Carlyn Hutchins - Interviews


May 2007 - Indiegrrl Featured Artist 1. How old were you when you started writing songs, playing instruments, and how many years have you been performing? I first started playing guitar when I was 10, and wrote some really bad songs back then! The first song I wrote that I was actually happy with was during college, but I didn’t truly start songwriting until 2003. I had only dabbled up until that point, and because I was playing in bands and not solo, my focus wasn’t on songwriting, it was on playing. 2. Who were your major influences with your music and what made you decide to become a performer yourself? I am asked this question a lot. Truth be told, I don’t have any major influences, which is why I think I can’t be boxed into “she sounds like…”. I think that works both for me and against me – for me because my sound is unique, and against because people don’t have a point of reference. I’ve been told I have the attitude of Amy Ray with the voice of Emily Saliers, and I’ve been told I could be the love child of Ani DiFranco, Joni Mitchell, and Dave Matthews! However, the first guitarist I heard and thought “Wow, I want to play like that” was Michael Hedges. I’m not sure I consciously made the decision to be a performer, it just fell into my lap in late 2003. I gave up performing around 1994 or 1995, but in 2003, the music came back to me through serendipity and tragedy. An ex of mine committed suicide, and it crushed me. When I realized how much playing music helped me heal, I stuck with it. Music gave me an avenue for my grief. 3. How would you describe your music? This is so difficult for me to answer. It depends on the song really. Mainly, I write from and because of emotion, hence Lust Love Lost, the CD I released last August. Usually I tell people I play “folk with an edge”. 4. What is the best review or statement that someone has written about you and your music and who said it? I recently had my bio re-written by Jamie Anderson, and there was one blurb she wrote that made me fall out of my chair laughing: “’Sweet Young Thing’ features a forceful guitar strum that more than compliments the not-so-subtle lyrics. It’s an out front song of desire you thought only a man could write.” When I first read it, I wasn’t sure if I should have been proud or offended, but in the end I took it to be a compliment! 5. How many personal CD projects have you finished and are you working on or have any future project in the works? Also how involved are you in the recording process and producing of these projects? I’ve completed 3 CDs: my self-titled EP, one with live recordings called Session: Live, and Lust Love Lost. Right now, I’m not planning to record a new CD, but only because I’ve had some writer’s block and only have a handful of new songs that I’m happy with. I left the recording to the experts, and wasn’t involved too much with the production on the EP. Session: Live was done with minimal mastering, and I threw it together mainly so I had something to give to bookers. Steve Friedman of Melville Park Studio in Boston recorded Lust Love Lost, and I was involved with every aspect of production on that CD. There are still some things I would have done a little differently, but I’m not sure they would have had any value added, and would only have cost me more money in the studio…I had already spent more than I planned! 6. What special honors or awards have you received? None actually - where’s the love, people, where’s the love???? ? Mainly I write and play because it helps me process through my emotions, not because I’m looking for awards or recognition. I’ve found that music gives me a voice I don’t normally have, and it’s made me a braver person. In fact, one of the reasons I stopped performing was because of stage fright. 7. What is your favorite venue to perform live and why? I don’t have any one particular place I like more than others, but in general, I prefer the coffeehouse scene to the bar scene. I played a bar recently, and the patrons only wanted to hear covers, and I don’t usually play covers! At that point I realized I would serve myself better to stay away from playing in bars and focus more on coffeehouse or house-concert settings, where people want to hear what I have to say, not my interpretation of what someone else has to say. There’s anything wrong with playing covers, I just don’t get much satisfaction out of playing them. 8. What music organizations are you affiliated with or plan on joining? Right now, I’m a member of Indiegrrl, GoGirls Elite, Rhode Island Songwriters’ Association (RISA), and OUTmusic, but haven’t decided on joining any other organizations. I want to give more time to each of these but I am stretched a bit thin right now. I’m still trying to decide between ASCAP and BMI. 9. Do you find as an Indie artist it is easier to express yourself and view points in music instead of following main stream marketing in songs? Absolutely, and I really enjoy doing my own thing. I can’t imagine being molded by someone else based on their view of what they think the market wants. I don’t want to lose my freedom to write what I want, when I want, and how I want. 10. What does "Indie" mean to you? Do it yourself, baby, and damn, have fun doing it too! 11. Do you own your own record label or publishing company or one day hope to? (Laughing) Yes, I guess you could say that! I “own” CatzEye Records (www.catzeyerecords.com) but haven’t really decided what I want