Tag: 5+5

BGS 5+5: The Bright Siders

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Artist: The Bright Siders (Kari Groff, MD, and Kristin Andreassen)
Hometown: Brooklyn & Nashville!
Latest album: A Mind of Your Own
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): How about a rejected song title? “Everybody Goes to Therapy” We actually recorded a demo of that one… but we might have to save it for these kids when they grow up!

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

There’s one album that influenced both of us deeply as children. The record is Free to Be…You and Me created in 1972 by author and actor Marlo Thomas, Carole Hart of Sesame Street and Letty Cottin Pogrebin of Ms. magazine. Free to Be… was a collection of songs and skits about gender issues, performed by Thomas and a cast of the era’s most prolific stars. The messages were clear to us as children (Girls can be anything! Boys can play with dolls too! Parents are people! Good stuff like that…). But the reason we listened again and again was because the music just sounded amazing. When we started to work together on the project of making kids’ music with a mental health message, this album gave us a gold standard to work toward. So here we are as adults feeling grateful for this music once again. — Kristin

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

I don’t think I had a choice. I grew up in a very musical family. My parents were both music teachers as well as my grandfather. It was just a given that you would play music along with whatever else you decided to do. In my case, that was medicine and psychiatry. — Kari

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

Good question for a psychiatrist. Not that often. I usually try to own my own emotions! — Kari

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

My first true musical passion was actually traditional percussive dance, and I toured as a clogger before I started playing stringed instruments. Often, when I start working on a song, the melody and rhythm come most easily, and I always figured that was somehow related to the time I spent in the dance world. — Kristin

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

I tried to write a few songs in the early days of the pandemic but I couldn’t capture the intensity of the experience here in NYC so I chose to write a short children’s story instead (releasing soon!). — Kari

Photo credit: Jefry Wright

BGS 5+5: Matt Urmy

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Artist: Matt Urmy
Hometown: New York City
Album: South of the Sky

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

If I had to choose one person who has had the widest impact on me and the way I approach my work, I would probably have to say, Cowboy Jack Clement. Jack was someone that I was able to get close to personally, which allowed me to be imprinted by him in a deeper way than just connecting to his art. He was also a businessman and producer, like myself, so he came at things from more than one perspective. … He was an all-around “content creator” before that term was ever even used.

For instance, Jack was vlogging before vlogging existed, he was vlogging before the internet existed! In the times I spent recording in his studio, sitting in his office and talking about art, business and life over coffee and cigarettes, or performing alongside him here in Nashville, I absorbed as much as I could from him. He had such a wide lens perspective on creativity, finding your voice, and being true to your vision. Our paths crossing was a real revelation for me.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

All of the above. And not just those, but business (which I consider an art form), the healing arts, and nature all have an impact on my creative process. I find myself inspired every single day (to varying degrees) by things I experience personally, things the people in my life experience and tell me about, things I see on the news or in movies… and I just allow myself to feel those feelings and then toss it on my creative compost heap to breakdown and become part of the soil that I garden in, artistically speaking.

When it comes to those other forms of expression specifically, the way they inform my process is on two levels: 1. the direct inspiration they provide (feelings, thoughts, etc.) and 2. the way they inform craft and/or process. For instance, sculpting really has informed the way I view the craft and process of songwriting. There are techniques that I can draw from and apply to my forms of expression. So, I may see someone dancing, and be moved to go home and create, but also I may learn something that inspires a new technical approach to the craft itself. I hope that makes sense.

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

Ritual factors into my creative process across the board. One ritual is to make sure that I write at least one or two lines every day. In the studio, one ritual might be something like listening to a specific type of music or sound source before starting to work on something, just to clear the mind before beginning a session. Or, before a show, nursing a shot of tequila or mezcal for an hour or so before the show, so I slowly feel the effects of the spirit in my body before taking the stage. I find that my rituals change over time. I do believe they are important, but also that they are extremely personal. an artist has to find rituals that resonate with them and their unique processes for whatever situation they are in.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

