New Music from Cece Benz, Allison Leah, Sarah King, NIKOLE, and Sabrina Ponte

 

"Growing Pains" - EP by Cece Benz

Release Date: March 29, 2024

What You Should Know: "there are no words to describe how excited i am to have this project out in the world. it’s been a long time coming, a goal i’ve had for years. these 5 songs mean the world to me and each give a little glimpse into my life over the last 4 years in which they were written.

none of this would have been possible without @brunjomusic!! not only did they help bring these songs to life, but they created such a fun and safe environment to be able to experiment so freely with each of these songs. their knowledge is unmatched and they are just the coolest people i’ve ever met. thank you thank you thank you for taking on this project and working with me until everything felt right. there will never be enough thank you’s!

i hope these songs can find a place in your life like they have in mine. thank you for listening"

Find It: Everywhere, like Apple or Spotify

Previous Noteworthy Releases: "End Us", "Growing Pains"

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "What 2024 Sounds Like From Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previously on Section 36: "Cece Benz Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Sunsets" - by Allison Leah

Release Date: March 29, 2024

What You Should Know: "I wrote "Sunsets" years ago and it has grown and evolved into the song it is now.  
 
I’ve played this song for audiences in Chicago, Indianapolis, Nashville, New York, Connecticut, DC, Austin, Houston, Arizona, and more. 
 
It is one of the most vulnerable songs I have ever written and I am so happy to release it into the world.  
 
I often say that I write songs to make sense of what I’m going through, and I release them in hopes that they will reach the person that needs it most. "

Find It: Spotify, and Apple

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "What 2024 Sounds Like From Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previous Noteworthy Releases: "What I'm Missing", "24 Years Down", "Sorry For Myself", "i gave u my number"

Previously on Section 36: "Allison Leah Visits Section 36 Music!", "Allison Leah's 36 Favorite Things"

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"When It All Goes Down" - by Sarah King 

Release Date: March 29, 2024

What You Should Know: "It’s been a long journey to get here - one of the songs was even originally written in 2020 for my 2021 EP! - and sometimes along the way it’s easy to forget why you started. Playing live is my fave thing in the world. All the “behind the scenes” work offstage is not my fave, and I’ve been working hard behind the scenes for the last 6 months to make sure this is my best release yet."

Find It: Everywhere, like  Apple or Spotify

Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "What 2024 Sounds Like From Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previous Noteworthy Releases: "War Pigs", "Nightstand"

Previously on Section 36: "Sarah King Visits Section 36 Music!"

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"Ode to Goob" - EP by NIKOLE

Release Date: March 29, 2024

What You Should Know: "February of last year I went to Boston for a week to finish up the project with @coldspringmotel . It was a crazy beautiful emotional week, working on songs that I wrote 2-4 years ago and having to revisit feelings I hadn’t even thought about up until that point. These songs truly feel like diary entries and it was a lil scary to think that anybody at some point could hear these and I’d feel so vulnerable, but I do think that’s the beauty in creating art. There were moments where I didn’t wanna continue working on them or felt like they’d never get released because the process felt so long and draining sometimes. What’s funny is.. that week we finished all the songs, we had even mixed and mastered them and I got back home and they still didn’t feel ready. I felt that pressure even more so then, like “oh yeah these are never gonna be ready”. Finally, I got my stuff together, pulled through and we got it to its full potential. This project taught me so much as an artist and I feel like I’ve grown so much ever since. Patience was what I really learned and trusting my intuition and ideas and learning that art takes time and even if I just spent a whole week finishing up this EP and then coming back and still not feeling satisfied, it was going to be OK. No one is rushing you but yourself when it comes to art.
It almost feels weird releasing these songs now because they’re so old but it’s time they see the light of day, they’re so special and mean so much to me."

Find It: Apple or Spotify

Previous Noteworthy Singles: "Love After Death", "90 Days"

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"Mascara Stains" - EP by Sabrina Ponte 

Release Date: March 30, 2024

What You Should Know: As a fan of all of Sabrina's previous work, I could not be more excited about this song. It's one you won't want to miss.

Find It: Spotify or Apple

Her Spotify Playlist Inclusions: "What 2024 Sounds Like From Section 36", "Women Going Places, from Section 36"

Previous Noteworthy Releases: "January", "Gaslight", "The Good Guy", "Rodeo Heart", "Head Over Heels", "Chance of Whiskey", "Black Roses", "U-Turn"

Previously on Section 36: "Sabrina Ponte Visits Section 36 Music!"

"War Pigs" by Sarah King (Release Date December 11, 2020)

“War Pigs" is the latest cover single from the incredible singer Sarah King!

And you won’t want to miss it!

This acoustic cover of the Black Sabbath song is sure to be a delight. You'll definitely want to hear Sarah's unique twist to this well know heavy metal classic.

You can find “War Pigs" 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.

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If you want to learn more about Sarah, check out her Section 36 profile page. It has samples of her music, links to where you can find her, and more.

You can also hop directly to her recent interview right here on Section 36 Music.

Be sure to give “War Pigs" a listen!

