Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Catholic school. And of course, he's much older, so to that generation, it's still.
Yes. Yeah, yeah. So he's still not quite used to it and doesn't agree too much with it. But for me, like, I've always grew up having gay friends, and one of our. My best friends was, like, right next door, and he would come over and he enjoyed. And we were three girls, so he enjoyed, you know, playing dolls with us and all that, which we didn't think anything of.
[00:00:32] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: But for my husband, he's still, you know, learning how to accept.
[00:00:38] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:00:41] Speaker A: So there for a moment, I thought, okay, the conversation is getting a little heated. And when they both have deep conversations, they don't know how to take a step back and take a breather. And I was like, okay, guys, it's getting very late for this deep conversation. I'm going into my room. If you guys want to continue, by all means, continue, but I'm out.
[00:01:00] Speaker B: I understand that.
You know, there. There are conversations that I'll have with my folks sometimes, and I'll be of the mind was like, one thing I found myself saying, and I'm glad I started saying it, is like, this conversation is no longer helping either one of us. I think we should pause or just move on.
[00:01:18] Speaker A: Right.
[00:01:20] Speaker B: And fortunately, that's paid off well for us. I remember the first few times I started using that, that kind of came with like a.
Huh? How could you say something like that? It was like, that was almost more insulting than whatever conversation we were having. And I'm not saying that with just my parents, but when I've used it with other people as well, and they're like, what the hell are you talking about? No, I'm not done here. It's like, yeah, it's like, I don't think this conversation is helping us anymore. Yeah. And.
And that was before therapy. I came up with that before therapy.
[00:01:50] Speaker A: Oh, well, good for you. Because sometimes people don't know when you know to.
[00:01:54] Speaker B: When to stop.
[00:01:55] Speaker A: Stop.
[00:01:56] Speaker B: And sometimes you just really need to stop.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:02:01] Speaker B: Oh, I got everything recording. I have three backups. Well, technically, two backups, three different recordings going on. And. Oh, I really need to change that camera angle. I'm sorry.
[00:02:10] Speaker A: Oh, okay.
[00:02:12] Speaker B: You look great. I'm, like, partially out of view.
[00:02:16] Speaker A: I think all we could see there was, like, from your. Your lip down, it's like, where's the rest of Connor?
[00:02:22] Speaker B: All right, I guess I do need to back this up a bit.
[00:02:24] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:02:29] Speaker B: Oh, shoot.
See, I'm not a very tall person, but when I sit Down.
I have a much bigger torso for somebody of my height. I have very stumpy legs.
[00:02:45] Speaker A: And because I'm so petite, we have to kind of like meet the camera. Right.
For both.
[00:02:50] Speaker B: See, you're fine. You're more balanced. Me, I'm just. I'm weird. I'm weird and frumpy. You're not weird, but I'm weird in many ways.
[00:03:00] Speaker A: You're unique, Connor, and it's good to be unique.
[00:03:03] Speaker B: Thank you.
That's the way to approach it.
[00:03:06] Speaker A: We don't want to fall into everyday norms and boxes and stuff like that.
[00:03:10] Speaker B: By no means.
[00:03:11] Speaker A: I know a lot of my friends are saying, oh, my God, it's so brave what you're doing. And I'm like, but when have you known me to stay?
I said, you know, when I decided to leave my career, it was because I was so tired of just doing everything that I was told at the college level, and this is what you need to do and this. And I said, that took a toll and other, you know, factors as well. But I'm like, I'm just somebody that needs to do what I feel that is good for me. So.
[00:03:39] Speaker B: Absolutely, as I said, we got everything recording. We're good to go. So whenever you want to get into this episode, we'll get started.
[00:03:47] Speaker A: Hello, everyone. I am your host, Yvette o', Sullivan, and today with me, I am so happy to have Connor Walsh from Walsh Wednesday as our guest.
[00:03:58] Speaker B: It's good to be here. Thanks so much.
[00:04:00] Speaker A: Continue to work with you, Connor.
[00:04:02] Speaker B: Absolutely. I think it's fun right now because I just did an episode with just Iris. Now I'm doing an episode with just you.
It's interesting. It's kind of like when one parent has to go to work and you have that situation. So I'm happy to have one on one time with you now.
[00:04:19] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you. Well, Iris is still away on vacation and I'm very lucky that I get to work with you one on one as well. Well, and we get to feel each other's vibes because it always changes, like the. The atmosphere. Right. There's three people or four people in the group, so this is great.