This is fun to think about. I think I would have to go with French cooking and Leonard Cohen. I choose French cooking, not just because I love it, but because it’s traditionally served over many courses, slowing the meal down and drawing things out. I choose Leonard Cohen because he was an artist who also wrote poetry, like myself, and was an artist who publicly savored drawing the creative process out over long periods of time. I would like to imagine that dinner and a bottle of wine with Leonard Cohen would yield a memorable conversation that would be an art form unto itself. I guess I’ll have to wait for another lifetime to have the chance to find out. Bummer.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

I don’t think this ever really happens to me. The reason for that is that I don’t think I’ve ever written a song that was 100% informed by my own life. Obviously, everything that I write is heavily influenced by my personal experience… however, I find that experiences or pieces of information from the outside world always find their way into my work. For example, if a dear friend is going through something in their life, witnessing them work through their life creates feelings that intertwine with my personal story. The result of this is that I don’t ever feel as if I need to hide. All of my songs are made up of elements from my personal experience, as well as things I encounter in the world around me. It actually makes me feel more connected to other people and the world around me.

Photo credit: CM Howard Photography

BGS 5+5: Beta Radio

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Artist: Beta Radio
Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina
Latest album: Afraid of Love (EP)
Personal nicknames: Brent is Brent. Benjamin is Ben.

Questions answered by Ben Mabry.

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

Oh boy, so many. How to answer this question…. Not sure how to distill it down to one, but the music of Sufjan Stevens has been a beacon to me in terms of how to honestly sing about faith and spirituality.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

I’ve been reading a ton recently, so that’s been pretty huge. Brent gave me a book a year ago called The Way to Love by Anthony De Mello, a Jesuit priest. And that’s having a pretty big influence on this most recent batch of songs. It’s literally showing me the way towards love.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I grew up in North Carolina. I went to school in the mountains, and we lived on the coast, so any time in either of them is more than enough to remind me of the wideness of the world.

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

Oh yeah! This is a big one. Been doing some breath work before I record vocals in the studio these days. I’m learning to sing more openly. I feel like I’m somehow unlocking a little bit more of my chest when I do that. Also, cold showers!

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

It probably was ALL the songs on the Ancient Transition record! I fought through a lot of writer’s block, or self-doubt, or something on that one. Not to mention a few existential crises.

Photo credit: Amanda Holloman

BGS 5+5: Bob Davoli

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Artist: Bob Davoli
Hometown: Lincoln, Massachusetts
Latest Album: Wistfully Yours
Nickname: Bob Davoli Band

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

When I first heard Dylan’s first album in 1962. However, I never wrote my first song until I was nearly sixty. I guess life got in the way!

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I live by the sea for six months; its rhythms and beauty influence my writing and music. The other six I live in the woods, on a pond, which influences my writing and music as well.

What other art forms influence your music?

Film, plays and painting have influenced my writing. For example, I use the lines “alone and lonely as Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks; “Rear Window Waltz” is from Hitchcock’s film, Rear Window; from John Schlesinger’s Midnight Cowboy, I use the phrase “just like Ratso in Midnight Cowboy”; and I reference twenty-five Eugene O’Neill plays in my song “Ode to Eugene O’Neill.”

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

Playing at a community center with my great bandmates, and the audience loving the set.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

Write from my heart, follow my muse to the truth and be forever curious!

Photo credit: Lynn DeLisi

BGS 5+5: L.A. Edwards

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Artist: L.A. Edwards
Hometown: Julian, California
Latest album: Blessings From Home: Volume 1
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): Lord Edward, Lorcey, Lorkis, Dad, El Drunko Supreme after some gin

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

We were playing a holiday show at this real dive a few years back and they had jerry-rigged a stage out of a pool table, milk crates, empty kegs, and plywood. The six of us were shoulder to shoulder and just cracking up at the whole thing and on the last song I tripped and fell off the stage. I was unconscious for a minute and I woke up with huge gash in my back on the barroom floor. Maybe not my favorite memory but thinking of that stage dive makes me laugh whenever we’re playing nicer rooms. I still have an impressive scar to show for it.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

I’d really like to have a bitchin’ painting collection one day. My grandma was an avid art collector and even owned a Monet at one point. I inherited a few of my favorites from her house. I love reading, especially when I’m in a lyrical rut.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I spend a lot of time in the water. Surfing, fishing, and boats have always been part of my life. It clears my head to watch the horizon for waves or my line for a bite. Lots of good ideas come when I have a clear mind and I’m not trying to force it.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

Van Morrison and Italian or Springsteen and a hot dog.

