Kelsey Blackstone Visits Section 36 Music!

Photo: colorsbyharry

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Kelsey Blackstone is an incredibly talented singer, coming off the release of her latest single "Alice". I was so excited she was willing to visit with us and discuss her music, and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Kelsey Blackstone visits Section 36 Music!

I really enjoyed your recent single “Alice”. What was it like putting that together?

Thank you so much! The way this song came together was really effortless and refreshing. My good friend, Garrett Goodwin, called me one day and asked if I’d come over to his place so we could write some lyrics and melody to a cool guitar theme he was working with. When we met up, I hit ‘record’ on my voice memos app, he looped the theme for a few minutes, and I improvised a melody and lyrics on top of it. I’d recently been thinking about a wonderland theme, so it came really easy to me as I improvised. Then we listened back to our voice memo recording, and picked out the lines that we wanted to build on. From there, we set a date with my good friend and producer, Laura Clough, who recorded us live in my apartment living room. After she finished producing it, we sent it off to our friend, Josh Kay, to master the song. Then we had our finished product!

Are you currently working on any other projects?

I have many other projects in the works right now! The version

Photo: Isis Alava

of ‘Alice’ that you’ve heard is an acoustic, live recording. We’re re-releasing the song with a more produced, full sound in a few weeks! [April 15] You’re the first to hear about it, which is really exciting! I have a few other singles I’ll be putting out this year as well. The best way to stay updated on my projects is to follow me on Instagram and/or Spotify.

You’re a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music. What’s the biggest way that’s benefitted your career? 

The biggest benefit of being a Berklee grad is definitely the community and the connections within it. Getting to work alongside other Berklee grads or current students means that there are always a lot of talented people to create with. I know Berklee has a big community in Nashville, which is where I’m planning to relocate to in a few years. I’m really looking forward to it!

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

My biggest influences come from the 60s and 70s. The communities that musicians back then were able to create were ones of inclusivity and creative inspiration. I strive to create the same types of communities through my artistry. The music from that time also emphasized social causes, which is very important to me as a person and musician. Music is a great unifier, and we need that now more than ever. The musical styles themselves also speak to me; powerhouse vocals, live instrumentation, and blues influences, just to name a few. I take modern day inspiration from the other independent artists like me, who are trying to make their dreams come true by building their own legacies.

What would you say is your biggest career challenge?

My biggest career challenge so far has been not letting the downsides of social media get to my head. Because artists today are required to be posting content on social media and promoting themselves as much as possible, it’s hard to not let the superficiality impact your self-worth: it’s really easy to compare yourself to what others are doing on social media. Writing songs about this feeling and getting inspired by my own creative content, has helped me continue to overcome these moments.

What are your immediate career goals?

Photo: colorsbyharry

My career goals for this next year include: releasing the 5-6 singles I’ve been working on for awhile, and performing around Boston with my band. My band was formed just a few weeks before covid came in 2020, and although we’ve played many virtual shows between then and now, we’re more than ready to get in front of some live audiences and start to make more of a name for ourselves. We’re really excited about the music we’re making and look forward to sharing it with as many people as we can!

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I'm excited to hear that new music!

As always, I want to thank Kelsey for visiting, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I know you’ll all want to follow along with Kelsey to see what she's up to. As she mentioned, the best way to do that is to follow her on Instagram and/or Spotify. I suggest doing both right now!

You can also check out her Section 36 Music page. It's a perfect way to enjoy everything Kelsey has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Kelsey, and good luck reaching your goals!

“Night Music" by Jackie Therrien (March 4, 2022 release)

"Night Music" is the first EP from the talented singer Jackie Therrien!

Make sure you listen to it now!

What's is the EP like? Well, luckily, Jackie was nice enough to tell everyone all about it. On her Instagram account she shared some background on each song. She was generous enough to allow me to repeat that here...

Track 1: April
The first song I wrote and released for the EP. Writing this song felt like a turning point in my music, I hadn’t written something I had loved so much in so long. I don’t think I really knew what I wanted to do next until I wrote this song.

I wanted to write a love song without actually using the word ‘love’. Instead, I used a bunch of colors, small moments, and other little things maybe most people wouldn’t notice, because I think that’s what love is built of.

