Black is the New AP Style

Over the last decade, Brett Newski has travelled the world as a touring musician. He’s been featured on NPR and Rolling Stone, supported acts such as Pixies and Violent Femmes, and his music has seen rotation on radio stations across the Midwest. His latest endeavor, however, involves a bit more than a few new songs.

It’s Hard To Be A Person: Defeating Anxiety, Surviving the World and Having More Fun was inspired by drawings Newski posted to social media several years ago as a humorous way to tackle his own anxiety and depression. He didn’t expect his audience to respond in a positive way, but the more they requested new drawings, the more he realized he was on to something bigger.

Seeing that positive feedback was the push he needed to try something new creatively, as he had been feeling the effects of long-term touring and pressure to be constantly releasing new music.

“Burnout had set in and I needed to do something other than music for a bit,” he said. “Touring and songwriting can be incredibly exciting missions, but after doing it awhile, I needed a new creative project that would challenge me and kick my ass in a new way.”

Despite the initial excitement of finding a new way to be creative, Newski found the process of creating a book to be incredibly taxing.

“Making the book was a long battle within my own brain,” he said. “It wasn't actually that much fun to make because it was so challenging. Unlike a music album, I made the book for others, not for me. Now I'm entering the fun part of the process where the book is done and I get to show it to people and tour it around the country.”

The Milwaukee native says that the city he calls home is a tremendous basecamp for a working artist. Between its affordability and proximity to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Milwaukee has been the perfect place to stay creative and stay relevant.

“If I would've moved to NYC or LA for the arts, I likely would've derailed my career by going broke and falling into the traps of comparison,” he said. “There are too many people and too much talent in those places, so it's easy to feel disposable and irrelevant.”

It’s Hard To Be A Person is Newski’s way of exploring how humor has been a form of therapy for him and hopefully can be to others. He shares this book with the world as a way to encourage readers to keep the conversation going.

His advice? Just stay in the game. Keep creating. Make good decisions and move on. Don't get hung up on any one thing for very long.

Photo courtesy of Mike Ledford

Charleston, S.C. guitarist and songwriter Jay Van Raalte says she was born with a strange certainty that she was a musician. It didn’t stem from a deep family tradition or an array of instruments at her disposal, but rather from an introduction to the 1988 documentary U2: Rattle and Hum. She became so deeply invested in the film that her early school years had her writing ‘Bono’ in the top corner where her name belonged.

Her 7-year-old hands tried picking up guitar before almost immediately setting it back down, but tried again as a preteen and hasn’t looked back since.

“For a long time, I thought I was this person that really loves music but that I just couldn’t play it,” she said.

In high school she found Nina Murchison, and ultimately they formed the band Jump Castle Riot. While playing together for more than five years, Van Raalte accumulated dozens of songs that didn’t fit the style of the band. The demos were made at home, including self-written bass lines and guitar riffs, and needed to be something more than half completed ideas sitting in a folder on a computer.

The five-track EP, Linearity, gave Van Raalte the opportunity to step out from behind the shadow of ‘guitar player’ and into the spotlight of ‘musician’. Every word, every note, every instrument (minus drums) is entirely done by her.

“It feels like a natural culmination of all the skills that I've been building separately over the years,” she said. “I was always building up the skills and it just eventually got to a place where I had the time and bandwidth to start pushing in that direction.”

Producer Matt Zutell of Coast Records collaborated with Van Raalte for the EP, including playing drums for all five tracks. The song that listeners can really hear his personal touch is “Best Times”, where Van Raalte came in with just a basic chord structure and lyrics before letting the two of them get captured in the moment. As they played the song through, Zutell banged out an incredible drum outro that they structured the whole rest of the production around. During that same session, she had a similar moment where she perfected a guitar solo take after take until it became a piece she was really proud of.

“That was the first moment where things really felt like they were changing and expanding in the studio,” she said.

Despite these songs being up to five years old, Van Raalte had no trouble still being able to relate to them.

“I’m definitely in the moment or in the emotion when I write it, but then I take a step back and put on my producer hat or my songwriter hat and I look at it a little more analytically,” she said. “I really look at the emotion I’m trying to portray or the message of the song and figure out how to best represent it, how to make it the most clear and the most impactful and arrange the instruments so that they're all supporting that message. At that point I'm not so much experiencing it as almost imagining myself as a producer for a different artist. It's an interesting process because I would say my bigger strength tends to be working with other people and helping execute their vision, so I'm much more comfortable in that world once the initial creation is done.”

