Minneapolis singer/songwriter Ellis stopped by on a humid afternoon to perform a few songs and talk about her career.

When I made my first CD in college and I made 1000 copies of this CD and I didn’t really know for sure if anyone would buy it…I sat at the lunch table in the cafeteria every single day for months and I sold all 1000 copies…and I thought, this is totally going to work. I mean, people are interested in what I’m doing. I’m doing something that resonates with people and utlimately no matter what you’re going art-wise, when that happens, it becomes a viable thing. It becomes something that could maybe sustain you.

–Ellis talking about releasing her first CD gave her the confidence to pursue her musical career.

 

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Three of the four members of High on Stress came over in June to perform some songs, talk about recent changes in the band and their recent weekend opening for Jackson Browne in Wisconsin.

Nick had his song and he was talking about getting somebody to sing. I thought, you sound fine singing these songs, these are your songs…You start thinking you need somebody who can really sing or you need someone who has some sort of vocal presence or something and then you realize that what you really need are some people who can sing songs that they wrote that are honest reflections of their own emotions. And that’s always going to be better than trying to have somebody else sing something that doesn’t come from the heart.

-High on Stress drummer Mark Devaraj talking about singer Nick Leet’s reluctance to front the band when they first got together.

 

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Dan, Martha, Andy and Mandy of Sock Angels stopped by on a rainy May night to talk about music, marriage, being in a band with in-laws and of course, songwriting.

I always thought that if you want to write good lyrics you have to read a lot of books and they seem to stir the pot and get things going…otherwise when you write a song the words–for me–have to just kind of come to you otherwise it seems forced.

–Dan talking about finding inspiration for songwriting.

 

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I decided it was time to have a couple of the guys from the band that I play in–Anchorhead–come over. Joshua Hill Lemon and Todd Holdman brought over a six pack and we chatted about the band while sharing some new songs.

I used to have a motto–I guess I still do–it was, always play in at least two bands. It doesn’t mean actual bands, but it means have at least two creative outlets going on.

–Todd Holdman on advising his godson.

 

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Brad Senne and Brian Just from the band Beight stopped by early last week to talk about songwriting, touring and recording.

I’d like to do it all on my own, but I like to write songs more than I like to sit at my computer. I like to do as much as I can on my own, but it seems hard enough these days to just find time to sit down with my guitar.

–Brad Senne talking about doing it all yourself vs. getting some label support.

 

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Chris Pericelli from the band Little Man stopped by in early April to play some acoustic, electric and acoustic electric guitar. We talked about how he came to the Twin Cities from Chicago after working as a guitar tech for Ike Reilly, how he came to sound like he does and what he’s going to do in the future.

I’ve been touring for awhile…it can be tiresome, but when you’re playing–you’re a player, you’ve got the opportunity to play at the end of the day, it makes it all worthwhile. That’s what I absolutely love doing is performing. And to do that every night is just fantastic. That makes up for everything. No matter how hard it is, time just goes away and you’re doing your thing. And that’s when you know that’s what you’re supposed to be doing.

–Chris Pericelli talking about going out on the road.

 

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JoAnna James came over in late March to talk about singing, travelling, performing and taking risks.

Sometimes you’ve got to just dip yourself into new experiences. Because a lot of the time if your environment feels stagnant or sterile, or just too predictable, then–I mean, where are you going to pull from? You can always pull from adventures and books that you read or something, but when they’re your own adventures, it’s a different story and I think they’re going to be more unique. They’re going to be more real because they’re yours.

–JoAnna James talking about finding inspiration.

 

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Chris and I sat down in early March to talk about his first CD, Exit Pesce (pronounced pesh), his new CD, Patterns and his goals for the future. He played some fine new songs off of Patterns as well.

I thought of it more as a necessity rather than something I hope that happens. I just have to do it.

–Chris Koza talking about recording Exit Pesce in his apartment.

Chris’ Patterns CD release party will be April 1 @ the Turf Club with Coach Said Not To and Fitzgerald.

 

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After experiencing technical and scheduling difficulties, Mike Nicolai and I finally connected on the last day of February. We talked about his time in Minneapolis, Austin, TX and elsewhere. Mike was recently on tour with Arlo Guthrie and friends on an Amtrak tour to raise money for musicians in New Orleans who lost their gear in the disaster following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The first thing that happens to you if you’re from here and you move to Texas is you get terrified because people start coming up to you and being really nice. And being really like, “How ya doin’? What’s up?” And talking to you and actually displaying emotion which is something that if you grew up here your whole life you’re not really accustomed to.

–Mike Nicolai talking about moving to Austin, TX

 

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There are still echoes of the Golden Age of country to be found here and there. Loretta Lynn’s been making some noise with Jack White recently, for one thing, and Merle Haggard will occasionally put out an album on a punk label. Closer to home, Minneapolis’ Dana Thompson has released a new album, Ox, that revisits the old-timey sensibilities in a way that’s both refreshing and reassuring.

–Keith Pille , Pulse

Dana Thompson stopped by earlier this month. We talked about music, writing, parenthood and that tricky question of defining success.

There are just so many creative people in the world that do music or paint or write books or whatever–produce. And I really learned when I was in Austin, TX–because there are so many artists down there–that you either are or you aren’t.

And if you are, you’re a lifer. And if you’re able to do it at all, that’s a success.

–Dana Thompson on the issue of success.

 

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