to do with it yet other than maintain the website! There’s a part of me that wants to use the label to promote some very talented Boston area musicians, there’s another part of me that says “Are you crazy? When are you going to find the time?” So, I’m trying to organize my thoughts and see what makes the most sense moving forward with it. 12. If given the opportunity would you sign on with a major record label? No way. I like being able to do my own thing, in my own time and terms. Songwriting is not something that comes naturally or easily to me, and I know myself well enough to know that I would absolutely crumble under the pressure I’d get from a record label. Maybe some people thrive on it, but I would not. If it’s not fun, I’m not going to do it, and I don’t think that being signed to a label would be fun. 13. What advice can you give to someone who is just starting to market themselves in the Indie music market? Take advantage of your resources, like networking organizations and fellow musicians. Listen to your “elders”, those who have been around the block and have a lot of knowledge about the industry. And don’t just jump in without having a plan… information is your best friend. 14. What advice have you followed that has helped you out? (Laughing) Who said I have followed anyone’s advice? ? That’s a tough question to answer, because I’m not sure I have had any 1 or 2 snippets of advice that have helped me the most. Again, I think information is your friend. How one uses it is going to be based on what one’s goals are. I haven’t set any music goals for the same reason I don’t set New Year’s resolutions – because I don’t want to disappoint myself. Right now, I’m much more comfortable playing the “let’s see what happens game”, but I also have the luxury of having a day job that pays the bills and gives me benefits. I might think differently if I did not have that to lean on. 15. Do you have other work, projects, or hobbies besides your music and if so tell us a little bit about it? Oh yes indeed. I am a founding member of JP Unplugged Acoustic Music Series (www.jpunplugged.org) and I stay busy with them by monitoring the email, updating the website and MySpace when needed, and designing the posters/postcards. I also just started hosting an open mic at a local coffeehouse in the Boston area, so I’m responsible for booking, advertising, posters/postcards, and running it. We have a featured performer each week, so if any Indiegrrls need a little filler gig on a Wednesday night (tip $$ is the only guarantee I can make), get in touch with me and I’ll see if I can help out. Right now, I have dates open from November and on into 2008, so if you’re touring through Boston, let me know! 16. Do you plan on trying to make music your full time career? The jury is still out on this one. Again, I’m fortunate enough right now to have a job that pays the bills and gives me benefits. It would be very, very difficult to give up that security blanket. 17. How many instruments do you play and what are they? Mainly, I’m a guitarist, and I have a particular weakness for Taylors. I own a 410CE, and recently purchased a T5 electric – yeah baby! I got very lucky on that one, it was on clearance! I also have Ibanez and Washburn guitars, but I don’t play them any more. I can play some piano but I’m not very good, and I love to play shakers. I’ve heard that I can shake with the best of ‘em! 18. What are your main goals for 2007 to boost your music career as a whole? Well, I haven’t really set any goals regarding music per se. I wanted to have a busier playing schedule but so far it has been very difficult to get booked, and I have to examine why that is. (Laughing) Maybe it’s because I didn’t set any goals! Oh the other hand, there are other opportunities that popped up unexpectedly, like the open mic host and the Indiegrrl “MC” during Women’s Week in Provincetown, and I’m hoping to use those as springboards to open new doors. 19. What long term goals have you set? I haven’t set a long term goal since I was 17 and decided I wanted to finish college in 4 years - which I did by the way! Insofar as music is concerned, I don’t feel any pressure to do anything except be true to myself and have fun. I definitely want to take small regional tours, but I have responsibilities that keep me close to Boston right now. When those change or get easier to manage, I’ll start planning some tours. 20. What goals have you reached already? The big one was releasing my first CD, which I did in 2006 when I recorded and released Lust Love Lost. I also wanted to meet more musicians and learn more about the business. I guess you can say that I’ve reached the goal of information gathering and now I’m trying to decide what to do with it! 21. What does Indiegrrl mean to you? Wow, I don’t know where I’d be musically without the contacts I’ve made through this organization, so Indiegrrl means a lot to me. I’ve had some showcase opportunities, and now the MC gig in P-Town, so I’m very grateful for the exposure Indiegrrl has given me. 22. Is there anyone you would like to thank that has helped you along in your career or in the music industry as a whole? In no particular order, my unofficial mentors Mr. Steve Rapson and Ms. Patti DeRosa, the indie songwriters who inspire me, my family and friends of course, and all the musicians who give their love, time, and passion to this business. Visit Carlyn at: http://www.carlynhutchins.com