[00:04:36] Speaker B: Especially when we've brought on other guests, we always have to. I always am, like, definitely have to read the room, understand, like, who it is that you're working with. How much energy are you going to give? It's not necessarily, if you're really masking yourself, it's just trying to meet their energy, how heightened, how softened you're going to be, where yeah. Just kind of. Kind of just changes as people go. And the nice thing is, you know, the fact that we have been working together for a few months now, we are understanding each other a little bit more. So let's say we have a little more softer guest. We're soft. We're soft. We're soft in the moment that we step out is like, all right. Hey, how are you?
[00:05:14] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:05:16] Speaker B: Yeah. Or the opposite. Have a really animated guest and be like, oh, that was a marathon.
[00:05:20] Speaker A: Oh, Jesus.
You know, I agree, I agree.
[00:05:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:05:25] Speaker A: Well, a while back, yes. Iris and I attended your grand opening for your new office, and that was very exciting for us, and we got to know you a little bit more. And one of the things that I want to talk to you is music.
[00:05:40] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:05:40] Speaker A: But before we get into that, you know, I think by now most people know that I like to bring in a botinche and a bochinche is a Dominican gossip, but I give it a different flavor, are different twists.
[00:05:52] Speaker B: Positive spin.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: Positive spin.
And I like to connect my Dominican culture with what I am doing now.
So music is a big thing in Dominican Republic.
[00:06:06] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:07] Speaker A: From the day that we're born, we're exposed to music. Bachata, merengue. It's part of our culture.
There's a saying that whenever a Dominican shows up, a party starts. It could be a small party, it could be a large party, but it's in our blood, and it makes us happy. And when people are around music, it makes them happy too. So one of the things that I love about you is that music comes to you naturally. And I want to learn more. Like, when did you find out that music was a part of Connor. Connor Walsh?
[00:06:42] Speaker B: Pretty early on. Before I get into that, I just want to say, when I was in college, I. I had a few Latin roommates and a few Latin neighbors who became just some of my best friends.
Definitely some people from the Dominican Republic, definitely Puerto Rican, Mexican.
Those were the three main populations around me. There were probably other ethnicities as well, different cultures as well, but I definitely know that. And it was always just so much fun. And I was always amazed of your rights. Stepping into a room and the party starts and just the vibes that everybody had and also how tight knit everybody could be and how wonderful that was to see that sense of community.
I thought that was great. And you kind of knew if, say, this crowd of friends all showed up, you knew that it was going to be rowdy and fun in the best way, in a good way. Not like rowdy, like, oh, Jesus. No, like fun. And if they're at an event on campus is like, oh, the life is here. All right. This is going to be fun.
So I just wanted to say that it was always great. I was always grateful for it. Grateful for the dance moves that they tried to teach me too.
I don't know if I was the best student, but I. I definitely tried. I pull out some every once in a while.
But then to answer the question that you just asked about when I discovered music and when I realized it was a part of me, very, very young, you know, very, very young.
I didn't start any formal lessons until years later. But I always like to say when I was around three years old was when I really started, like, recognizing music.
There was, of course, the song Carolina in my Mind by James Taylor. And that song would come on the radio and we'd be driving down to my grandparents because that was kind of like our daycare as mom and dad would work.
And I would say to my dad was like, he's going to Carolina. In his mind, why doesn't he just get a plane ticket and just go to Carolina? Why is he just go there? And which Carolina? North or South Carolina? Which one does he go to? Is like, why just in his mind? This is so confusing to me. And I was taking things so literally, but my dad was like, wow, he's dissecting the lyrics at this age, at three. And another one, somebody I've been very lucky to work with in recent years, which kind of still blows my mind.
The artist Fight for Fighting.
John Andrassik, his big hit. He has a number of big hits, of course, like 100 years, the riddle chances. But Superman, it's not easy. Probably his biggest.
And being a really big Superman fan as a kid, still am. You can see my Superman figure behind the camera hearing that song Superman. It's not easy. Anything Superman related, I was so ingrained in.
So when, you know, when I discovered that song on the radio, I fell in love with it. I would have my parents rock me to sleep to it, especially my dad. And we would joke around. I was serious. But we joke around about it now at the very, very end, it's just acapella.
It's not easy to be me.
And then the piano comes back in. But I always would shush my dad and be like, daddy, this is my part. Oh, so I was a bit of a diva there too. And then another preschool moment I remember was it was our preschool graduation and I think we were doing like itsy bitsy Spider or something. But it was a little more.
A little more produced. We were doing a track and whatnot. And everybody's supposed to be doing the Itsy Bitsy Spider parts. And then I think there's this part where we're supposed to like be doing air guitar. I've watched not that long ago. I feel like we were re watching the footage from it. But as all the kids are just kind of like blankly going like this.