Although the message of the EP isn’t explicitly stated in the lyrics, she wanted it to be less of a huge statement and more of just being herself. As a queer artist who sings about women, Van Raalte says that listeners don’t seem to bat an eye when they hear her sing about the same gender. She is allowed to be herself and express herself any way she wants, and by doing so she hopes that others can find that same sense of acceptance.

Jay Van Raalte’s certainty of being a musician proved to be correct. She has accepted that she cannot be Bono, but she can be herself - and that’s all that she ever needed to be.

as·sem·ble | \ ə-ˈsem-bəl : to bring together (as in a particular place or for a particular purpose)

With singers from diverse musical and cultural backgrounds, there is room for everyone to bring their individual talents to contemporary, mixed voiced choir, Assemble. The UK-based group takes acapella to a futurist level, complete with clean beatboxing, brassy bass humming, euphoric vocal melodies and charming breakdowns.

“There’s definitely an area where we all converge which meets at the crossroads of pop, soul, dance music and electronica,” vocal producer, MD and Assemble founder Juliet Russell said. “Beyond that there are so many individual influences and cultural compasses including gospel, jazz, afrobeat, country music, musical theatre, nu-soul, classical, acoustic, choral, garage, alternative. We all come from slightly different musical places, but meet in this shared creative space.”

Singing together is usually an uplifting and connected experience, but that experience soon changed due to the inability to physically get together and perform. This made recording music challenging, as each part was recorded separately yet still had to capture the vibe that they have when they’re all together.

It was a good challenge, however, to learn how to innovate and collaborate differently. It brought them their first single, “Blue Monday”, a cover of the 1983 New Order track. Despite being nearly 40 years old, “Blue Monday” still sounds futuristic and timeless. Russell was easily able to picture how it would work vocally with voices as synths, beats and electronic textures. Lead vocalist Barbara Pursey could reimagine the ambiguous lyrics by providing a female vocal instead of the original male vocal.

“The original was inspired by a Donna Summer B-side and the disco elements just seemed to emerge in our version in a very natural, subconscious way,” Russell said. “We hope that when listening people really connect with the way that Barbara sings it, maybe in a different way to how they have experienced the song previously. We also hope they feel the celebration of the human voice - the instrument we carry around with us is incredible!”

The most rewarding aspect of creating “Blue Monday” was finally being able to come together to film the music video. After not being in the same physical space for over a year, they want viewers to recall that same sense of disconnection and separation they felt while also continuing to build something better together - something more connected, inclusive and celebratory rather than fueling fear, division and suspicion.

Assemble recognizes the importance of individuality and that each soul has a unique lived experience that should be respected, honored and appreciated. While celebrating each other as individuals and as a collective through their music, they plan to raise the collective consciousness in any way they can.

“Forever, For Now” isn’t a stereotypical over-the-top love song. When Tilsen wrote it at the beginning of her current relationship, all she wanted to do was put those strong feelings into a melody.

“I wasn’t sure how long it would last or how it would go, but basically I had the concept come into my mind when I was just thinking about how when we have these strong feelings it can feel like they're going to last forever,” she said. “When you're really sad, you feel like you're going to be sad forever; like you're never going to feel good again. If you're really happy, you feel like your life is amazing. When you feel like you're falling in love with someone, it can feel like you're always going to feel this way.”

However, experiencing the feeling of falling in love can also bring the feeling of doubt. Sometimes relationships do end and moving on can be painless or painful, but that ‘for now’ feeling is what inspired Tilsen.

“It's definitely not a ‘first love’ song,” she said. “It's ‘I've been through it before’ so it has this slight cynicism to it. I hope that people can relate to that feeling of not knowing what the future holds with a new relationship, knowing that it could end but also wanting to take that risk.”

She brought the concept to a writing session and by the end of it had it completely fleshed out, minus production. The unique aspect of creating “Forever, For Now” is that she wrote it with the person the song is about. She said it was an interesting dynamic that is hard to explain, but loved the process and actually waited for months before divulging that the song was indeed about them.

Tilsen has definitely continued to finesse her writing skills as she pursues her musical journey. She always prided on being as honest as possible in her songwriting, and has become even more honest as she better understands who she is.

In addition to gearing up for an EP release in early 2022 and a to-be-determined folk pop album, she has also dove into several other projects including collaborations with Midsplit and Deep Chills.

