2019 Year in Review

Of all the blogs in the Section 36 Suite, the Music blog is the one whose 2019 I'm most excited about. I started the blog as a way to bring a bit more attention to the amazing titleholders who had visited with Section 36, and also were talented musicians. It stagnated that way for a bit until I started conducting separate interviews here on Section 36 Music about music specifically. Suddenly, a blog purpose was accidentally discovered. To help bring more exposure to the talented local female singers and musicians populating Red Sox nation...and maybe a bit beyond. As the year closed out, I was able to conduct nine such interviews over the last half of 2019. It has been such a thrill to be able to interview these amazing women and try to get as many people as possible to hear their music. I'm definitely excited about a 2020 full of more interview opportunities.

Of course, the interviews are in addition to the other posts Section 36 Music had been sharing...things from single release announcements to show schedules. It's all part of sharing these talented women with more ears and eyes. In addition to the posts on the blog, it's been fun posting about all of these singers/songwriters/musicians on Section 36 Music social media.

What's that? You don't know where Section 36 Music exists on social media? Well, let me tell you about it.

Instagram has been the main social media focus for the blog. It’s

been great connecting with fans and visitors through that site. It’s been a little slow to get started. But, it posts any pictures that my Section 36 visitors have submitted that are musical in nature. Whether they’re singing, or playing an instrument. It’s another way to celebrate visitors with musical talents! It also posts any pictures submitted by the interviewees to Section 36 Music! It provides more opportunities to share these women with the world. While the follower count is low at the moment, it can only go up from here!

Twitter is still the old standby. As you’d expect, it tweets out music related posts made by the other blogs, or any posts on the Music blog itself. It also passes along info from music-related visitors. At just over 30 followers, it’s just a baby...but growing every day!

Facebook provides fun opportunities. It's really a nice combination of twitter and instagram. I can post links there for Section 36 posts

about the artists. I can share their posts. I can post pictures. It's a bit of everything, and that's what's fun. This is the newest social media location for Section 36 Music, but it has exploded over the last month or two with the blog's new focus. I can't wait to see how much more it grown is 2020.

With all those ways to talk about these talented women, I'm excited to see the growth in the coming year. It’ll be a lot of fun.

I hope you'll join me!

Kacie Grenon Visits Section 36!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Kacie Grenon is the founder and front woman for the band “Grenon”. I was thrilled that she was willing to talk with us about that, her music, and more!

So, let's see what happens when Kacie Grenon visits Section 36!

How did “Grenon” get its start?

I used to be a solo artist with just my acoustic guitar when I first started taking music seriously at about 12 years old. At some point I was approached by a friend to start a band as a side project, but it eventually became something that I felt more invested and passionate about, so it became the main thing. I met all of the band boys during my first year of high school, and we used to call ourselves Last Reach (which, yikes). We make fun of it all the time. Our snapchat group chat name is literally called Past Reach. We changed our identity a few times and I suppose the rest is history.

This summer you released your debut single “Goodbye”. What can you tell me about that song?

Fun fact: I wrote the entirety of Goodbye on a living room couch during a vacation in Aruba. It’s about when you’ve finally moved on from a relationship after you’ve “moved on.” Like that feeling where you don’t miss that person anymore, and you really, truly just don’t care anymore. Writing it, for me, was like spiritually saying “peace out mother-effer” to a bad situation I went through. We recorded it with Jim Stewart at the Tri-C studios in Cleveland, and we shot the music video with Dustin Kirkendall. Both the video and the single cover have some easter eggs about our next release…just putting that out there…

Have you been working on any other recordings, and when might we be able to hear the results?

We’re planning on releasing lots of content starting spring of 2020. That’s all I’ll say for now :)

You've been able to perform at several live shows. Does one particular show stand out to you?

Photo by Cameron Gile

That’s really hard to answer cause we’ve been lucky enough to have even had so many awesome experiences to choose from. Nothing beats playing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but I’ve gotta say that playing on the Magic Hat Stage at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion for a Shinedown concert and seeing Zach Myers riding around on a tricycle right in front of your stage while you’re sound checking is pretty epic.

Do you have any upcoming appearances you’re especially excited about?