[00:10:51] Speaker A: I'm like, you're into it.
[00:10:53] Speaker B: I'm into it. I do a power slide. My parents are like, whose child is this? You know? And you know, there's so many aspects and so many moments I could tell you. Throughout my childhood. I was in a fake band called the Rough Seas for the talent show in third and fourth grade where we did old time rock and roll and it's my life and that those were fun experiences. I finally took guitar lessons starting in fourth grade with the incredible Helen of A.
Many people in the Hudson Valley would know who she is. She currently lives out in Wisconsin. But every once in a while she makes a trip. International fingerstyle champion and award winning musician and recording artist in her own right. I always give so much back to her. And yeah, those were definitely the early days of getting me onto, you know, my musical journey.
[00:11:48] Speaker A: That sounds amazing.
[00:11:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:11:50] Speaker A: So by listening to you speak, I'm assuming that your parents also encouraged you to develop that talent.
[00:11:57] Speaker B: Absolutely.
So my mom grew up. She played piano for a little bit, officially taking lessons, but she stopped with it. That's something that she wishes that she continued on with.
1. My mom and I are very different in the sense of I definitely learn a lot more by ear and by feeling. While she can read the music a lot better than I can. Yes, I went to college for it. Yes, I learned it. But I would need to sit down with a piece to really understand it and dissect it. If I'm just reading the music, she can sight read really, really well.
But I would be able to comp with somebody who's like, hey, what key are we in? Blah, blah, blah.
Okay, I got you. And I could just go and do that.
[00:12:38] Speaker A: That's a great challenge because not a lot of people are able to pick up music just by listening to it.
[00:12:45] Speaker B: And Both are skills. 100%. 100%.
I wish I had a little bit more of the sight reading. But she also wishes she had a little bit more of the ear for that.
[00:12:54] Speaker A: Well, reading music is not easy. When I was in junior high school and high school, I was in band. And I played the flute. And that is something that I keep saying I'm gonna pick up one of these days.
By the way, we're gonna talk about that song.
[00:13:10] Speaker B: Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Absolutely.
[00:13:12] Speaker A: Later, as the episode continues to develop.
And it wasn't easy for me to learn how to read music, because I remember struggling through it. I remember coming home and crying and being upset. And then when I was practicing, my sisters would be like, stop playing. You know, so that made it a little bit more challenging.
[00:13:28] Speaker B: That's tougher. That's tougher.
[00:13:31] Speaker A: But music is so enjoyable for people. You know, it makes us happy to listen to it. It brings out our inhibition for us to move.
So I always admire those that have that talent, naturally.
[00:13:45] Speaker B: Absolutely. And, you know, having that. And then I really say, you know, don't get me wrong. My mom was a great inspiration for music, too. But I really chalk it up to my relationship with my dad.
Cause my dad really never played any instruments. You ask him if he plays an instrument, he'll say, I play the stereo.
And, you know, there were a lot of moments where him and I would be in the car together and we would be listening to music, whether on the radio or CDs. And, you know, he would show me music that he grew up with, or we would discover music together.
And that was really pivotal for me. Not only was it for a sense of music, but that was how my dad and I bonded. There's this legendary night that we always talk about that we were going down to his buddy's bowling alley. A friend of his owned a bowling alley. And it was raining. It was raining cats and dogs. It was terrible. But we still drove down in it anyway. But the playlist that night was great. Just what was on the radio, what we were catching. That was the first time I ever heard Green.
Yeah. Greengrass and High Tides Forever.
Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf. I remember I was a big Bob Seager fan at the time. There was, like, a couple of Bob Seger songs that came on the radio. Like, the music and the soundtrack of that evening was perfect. And it was just so nice. And then, of course, we had the bowling. But that's. That's a very much a core memory for me.
So, you know, I had that with my folks, and I still do. My dad and I still discover a lot of new artists, and we discover a lot of music together. And we're constantly showing each other videos of stuff we found, whether it's of songs we know and love. But Here's a new rendition of it, or a live version we've never heard before, or here's an artist doing a cover or. Or brand new artist.
So a lot of the music that I grew up and grew up with and a lot of the music that I feel has inspired the music I write and play, I definitely go back to my relationship with my dad. That was the foundation for it. Not to say that I haven't, you know, stemmed off a little bit from it. There are certain genres or artists where my dad's like, what is that you're listening to? I feel like every, you know, every parent child relationship has that. But a lot of the foundation starts there. Not just that he took me to so many concerts and now I take him to so many concerts. You know, especially when was at the radio station, I got so many free tickets to stuff. So all the years dad taking me, I was able to take him now.
