“Part of where I’m going is knowing where I’m coming from …”
Pop singer-songwriter Emmy Bachmann is from Stow, Ohio, a small town near Kent State University. Ever since she learned to drive, she has considered the highway to be her home.
“Whether it be for music or just for a change of scenery, I’ve always loved to travel and I did school online which allowed me to do so,” she says.
Bachmann is going places, as evidenced by her five-song EP, “Stranger,” released on July 4. She’s No. 1 on ReverbNation‘s regional pop chart, and the impressive video for the title track is sure to attract attention.
She’s so determined to make it in the music business, she moved to Nashville.
Pauseandplay.com: Why did you make the big move?
Bachmann: “Music!! I fell in love with Nashville when I was 15 and after five years of driving here every chance I possibly could, I finally just packed a suitcase one day and did it. I tend to let my impulse be my guide sometimes, but it turned out to be the best thing I ever did. It just feels right being around the music scene. Even though I’m not a country artist like most musicians in this town, I’ve seen a lot of doors open and I’ve met so many talented people willing to help me during these early stages of my music journey.”
P&P: How has ReverbNation helped in building your career?
Bachmann: “The amount of tools and opportunities available to artists on ReverbNation are endless. I’ve made connections and fans from all over just by posting and submitting my songs. I’ve been able to make my way up to No. 1 in the local charts and I just found out they are going to be featuring me on their homepage.”
P&P: It’s hard being a new artist, especially these days. What are the keys to getting noticed?
Bachmann: “In the end, it all comes down to hard work. Many artist will release a few songs one day and just expect fans and labels to magically find them. I released my first EP, ‘Stranger,’ (in July) and I am acting as if promoting myself as an artist is a fulltime job. Once you have the materials to make a good first impression (songs, videos, website, photos, etc.), it’s all about reaching out, taking every opportunity, and not giving up just because the fame and fortune doesn’t happen overnight.”
P&P: Ultimately, what do you want to achieve?
Bachmann: “World tours and billions of dollars. Just kidding! I mean, that would be cool but honestly, I just want to be heard. I’m generally a very private person. I hide away and keep people at a comfortable distance, but music has always been my outlet and connection with the outside world. I feel like I have a story that can inspire and relate to people. Even if I never reach Taylor Swift status, I won’t ever stop writing and releasing music in hopes that someone, somewhere will be positively affected by it.”
PALM GHOSTS
Joseph Lekkas is a multitasker. He fronts the Philadelphia-based indie-folk outfit Palm Ghosts, plays bass for The John Byrne Band and Roomtone and owns and operates Surreal Sound Studios.
Palm Ghosts‘ self-titled album (on Surreal Soundworks) is due Aug. 27. Lekkas wanted to release a record that will stand the test of time.
“Most important to me is the song,” he says, “and it seems as though much indie music these days sacrifice vibe for the song. I’d like to do my part to change that in my little way.”
Being a new band has its challenges, but Lekkas keeps his chin up.
“I think having your music out there and available as much as possible is important,” he says. “Making sure it is digitally distributed, within reach and, most importantly, that it speaks to people’s emotions. That is all you need, I believe.”
How will he measure their success?
“I will measure (it) one fan at a time. That’s all you can do.”
A SOCIAL STATE
Though its next album, “How to Get to Heaven,” doesn’t come out until Sept. 6, A Social State has come a long way.
The alt-rock quartet from Scranton, Pa., didn’t have the luxury of rehearsing for months before entering Vudu Studios with producer Steven Haigler. Their drummer, Nick Ogonosky, had school commitments, so singer-guitarist Ed Cuozzo would record the basic outlines of a song on his laptop and email them to his band mates.
“While Nick, still at school, got a feel for what I was trying to convey rhythmically in these crappy recordings, myself and the rest of the band would get a general feel for the song and try to write what each song seemed to call for,” Cuozzo says.
“Once we all got to the studio and started tracking, this was the first time we had ever played any of those songs together. So, after we all would try each song a few times, the songs started coming together very spontaneously, and being that we hadn’t rehearsed this material to death, none of us were very committed to any one idea, arrangement, or part, leaving for very open minded sessions, and experimentation.”
Cuozzo gives large credit to Haigler’s influence, words of wisdom and guidance.
“Some songs were great right from the start … many were not,” he says. “If it wasn’t for Steve, this record would have never been. We are forever in debt to him.”
“How to Get to Heaven” was recorded over the course of a year.
“My only hope is that the people who get to hear this album are able to find something in that vast group of songs that they feel belongs to them, or was written for them,” Cuozzo says. “I hope they can relate to some of the songs and their lyrical themes.”
Since late May, through its partnership with ReverbNation, Pauseandplay.com has received more than 2,400 submissions for inclusion on the site’s extensive countdown of upcoming new releases. Bachmann, Palm Ghosts and A Social State were three of those artists.
MAY 27
Zero Minus One
JUNE 3
Bneusounds
Ryan Redebaugh
Secret Discovery
JUNE 10
Brendan Apollo
21st Century Fugitives
JUNE 17
Chronotos
Lovelorn Dolls
Tony Memmel
JUNE 24
Bubba-San
JULY 1
Emmy Bachmann
George Cahill
Bubby Jackson
King Hookiss
Run Jenny
Jackie Venson
JULY 8
Adam’s Attic
Lena Fayre
Ryan McKenzie
JULY 15
Chiffon Ma-ry
Spaceship Days
Stereosparks
JULY 22
Isaac
Janis Mara
Random Hero
Stargroves
JULY 29
Johnny Apple
Alain Héroux
Rhett May
The Smile Case
AUG. 12
Kellie Lee
MrMagic
AUG. 26
Palm Ghosts
SEPT. 2
A Social State
SEPT. 23
Yulianna