Why not just Have Fun With It?

At festivals like New Colossus last week or SXSW this week, hundreds or thousands of musicians come together to celebrate their art, or more precisely, one particular aspect of their art: playing songs live in front of an audience.

As an attendee, the best thing you can take away from such a festival is feeling good about humanity. All those people working together to ensure that something good comes out of the speakers are not doing it for the money. They do it because they believe that artists’ voices must be heard to make our stay on this planet worthwhile.

During the event, we spoke with several artists. We were inspired by their enthusiasm to create music, regardless of the stardom or riches that are so highly valued by the mainstream media.

A friend of ours, Cecilie Nielsen, aka Cillë brought it to the point: why shouldn’t she be happy with whatever number of people listen to her music? Why should she spend time on TikTok to expand her reach if she does not enjoy doing it?

There is a path to success in music that is laid out again and again in “Make it in the Music Business” type books and webinars. It involves endless self-promotion on TikTok and the like. Some artists are made for that, but for others, this is a drag. There are easier ways to make money than spending much of your time on social media, and if a classic job is what it takes to make the music you want to create in the way you want to, why not?

I also had a conversation with the bassist of the NYC post-punk band Rat Palace (who did not play the festival) about her band. I hadn’t heard about them, and you may not have either, but they are working hard to create new songs and increase their audience. Her excitement about being part of this process was palpable – isn’t that enough to keep going? Rat Palace is pretty good, by the way, check them out on Spotify.

When we went home on Sunday evening, slightly tired and a bit oversaturated from all the impressions, we were also energized to continue with glamglare and provide a platform that gives all artists an opportunity to present their music to an interested audience.

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Song Pick of the Day

Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube and Spotify for the 50 latest Song Picks of the Day. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.

The last time we heard of Vicky Farewell, she confessed her infatuation with an anime character. Similarly lighthearted is her new song “Tern Me On,” and the title gives a hint of how she came up with this chill, dream-along track: “I recorded an improvised take of myself playing and babbling nonsensically until somehow the blueprint for ‘Tern Me On’ was born,” Vicky says.

We have been a fan of Amsterdam-based singer/songwriter néomí for a long time. Now she has announced her debut full-length Someone’s Daughter. “I’ve been honest about things I wasn't even honest about to my therapist,” she says about the record, and in the latest single, “Someone New,” she reflects on how therapy has worked well for her.

Toby Sebastian is a British actor who starred in Game of Thrones. He is also a serious musician whose latest track, “Down the Westside,” is an infectious jam that came together spontaneously. “I feel the song has an energy that is impossible to resist,” says Toby, and we agree.

“Mind & Body” is about what you might think: letting your mind rest and savoring the present. It is not a mediation song, though the Nigerian-Irish artist Tolü Makay wraps her message into a beautiful, engaging pop song. “‘Mind & Body’ is a reminder to be present. To come together. Not just with yourself, but with each other,” she explains, and we rewind and listen another time to this track.

For the next song, the concept was “emerging from a drunken conversation about the idea of a song with a constant beeping running throughout.” Don’t fast-forward yet because it totally works what Jay Plant, aka Scatterchild, came up with in the end: “Bleep Test” is a melodic, indie rock song for the ages.

The playlist segues nicely into the next track, “L’Île aux bluets.” There are no bleeps, but a fast beat leads the entire song and keeps you on the edge. The new song by Montreal duo Bibi Club is something like a love song, but you can’t help but see a bigger story here.

“I wrote this song when I was in a bad place in my life,” says Maya Von Doll, singer and songwriter of London band Sohodolls. How bad? Read the entire story here. But “What Kinda Love” is not whiny at all but brims with energy and hope. And in the end, everything worked out well for Maya and the Sohodolls.

Nine Photos from The New Colossus Festival

As predicted, we didn’t see all the acts we had planned to check out, but on the flip side, we enjoyed some surprises and discovered new favorite artists. We particularly loved these live show experiences:

(1) - Dani from London-based Spanish and British psych-rock band Reme.
(2) - Nina from Battleboro, VT indie-rockers Robber, Robber.
(3) - Alt-folk artist Harry, aka Hugmynd, from the U.K.
(4) - Art-pop from based in Berlin, Lucy Kruger and the Lost Boys.
(6) - Cat from dream wave band Talking to Shadows, based in Baltimore, MD.
(7) - From Paris, France, alt-rockers Stuck in The Sound with Marine on bass.
(8) - Izzy and her band Prewn, from Massachusetts.
(9) - Ofer of local art-rock favs O. Wake, New York, NY.