And that was definitely that. That whole experience has meant a lot to me, so. And yeah, no, my parents have always supported it. My mom was the one that got me into the guitar lessons.
I was convinced I already knew how to play guitar.
I didn't at all.
But it was one day I was playing my strumming my guitar to a movie on tv and it was somewhere in the middle of the movie where I was playing, quote, unquote, to the song where I realized, oh, my God, I don't know how to play guitar, Mom.
And then she signed me up immediately.
[00:17:03] Speaker A: Well, that's great that you have that bond with your parents through music, and I'm sure you have that bond through other things. But that's something you guys have in common, that music appreciation.
[00:17:14] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:17:15] Speaker A: Which makes a household so lively and not quiet. I remember my daughter, she had a friend that her entire family played piano, and when she would go over there as a play date, she would say, mom, they just break out of music all the time. I don't understand it. Because growing up for her, my household was a little bit different. We would turn on the radio like your father, you know, that's lovely. Says I play the radio. We would play the radio or a cd. Yeah, we had music going, but it wasn't like we were bringing.
[00:17:49] Speaker B: Physically playing it. Yeah.
[00:17:51] Speaker A: Yes. Like she experienced by visiting her friends.
[00:17:53] Speaker B: And that's so fun. Both experiences both ways are so, so fun. However you can consume music is gorgeous. However you can. I encourage both.
I was definitely the guy that brought my guitar everywhere, for better or for worse.
And what was it I just recently Spoke at a high school. I went back to my high school, fdr, to speak for some students. And they asked me, the teachers who I had, they were the ones that invited me back. Ms. Mario, Ms. Rimf. They. They said, oh, were you planning on doing a song? It's like, oh, we didn't talk about doing a song. And it's like, oh, we just figured you still brought your guitar around everywhere. And it's like, I'm a little older now. I don't try to force it on everybody. Constantly reminds me of on Saturday Night Live.
Oh, what's the name of this music? I mean, that musician, the actress, I forget her name.
Carey Mulligan, I believe is her name. She's married to the lead singer of Mumford and Sons. And she was doing her opening monologue on Saturday Night Live. And part of the monologue, her husband shows up in the crowd, is like, hey, honey.
Hey, do. Do they need a musical guest tonight? And it's like, no, we already have one. Oh, okay, gotcha. Because I got my musical instruments in case they needed it. It's like, honey, you're like that guy that shows up to a party with a guitar, and he's like, everybody loves that guy.
Right, right.
[00:19:25] Speaker A: Well, that is true. You know, when you're surrounded by music, it just makes everything more lively. And it's empowerment, too. I see it. It's a way, you know, to feel that you're bringing entertainment into people's lives.
[00:19:39] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:19:41] Speaker A: But speaking about your music, do you write your own lyrics?
[00:19:45] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. I've been writing since. Oh, gosh, when did I start writing? I probably started writing lyrics before I officially started guitar lessons. So I would say maybe roughly around second or third grade, I started dabbling with the idea of songwriting.
At that point, it was really just poetry. I guess maybe every once in a while I come up with a melody for it. But then by the time I started guitar lessons now, Helen still says to this day, you know, I was throwing her. Throwing my book of songs right at her is like, how do we create this? How do we work this? And she was always so impressed by that.
But, yeah, no, for the most part, I wrote majority of my own lyrics. My dad always likes to say he's the idea guy. Where if I'm stuck somewhere with a song, I'll ask him. It's like, hey, do you have an idea for this? And he'll give me a blanket concept. He's not so good with the rhymes necessarily, but sometimes when he gives that concept, it's like, oh, that gives me an idea and I'm able to jot it down every once in a while. I've co written with somebody as well. You know, on my Away From Home album, I co wrote the song Long Way Home with my former roommate Nick. Loved that song so much.
There's a song that I'm releasing right now. I released a acoustic demo EP to get people ready for the full produced ep.
And one of the songs on is called the Greatest Honor. And I took a line from a friend of mine during the pandemic. I did this thing where I wanted to take people's comments and create a song out of it. Everybody, everybody just write something random.
[00:21:34] Speaker A: That sounds very unique.
[00:21:35] Speaker B: It was very unique and it was very entertaining to do. But one of the lines that my friend wrote was, we hold your hand, you hold our hearts.
And the song is about parenthood. I'm not a parent. That's a long backstory on why I wrote the song. But to spare you with that, right now, I wrote it as if it was my parents writing the song.