The band is laying low right now cause we’re in the studio. Next year is going to be absolutely insane for us, so we’re taking some time off the stage to create and enjoy the holidays with our families.

Right now, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

Our biggest challenge is probably just being taken seriously as a young band. We’re all 17/18 year old artists from the middle of nowhere in New Hampshire. We didn’t come from a place like LA or Nashville, so I feel like we naturally just have more to prove, especially for our age. There is always something we can learn. But that makes our goals that much more worth it. 

What are your immediate career goals?

We can’t wait to finish recording this new music and share it with our fans and the world. I’ve never been as excited about releasing music as I am for this release. These songs are some of the first that I feel like truly represent me as a human, and I can’t wait to connect with people who share the same thoughts and feelings as me.

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That’s pretty exciting. I know I can wait to hear the new music!

As always, I want to thank Kacie for visiting, and for sending along the pictures that accompany the interview. They’re the perfect addition to the discussion.

Since I know you’ll want to follow along with Kacie (and Grenon) to see what she's up to and how her career is progressing, I suggest you check out and follow the Grenon website and social media accounts: Instagram, and Facebook. You can also listen to their single Goodbye. They’re the best ways to make sure you don’t miss any of the exciting things she teased during the interview. Looking for Grenon merchandise? You can find that at their store.

Of course you should also check out her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, pictures, and some of her music. It's a great way to enjoy everything Grenon, and Kacie, has to offer.

Thanks again Kacie, and good luck with your next endeavor!

Amanda McCarthy Visits Section 36

Photo by Cannafarina Photography

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Amanda McCarthy is a talented singer and performer. It was wonderful to have her visit and discuss her past recordings, her appearances, and more! I'm sure you'll enjoy what she had to say.

So, let's see what happened when Amanda McCarthy Visited Section 36!

This summer you released your first album “Road Trip”. What was it like putting that together?

Putting together Road Trip was, quite literally, a journey from start to finish. It started out as a 2-single project, which then turned into a 6-song EP, but while the songs on the EP were strong, there were definitely pieces missing to tell a full story. Aat that point I decided to bite the bullet and go for a full length album. Road Trip certainly tells a story. With the new decade coming, and people asking me to sum up my life from this current decade, I jokingly tell them to listen to Road Trip. It includes songs written in 2011/2012 to songs that were written right before recording them. It's a mix of my influences in pop, rock, and country. A mix of serious, fun, and snarky. I'm proud of it because it really showcases who I am as an artist and a person.

Have you been working on any other recordings, and when might we be able to hear the results?

My 2020 promise is to debut at least one new song a month, though that may not necessarily be as a formal single. I'm trying to really focus on writing right now, and cutting my teeth as a professional songwriter for others as well as really deciding what I want my next personal artist project to sound like. I'm really loving both country and pop right now, but I want my next project released as myself to be somewhat cohesive in genre. So 2020 will include me exploring those genres, a few cuts in the works for other artists to be recording songs I've written, and me sharing at least one new song a month. I struggle with perfectionism, but I want to share even SoundCloud demos or live-video recordings so I'm not leaving fans in the dark and they can hear what I'm working on.

You recently went to LA for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. What was that experience like?

Photo by MB Padfield

The HMMA ceremony was very cool. A friend of mine who lives in LA and came as my "date" described it as the "Baby Grammy's." I was able to walk a red carpet with tons of cameras going off and was part of a few different interviews. The red carpet and all the photography flashes reminded me of something you'd see in a movie, it was definitely something I don't do every day haha. It was so cool being nominated and getting to be part of the whole process and ceremony.

You've been able to perform at several live shows. What have you liked about those experiences?

I love live shows because, at least for me, I'm always doing something different. I might be playing acoustic or with my band. I might be delivering my heart playing all original songs, or in a more restaurant/bar environment singing cover songs. Some venues want all rock, some want all country. I'm able to wear a lot of hats and I never feel like I'm compromising myself, even at the cover shows, because it still puts me in front of an audience, still gives me a chance to deliver some (if not all) original music, and I'm so versatile as an artist that I never feel as if I'm being someone I'm not. I have my rock side, my country side, and it's cool to have different places where I can show different pieces of me. Connecting with people, hearing them enjoy my music and hearing them tell me that my original music really resonated with them is my all time favorite feeling as a songwriter.