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

I don’t eat before shows. I like to go onstage hungry like the wolf, like Duran Duran.

Photo credit: Miller Hawkins

BGS 5+5: Anna Rose

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Artist: Anna Rose
Hometown: New York, New York
Latest album: In the Flesh: Side A & Side B
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): The Electric Child, AR

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

It’s impossibly hard to pick just one, as so much of my love for the creation of music has to do with the understanding of its history and the shoulders I stand upon. I’ve looked a lot to The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty, Kurt Cobain, Warren Zevon, Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, and Dolly Parton as songwriters, though again I feel like it’s almost criminal to stop there. As a guitarist, I’ve idolized Jimi Hendrix, Tom Morello, Jimmy Page, Jack White, Son House, Muddy Waters, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Bonnie Raitt. As a vocalist and as a performer, Robert Plant, Prince, Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks & Fleetwood Mac as a whole, Alison Mosshart / The Kills, Tina Turner, Debby Harry, Stevie Wonder … again, these lists are endless and only speak to the tiniest tip of the iceberg. A mentor of mine once told me that there can never be too much good music in the world and I believe that to be true, now more than ever.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

The woods and the water — I can survive without both if I’m on the road or stuck in a city, but I think I am the best version of myself when I’m in nature. I’m a more present person when I can go for walk in the woods or sit by a river or swim in the ocean and I think that helps my writing. Taking care of animals is also a big part of my connection to the natural world, as well as riding horses.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

I’ve been touring for a long time and so much of my life has been lived out on stage, the good moments, and the darker ones. I don’t often get to perform with my dad and those shows hold a special place in my heart, for sure. Many years ago, I got to open for Jackson Browne … I’ve been thinking a lot about that show lately. I was so young and completely in awe of him.

I guess recently the most precious memory I’m holding onto, though, is one from my last tour before quarantine at the beginning of March with the late, great Justin Townes Earle. Our last show of the run was in Asheville, North Carolina, at Salvage Station and Justin came out during my set, sat down on stage, and just listened to me. When I finished the song he stood up, got on the mic and said, “Girl’s got balls like church bells.” For him to come out and hype me up to the crowd like that meant a lot and I hold that tour very close to my heart. He was a truly brilliant artist and songwriter.

 

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What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

I really try to experience many different forms of art pretty often, but I find myself most inspired by dance, film, poetry, and theater. I was a professional dancer and choreographer for a long time and my mom was a dancer, as well, so if I’m writing and I can picture movement it informs the direction of a song a lot. It’s sort of ingrained in my spirit.

I also grew up around film and theater and work in those fields currently, so I find myself influenced a lot by strong, captivating characters on screen/stage and wanting to write songs for them. On the poetry front, I circle back to the beat poets all the time — Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg have always been two of my favorites.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

I think writing for a character is not hiding, first of all. Assuming a character can be a really powerful way of working and getting outside of your own perspective, or expressing certain parts that might not come out when thinking of yourself in the most habitual context. It can be like wearing a costume on Halloween. So, I guess the answer is that I write for characters all the time but those characters often have aspects of my own personality and I’m not trying to “hide” any of that. Some dream experts believe that you are everyone in your dreams and I think of it that way, sometimes.

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez

BGS 5+5: Danny Burns

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Artist: Danny Burns
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Single: “Trouble” featuring Dan Tyminski, Aubrie Sellers & Jerry Douglas
Album: Hurricane (coming in early 2021)
Nickname: Danny Burns Band / The Red Buck

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

Jammin’ with Sam Bush Band at the Birchmere would have to be my favorite stage moment.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

I would say that film definitely does. When I’m writing, I try to see songs like movies, and concept helps me craft the story. It also helps me make production choices later with instrumentation or arrangements.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

After my first paid gig. Ha! Nah kidding around, I think after hearing Willie Nelson for the first time.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

One of my favorite restaurants is La Boca Steakhouse in New Orleans. Hanging with Sturgill and talking Cuttin’ Grass could make for an interesting Monday night in The Crescent City.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

Keep working, keep learning, keep trying new things, don’t listen or surround yourself by any negative people and never miss an opportunity stop at the Rainforest Cafe at Opry Mills to scare your daughters with that darn hippopotamus. It gets them every time!