Track 2: The Hunters
I’ve found that people often try to take away other people’s happiness and/or love for whatever reason. I felt so defeated and upset having to constantly be defensive and I was bothered by everything. They can never just let two happy people be.

All we really want is to be able to love and live in peace…but in the end, you’ll always be running from the hunters.

Track 3: Jacob
I wrote this song July of 2021 while at a friend’s lake house up in Maine. I wrote the little chorus bit first:

“You’re classic as champagne,
Warm as summer,
Sweet as rain
Oh, Jacob”

And immediately knew I needed to write this dreamy, airy, fluffy song. I knew exactly what I wanted and it didn’t take long to write the rest of the song around those few lines.

I always hated the idea of using someone’s name in a song, for me personally it just felt too personal…but look, here we are.

Track 4: I Tried Too Hard
The second single off the EP. I actually wrote the first draft of this song around the time I was writing Dreaming, but ended up forgetting about it as it didn’t feel like it fit either everything else I was writing at that point.

This song was a vent, a confession to my piano before I went to anyone else. It was a song I wrote one night after a party in a moment of sadness, loneliness, regret, and longing.

I was trying too hard to force feelings that just weren’t there.

Track 5: Lavender
This was the last song I wrote for the EP, and I actually completely finished it (writing & recording) in 3 days.

I had heard someone say recently that you’ll be with that person or thinking about something or someone, and you catch yourself smiling with no teeth. I thought it was both so interesting and beautiful, and so it sparked this entire song.

Track 6: Storm in a Teacup

The third single off the EP. I had been trying to write this song for the longest time, but never knew how to do it. I didn’t know how to say what I wanted to say.

I’ve written a billion versions of this song, all completely different but all trying to say the same thing this one does. But nothing else did it for me or was something I wanted to share.

I wrote this song as if I was having a straightforward conversation with this person, for all the times I was choked up on the phone and couldn’t get a word out. All the things I should’ve said to him but didn’t.

Track 7: Be

As soon as I wrote this song, I knew it would be the last track. It just has this resolving feel to it, I think.

Everyone wants comfortable love. Love that you don’t question or feel awkward in. Being able to sit in complete silence or talk about anything and everything for hours on end. Knowing someone and having someone know you, inside and out.

I’ve never wanted anything more than to just be.

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That is definitely a collection of songs you'll want to hear for yourself.

You'll be able to find “Night Music" just about everywhere you usually get your music like Spotify or Apple! So, there's no reason why you won't be able track it down…which I absolutely suggest you do.
 
Immediately!

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If you want to learn more about Jackie, check out her Section 36 Music profile page. There you can find links to her full interview with Section 36 Music, her social media accounts, as well as more samples of her incredible singing.

You can also hop directly to her interview right here on Section 36 Music. That will give you an opportunity to learn more about this amazing singer.

Be sure to give “Night Music" a listen!

“Pretty Face” by Brittany Rogers (Feb 28, 2022 release)

“Pretty Face” is the latest single from the amazing singer Brittany Rogers!

If you're a fan of great music, I'm sure you're familiar with Brittany Rogers. Following up incredible singles like "Linger On (Avery's Song)" and "In My Dreams" I know I was anxiously waiting for her next release. I was absolutely not disappointed. There is a powerful emotion behind the song that just drew me in and wouldn't let me go. You'll want to feel it for yourself. 

 
You can find “Pretty Face" just about everywhere you usually get your music like Spotify or Apple! So, there's no reason why you won't be able track it down…which I highly suggest you do.

 
As soon as possible.

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If you want to learn more about Brittany, check out her Section 36 Music profile page. There you can find links to her full interview with Section 36 Music, her social media accounts, as well as more samples of her incredible singing.

You can also hop directly to her recent interview right here on Section 36 Music. That will give you an opportunity to learn more about this amazing singer.

Be sure to give “Pretty Face" a listen!

“Freedom” by Raquel & The Wildflowers (Feb 10, 2022 release)

“Freedom" is the latest single from the incredible group Raquel & The Wildflowers!

