With her album You Had Your Cake, So Lie In It meeting an unexpected roadblock in the form of a nationwide lockdown, singer-songwriter Chelsea Lovitt had to improvise, including releasing her latest music video for “State of Denial” one year after originally filming it. We recently sat down with the Mississippi native to discuss the auditory audible as part of our latest seven question session.
With the season finale of Showtime’s “Your Honor” just around the corner (February 14), we’re sitting down with series star Andrene Ward-Hammond to discuss her character Big Mo, why the series is a ‘Big’ deal, and finding balance in a chaotic industry.
Featured Photo By: Wesley Volcy.
With his debut album Hit or Miss releasing just a few days ago, singer-songwriter Alexander Biggs is blowing out the candles on a day worth celebrating, but one that also feels a bit like a birthday in that it leaves just as quickly as it arrives. From Melbourne to Massachusetts… we’re sitting down with Biggs for a seven question session.
Like Bruce Wayne is to Batman, Juan Antonio Lopez has an alter ego. As Sofa City Sweetheart, the singer-songwriter released one of our favorite albums of 2019, Super(b) Exitos, following it up with the 2020 holiday offering, Christmas on the Sofa. Now, with new music scratching its way towards the surface, we’re sitting down with Lopez for a seven question chat!
We’re not only making new memories when listening to Melissa Carper’s latest single “Makin’ Memories,” but we’re revisiting old ones thanks to the sweet, sentimental sound of her upcoming album Daddy’s Country Gold, due March 19. Preorders are available here – get the vinyl! – and when you’re done, sit back and listen to our seven question chat!
TrunkSpace Exclusive Premiere
Taylor Ashton’s Straight Back (Thom Gill remix)
If you were anything like us, Taylor Ashton’s The Romantic helped you get through the strangest year of your life, and with 2021 forgoing normalcy for the time being, the singer-songwriter is back to help you conquer another year ahead with the digital E.P. Romanticize, due February 5 on Signature Sounds.
TrunkSpace is premiering Ashton’s latest music video, the Bianca Giaever-directed “Straight Back” (Thom Gill remix), which drops today! Check out the video below!
But that’s not all! Jason M. Burns is also sitting down with Ashton as part of our new chat series with D7Studios. Sit back and watch/listen to the conversation here!
Despite popular belief, many musicians have careers outside of the studio. For singer-songwriter Jon Reynolds, that is something that helps to keep him grounded while providing real world inspiration for the subjects he writes about.
“The starving artist is romanticized but the working artist isn’t,” he said in an exclusive interview with TrunkSpace.
Reynolds latest EP, Petrichor, is available soon, but in the meantime, you can check out the singles “Come Now Spring” and “Love Blind.”
We recently sat down with Reynolds to discuss sharp changes, the Nashville community, and art speaking for the people.
TrunkSpace: A lot of artists and musicians have been creatively-inspired during this extended period of isolation. As we understand it, our societal pause gave you the motivation to put this collection of songs out to the masses. Would Petrichor be here today had it not been for what has been a very strange and difficult 2020?
Reynolds: The short answer is no. I cannot say that it would be here without the shut down. I think that some form of this EP would exist, but not at the artistic level and not with the same songs. Having this break gave me clarity and focus which turned into growth and opportunity. I certainly don’t think I would be answering these questions right now if it weren’t for that sharp change.
TrunkSpace: You are very busy outside of music. Does a career away from songwriting refuel the creative tank and keep the songs flowing?
Reynolds: My non-artistic work definitely keeps me in touch with very real things to write about, but that’s not to say it never gets in the way (forgive my double negative). Over the last couple years, it certainly tipped over into the “getting in the way” realm as opposed to the “inspiring” mode. It’s a part of being an artist that isn’t talked about that much – the fact that most of us also work and live in the non-artistic world. The starving artist is romanticized but the working artist isn’t. Finding the balance between allowing the realities of life to inspire your art and not allowing those realities overwhelm you is something I’m still learning. Right now, though, I feel closer to that balance than ever before.
TrunkSpace: You moved to Nashville to pursue music, but we can’t help but wonder, does being in such a musically-rich city have its drawbacks? As much as that creativity can inspire your own, can it also be overwhelming knowing that so many people are running the same race and looking for the same end goal?
