one of them that we liked, and we were working on a cover of that song, and who else were we covering?

THEA KEARNEY: Social Distortion and Ex Hex. 

NANCY COOK: Oh yeah, I love Mary Timony. I just watched her live performance at St. Marks. It was amazing. She's so talented. She's definitely an influence for me, for sure.

You mentioned a little bit about your creative process. For the songs on your album, did you start with the music, the melody, the lyrics?

 NANCY COOK: For "Pretty Dresses," I had a lot of the melody written, and then I wrote the lyrics, Thea added more lyrics and arrangements, and then we put it together. All the songs have their own story.

"Everybody Wants to Be a Rock Star" started with the answering machine message that starts the song. It comes from a Village Voice ad that someone answered when Thea was looking for musicians, and so that was the starting point for that song.

"Iridescent Sparks" is about text messaging. That's such a big part of our culture now and just how people communicate mostly.

The other one, the shoegaze one, "Swirling Rose Hips Tea," My Bloody Valentine was the influence for that. 

The last one, "Piece of Cake," is sort of, everyone wants to get a piece of cake and eat it, too. It's like, “I want to have it all. Why can't I have it all? Let's try to have it all!” You know? So, the surprise inside is like the Mardi Gras cake that you break up and there's supposed to be a little toy in the cake. It's like, "Ooh, a little surprise!"

THEA KEARNEY: You know, it's funny, it wasn't supposed to be about cake. That became the metaphor because we were writing it right around Mardi Gras time, and we were talking about how we should really write a song, like a hardcore song, like Agnostic Front or something, and it didn't really come out like that in the end, but it came out to be something different, but it started from this discussion. We would just sit down and brainstorm this idea and write all these ideas down and then condense it into a song, because, as you know, you can't put everything in one song. 

NANCY COOK: Yeah. Some of our notes for our songs are really amusing. We should dig those up! They were really funny.

Listen to Megasparkle’s debut EP “Swirling Glitter” on Bandcamp, Spotify, and other streaming services. Released on Sea Dragon Records.

Where did you record your album? Who did you record with? What was that process like?

THEA KEARNEY: Originally, we were getting ready to play a show in June (2020), a live show. We had been practicing. We had a bunch of covers and originals. At that point, we had enough to do a show, and so we were like, “Yeah, let's just play a little local show” because Nancy likes to book a lot of local bands, and so we were getting ready for that, and it's supposed to be in June, and this was like February of 2020 and then, obviously, the pandemic put a lid on that, and then we were like, "Oh, what are we going to do?" and so I suggested, "Instead of doing a show, why don't we make an EP?"

I thought, "We'll just find a studio, we'll go and get somebody to do that." I called a few places and they're like, "Well, I don't know if we can help you, but maybe, but we’re not sure what's going to happen" because it was literally a couple of weeks before they declared it a global pandemic and everything just was like dominoes falling. It's like, everything is closing and then that's it, and so then I was like, "Oh, OK, what are we going to do?"

In all my years of doing music, I had dabbled in mixing before. I had done Pro Tools and recording. I was a little rusty, but I was like, "Well, you know, I think I can figure it out." We didn't have anybody to help us. We didn't really have a lot of money to be forking out either, and everything was closed, so what are we going to do? So, I was like, "We'll just record from home, and we can figure out what equipment we need." 

I spoke to Kristy (Ranieri), and we originally thought we were going to use electronic drums because CJ had some electronic drums at home. So, we tried with that. We were recording the guitars and the vocals, and it was going pretty well, but then we got to the point where we figured out how to do the electronic drums and she sent us the recording and we were like, "No, the symbols just sound... It just didn't sound good." It was like, "No, this isn't going to work."

So, we have a local person that we work with, Laughing Boys Recording's Tom Lucas. He's really great. A lot of people record with him. We didn't think he was open, but then we said, "Well, what if it was just CJ?" CJ went in with a mask and they sanitized everything, and she just went in by herself to do the drums. At first, she was kind of nervous about the whole idea, but then she said she would do it, and so she went in and recorded. I prepared all the tracks for her and sent them to Tom, and then she went in.

We thought it was going to take, like, two days or something. She was just so amazing, she did all five songs in one day. I was like, "Wow!" Then Tom Lucas sent me the tracks and then we just continued on from there. We did a back and forth with GarageBand and Logic. Kristy and Nancy bought an interface so that they could literally record on their iPhones, so they actually recorded the songs on their iPhones. 

NANCY COOK: Yeah, Kristy and I recorded on our iPhones. It’s remarkable and we should be really proud of it!

THEA KEARNEY: It was pretty amazing. I would send them the tracks through iCloud, put the tracks in GarageBand, give them a track to record to, and then they would record to that, send it back to me, and then I would combine everything in Logic and record my parts in there, line it all up, and then mix it. It was pretty daunting. I actually got somebody else to help us a little bit -- a guy out in California, Mike from MooseCat Recording. They have a virtual studio, and they were just getting started with that because of the pandemic. I guess they used to do everything in-person but because they're out in Los Angeles and they needed to keep things running, they started offering virtual services. So I was like, "Oh, great!" So they helped with some of the mixing on a couple of the songs, but most of them I did all the mixing on, so I learned a lot this year -- a whole lot. I think we all learned a lot.

NANCY COOK: She worked very hard!

THEA KEARNEY: I mean, it was pretty daunting, but, oh my God, we did it! We all figured it out. Nancy and Kristy were like, "I don't know how to record on my phone," but with my help, they figured it out and they did it. 