I just have to say, I was blown away by this song the first time I heard it. Everything about it just "worked" to perfection, from the music to the lyrics. I was disappointed when the song ended, and immediately set it to play over again. I imagine you will too.

You can find “Freedom" just about everywhere you usually get your music like Apple and Spotify. So, there's no reason you won't be able to find it.…which I highly suggest you do.

Immediately!

“Loose Lips" by Violet Lewis (Jan 7, 2022 release)

“Loose Lips" is the debut EP from the incredible singer Violet Lewis!

And you won't want to miss it! 

What can you expect from the EP? Well, here's what Violet had to say about one of the singles from the EP in her recent interview with us.

“'Don’t Say Goodbye'” is definitely an outlier on the EP in almost every way, and the process of putting it together was no exception. While the other songs were written during the early days of quarantine while I was spending a lot of time thinking in solitude, I wrote “Don’t Say Goodbye” after all of the other songs on the project had already been recorded. The day I wrote it, I just knew I wanted it on this project. I recorded a quick demo and sent it to Zackary Shreves, the producer on this project, and he loved it too. So we got in the studio and just recorded it. I wrote it about my boyfriend, who is also a musician, and he became a big collaborator on the song, writing and arranging parts for drums and tracking some guitar parts."

I definitely noticed the songs from the EP each had their own feel, but blend together wonderfully. It's something you'll want to hear for yourself.

You'll be able to find “Loose Lips" just about everywhere you usually get your music like Spotify or Apple! So, there's no reason why you won't be able track it down…which I suggest you do.
 
Right Now!

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If you want to learn more about Violet, check out her Section 36 Music profile page. There you can find links to her full interview with Section 36 Music, her social media accounts, as well as more samples of her incredible singing.

You can also hop directly to her interview right here on Section 36 Music. That will give you an opportunity to learn more about this amazing singer.

Be sure to give “Loose Lips" a listen!

Ulana Visits Section 36 Music

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Ulana is a wonderful singer, coming off the release of her latest single "Spilled Milk". I was so excited she wanted to visit with us and discuss her music, and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Ulana visits Section 36 Music!

I really enjoyed your recent single “Spilled Milk”. What can you tell me about it?I appreciate you listening to “Spilled Milk” and I’m happy you enjoyed it! “Spilled Milk” was originally a song I had written for a songwriting class that continued to go through many revisions throughout 2020. The song is about the feeling of spilling your feelings to someone and feeling awkward and uncomfortable, as if you spilled milk all over yourself. It’s the nostalgia, the excitement, the anxiousness, the anger of things not working out—it’s a song of emotions that everyone experiences at some point or another, especially when they want things to work out with someone they like a lot. I hope that when people listen to this song, they can feel understood in some way.

Do you have any other projects you’re currently working on?

I am currently working on a few collaborations that I am really excited for! I am hoping to release another single before next summer, and I am starting to put together some merchandise for “Spilled Milk”!

You’re currently attending Berklee College of Music. What’s the biggest way that’s benefitting your career? 

I am unbelievably grateful that I am attending Berklee Collegeof Music. I have met so many incredible people, musicians and artists and geniuses, and being around so much amazing energy has not only inspired my work, but it’s made me want to work harder to make music that’s just as powerful. The material I’ve learned about songwriting and production has also benefited me in so many ways, and I’ve had some incredible teachers who have opened my eyes to so many new possibilities in the industry that I never knew existed.

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

My grandmother was the first person to show me the beauty and magic of music, and she is still one of my biggest influences for my passion for music. In terms of creating music, Taylor Swift and Alex Turner are some of my biggest songwriting idols. I also take a lot of my inspiration from the music of Louis Tomlinson, Mark Knopfler, Dayglow, and Arcade Fire.

What would you say is your biggest career challenge?Currently, my biggest career challenge is honing in on one skill that I really want to get good at. I’m fascinated by so many aspects in the process of making music that I sometimes have a hard time focusing on one part, and I’m still working on trying to get good at one thing. But I’m just really grateful that I get to be pursuing my passion in a conducive environment with a lot of amazing people supporting me, so I believe that I will find a path eventually. I’m enjoying the learning process for now!

What are your immediate career goals?