Photo credit: Jacob Blickenstaff

BGS 5+5: Coco Reilly

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Artist: Coco Reilly
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Latest Album: Coco Reilly
Personal nicknames: Coco

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

Oh, literature definitely. I buy books way faster than I can read them. I rotate books during the week depending on my mood. I’m usually working my way through 3-5 books at any time and they’re usually a mix of psychology and science with an occasional biography sprinkled in. I know it’s not very cool to say that science informs most of my songwriting, but it does trigger a lot of the introspection and curiosity about how things work and why we do what we do. Aside from that, comedy is my go-to in second place for most inspiring. It helps balance out the heavier parts of my brain and there’s also nothing better than making fun of yourself, which, as a musician, is really easy to do. It’s healthy for the ego.

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

I usually do some quick stream of conscious writing in the morning to clear my head. I do that every morning, but it’s extra important on show days, because I get pretty anxious about performing and have to work really hard to keep my inner critic at bay. Any other middle-aged activity such as drinking tea, exercise, or a nice walk also helps. If I’m feeling really locked in I’ll meditate and try to set an intention, remind myself to relax and enjoy the moment.

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

If a song isn’t working I usually just let it go. I don’t fight too hard for them because it takes the fun out of it. Sometimes ideas just need more time to grow so I come back and check on them later without rushing them. That being said, arranging the songs in the recording process can be really tough for me, because I like to hear a lot of options before I settle on the thing that feels best. I struggled to arrange “Oh Oh My My” and “Mirror” the most. It was hard to find the balance of organic sounds and the bigger, more cinematic parts without tipping the scale too far in one direction. I think we recorded “Mirror” four or five times with different tempos and the band almost died from boredom. It’s a very long song. They have the patience of saints.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

Well, the last song on the record, “Be True,” was really written as my personal mission statement. Be true, no matter who surrounds you. Regardless of what I choose to do in my life I just want to do it authentically, and try to leave the world better than I found it.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

Water and fire. I light a candle at my desk every morning and I am lucky enough to have a view of the sea for the first time in my life from my apartment in Reykjavik. I think fire helps soothe and keep me focused. It adds a nice warmth to the work space. Water helps me think. I could sit by water for hours and never get bored. There’s always so much going on beneath the surface, especially in the ocean. I do my best thinking near water and always leave it with inspiration and new perspectives.

Photo credit: Juliette Rowland

BGS 5+5: Canyon City

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Artist: Canyon City
Hometown: Fort Collins, Colorado
Latest album: Circling the Sun EP
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): Nimrod (my first high school band name)

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

One of my favorite memories is from a couple years ago when I was playing an acoustic show at small venue in Camden Town of London called Green Note. I was still pretty new to the UK and even though it was a relatively small room, the show was one of my first that had sold out well in advance. It ended up being such a special night, one of those evenings where you can just feel that everyone is riding the same emotional wave and you have this feeling of connectivity that’s hard to describe. I remember sitting in the front lobby, kind of hidden away while people were walking in, and making an effort to remember as much about that moment as I could — what the walls looked like, what the chatter and noises of people walking in sounded like, the lighting, how it all felt. I’m so glad I did, because now I go back to that mental image often and smile.

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

I’ve found that there’s an environment that really works for my creative process, and though I don’t always adhere to the same motions, it’s a set of tools that really help me get in the right headspace while writing. I start the day with some coffee, then before I do anything else, I try to go outside for a brief walk to start the creative day. After that, I set up the studio for whatever I’m working on that day, maybe light a candle, if it’s nice outside I open the window and go to work. At least once a day I also try to take a break to meditate, which is a huge part of my creative and emotional wellness. At the risk of showing my nerdiness, I also keep an air quality monitor going in the studio to make sure the inside CO2 levels aren’t getting too high and do what I can to keep a solid flow of fresh air. It’s all about creating an environment that makes it easier for the soft-spoken parts of the mind to get their say in.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