March 2007 - Interview with Robert Urban at Gay Guitarists Worldwide - What brand/model/year instrument(s) do you record and play out with? I bought a Taylor 410CE in March 2005 and haven’t played out or recorded with another guitar since. My next big guitar purchase is going to be a Taylor T5 - What brand/model/year amps & effects (if any) do you use? No, I’m a clean acoustic guitar kind of gal, I like the purity of the instrument without the effects. Well, maybe just a bit of reverb! - Who are your main influences as an instrumentalist? Which artists? Which bands? Instrumentalist? Which artists/bands were your favorites in your youth? Oh my, so many. I would say Michael Hedges was my first big guitar influence. His “Taproot” CD showed me that the guitar could be played percussively and I adopted a very rhythmic style after listening to that CD. I spent many years not even really listening to a lot of music or playing guitar, so when I started playing again in 2003, I automatically fell into a very unique and percussive sound, as if it had just been waiting to jump out. - Tell fans about your luv for your particular style of music, as opposed to other styles - how it became your favorite style of rock, etc I really groove with rhythm, and have ever since I can remember. I’m also attracted to the rich resonance of the acoustic guitar as opposed to the more processed sounds of the solid body electric guitar played through effects. I believe that my style reflects this, a blending of percussive rhythm with the resonance of the acoustic guitar. I think I owe my style in part to the band I played with after I graduated from college, because they were very heavy handed and percussive and I fit right in with them. - Do you play/compose/record only your own original music? Do you do any other work in music - e.g. teaching, recording session work, hired gun, producing, etc? Does your playing appear on recordings of any other artists? So far, I have only recorded my own original music, and I very rarely play cover songs. I’ve not been invited into the studio with anyone else but I really enjoy singing harmony and would welcome any opportunity to sing on another musician’s CD. Since I don’t know how to read music and have only taken a handful of lessons, I don’t feel qualified to teach anyone how to play the guitar, although I have had several requests. After recording “Lust Love Lost”, I think that I could perhaps move into the producing end of the business, but I think that’s a long way off. - Is there a particular favorite solo or part you played on a recording, or a certain piece of composed music you wrote, that you feel represents your finest work? That’s a great question! I feel that each of my songs is unique in how it tells its particular story. You can really hear the driving anger in “I Don’t Know Why”, which is exactly how I was feeling when I wrote it. But I feel that “Three Doors Down” is the prettiest song I’ve written, even though the story is told from a bitter angle. I challenged myself with “The Look”, an instrumental I wrote after watching the way my two friends were looking at each other during the toast at their wedding. - Any special thoughts on your instrument, and what it's meant to you in your life? The guitar has been an outlet for me, although there was an 8 year period of time where I didn’t play at all. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I came back to it. (Laughing) I bought my Taylor the day after the woman I was dating broke up with me (several hours before a show), so I always kind of think of her when I pick it up to play. The Taylor has been a great friend to me since then, no broken strings, always there when I needed her, never complained when I played too hard. We did have a bit of an exploding battery incident but she was OK, no major damage! - Can you relate any special feelings or experiences about being a glbt player in the mostly straight music world... especially regarding your formative/learning years on your instrument? Well, I spent my formative years playing guitar in a very Catholic neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia, where anything outside of “the norm” was ridiculed and frowned upon. I always knew I was different, but I never really figured it out until I was in my 20’s. I’m totally out now, and consider myself a guitarist/singer/songwriter who just so happens to be gay. Insofar as my songwriting, if I feel it, I’ll write it, without shame, because life’s too short not to. I feel this way in particular about “Passion Play” from my EP, and “Sweet Young Thing” and “Come On Over” from the new CD. - For a glbt player - how does the overall music scene differ today from years ago? (Laughing again) I have no idea how to answer! Since I started playing out again in 2003, I’ve found a very supportive community of venues and musicians in New England, whether gay or straight. I haven’t found a booker put off by my sexuality, well, at least those who have booked me! - How is the overall music scene in your locale? It’s extremely supportive, and I’ve made many friends in the Boston and Providence singer/songwriter circuit. I have even gained a mentor who is coaching me on being a better performer. - Any advice for young glbt players? Be true to yourself, keep smiling, and have fun. - What are your current and future musical projects? I’m going to promote “Lust Love Lost” to the best of my abilities and start expanding the areas where I play. I want to work on writing more instrumental compositions, learn more alternate tunings, and get better at writing lyrics since that area is not one of my strengths. Then we’ll see what happens! More on CARLYN HUTCHINS at: http://www.carlynhutchins.com http://www.sonicbids.com/carlynhutchins http://www.myspace.com/carlynhutchins
