Berklee College of Music student Carol stopped by 88.9 WERS to play some songs for Wicked Local Wednesday, which kicks off at 9pm Wednesday nights on 88.9. Before her performance, she sat down with WERS’ Lily to discuss what it’s like being both a performer and a student, her new EP coming out sometime in early Spring, and how she was first inspired become a solo artist.
Lily: First, I wanted you to tell us a little bit about your sound as an artist. How would you describe it to someone who has never heard you before?
Carol: The word I’ve been using lately is “intense,” just because everything is so stripped down and it can get intense, especially in a live performance. I think it’s also purposeful. I definitely put a lot of intent behind the words that I write.
Lily: Does your music have that personal quality to it where it’s a really stripped-down version of things, both musically and lyrically?
C: Yeah, right now it definitely does because I’m the only one doing it [laughs]. I don’t have a band. Right now, it’s me writing everything, so it’s definitely very personal. Most things I write are very personal, but I’m hoping to be able to tell stories for others in a very respectful way [through my music]. That’s what I’m moving towards.
Lily: So, are you a student at Berklee [College of Music] right now?
C: Yes!
Lily: Wow, what is that like, being a student and a performer at the same time?
C: It’s fun. It’s a little crazy. I went to the career center recently—which is the first time I’ve been to the career center [laughs], which is so bad—and I said “hey, I want to move to New York, how do I do that?” And they were like “just do it!” [laughs]. It was good, and she asked me if I could come back at some other time, and it’s like “no, I can’t.” I’m so busy with everything.
Lily: Yeah, I mean you have classes and you have performances on top of that [laughs].
C: Yeah, I also have to babysit [laughs].
Lily: Have you done any performances outside of school in the Boston area, or are you not totally there yet?
C: I’m not on that level yet. I have performed with a different band at Great Scott, though.
Lily: Do you have a dream venue you’d like to play at here in the Boston area?
C: I love the Sinclair. I like every venue here, though. It’d be cool to play them all, just keep moving up in Boston.
Lily: You said you’ve played with a band before. Do you like the solo performances better, or do you wish you could get back to something more like playing with a band? Why’d you decide to make the transition in the first place?
C: I did have a band where I was writing music, but that just fell apart because it was the summer and we’re obviously students. But I’m still in another band, and that is really fun. It’s a noise project, an experimental noise project, and it’s very character based. It’s almost like performance art. That’s been very interesting. But in that aspect, I bring a lot of stability to that, because in my solo performances, I have to focus a lot on stability and grounding myself in my work.
Lily: Do you have any current projects going on right now that you’d like to share with us? Any music you’re writing?
C: I have an EP that should be coming out. I don’t have a specific date, but I’m going to throw out March 8th as something tentative. Sometime in early March, I’m hoping. My song "Lilies" is out on Spotify, Bandcamp, and Soundcloud. That’s my current single. It’s taken me a while to follow up, but actually, as of Monday [February 4th], I personally finished recording everything for the EP.
Lily: What got you first into music? What inspired you to do this?
C: Definitely writing. Writing was my first love. When I was really little, I used to write plays and bring them to class and make my friends perform them [laughs]. Super weird now that I think about it, but that’s where it [my passion for music] comes from. I’m biased and personally believe that music is the most emotional art, and it’s the most accessible emotionally to everybody. So many different people are very open to accessing their emotions through music, while with other forms of art it maybe takes a little more time to access them. It’s very primal. That is very important to me in music. Because of that, I’m very excited I get to study music, because I get to support my words with emotion.
Lily: That’s awesome. Where do you find influence for your music? Do you have any artists that come to mind?
C: I think it changes so much, it’s so fluid for me. I definitely think female artists. I’m not afraid to listen to female artists of any genre, just because I think their voice is so important, and there are so many hidden meanings and amazing perspectives that have been in music for years and years and years, and if you really listen to it you can really see all of the highlights. That’s really important to me. Specifically, I’ve listened to Kate Bush. I love her, and I always do Kate Bush karaoke. I love to sing “Wuthering Heights” in my bathroom in the shower. I’m influenced by every woman of any genre, though.
Lily: Do you have a most memorable performance to date, whether it’s a solo performance or one with a band that comes to mind that kept you motivated to pursue music further?
C: Definitely. I played with the band Tongue Splitter Overdrive at O’Brien’s in Allston last May. There were so many amazing people on the bill, and it was such an incredible show. It was during finals, so no one came, but it was my favorite show ever just because the energy was amazing. It was so cool. Everyone in the crowd—I could just feel everybody else, where they were. It was really beautiful. It’s probably my favorite performance that I can really remember. It was very visceral for me in that moment.
Lily: That’s so cool! Do you have any pre-performance rituals you could clue us into?
C: You know, I do! A lot of times I write before my performances, just so I can figure out what’s happening. My friend also gave me Oracle Tarot Cards, so I pick them as therapy. I would never say I know anything about tarot, but it’s really therapeutic. I look at my cards and I just feel like “okay, I’m good now.” My best friend’s mom is a tarot reader and she’s taught me so much about it. It’s really just a method of self-help and therapy for me.
Lily: Alright, I think that’s it for me. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me, we hope to see you again soon!