[00:21:58] Speaker A: And.
[00:21:59] Speaker B: And Shannon's my friend. Shannon was the one who commented that I loved that lyric so much. And I asked her, can I use it in this song? Not just this experiment of throwing everybody's lines together, can I please use it in this song? And she said yes. And I think, I think it's so beautiful because of it. I don't know if the song would sound nearly as good without that line. And it's just awesome when you can collaborate.
I find that I collaborate more with the musical instruments in the production than I collaborate on the lyrics per se. Pretty much. I have a set idea of what the lyrics and the structure is going to be.
But then I know I'm not the greatest bass player. I'm a terrible percussionist.
I know how to play piano. But I know plenty of people who are phenomenal on piano. So when I bring these people in, I trust them and I know they're going to be able to offer something that I can't. And I just like letting them is like, hey, what's your idea? I'd rather try it than not try it. And it's like, if we gotta scrap it, we scrap it. Most of the time we don't though, because it's so beautiful when we can just let each other like riff off each other. And that's where I feel like majority of my collaboration has been so far, on the instrumentation and the production of it.
[00:23:16] Speaker A: Well, it's not about just producing. It's also about having fun, right? Oh, 100% experimenting. When you write music and when you're playing with other people, it just makes it like a community. And everything we do in life should be based, like, on a community sense.
[00:23:33] Speaker B: It's no longer me anymore.
When I get to be in a room with other musicians working on the music, whether it's recording or performing it live, it's no longer just me. And that's such an awesome thing to be able to get their interpretation of it, whether it's a mental interpretation, we're speaking about their interpretation, or you hear their interpretation through their instrumentation, which is so, so cool.
[00:23:56] Speaker A: Well, I'm very grateful that I had the opportunity of listening to you and getting to know that part of you during your grand opening.
[00:24:03] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:24:04] Speaker A: Because there were two songs that you sang, and they were so inspirational.
And Iris said, oh, they're so.
What was the word that she used? Let me see if I remember.
Spiritual. And I said, yes, they are spiritual and inspirational.
So I want to learn more. What motivated you to write the song? Let me see if I get the tit correct.
[00:24:28] Speaker B: I remember what I played.
[00:24:29] Speaker A: One of these Days.
[00:24:30] Speaker B: One of these Days. All right.
[00:24:32] Speaker A: Is that the type? Is that the title of the song?
[00:24:34] Speaker B: Yes. Yes. So One of these Days, that's on the new ep, so people can listen to it now, the acoustic demo version, and then later this fall, we'll have the fully produced version for everybody to hear. One of these Days.
Gosh.
I wasn't sure how my girlfriend was going to respond to this one, because she did somewhat inspire it, but maybe not in the most positive of ways. Fortunately, she loves the song and she's responded to it very beautifully. But as we've discussed, my girlfriend and I are long distance at the moment, and we try to see each other on weekends as best as we can. But it is tough doing the whole long distance thing. It's very difficult to make plans. It's very difficult to interact at times. And you have a lot of these dreams of the things that you want to do.
And there was a time frame where we just kept saying, one of these days, we'll do this. One of these days, we'll do that. One of these. I got so sick and tired of that phrase, One of these days. It was pissing me off, and it was her that was saying it more than me. So that's why I was like, it's more negative on her side.
She did nothing wrong, by no means, But I wasn't sure how she was going to React to it when I started writing a song around it, because I was like. Like, one of these days. That's. That's interesting. So then I sat down with the guitar and the lyrics just kind of flowed very easily. It was one of those songs that I think I wrote in a half hour. So there are songs that take weeks to months to years to write. This was a song that I wrote and. Yeah, in like a half hour.
It was one of those concepts that I feel like really writes itself because there's so many examples of, one of these days I'll do this, One of these days I'll do that.
And it is a positive song and it is a negative song at the same time. It depends on the mood that you're in when you're listening to it. Because somebody might listen to it and they think, wow, that's super inspiring.
And then depending on somebody's mindset, there's like, wow, this song is super depressing.
And I know where I come from changes depending on my mood.
There are some days I find the song really inspiring, and then there are other days I find the song really depressing. And I think. And I love the duality of lyrics. Most of the time I love being able to say something, but it has multiple meanings. And I feel One of these Days really has that. When you really listen to the lyrics of it, how One of these days we gotta stop saying one of these days. You can listen to that and that's empowering. Or you can listen to it and that sounds dreadful.
And I think that's something beautiful about a song where it changes per listener. And that's what makes music so beautiful. Because whoever writes it might have an idea, but then when it gets out into the world, it's no longer theirs, it's everybody's.