Reynolds: HA! I think if I were anywhere else in the world, the answer would be “yes”. But I’m in Nashville, so, no. Nashville is a community of supporters, not attention seekers. We are all going for the same goal, but there is a sense here that we are only able to achieve that together. I mean, I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it weren’t for other writers, artists, musicians, etc. And, I look forward to sharing any success I have with the people who have stuck with me.
TrunkSpace: Petrichor is set for release in the near future. What kind of emotions do you juggle with when releasing new material to the masses? Does this one feel different given the current state of the country/world?
Reynolds: I think I usually have a 50/50 split of fear and excitement. This time around I think I may have tipped the scales in favor of excitement because I really feel like these songs hold their own on a lot of levels. With the current state of things, I have a weird mix of worry that I’m selfishly seeking attention while at the same time feel like the audience has finally arrived for my kind of artistry. I have always written about social issues. I think the world is in a place where they want their art to speak to those topics.
TrunkSpace: If someone sat down to listen to the EP front to back, what would they learn about you both as an artist and as a person?
Reynolds: As an artist, I think they’ll learn I appreciate the way a song makes a person feel. These days I focus so much on the vibe and arrangement of a song – even more than the lyrics sometimes. I like to use my songs’ music to make connections. The feeling you get when you hear something that grips you is impossible to ignore and can even be healing. I think listening to the whole EP from top to bottom will leave you with a very grounded feeling.
There are a lot of things you can learn about me as a person from this EP, but it’s hard to make that judgment myself. I definitely think a person can pick up on the range of experiences I try to include in my life. I cover lots of topics in five songs. Hopefully, that’s a good thing!
TrunkSpace: What are you most proud of with the songs on Petrichor?
Reynolds: By far – the production. I worked so hard with my engineer/assistant producer Owen Lewis to get every detail right. These songs really sound like me. It’s so easy to second guess yourself in this industry, but at the end of the day, I pushed through the exhaustion and doubt and stuck with my gut. I think what came of it was something very lyrically human and sonically dense.
TrunkSpace: Would 10-year-old Jon be surprised by the artist he would one day become? Are you writing songs now that the kid version of yourself couldn’t even get his head around?
Reynolds: Oh yeah! Ten-year-old me did not see this coming. Back then, I was mostly playing classical piano pieces and arranged hymns with the introduction of some classic rock tunes. But, there has always been a part of me that knew music was central to who I was. As for songwriting, I didn’t really pick it up till my mid teens – I’m definitely writing circles around my younger self… thankfully! He wasn’t that good.
TrunkSpace: Where would you be without music in your life? Is it possible to imagine a time when you would call it quits and hang up the guitar for good?
Reynolds: There have been moments where I entertained the thought, but it always feels like I’d be letting a part of me dissolve. That doesn’t seem… healthy… if that makes sense. I know that music helps me be a better person, a better friend, and a better husband. It keeps me focused on those values. If I didn’t have it, I think I would be a much worse version of myself – like I wasn’t living up to my potential to create good in the world. Even when I try, I can’t imagine hanging up music.
TrunkSpace: What is the most rewarding portion of the creative process for you and why?
Reynolds: Usually it’s the songwriting – to create something out of nothing that will stick with people is so gratifying. But in this project, the most rewarding thing was the additional tracking I did with Owen. We were both in the trenches getting every tone, every sound, every expression, and every mix just right. It was creativity at its finest. It’s the first time I felt like I got exactly what I wanted out of a recording.
TrunkSpace: Time machine question. If you could jump ahead 10 years and get a glimpse of what your career looks like a decade from now, would you take that journey? If not, why?
Reynolds: I would! I am really optimistic about my journey in music. This EP has given me a lot of confidence and a lot of determination. I think the future holds a lot of good things for me!
Name: Marte Gracia
Marte Gracia is one of the top colorists at Marvel, and we had the chance to sit down and talk a little bit about his career, his love for the medium and much more!
Perhaps this is a question you’ve been asked hundreds of times, but I’d love to ask anyway: Why do you love comic books?
What a nice question! When I was very young, on our way home from the kindergarten –which was within walking distance from our house – we used to pass in front of a newsstand, and my parents bought me any comic book available to keep me entertained, normally three times a week. Spider-Man was a regular, some Batman books, and a Mexican comic book called Karmatron, among many others. I have three older brothers, who loved comic books as well, and as I grew up, I discovered their books, so I read all kinds of comics: from younger reader’s appropriate comics to more “adult” stuff. By the time I was 10 years old, I was already reading Heavy Metal!