“With the [songs] that I'm writing for other producer artists, I am maintaining my Tilsen writing style and making sure that it aligns with all my other work even if the production varies from my usual pop production,” she said. “For the pop folk album, that's going to be more divergent from the writing style that I typically have because it's going to be more storytelling. I've found it really fun to write that way, it's a new challenge.”

Between exploring new avenues and honing in on how honest her songwriting can be, Tilsen continues to bring her authentic self to each of her songs. Each one gives a new look into her mind and her heart, and brings the listener one step closer to sharing an emotional connection with the songwriter.

What if Rapunzel’s mother drank a potion from the wrong flower?

In the latest from the Twisted Tales series, author Liz Braswell returns to share a new version of the Tangled storyline in What Once Was Mine. This is her sixth novel of the series, having previously shared twisted versions of Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan.

Desperate to save the life of their queen and her unborn child, the good citizens of the kingdom comb the land for the all-healing Sundrop flower to cure her... but someone mistakenly picks the blossom of the Moondrop instead. This shimmering flower heals the queen and she delivers a healthy baby girl - with hair as silver and gray as the moon. But with her mysterious hair comes dangerous magical powers: the power to hurt, not heal. For the safety of the kingdom, Rapunzel is locked away in a tower and put under the care of the powerful goodwife, Mother Gothel.

“I was really intrigued by Rapunzel's inner life,” Braswell said. “What kind of person lives mostly alone and imprisoned for almost 20 years… and comes out not only sane, but optimistic about the world? Exploring her psyche, going more deeply into the way her mind worked was a fascinating journey.”

Trying to figure out how a believable character could go through what Rapunzel did and conveying that realistically to the reader was both rewarding and challenging. Braswell also had difficulty in describing the movement of Rapunzel’s hair. What works in an animated movie doesn’t always work in a YA novel, she said. One of her favorite aspects, however, was twisting the story of Maximus, Flynn Rider’s horse.

Readers are also introduced to a new character: a would-be outlaw named Gina.

“While fans (myself included) would probably be happy with 500 pages of Flynn and Raps, the story really needed a third character for them to shine off of, to share secrets with, to grow along with,” Braswell said. “Flynn and Rapunzel are Heroes with capital H; Gina is one of the heroes who is quietly instrumental in the happily ever afters arriving safe and sound.”

Before she can reach her happy ending, Rapunzel learns that there is far more to her story, and her magical hair, and her future than she ever knew. Her mental discipline is one of Braswell’s favorite characteristics of Rapunzel, and is something she wishes she had in her own life.

Her other favorite characteristic? Her feet!

“Think about it: she's a person who has spent her whole life without actually touching the ground - yet she is more grounded in who she is and what she wants than Flynn. It's a nice metaphor for being enthusiastically head-in-the-clouds while staying in touch with who you are.”

What Once Was Mine is available here.

Photo courtesy of Mia Naome

The local music scene of Charleston, SC is incredibly tight knit, so much so that the members of Cry Baby had all unknowingly met at the same local music festival performing as openers for Briston Maroney.

They had all spent time around each other throughout college, playing together or separately in different bands. When Josh Kozic and Joey Haines made a transition into more pop music, they knew the local scene wouldn’t let them down.

DIY spaces were the perfect opportunity for them to tour and meet people in a casual setting. Basements, living rooms; anywhere that was genuinely invested in supporting local musicians became a special place to them.

“It's super special to see so many people come out and make not only these bands feel like someone actually cares, but also more of a communal and shared experience at shows,” Haines said. “You actually get to hang out with the band you are seeing. This translates into the whole online experience too because the people who hear of you at a show or word of mouth end up being the ones that engage with your music on Instagram or Spotify. The community helps sustain itself, which we owe everything to.”

From the start of Cry Baby, they knew their sound was channeling older music and eventually settled on the late 90s/Y2K era.

“[We wanted to] try to bring in some influences we heard growing up on the radio that hadn't really been re-explored in a modern way fully,” Haines said. “Groups like Backstreet Boys or Britney Spears hadn't really been taken seriously musically in a minute, but now it seems like this era is coming back around a little. Once we started experimenting with this and going back and forth, we realized some really different pop music was coming out of our studio that didn't sound exactly like what everyone else was making.”

Their latest EP, Everything I Didn’t Say, took a full DIY approach as they created it in their bedroom studio. The beginning of the band focused on traveling and playing shows, but with the restrictions of the last year and a half they finally had the time to chip away at the collection of songs they had been working on for two years.