“Nightstand" by Sarah King (Release date October 2, 2020)

“Nightstand" is the latest single from the incredible singer Sarah King!

And you won’t want to miss it!

What can you expect from the Song? Well, here’s what Sarah herself had to say about it in her recent interview with us…

“…My new single, Nightstand, has a totally different feel. For this track, I worked with Simone Felice and David Baron (the producers for the Lumineers, Jade Bird, Matt Maeson, Bat for Lashes, etc) in the Catskill Mountains. It's got much darker overtones than the songs on “What Happened Last Night”, and it was produced with more of a trip-hop, dark alternative vibe. I loved being able to incorporate some different influences into this track and utilize different instrumentation than I've worked with before.

Nightstand is a slow but powerful burn, and it builds. It starts off casually enough, but if you listen to the words, it's a warning not to underestimate women. By the end you can hear the edge in my voice, especially in a line talking about how "the world's been trying to take me out since the day I first arrived." It wasn't written to be a political statement or anything, but it's certainly become a timely theme, and I'm looking forward to sharing it.” 

That sounds amazing to me!

You can find “Nightstand" 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.

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If you want to learn more about Sarah, check out her Section 36 profile page. It has samples of her music, links to where you can find her, and more.

You can also hop directly to her recent interview right here on Section 36 Music.

Be sure to give “Nightstand" a listen!

Sarah King Visits Section 36!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Sarah King is a fantastic singer, and I was excited that she wanted to visit with us and discuss her music, her goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Sarah King visits Section 36!

I really enjoyed your album (with The Guilty Henchmen) “What Happened Last Night”. What was it like to put that together?

This record was SO much fun to put together. I flew down to Georgia (where I used to live) and recorded with my former bandmates. We hadn't been in a room together in eight years and it was a blast just to hang out again. We worked harder than I think any of us had ever worked since we only had 4 days to do everything - setting up, tracking, and mixing - but it didn't feel like work. We were exhausted but so proud at the end, and I am thrilled we pulled off the logistics to make it happen.

You have a single releasing on October 2nd. What can you tell me about it?

I sure do! This track is a whole different beast from WHLN.

WHLN was a solid blues-rock record, top to bottom. My new single, Nightstand, has a totally different feel. For this track, I worked with Simone Felice and David Baron (the producers for the Lumineers, Jade Bird, Matt Maeson, Bat for Lashes, etc) in the Catskill Mountains. It's got much darker overtones than the songs on WHLN, and it was produced with more of a trip-hop, dark alternative vibe. I loved being able to incorporate some different influences into this track and utilize different instrumentation than I've worked with before.

Nightstand is a slow but powerful burn, and it builds. It starts off casually enough, but if you listen to the words, it's a warning not to underestimate women. By the end you can hear the edge in my voice, especially in a line talking about how "the world's been trying to take me out since the day I first arrived." It wasn't written to be a political statement or anything, but it's certainly become a timely theme, and I'm looking forward to sharing it. 

What do you enjoy most about performing in front of an audience?

The energy and the feeling. Being able to share my stories - or interpret other stories - and have listeners feel something. From the time I started playing my own music, my goal has always been for listeners to feel something. I'm not up there to sing the loudest note or whatever. I want my stories to resonate with people so they know they're not alone.

Who/what would you consider to be your biggest musical influences?

I like to joke around that my biggest musical influences are bourbon and bad decisions, but that's not entirely a joke - I once read something like "bad decisions make good stories" and I totally agree. Who wants to hear a song about everything going perfectly? There's got to be some sort of challenge, some sort of growth or change in any good story, and songs are simply stories set to music. 

In terms of artists I'm into, the ones you'll hear on WHLN are the Black Keys and Jack White. On Nightstand we got a little deeper and you'll hear some Portishead, Alabama Shakes, and if you know him, maybe a little Greg Dulli. 

Other than COVID, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

My biggest career challenge is probably figuring out where my music belongs. I've played and studied a variety of styles - literally from opera on up - and I enjoy getting out of my musical comfort zone. Right now, finding the right niche for my music, the right listeners is a challenge. My songs are catchy but the lyrics are often a little dark for mainstream pop/rock music. I like to say I have a good time singing about hard times, and it's true. My music isn't going to lift you up or inspire you - there are plenty of other musicians out there doing that - but it will help you feel like you're not alone. Now I need to find those people who need to hear my stories!

What are your immediate career goals?

My immediate career goals are to get Nightstand out to as many ears and eyes as possible on October 2nd! I'm then headed back to the Catskills to finish the EP with Simone and David, and those songs will be released over the coming months. 

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I’m sure we can help her reach those goals!

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

I know you’ll all want to follow along with Sarah to see what she's up to. Especially with all the new releases coming up! The best way is to follow her online on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube. You should also be sure to listen to her music on Spotify as often as you can. It’s the perfect way to make sure you don't miss a thing.

You can also visit her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, pictures, and samples of her music. It's a great way to enjoy everything Sarah has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Sarah, and good luck in reaching your goals!