[00:27:28] Speaker A: It's somebody else's interpretation or perception.
[00:27:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:32] Speaker A: But I take it as being very empowering.
[00:27:34] Speaker B: I'm glad that you get that.
[00:27:36] Speaker A: And that's what I loved. Listening to the song the day of the grand opening, I was like, wow, this is really deep. Because I believe in society, Sometimes we don't live in the present.
[00:27:49] Speaker B: No.
[00:27:49] Speaker A: And as I listened to the song, I was thinking, I have to live more in the present. I have to enjoy my daily living as opposed to putting it off and thinking, one of these days I'm going to get to do this or get to do that.
[00:28:03] Speaker B: And that was one of the things I did hope people would get out of it again. There are many things I hope that people get out of it. And it hit them at certain times, but that was something I was thinking, so I'm glad that you got that. Fantastic.
[00:28:14] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:28:15] Speaker B: You know, we. We just recently spoke with Mark Way and highly recommend checking out that episode, y'. All.
He said in that we are so used to putting out fires than dealing with the little things. There is things that are simmering that we can let, you know, kind of push off for a little bit. And we're constantly going after the fires.
I thought that was great imagery. And it's true. We do put out the fires. But the stuff that's simmering, it simmers. It simmers and simmers until that becomes a problem, too, instead of just simply addressing it in the moment. Yeah. Just live each day authentically. It's tough to do.
[00:28:54] Speaker A: It is.
[00:28:55] Speaker B: It's something that you have to practice each and every day, but it's worth practicing.
[00:29:01] Speaker A: And you're right. You need to be mindful to take those baby steps and put it into practice on a daily basis and not lead the world rush you or speed you through your daily living.
[00:29:16] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. What was the other song that you.
[00:29:19] Speaker A: Wanted to talk about? Song that I wanted to talk about?
Let's see, what was the. The title?
[00:29:26] Speaker B: I also played that first step, and.
[00:29:28] Speaker A: I played yes, Doubt after a thousand no's.
[00:29:31] Speaker B: It only takes one. Yes.
[00:29:32] Speaker A: It only takes.
Yes.
[00:29:33] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:29:34] Speaker A: I was like, my goodness, that blew me away. That song really blew me away. Because oftentimes that is something that my grandmother would say to me.
[00:29:44] Speaker B: Oh, amazing.
[00:29:44] Speaker A: And when I heard you sing, I was like, grandma, are you here?
It just meant so much to me, you know, especially as a woman, that I'm trying to make my way into the entertainment business, you know, into podcasting and doing something new. And sometimes you come across. People are not open to receiving the work that I'm doing.
And listening to so many nos can bring you down.
[00:30:13] Speaker B: It can.
[00:30:13] Speaker A: But when I heard that song, I was like, no, I gotta keep that in mind more often.
[00:30:18] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:30:19] Speaker A: So tell us about what brought you to write that.
[00:30:22] Speaker B: That's. It's such. It's such a fun story, and I do love telling it, and it's probably one of the favorite songs that I've ever written, just because I love the way that people respond to it and it. I know I respond to it very well, and I know it pumps me up when it comes to a lot of my lyrics. I take just stuff that you say on a daily basis. You know, I'm not trying to reinvent. Reinvent the wheel with Lyrics. I feel like the more close to home you are with lyrics, the more it means something to somebody. So, yeah, something as simple as no and yes.
How, like, how straightforward can you get? And that's lovely that that was something your grandmother would say too.
And so it was one of those things where when I wrote the song, it was sophomore year of college.
Sophomore year of college was kind of in a really low point at that time. At that time, I was just getting out of one relationship, starting another.
To be honest, both relationships were really bad in hindsight.
Besides that, I was auditioning for a lot of things. I didn't get into any of those things. I was trying to get gigs. I was met with many doors slammed in my face. It was a really frustrating time and I felt like I wasn't making any progress of any kind.
I got out of an audition this one night and they said to me that it was for an artist showcase.
And they said to me, your music's too depressing.
We're not going to showcase you.
So that night I was like, you know what? I'm going to write a happy song, damn it. And so I go home and again, another one of those moments where like it came out in like 30 minutes.
I also remember my roommates had people over, so in order to not infringe on them and be too loud, I went into the bathroom to write this song.
[00:32:20] Speaker A: Oh my.
[00:32:21] Speaker B: To play it. So I am playing this song in the bathroom, writing it for the very first time and it just flowed and it was great. And even after I wrote it, I just kept playing it over and over and over again.