“I think as a band we all come from such different musical backgrounds that it's easy to have varying different envisions for songs, which leads to a give and take until the final version of something pops out,” Haines said. “When we finished the record it felt really right, like these songs were exactly what they needed to be.”

Everything I Didn’t Say was their attempt at creating the perfect Cry Baby mixtape. They wanted to harness the energy of that first time a mix is handed to a crush: the nerves, the meticulous placing of the track list, the anxiety slipping away as the urge to get up and move triumphs. These songs are a temporary escape from the world, complete with that nostalgic feeling of coming of age.

For Amanda Frances, storytelling was less of a conscious decision and more of a concept that was ingrained in her since day one.

Her obsession with words came in any form - novels, poetry, journaling - and so did her obsession with music. She tried singing, piano and guitar as well as anything incorporated with music such as dancing and figure skating.

She went into her college years with the intention of majoring in English and came out on the other side determined to make it as an artist and songwriter. She spent the majority of her time in Nashville, writing as much as she could and shaping her writing style.

“I’m obsessed with songs that describe a moment in such specific detail that you can’t help but see it all play out in your head,” she said.

Frances has learned to trust that there is no right or wrong when it comes to making art, and that has rung true as she gears up to release her debut EP. She has already released two singles, including the recently released “say that” with fellow Canadian artist A-SHO, that are honest depictions of moments she has experienced.

“I hate writing songs and waiting for years to release them,” she said. “I wrote these songs and had them out into the world in a matter of a couple months, and it’s a special little feeling to still have butterflies about a new song when everyone else is hearing it for the first time.”

With these incredibly detailed lyrics and genuine love for music, these songs not only give the listener an opportunity to see into her world but to relate it back to theirs. Her honest storytelling is her strong suit, and she knows how to use it.

“Someone very important to me told me recently that of all the songs they’ve heard me write in my life, these ones just sound entirely like me,” she said. “That meant everything to hear. As an artist trying to learn and grow in this industry, you so often get told how you should sound, and it’s often hard to distinguish between what criticism you should take and grow with, and what you should just have a good laugh at and brush off. It’s really important to me that the music and art that I make really reflects who I am, and I think I’ve found that magic little spot now.”

Staying true to her obsessions, Frances has continued diving into various forms of music, this time with videography. She has always been the type of artist who wanted to be part of all aspects of her music, from its conception to its execution. The tedious yet satisfying work of music videos has been an exciting challenge for her and has opened up a whole new world of creative possibilities.

For Amanda Frances, storytelling is her way of life. Whether her storytelling is musical, visual or an entirely new medium that she decides to delve into, one thing is certain: these stories are timeless.

Photo courtesy of Taylor Nicolle Photo

In the last year and a half, Camille Peruto has learned the importance of perseverance and not giving up on her dreams.

She went from working as a full-time singer-songwriter to absolutely nothing in a matter of days. No live shows, no recording sessions at the studio. Suddenly the job-that-doesn’t-feel-like-a-job was the hardest one to rely on.

Despite those obstacles, Peruto continued writing music. She adapted to the new normal of live streaming performances, and counted down the days until cancelled events could be rescheduled.

“It was 100% worth the hard work and resilience,” she said. “Now I am releasing new music, playing shows again, and I definitely don’t take it for granted anymore.”

Her latest single, “Pretty on the Outside”, is her first since 2019. It is a song that she had held on to for quite some time and finally felt like it was ready to be shared with the world.

“It’s about seeing life [as] it really is underneath its outer layer, which may appear perfect to someone’s outside perspective,” she said. “Nothing is really how it seems.”

The lyrics to “Pretty on the Outside” are fairly open-ended, giving the listener a chance to relate in their own way. It is a gentle reminder to never judge a book by its cover. A seemingly perfect person can be hiding trauma beneath that smile. An intimidating exterior can be a shield to an ongoing personal crisis. Whatever the truth may be, it is all about giving someone a chance.

“Pretty on the Outside” will be one of the songs on her upcoming album, Perfect Vision. The album itself gives a peek into Peruto’s life through her eyes, with this first single being one of the darker songs on the album.

“It is very real and honest, and it is a great preview to the rest of the album, both production wise and theme wise,” she said.

Camille Peruto is beyond ready to share the clever metaphors, memorable hooks and vivid lyrical imagery of Perfect Vision. As she prepares for the release, she reflects on how the last year and a half has encouraged her to continue to pursue her dreams.

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