Do you have any upcoming appearances you’re especially excited about?

Photo by CJ Boulais

New Year's Eve, my band will be in Woodstock NH at the Woodstock Inn for their huge NYE bash. We played last year and it gets pretty intense up there, lol. Definitely a party environment and a real good time. Boston fans can hear some originals at the Middle East Corner on 12/30, Maine fans at Elements in Biddeford on 1/11, and South Shore fans at C-Note in Hull on 1/12.

Right now, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

My biggest career challenge...oh boy lol. I think first off I really need to decide on a primary genre, which has always been a challenge for me because I'm all about authenticity and being true to yourself. Some days my authentic self is a pretty country girl in flower dresses, and some days my authentic self plays alt-rock music and wears Converse and beanies. Recently, my authentic self also includes pop music. I will continue to strive to make all parts of myself work, but also striving for a more cohesive blend as not to confuse audiences who don't already know me.... I think my current audience is pretty aware that I can't make up my mind LOL. That's also part of why I want to explore writing for others more, I think it will give me a chance to show off those different strengths. 

What are your immediate career goals?

My next-step I'm working on is to secure some better opening slots for bigger artists. I've done a lot of side-stage stuff, which has been AWESOME for meeting and engaging with newer bigger crowds with similar music taste to me, but unfortunately a lot of talent-bookers, management etc. only want to know who you've been on the MAIN stage with. So that's my next step is to be able to grow that list, and hopefully find some solid dedicated management for myself as an artist as well. As I said earlier, 2020 will have some artists recording songs I've written for or with them and I hope to expand that list. And you heard it here first folks.... I'll be moving to Nashville during late summer/early fall of 2020.

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That’s some exciting news. I bet she’ll love it there!

As always, I want to thank Amanda for visiting. I also want to thank her for sending along the pictures that accompany the interview. They’re the perfect addition to the discussion.

Since I know you’ll want to follow along with Amanda to see what she's up to and how her career is progressing, I suggest you check out and follow her website and social media accounts: Instagram, and Facebook. You should also be sure to check out all of her music on Spotify. They’re the best ways to make sure you don’t miss any of the exciting things she teased during the interview.

Of course you should also check out her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, pictures, and some of her music. It's a great way to enjoy everything Amanda has to offer.

Thanks again Amanda, and good luck with your next endeavor! 

Stephanie James Visits Section 36!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Stephanie James is a Berklee grad currently living on the West Coast. It was great to talk about her music, her upcoming album, and more! I'm sure you'll enjoy what she had to say.

So, let's see what happened when Stephanie James visited Section 36!

You’re a graduate of Berklee College of Music. What was that experience like?

Berklee College of Music was my dream school and sometimes it felt like a dream. I was surrounded by some of the most incredible musicians from all over the world. My teachers, mentors, and classmates really helped shaped the musician and artist I am today. After the first few weeks of school I remember calling my Mom and crying tears of joy on the phone. I was so happy and felt like I was finally surrounded by my people and was in the right place for the first time in my life. Music was always my calling but now I was in an environment with people I could grow and thrive with. The Berklee community is strong and I am forever grateful for the relationships I made at school.

I really enjoyed your videos for your songs “I Deserve Better’ and “You Fill Me Up”. What was it like to put those together?

“You Fill Me Up” was my first music video. A friend referred me to Danny Chamberlin, a film major she knew at Emerson. We met at the popular Berklee coffee hang, Pavement, and we brainstormed some ideas! It’s funny because we filmed the first half of the video on a very warm fall day in Boston and weren’t able to finish filming until November when it was a windy and cold 20 degree day. For continuity, I had to wear the same outfit which consisted of shorts, a tank top, and high heels. I remember people on Boylston street yelling at me that I was going to catch a cold but we had to do to finish filming.

I wanted to collaborate with dancers and have their movements help tell the story for “I Deserve Better”. The dancers were students at Boston Conservatory and the music video was made by friends at Emerson, Grayson Kohs and Zaji Zabalerio. The dancers, Santiago MacLean & Jenna Mitchell, improvised over the entire song and we filmed from a few different angles. I learned so much about making music videos from these experiences and loved the creativity that comes from collaborating.