December 2006 - Indieguitarists.com 1. Describe the early years of your musical roots and how your talent was nurtured. In all honesty, music for me has been on again/off again for as long as I have been playing. I started out playing an old pedal organ of all things, which was when I was about 8 or 9, and tinkered on the piano as well. Then I asked for a guitar when I was 10 and my parents obliged, I think mainly to keep me out of my sister's room because I'd sneak in and play her guitar! They gave me a book of chords and a handful of lessons, but I mainly taught myself by plunking out melodies to the radio one note at a time, and I remain mainly self-taught. I played all throughout elementary, middle, and high school but infrequently during my college years so I could focus on my degree. I started back up after college and played in bands for a few years, but took 8 years off before I started back up again 3 years ago. 2. Were there any events, people or catalysts that were musically influential? There isn't really one person or musician that was musically influential on me. However, the first time I heard the late Michael Hedges' "Aerial Boundaries", I fell in love with the acoustic guitar because I had no idea the instrument could be so beautiful and powerful! As for influential events, the reason I started writing songs and playing again was to heal emotionally and physically. An ex-girlfriend of mine committed suicide a little over three years ago. Two days after I found out, I broke a bone in my hand playing goalkeeper in a soccer game. A friend of my ex gave me one her guitars, and convinced me to start playing again. Actually, we ended up playing as a duo for a while. I used guitar playing at the time as additional physical therapy to heal my hand, but I didn’t realize it was also helping me heal emotionally, because it really gave me an outlet for my grief. It is so bittersweet to think that it took something so horrible to bring me back to my music, which has been so wonderful for me since then. I still shake my head about the whole thing. 3. Describe the feel of your new CD entitled, "Lust Love Lost" and how you were sparked to write the songs on it. (Chuckling) About 6 of the songs on the CD are influenced in some way by someone I was romantically involved with, both during the relationship and after its unnecessarily ugly end. The listener can clearly tell that there is heartache, bitterness, and anger, but a nice change is that the CD is also spiced up with a couple of lusty songs as well as one about falling in love, and there is an instrumental as well. Each of the songs is stylistically a bit different, and I'd like to think that it reaches out to people with a number of different musical tastes. 4. How involved were you in the recording and production of your latest CD? In every facet of it! I'm such a control freak that I would not have had it any other way! 5. What recording equipment did you use? No clue actually, I just let Steve Friedman at Melville Park Studio set everything up. I do know that he upgraded to ProTools 7 either right before or sometime during the time we were recording, and it was sometimes a lot of fun trying to use the old shortcuts he knew from other versions of the software. Sometimes they didn't do quite the same thing in the new and we would laugh and go back to try to fix what we just did. He was good enough to not charge me for the time he spent fixing things like that! 6. How did you record your guitar parts? For my acoustic guitar tracks, we used a combination of mics and direct input, and then played with the mix to get just the right tones while keeping a very natural acoustic sound. On my instrumental "The Look", we tried about 10 different combinations of positions and microphones before we could get a decent sound. That particular song was so challenging because I play it with a pick instead of finger-picking (I’m awful at finger-picking), and we were getting some really harsh sounds. I ended up playing it with a very heavy pick and having the mics about 4 to 8 feet from the guitar before we could get a good sound. I don’t remember if we went direct with that song at all. For Joey Ammo’s acoustic guitar tracks, we’d use the same setup I used, but for the electric guitar, we just put a mic on the amplifier. I wanted a clean sound for the recording, so we did very little in the way of effects processing, even on the electric guitar parts. 