My immediate career goal is to release an EP with my own

original songs within 1-2 years. I would love to get more credits on collaborative projects as well. It would also be really fun to start performing my songs live!

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I can't wait for that EP!

As always, I want to thank Ulana for visiting, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I know you’ll all want to follow along with Ulana to see what she's up to. The best way is to follow her on Instagram. It's a great way to keep track of everything she has going on. Of course, you can always find her music on Spotify and basically anywhere else you find your music.

You can also check out her Section 36 Music page. It's a perfect way to enjoy everything Ulana has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Ulana, and good luck reaching your goals!

Violet Lewis Visits Section 36 Music!

Photo: Natalie Somekh

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Violet Lewis is an incredibly talented singer, coming off the release of her latest single "Don't Say Goodbye". I was so excited she wanted to visit with us and discuss her music, and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Violet Lewis visits Section 36 Music!

I really enjoyed your recent single “Don’t Say Goodbye”. What was it like putting that together?

Thank you! “Don’t Say Goodbye” is definitely an outlier on the EP in almost every way, and the process of putting it together was no exception. While the other songs were written during the early days of quarantine while I was spending a lot of time thinking in solitude, I wrote “Don’t Say Goodbye” after all of the other songs on the project had already been recorded. The day I wrote it, I just knew I wanted it on this project. I recorded a quick demo and sent it to Zackary Shreves, the producer on this project, and he loved it too. So we got in the studio and just recorded it. I wrote it about my boyfriend, who is also a musician, and he became a big collaborator on the song, writing and arranging parts for drums and tracking some guitar parts.

Do you have any other projects you’re currently working on?

My EP “Loose Lips” is coming out January 7th and I’m so

Photo: Natalie Somekh

excited to finally share it!  I’ll be playing a release show in Los Angeles at The Love Song Bar on the night of its release to celebrate. I’m also currently putting a band together in Boston where I go to school to start playing some shows over there as well.

You’re currently attending Berklee College of Music. What’s the biggest way that’s benefitting your career? 

That’s a really good question. Berklee has a lot of opportunities, but they’re all kind of hidden and you have to dig a little to find them. I joined a club called the A&R Club that has a lot of really great people and networking opportunities, and that’s been one of my favorite parts about Berklee so far. 

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

I say this all the time, but Elliott Smith’s easily my biggest influence. He did the singer/ songwriter/ guitar thing but in a way that was so inventive, thoughtful, and brilliant. I’m not trying to recreate that- I never could, he was one of a kind. But if there’s someone to look up to, yeah it’s him. Also, I’m lucky to be friends with a lot of talented and badass musicians who inspire me every day too. 

What would you say is your biggest career challenge?

Photo: Natalie Somekh

I don’t actually get asked this question a lot. But as an independent artist, there’s a lot of challenges! The music industry has changed a lot, and with that so has the role and expectations of artists. Instead of just being a singer and songwriter, you have to wear many hats. You have to either be a producer or find a producer you work well with, you need to get promo photos and album art and Spotify canvases, you need to do the work of a marketing team and run pre-save campaigns and reach out to blogs and playlisters and radio stations. You need an active Instagram and TikTok and Twitter and Facebook page and you’re supposed to have a decent following on all of them. You need to pay for a lot of stuff out of pocket. You need to play a bunch of instruments or find people that can play them, depending on what you’re trying to do. You need to book shows and commission flyers and move gear. So at the end of all that, singing and writing songs, the thing that I really love, just becomes a first step, and then I’m hit with all of that.

What are your immediate career goals?

Right now I’m focused on the release of this EP! I’m super excited for everyone to hear it and to share something so precious to me with my listeners. I’m hoping to continue growing my audience in the coming year as I begin new projects and to hopefully play shows if Covid-related circumstances allow me to do so safely. 

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I can't wait for the new release!

As always, I want to thank Violet for visiting, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I know you’ll all want to follow along with Violet to see what she's up to. The best way is to visit her socials like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. They're great ways to keep track of everything she has going on. Of course, you can always find her music on Soundcloud and Spotify.

You can also check out her Section 36 Music page. It's a perfect way to enjoy everything Violet has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Violet, and good luck reaching your goals!