And it was one of those things where it definitely helped change my mindset because after I wrote that song, it opened up so many opportunities to me. I was going to a number open mics and people were responding to it. Well, shortly after it, I was in a couple of big time music competitions like PBS's Celebration of Music, and I was lucky enough to win.
It was a lot of like sweat, blood, sweat and tears to win that.
But that happened. I was getting more gigs, I was performing around, I was getting a lot more opportunities. But it wasn't necessarily that I wrote the song. It was that I was able to help re rewrite my mindset and the song was the vessel to help me do that.
And when I have the moments where I feel like, hey, I'm not progressing the way that I want to be or should be, I still think of that song or I'll play that song, I'll just Play it to myself in my room and be like, hey, like, after a thousand no's, it only takes one. Yes.
And there are some really powerful lyrics in the song. And sometimes I look back and I was like, oh, damn, I wrote that. Okay. And it's. It's meant a lot to me. It's meant a lot to my friends. It's meant a lot to people who have heard it. It's one of the few songs of mine that has gotten radio airplay.
It's done very well. I play it in most sets of mine normally towards the end, because I want to leave people feeling good towards the end of the set. You may. You know, many musicians will say this make people feel better than they did when they walked in.
So, yeah. Yes has meant so much to me. It's been a. It's a crazy, crazy story. Also, it was my very first music video, too. Very first music video.
[00:34:27] Speaker A: So that's a very special song.
[00:34:29] Speaker B: Yeah, it was. That was really cool because I had this idea of, like, a parade of people just following behind me and just. It keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And so when we did it, I did was this junior year or senior year, I think it was junior year, junior year of college.
I put out this thing. It's like, hey, I need extras for this music video.
And we were all going to go to the park. The idea is we're going to walk through the park and all these people just start following.
And I think about, like, 40 people from college showed up. So we had like a crowd of like, 40 people. And then people who were just at the park who saw what we were doing was like, oh, what are you doing? It's like, hey, you want to be in a music video? We have waivers if you want to.
[00:35:17] Speaker A: Oh, you gotta show me that video at some point.
[00:35:19] Speaker B: I will. And it was as a first music video, you know, it's definitely young, it's juvenile, it's campy. But I am so proud of it because it started. It started a lot of things, and that was so much fun. And the song and the video were nominated for several Independent Music Network awards.
I think that's the only song of mine that's ever gotten, like, specific award recognition like that. I've gotten awards being a musician or a showcase or something like that. But, like, specifically getting nominated for a song for a music video, I think that's the only one right now.
And so last year, I also did this music video challenge where every week I created and posted a new music video for a Song Old or New. And I decided to revisit. Yes. And I went back to the park where we did the first music video, and I intercut it with moments of other music videos that I've shot since then. And I also intercut it with. With scenes from the very first one as well. It was very nostalgic for me. Very.
You know, it was celebrating five years of it and celebrating really five years of perseverance and resilience.
[00:36:35] Speaker A: Well, that. That's fantastic, because lots of us, sometimes when we're trying to take a leap of faith and start something new, that's what we hear. And we're exposed to maybe lots of no's and we're counting. When am I going to get that? Yes. So listening to that, that song, it gives us hope that we're gonna make it.
[00:36:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:37:00] Speaker A: So I command you for someone of your age to be so profound and to write such a deep message because it's needed. People need to hear Don't Lose Hope.
[00:37:11] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And that's the other song that, you know, I performed there, too, that first step. The first song that I performed there at the ribbon cutting. As you said, taking that leap of faith, you know, I always loved from the Rankin and Bass special of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. One of my favorite songs in it is Just Put One Foot In Front of the Other.
And I always loved that song. And that was. That was a big inspiration of that first step, of just simply taking that first step. And, you know, the journey. What. What do they say? A journey of a thousand miles starts with that first step. So that's essentially what that is. And that one was interesting because I was writing a musical, actually, and the musical is never going to be finished. I understand that that sucked. It was bad. But there were a few songs that came out of it. It was like, oh, I still really like this. And that first step was essentially supposed to be. It wasn't even called that first step at the time when I started writing it, but it was originally that I want song. You know, in most musicals, the main character always has that I want song. That kind of gives the audience the idea of, like, what it is they're hoping out of life.
And I started writing that musical right before the pandemic.
And then, you know, obviously the pandemic happened, and there were other things on my mind, a lot of things on everybody's mind.
So it was kind of put on pause for a little bit for several months. I remember, I think it was like July or August of 2020. I revisited the lyrics. I was like, oh, there's something here.