Again, I’m really sounding the nerd alert here, but I actually do have a mission statement written out that I revisit and revise frequently. I’m not going to share it in its entirety, as it’s born of some personal places of the heart, but the essence is for my work to be a conduit for connection. Whether that’s personally connecting to the moment I’m in, or offering something that listeners can connect over or with wherever they are, or facilitating spaces like the concert I described earlier where people from all walks of life find themselves having the same emotional experience together. I think there’s a great healing to connection and I try to make the most of that opportunity wherever it can be fostered.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

Since my wife and I moved to Colorado this year, we’ve truly been in our happy place. Going out into nature isn’t just something I enjoy, I consider it to be a crucial part of my creative process. Whether it’s hiking, camping, cycling around town, snowboarding or just doing my daily walks throughout the neighborhood, going into places overtaken by life does so much to clear my mind, restore my soul and inspire me to explore new perspective. As a result my songs have lots of references to the natural world, especially as I see and appreciate more of life’s mechanisms that connect us all in this shared environment.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

Oh man, if I could meet up with the late Tom Petty for some burritos and margaritas I would be in heaven. I don’t know if that meal and musician go together in any logical way, but listening to Wildflowers and digging into some delicious Baja Burrito — a favorite of mine from my old stomping grounds in Nashville — are two of the best feelings I can summon. Otherwise I’m a sucker for folk music early in the mornings, especially when I’m trying to pull that perfect shot of espresso.

Photo credit: Brooke Johnson

BGS 5+5: The Steel Wheels

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Artist: The Steel Wheels
Hometown: Harrisonburg, Virginia
Latest album: Everyone a Song, Volume 1
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): Trent Wagner and The Steel Wagler

Answers by Trent Wagler

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

I remember a festival finale performance of “The Weight” in northern Alberta where we were thrust (last minute) into leading the song. Isn’t “The Weight” some sort of Canadian anthem? I don’t know, we felt a little like impostors, but it became even more hilarious when a whole bunch of volunteers and other musicians hopped on stage and we were given conflicting accounts of who was singing what verses. In the end Michael Franti surprised us by appearing on the drum kit and singing a verse that included a little change of lyrics name-checking the festival. It was memorable.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

When I was about 9 years old, I played Duffy the Fluffy in a small church Christmas play called Baa, Baa, Bethlehem. I slicked my hair back and wore sunglasses and sang a song that went, “Duffy the Fluffy is who I’m gonna be, come to the city you’ll be waiting to see me.” And the rest of the sheep sang, “Get a job, baa baa baa, baa, baa baa baa baa baa.” But I had a guitar strapped around my neck and I sang with confidence. Wait, maybe THAT was my favorite memory from being on stage!

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

In the studio, I always tape a sheet of paper on the wall with the title of each song we are recording. On that paper, we keep a running list of notes, ideas, or whatever that song still needs. It’s helpful to have a visual representation of notes, and when things are dragging along, there’s a sense of accomplishment to crossing off each note. When the song is finished, it’s ceremoniously taped on a different wall.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I try to ride bike everyday. Recently, I’ve been most excited about gravel road rides, a bit easier than mountain biking, but with a similar feeling of distance from civilization. I love the way riding a bike gives you respect for a mountain. The bicycle also turns you into a different kind of an animal. Sometimes a mule, sometimes a bird, but I usually feel transformed after a good bike ride. And the whole process, of getting away, being in nature, and riding is a great reset for my creativity. I live in the Shenandoah Valley and the beauty of the landscape finds a way into my writing all the time. There is a reason that rivers and mountains are cliché metaphors, because there is an undeniable depth and power to them.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

It seems like I should say I’d eat a fistful of cigarettes and a barrel of red wine and listen to Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen, but I can’t think of a better pairing than Brandi Carlile and some wild-caught salmon. There are musicians that garner praise from critics and others that have an easy-listening popular songs for the masses, but very few thread the needle like Brandi Carlile. She might be the only music my wife, 16-year-old daughter, and I can all passionately agree on. You know how salmon looks like it’s just a layer of pure pink muscle? Brandi’s songs are all muscle.

Photo credit: Josh Saul