Anika Locke Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Anika Locke is fresh off the release of her amazing EP, "cool or whatever". If you haven't streamed it yet, you should do it now. I was thrilled Anika wanted to visit with us to discuss the EP, and a bit more. I'm sure you'll love what she had to say.

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

I absolutely love your new EP, “cool or whatever”. What can you tell me about it?

Thank you! Cool or whatever is so special to me because it is not only my first project and release, but also a collection of my own stories that I now get to share. Each song is a snapshot of my own experiences, that I feel are even more relatable because they are the things I don’t always say out loud. 

My favorite thing about the whole project is that the title sums up the attitude of the project. It’s posing as nonchalant and fun, but underneath there’s a lot of vulnerability and honesty. My overall goal was that I really wanted this project to feel like hanging out with me in real life, both genuine and fun. 

Do you have a favorite memory from the recording process?

It’s so difficult to choose a favorite memory of recording, because I truly loved it all. It was my first time in a studio, and experiencing the creative energy in the room was incredibly exciting (we were all dancing when we heard the rough drafts back for the first time). I do think one of the best memories definitely was working on “don’t wanna be lame,” especially for the vocal layering at the end. It started as a bit of an experimental idea, but the first time we played it back we instantly knew that it was exactly what we were going for, and it was so inspiring to me because I fell in love with the process of taking the songs and trying out every idea to shape them into the final versions that exist now. 

You are attending Berklee College of Music. What made Berklee the right choice for you?

Berklee felt like the right choice for me because it is a place where my love for music and community are combined. I found out about Berklee about 4 years ago, and at the time I was only posting my songs to TikTok. Finding Berklee was really the first time I seriously began to consider pursuing music professionally. I knew I’d grow the most in an environment where everyone is creating and inspiring each other, and I definitely feel that it’s the perfect place to challenge myself, meet so many other talented people, and take my music to the next level. 

What Disney song would you most want to cover?

This is such a great question because my favorite Disney movie as a kid was Beauty and the Beast, so its title track would be amazing to cover. 

What is the most challenging part of your music career?

I think the most challenging part of my music career is finding balance - between the creative process and also everything else that comes with it. Writing and performing is the most natural to me, but as an emerging artist it has definitely been a journey to trust myself as an artist, learn the business side, and self- motivate. I’ve had to learn how to stay consistent and not let doubt creep in, even when things move slower than I’d like. It’s definitely a challenge, but it also pushes me every day to grow as both an artist and a person. 

What are your immediate musical goals?

Play some shows! 

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Hopefully she'll play plenty of shows and you all can attend!

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

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her on Instagram and Spotify to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again, Anika, and good luck reaching your goals!

Ale Gil Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Changing things up a bit today. Ale Gil is a music podcaster who is the founder and host of "Coffee and Records" a podcast that combines her passions for music and mental health. I was thrilled that Ale wanted to visit with us to discuss the podcast, her goals, and more. I'm sure you'll love what she had to say.

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

What made you decide to start your podcast, “Coffee and Records”?

Over the past two years I have been struggling a lot with mental health and with finding my purpose within the music industry. I began noticing that I was not the only one feeling this way, so I thought it would be a great idea to start a platform that can help people navigate their careers while taking care of their mental health. As a Berklee student, I believe I am surrounded by the next generation of the music industry where every single person has a unique story to tell and advice to share. By having these genuine conversations, we can learn about the struggles and successes in someone's life which can encourage deeper connections and can make us feel more understood and less alone. 

Do you have any favorite parts of the recording process?

My favourite part is definitely recording interviews. I am so grateful each time I get to sit down with a person and have a meaningful conversation that can be shared with the world. Everytime I finish an interview, I feel deeply connected with the person and so happy I get to learn new things!

How do you select your podcast topics and guests?

I generally start by going through a list of people I know around Berklee that I deeply admire and want to know more about. From there, I brainstorm some questions and the topics discussed come naturally. 

You attend Berklee College of Music. What made Berklee the right choice for you?

Berklee seemed the right place for me because here I can embrace my passion for music and learn the tools I need to help others within the industry. Music has helped me deal with many hardships in life and so I knew that I needed to study somewhere that could equip me with the knowledge I need in order to be able to provide that help to others. 

What would you say are your biggest podcasting challenges?

In my opinion, the biggest challenge I found when it comes to podcasting is being able to expand the target audience in a way I can reach a great amount of listeners. I do believe that it takes time for any business to be recognized by many, but it is definitely a lot of hard work. 

Do you have any immediate podcasting goals?

Yes! As for right now I am really looking forward to interviewing a lot of interesting people and bringing some new elements into my podcast apart from our interviews! I am excited to soon be sharing all the great things I have planned for the following months!

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I can't wait to see those new episodes!

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

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her podcast on Instagram and Instagram to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again, Ale! Good luck reaching your goals!

Nicole Ash Makes 36 Decisions!

Photo: Sube Films

Nicole Ash is back! I know you love her music, including her recent single "Seeing Signs". I'm sure you loved learning more about her in her "36 Favorite Things" post. Now we get to hear from her again in a little game of "Would you Rather?"

Nicole was nice enough to make 36 decisions for us so we could learn a bit more about the artist behind the music. Let's see how it goes.

Which would she prefer...

Brooklyn or Golden Gate Bridge? Golden Gate

Red Sox or Yankees? Red Sox!

Disney or Pixar? Disney

Tank top or tee shirt? Either, but usually T-shirt

French fries or onion rings? Fries

Ice cream or iced coffee? Coffee for sure

Cake or Pie? Pie... unless it's cheesecake

Breakfast or Dinner? Breakfast

Pizza party or pool party? Why not both?? But Would go with pool party

Formal attire or Casual wear? Casual

Beach vacation or Mountain retreat? Beach

Too hot or too cold? Too hot

Going to a water park or amusement park? Amusement

Adventure travel or Relaxing vacation? Both! I love exploring and getting time to relax

Night out or Night in? Night in

Concerts or Movie nights? Concerts!

Playing video games or reading books? Video games

Football or baseball? Football

Hiking or Rock climbing? Hiking

Fiction or Non-fiction? Both

Driver or passenger? Passenger

Pizza or tacos? Pizza, but love both!

Asia or Europe? Europe, but want to visit Asia!

Sunbathing or swimming? Swimming

Tattoo or piercing? Tattoo

Animation or Live-action? Animation

Superheroes or Princesses? Princesses

Unicorn or dragon? Dragon

Shopping in-store or buying things online? Online

Sending text messages or calling people? Calling

Podcasts or YouTube videos? I listen to a lot of both

Getting lost in the jungle or in a vast city? City

Fruits or vegetables? Veggies

Ability to read other people's minds or ability to fly? Fly

Puzzle or Crossword? Puzzle

Host a party, or attend a party? Attend

That was fun!

As always, I want to thank Nicole for taking the time to do this with us. It's always nice to be able to learn a bit more about a favorite artist.

Be sure to listen to Nicole and follow along with her to see what she's up to. I would definitely follow her on Instagram, and/or Spotify. In fact, go do both right now! 

Thanks again Nicole!