And I finished the song at that point and I knew it was something special. And it became the first single off my Always and Forever album. And I knew it was going to be kind of like the. The foundation of it. And that song I am so proud of in a number of ways.
So, yeah, it's cool. I've played that. I played. Yeah, I've played Yes. And I played that first step at a lot of clinics or workshops or career days where I'm speaking with students especially, and it's always gotten a really good response out of that. And it's awesome to be able to really kind of strip yourself down in that way, lyrically speaking, to be able to really communicate with people of various generations, especially the younger generations.
I love working with kids and I love doing those kind of workshops and things. So when I get a chance to do that and perform those songs, it's.
It's kind of funny seeing the audience go from is like, who's this guy speaking to us right now with the guitar? To, oh, holy crap. That's actually kind of dope, so.
[00:39:52] Speaker A: Well, your music, I find it to be very healing. And when someone feels that maybe they're alone.
[00:39:58] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:39:59] Speaker A: It's a way to cheer them on, you know, if they feel that they don't have a cheerleader in their corner. Just listening to your song gives you such a uplift, like, I can do this.
So thank you. It's very inspiring.
[00:40:13] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Well, I want to be the soundtrack to other people's lives, like my favorite musicians were for me. You know, I want to be like that scene in Wayne's world where Wayne and Garth are headbanging to Bohemian Rhapsody. Or I want to be on the playlist as you're doing an all nighter, working on some project, or the moment that you really need to cry, whatever that might be. I hope that something in my music can resonate with people, just like a lot of my favorite artists were for me when I stayed up all night working on projects. Or I'm in the car and it's raining and I just want to cry. Or the moments I want to celebrate.
[00:40:47] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:40:48] Speaker B: That's the way I look at music. And I'm grateful when people can connect in that way.
[00:40:55] Speaker A: Well, thank you for bringing that to us.
[00:40:57] Speaker B: Absolutely. Thank you very much.
[00:40:59] Speaker A: You're welcome. So I'm going to conclude our show. Is there something that you want to share that perhaps I haven't had an opportunity to ask you Asked a lot.
[00:41:09] Speaker B: Of good stuff and I blabbered on a lot.
[00:41:12] Speaker A: No, you did not blabber. I love that you elaborated on your music and your life experience.
[00:41:19] Speaker B: It's a really good question. And it's really funny when I always say to people when I do interviews, any last thing that you want to mention, and they get stuck for a second. It's like, here I am, the one getting stuck now.
I think the main thing that I do want to conclude this with is that, you know, life is too short.
There's a lot of pain.
There's. You're always going to experience pain.
And whatever that pain might be and wherever it comes from, there's always still light.
And it really is in our choices to find that light and to really, really become one with it.
So kind of going back to one of these days where it's like, really live in the moment, you know, I've had a lot of friends in recent years who have passed away for various reasons, and it's really made me question and fear my own mortality. But the more I really get into the things that I'm passionate about and the things that I love are the days where I feel like even if I haven't accomplished everything I want to accomplish, I can at least feel comfortable enough. If today's my last day, at least I can smile.
So that's what I want to leave with everybody. Try to live passionately each and every single day. Even if you don't get to the place that you want to be, at least you know that you're giving it everything or as much as you can in a given moment, giving everything you can to what's beautiful in life.
[00:42:54] Speaker A: Thank you. What a powerful, strong message. Thank you for sharing that.
[00:42:58] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:42:58] Speaker A: And with that being said, we are going to close out our show today. Thank you, Andrew o', Grady, for being our sponsor of the Vital Women. And thank you, Connor, for being a guest on the Vital Women.
[00:43:11] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:43:12] Speaker A: Connor Walsh is also our producer, and I am so happy and proud that he took us on.
[00:43:20] Speaker B: I'm so glad they found me, too.
[00:43:22] Speaker A: Mutual.
[00:43:22] Speaker B: Mutual gratitude. Absolutely.
[00:43:25] Speaker A: So every day we're learning more and more from him. Thank you and have a good afternoon. And, Iris, we missed you. We wish you were here during this recording, and we can't wait for you to get back. Love you.
[00:43:37] Speaker B: Love you.
[00:43:38] Speaker A: Bye.
[00:43:38] Speaker B: We'll see you soon. Glad we got to spend some time, y'.
[00:43:40] Speaker A: All. Yes.
[00:43:43] Speaker B: Fantastic. You feel good about it?
[00:43:45] Speaker A: I feel good about it.
[00:43:45] Speaker B: I feel great about it. Fantastic. Like, thank you.
[00:43:50] Speaker A: Thank you.