7. How did you record the rhythm section? Those were fun (and very long) sessions! Don "DC" Culp had already laid down his parts on a portable recorder before coming into the studio, and would sometimes listen back to those before he would record his tracks. We sometimes had up to 10 different percussion tracks from which to choose and mix. Most we used, but some we didn’t, and what we didn’t use was because we just couldn’t get it to sound right in the mix. DC did a fantastic job prepping and recording, and I could not have been happier with the way everything came out. Deb Blackadar also laid down some djembe and shaker tracks, and I played shaker on one of the songs. Basically, we went in, we put it down, kept it if we liked it, redid it if we didn't, used what we could, and trashed what we couldn’t! 8. Did you enjoy creating the CD? Any obstacles? The main obstacle was that we were delayed for a month while I was recovering from a very nasty cold. I couldn't speak let alone sing, and had to cancel a number of sessions (even the ones where I just had to play the guitar) because I had a wracking cough and just felt awful and tired all the time. I enjoyed the mixing sessions more than my recording sessions. I felt so pressured during the recording phase, but mixing was a lot of fun because we could be creative with it. Working with Steve was very easy, and he has such a great ear for what works and what doesn't. Luckily, he and I were very much on the same page with that. His philosophy is that if it doesn’t sound right, it’s just wrong. It sounds like such a simple statement, but when I mention that to musicians, it’s like a light bulb goes off over their heads, and they usually nod in agreement and say things like “Yeah, right on”! 9. Who else plays on the CD? Joey Ammo (Boston, MA) played both acoustic and electric guitar - he did a lot of layering with a second acoustic guitar part that added a lot of depth to the songs, and then played all of the acoustic or electric lead solos. He also played bass guitar on 5 songs. Allison Hale (Boston, MA) sang harmony vocals on 6 songs. Lisa Annunziata (Providence, RI) played bass guitar on 3 songs, one of which she convinced me to write, which was “Three Doors Down”. Don "DC" Culp (Providence, RI) played all the percussion on 5 songs while Deb Blackadar (Boston, MA) played percussion on 2 songs. Three songs I did solo, either just with guitar or with guitar and vocals. It’s a nice mix, in my opinion. 10. What vocal microphone did you use in the studio? (Grinning) I have no idea, whatever Steve set up for me! How’s that for paying attention? 11. What is your main guitar? My baby is a Taylor 410CE. It has great sound and I think I will have it forever. I hope someday to own a Taylor T5 as well, for its great sound, and versatility that I may need more of down the road. 12. How would you describe your sound? That question is so tough for me to answer, and I still don’t have a good one! I have been told I have a very unique sound, and maybe that’s because I don’t have any particular influence. I’ve heard that I am a mix of Ani DiFranco, Melissa Ferrick, Joni Mitchell, and Dave Matthews - how’s that for a love child! 13. How does a song come into fruition for you? The lyrics first or the music first? It’s usually the music that comes first, where I’ll start playing and then generally sing out the first words that come into my head. If I like what I hear, I’ll work on it some more, musically and lyrically. If not, I’ll generally let the whole thing die and move on to something else. I hate trying to force something to work, because it usually ends up sounding trite and I won’t be happy with it anyway. Kill the bad ones early, nurture the good ones even earlier! Writing lyrics does not come naturally or easily for me, which is why I absolutely can’t try to force it. It’s a recipe for disaster for me! 14. What venue have you played that you enjoyed the most? I love the atmospheres at the 5th Street Coffeehouse in Philadelphia and Tazza Caffe, in Providence, RI. The crowds I’ve had there have been very supportive and appreciative. I generally enjoy everywhere I play, because you never know what kind of crowd you’re going to have so you have to be on your toes to keep their attention, and I love the challenge in that. 15. Is there a venue that you play regularly at? No, no regular place, but I love doing the coffeehouse open mics in the Boston area. They’re a lot of fun, and I’ve met some really great folks through them. 16. What does your live set up consist of? It’s usually just me with a guitar direct through a PA. I had a trio for my CD release party (me, Joey Ammo on guitar, and a percussionist named Steve Nilson), and I played one show with guitarist Steve Rapson. I really feed off the energy of a duo or trio so I think I need to examine that a little and think about that for the future. 17. What music organizations are you affiliated with? I am a member of Indiegrrl, GoGirls Music, Gay Guitarists, Indie Guitarists, and Outmusic, I love the networking that goes on, and I’ve learned a lot. I am also involved with a Boston based group trying to get a new acoustic music event launched for 2007. 18. Do you have your own record & publishing company? (Laughing) You mean CatzEye Records? Well, I own the website at least! We shall see what happens with that in the future, but it can’t hurt to have it as my own right now. I’m the only one “signed” right now, but I have some ideas for it in the far future. 19. What are your plans for 2007? I’ll be writing some new songs and would like to get some vocal training as well, and improve my songwriting skills and stage presence. I’ll also be working on getting my name out more in the Boston area and beyond. I am already working on setting up a mini-tour in April, and have a couple of dates confirmed. I will also be working with a group of Boston area musicians to launch a new once-per-month acoustic music event in a house concert type format called “JP Unplugged”. 20. Do you usually appear with a band or as a solo act? It’s all me, most of the time, but that may change in 2007 or 2008. For more info on Carlyn Hutchins visit: www.carlynhutchins.com