There was a breaking point in my life, in which I decided I wanted to make comics as a living. In the late ‘80s – early ‘90s? – there was an anthology book in Mexico called Spider-Man Presents, a biweekly book featuring reprints of different American titles, such as Fantastic Four and Avengers, along with additional content like a letters’ page, articles, etc. One day, they started to print two or three pages per issue of the famous “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” by Lee and Buscema. I collected every issue, cut out the pages and made my own manual. That was the spark I needed.
How did you break into the world of comic books?
During the ‘90s there was a huge boom for comic books in Monterrey, Mexico – where I still live to this day – that inspired a lot of people to
create their own comics. Take Cygnus Studios, for example, and many other fine folks, like Dono Sanchez, Francisco Ruiz Velasco and Edgar Delgado. I started hanging around in a small local publisher, called “Neurona C” along with some of those guys, and later I got a job in a marketing studio, doing commercial illustration. We did storyboards, text books… the works. At some point, the owner ended up owing me a lot of money, and she said: “What would you say if instead of money, I print a comic book for you?” And I said yes, and that way I self-published my first comic called Chuck, which in hindsight was not very good. (Laughs) It had a very dark sense of humor, in the vein of Johnny: The Homicidal Maniac, by Johnen Vazquez.
Once I finished college, around 2002, I started working with Studio F. They were already working for American publishers, I used to hang around with them, and that was when I got intrigued by the work of a colorist, and I decided there and then that that was my thing. I dedicated myself to learn Photoshop like crazy, until one day, Dono Sanchez emailed me saying they’ve got too much work from Marvel and they needed all the help they could get. They sent me four pages from four different artists and said “Well, rock and roll!” I painted all four pages and they liked them because – as I was told later – I tried to paint every page according to each artist’s style. That’s how I got to work with Studio F. One of my first assignments was helping Edgar Delgado coloring some pages for a Venom regular series (penciled by Francisco Herrera). I was not credited in that book, though, but I learned a lot from Edgar. He was my teacher and guide, he led me to the right places using nice and hard words when needed, I owe that guy a lot and I’ll always love him.
What was your first solo work as a colorist?
My first solo book was Hell published by Dark Horse Comics through an imprint called Rocket Comics. That’s curious. I think that’s my only professional work outside of Marvel.
My first Marvel book was Marvel Team-Up, with Robert Kirkman and Scott Collins. I had a lot of fun with that book, but now I look at those pages and I go “jeez!”. (Laughs) I remained in that book until #37. During that run I got the chance of working with people like Paco Medina and Juan Vlasco (RIP).
Which artists do you feel more comfortable to work with?
Aside from Stuart Immonen – one of my all-time favorites – I’m blessed for working with Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva. It was a blast working with them in House of X / Powers of X. Pepe and I are working on X of Swords and I’m loving it. I also enjoyed coloring Joe Madureira in Inhumans, where we did some really cool visuals. And even though I’ve only done a couple of covers, I feel in awe when I color Ryan Ottley.
In your own words, what does a colorist do in terms of comic books?
That’s a beautiful question. You see, the goal of every cartoonist is to tell a story in the best possible way, without your work being noticed for getting in the way of the story. My job is very similar to that of a Director of Cinematography in movies. I need to tell a story using colors as a baton for feelings and emotions, trying to keep consistency between what’s going on in the page with the colors I choose. For example, If I paint a funeral, I will use colors suited for the mood of the scene, maybe muted or darker. But perhaps the most important thing is to guide the reader to the most important parts of both the panels and the page, by using color values, lights and shadows, to enhance what we want the reader to see. If you look at a page, filled with colors and textures and you don´t get lost, if you are immediately aware of who’s talking or doing something, if your eyes are drawn to where they need to be, then we can say both the artist and the colorist did a good job.
What advice would you give another young aspiring artist who is considering a career in the comic industry?
Just one thing: please, don’t deprive the world of what you have inside your head. Make comics. Write if you are a writer. Draw if you are an artist. If you do inks or colors, keep it going. But please, don’t let the world miss on what you have to offer. Share your stuff with the world. There are more comics to make, more stories to tell, because this is the most beautiful thing in life.