“A year ago today we sent our first single ‘Pretty Dresses’ off to CD baby. Here Nancy and Thea are after practice in the garage hugging their guitars to stay warm after a bitterly cold band practice in the garage in November 2019.” — Megasparkle Facebook page

NANCY COOK: Yeah, and Thea went in her closet to sing vocals, and I went in my garage. I actually have a vocal booth in my garage. So I went into my garage, and it was kind of fun. I got a little kid lawn chair, my microphone, and sang away, too.

THEA KEARNEY: Whatever it takes, right? I mean, we had to really be creative.

NANCY COOK: I've always liked the DIY approach. I'm always DIY.

THEA KEARNEY: Yeah, me too. It's to a fault, though, because sometimes it's exhausting doing everything yourself.

NANCY COOK: Well, Thea just cut her hair very well. DIY haircut.

THEA KEARNEY: Yeah, that's another story. Ha!

There's a lot to be said for doing things yourself. You learn so much from doing things yourself. Like I learned a lot about haircutting, cutting my own hair. So yeah, it's amazing.

Is there anyone who you'd like to give a shout out to, whether it's other artists or bands, venues, favorite restaurants that are closed, businesses, or anyone who you think deserves some attention during this unusual time?

https://bonepoolradio.com

NANCY COOK: I think we should give a shout-out to Michelle from Bone Pool Radio, who is one of our friends. She has a radio station in town. She would be an amazing person for you to interview. She's awesome. She always wanted a radio station, and I don't know exactly what year it started, I want to say it was 2018, and she and a few other partners started it. A lot of the people in town including Thea's husband DJ for it, and they pre-record their shows and she broadcasts them. There's a bunch of DJs in town and it was bought by iHeartRadio, and yeah, it's been a really amazing ride for her. So that's my shout-out.

THEA KEARNEY: That’s good that you did that because I was going to shout-out one of the DJs, Donny Levit, because he was the first one to premiere a Megasparkle song on the radio. So I want to shout out to him and, obviously, all the other DJs on Bone Pool Radio. I don't know if they've played our music, but I'll give a shout-out to them as well!

NANCY COOK: Paul played "Pretty Dresses." Donny played a couple of them.

THEA KEARNEY: Also, Tom Lucas from Laughing Boys Recording. He really gave us a lot of helpful feedback and guidance, especially with recording the drum parts and how to get that done, so shout-out to him. 

And then shout-out to MooseCat Recording.  

NANCY COOK: And our bandmates who aren't here!

THEA KEARNEY: Of course our bandmates, for being willing to do all this from home, being willing to try that out and do that.

NANCY COOK: We have a lot of great local businesses to shout-out.

THEA KEARNEY: All the local businesses. There's been so many great supportive local places, like Rent Party. We never got to play Rent Party, but they've always been really supportive of local musicians. They do a lot of help for the community. They used to put on live shows with local bands and also international traveling acts and raise money for food-insecure families. So they're a really great organization here. And then The Woodland, they have a lot of shows.

NANCY COOK: The Woodland and Wyoming Club.

I used to do a lot of shows at Maplewood Mercantile when I worked there and was the Event Planner, so we can shout-out them because they're really very supportive of the music community.

THEA KEARNEY: All the teachers that ever taught me how to play, helped me play guitar, and my vocal teacher, Tim Welch. I'll give a shout-out to him. He's an excellent vocal teacher. He's got a local studio here in Maplewood. I think he's got franchises now. He's a really, really excellent teacher. Who else can we shout-out?

NANCY COOK: We could shout-out you, Thea, for doing all that hard work mixing! Let's give credit where credit's due, right?

THEA KEARNEY: Thank you to everybody.

NANCY COOK: Thank you to all of our supporters and our friends.

THEA KEARNEY: Thank you to everyone I've ever met or ever known in my entire life.

NANCY COOK: Ha!

THEA KEARNEY: And Mom and Dad, of course.

Finally, where/how can people connect with you?

THEA KEARNEY: We're available on all streaming platforms -- Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora. We have a Spotify playlist. Plus, we have a website. It's megasparkleband.com. Bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook. We also have some T-shirts for sale on Bandcamp.

NANCY COOK: We also had a poster that showcases our band at i19gallery.com.

It was an online gallery. They started doing art shows when the pandemic hit, and we decided that we would pass around this old red phone of mine that I've had for years. It was a promo for "Everybody Wants to Be a Rock Star" because that's the starting point, with the answering machine message. We all took pictures of us with the phone -- they look like they're in slides -- and then the red telephone cord just slashes through the whole collage, which is kind of like the pandemic interfering with our lives. Actually, I really love it. I think it came out really good.

THEA KEARNEY: It was cool because we kind of combined... It was like a multipurpose thing because Nancy and I, we originally met because we both have backgrounds in multiple artistic areas, like visual arts and music. There was a call for art made during COVID, by the organization Good Crowd Events. I was like, hey, we were already doing the phone idea for what was going to be the cover for "Everybody Wants to Be a Rock Star." We designed all of the song covers. We did all those ourselves back and forth. I did a couple of the covers, Nancy designed a couple of those, and one of them was this idea that Nancy actually had the phone and she said, "Well, why don’t we take pictures with this?" and I was like, "Well, why don't we enter it in this art show and it will serve two purposes? It'll be for the cover and it'll be for this collage."

It was during the pandemic, and so we had to clean the phone off and then drop it at one person's house, and then they would clean it off and take photos and then drop it at the next person's house, and that's how we got all the photographs. It was like, you know, this is how we communicate during a pandemic — passing the phone around, and also we can only communicate on the phone. So, it was like the whole concept of that just kind of came together really well.

“Call Me!” Featured in www.i19gallery.com’s online art exhibition, ARTdemic.
Art Concept: Nancy Cook, Thea Kearney
Photography: Nancy Cook, CJ Jeiven, Thea Kearney, Kristy Ranieri
Photo Editing: Thea Kearney