Have you been working on any recordings, and when might we be able to hear the results?

I’ve been working on my debut album with my producer, Jorel Corpus. I’ve recently launched a Kickstarter to help fund the album and all the different costs that are involved. If the Kickstarter goal is reached, I am hoping to release the album in March or April. I will also be releasing 2 singles before then in the next coming months.

You've been able to perform at several live shows. What have you liked about those experiences?

What I love most about performances is that it’s always different. Even if I am singing some familiar material or I’m at the same venue, the energy and the audience is always different. I love connecting with people with my music but also having conversations with the audience in between sets. I treat all performances the same no matter how big or small. People make the effort and take the time to come out to see live music and they want to be moved, they want a story, they want to connect to something. 

Do you have any upcoming appearances you’re especially excited about?

Right now I am deciding when and where I want to have my album release show. I am really looking forward to performing my new music with a full band out in Los Angeles. I’ve spent so much time in writing sessions and at the studio so I am really looking forward to breaking into the live music scene out here. 

Right now, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

My biggest career challenge right now is building my audience and building a team who can help me further my career goals. 

What are your immediate career goals?

I honestly can’t wait to release my album! This album is so personal and special to me and I can’t wait to share my baby with everyone! I want to play more shows, collaborate with writers, brands, and other creatives in the industry. I want to get representation so I can do more of the music making and have more guidance while navigating such a fast paced industry.

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Hopefully Stephanie can reach that goal and release that album! If you want to help her do that (and I'm sure you do), be sure to visit her kickstarter and help in any way you can!

As always, I want to thank Stephanie for chatting and for sending along the pictures that accompany the interview. They’re perfect.

Since I know you’ll want to follow along with Stephanie to see what she's up to and how her career is progressing, I suggest you check out and follow her social media accounts: Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. You should also be sure to check out all her music on Spotify. You also will want to visit her website often. It’s the best way to make sure you don’t miss any of the exciting things she teased during the interview.

Of course you should also check out her Section 36 Music profile page. There you'll find more links, pictures, and some of her music. It's a great way to enjoy everything Stephanie has to offer.

Thanks again Stephanie, and good luck with your next endeavor! 

Taylor O'Connor Visits Section 36!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Taylor O'Connor is a talented singer and Nashville resident. It was great to have her visit and talk about her past recordings, her appearances, and more! I'm sure you'll enjoy what she had to say.

So, let's see what happened when Taylor O'Connor Visited Section 36!

In May you released your latest single “Wine Again”. What can you tell me about that song?

“Wine Again” was one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written because I feel like the base of the song is something everyone has had to deal with.. asking for advice from people, not listening, and wondering why nothing is changing. 

Have you been working on any other recordings, and when might we be able to hear the results?

Recently I have been really grinding on my songwriting.. I am hoping to set up some dates to record an EP that will be released in 2020!

You recently made the move from your Massachusetts home to Nashville. How did you decide to make that change?

I decided to make the move to Nashville because I was going to school at Berklee College of Music and though I enjoyed my time there I felt like I kept wishing time would fly by so I could finally move to Nashville and be in the atmosphere that is Music City, so I decided to take a break from school, move down here and dive right into it! 

You've been able to perform at several live shows. What have you liked about those experiences?

My favorite thing about live performances is really feeling connected with your audience, wether it’s them singing along, or them just watching you, you can feel the engagement and it makes you feel like you’re giving them something important 

Do you have any upcoming appearances you’re especially excited about?

I am in the process of planning gigs for 2020

Right now, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

My biggest career challenge as of late is definitely pumping out songs fast enough, my personal writing style is slow and steady but I wish I could just pump out 10000 songs a day, but who doesn’t! 

What are your immediate career goals?
My immediate career goals are to get a publishing deal with a label 

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Hopefully Taylor can reach that goal!

As always, I want to thank Taylor for visiting. I also want to thank her for sending along the pictures that accompany the interview. They’re fantastic.

Since I know you’ll want to follow along with Taylor to see what she's up to and how her career is progressing, I suggest you check out and follow her social media accounts: Instagram, and Facebook. You should also be sure to check out all the ways to hear her single "Wine Again". It’s the best way to make sure you don’t miss any of the exciting things she teased during the interview.

Of course you should also check out her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, pictures, and some of her music. It's a great way to enjoy everything Taylor has to offer.

Thanks again Taylor, and good luck with your next endeavor! 

Lyssa Coulter Visits Section 36!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Lyssa Coulter is a

talented singer and Nashville resident. You may be familiar with the performances she’s done across the country. I was thrilled that she was willing to visit with us to discuss those topics, and everything else having to do with her music career. I'm sure you'll enjoy what she had to say.

So, let's see what happened when Lyssa Coulter Visited Section 36!

This summer you released your latest single “Cruisin’”. What can you tell me about that song?

My single “Cruisin’” was written by myself and New England Singer/Songwriter, Paige Davis. She came down to Nashville to visit, the first week I had moved down, back in February. It was about 1:00 a.m. and we were both wide awake and I had shown her some lyrics that I had been sitting on for a while. She vibed with them and we were able to create what we thought was a “windows down, summertime, feel good song”. We really wanted it to be something listeners could just enjoy and have fun with. 

Have you been working on any other recordings, and when might we be able to hear the results? 

I do have a song currently in the works. I don’t want to give too too much away, but I am currently working on producing it with Matthew Taylor who is an incredible singer/songwriter and producer. It is was written by one of my close friends Molly Mae. It’s really exciting and an honor to be trusted to cut a track. More details regarding title of song and release date in end December/beginning of January.

You made the move from your Massachusetts home to Nashville. How has that decision helped your career?

Moving to Nashville was a really big decision as when I was in middle/highschool I had not planned on leaving my home town never mind the state or New England. Moving to Nashville has been an incredible experience so far. I did not go to college so it’s almost like my own personal “College Experience”. I’ve learned so many perspectives of the industry and have met so many people along with just expanding my general knowledge of the music industry. It has helped a lot with expanding my network and has allowed me to meet, collaborate and learn from so many other creatives. The talent in the town is endless and pushes me to strive to be a better artist and over all musician. 

You've been able to perform at several live shows. What have you liked about those experiences?

Live performances are my favorite. They allow me to truly

Photo by
Matthew Allen Photography

connect with my listeners and with an audience in a way you can’t behind the social media wall. I had the opportunity to play out west at a few festivals this past summer and I was just stunned and was honestly speechless seeing people singing along to not just the covers we played but also my original tunes. There is nothing like that feeling. 

Do you have any upcoming appearances you’re especially excited about?

We have a lot of exciting plans for 2020. We have some tour plans that I’m especially excited about, but again, I don’t want to give away too much. I do want the #CoulterCrew to know we have some really exciting things in the works for 2020 and we will be visiting brand new cities. 

Right now, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

I think the biggest challenge in my career is knowing who's truly on your team (friends, artists, industry pros and even family). I also think one of the bigger challenges is really creating an understanding as to who I want to be as an artist at the end of the day. I’ve only been in this for two years and I’m still In the experimental stage of what I want my music to sound like. I think another big challenge is finding the balance of the Lyssa “at home” and Lyssa “on stage”. Finding the perfect mix is something that is constantly being worked on. It’s important that my listeners get to know the real me. 

What are your immediate career goals?

One of my immediate goals consist of getting as much music as possible out in 2020. I spent 2019 writing a ton and I can’t wait to show everyone what I’ve been working on. Another one being expanding on the amount of performances we play next year. This year I only had a few dozen shows. In 2018 I had over 150 performances and I really would like to get back to those numbers. Performing keeps me on my toes and I love it. 

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Hopefully Lyssa can reach those goals!

As always, I want to thank Lyssa for visiting. I also want to thank her for sending along the fantastic pictures that accompany the interview. They’re simply perfect.

Since I know you’ll want to follow along with Lyssa to see what she's up to and how her career is progressing, I suggest you check out and follow her social media accounts: Instagram, and Facebook. You should also be sure to visit her website. It’s the best way to make sure you don’t miss any of the exciting things she teased during the interview.

You can also go directly to check out her wonderful music. Whether you prefer Apple or Spotify, I know you’re going to love what you find.

Of course you should also check out her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, pictures, and some of her music. It's a great way to enjoy everything Lyssa has to offer.

Thanks again Lyssa, and good luck with your next endeavor!