“Sometimes you can feel trapped by genres, and you just go 'This is a brilliant song, it doesn't matter what you call it,'” she concludes. “I just want to be Liv Austen.”

Norwegian born singer-songwriter Liv Austen moved to London in 2010 to study drama, but stayed for the music after exploding on the British country music scene.  In 2014, she unveiled her Workin' Man's Dream EP and the buzz only grew louder with each subsequent release. Recently, Austen debuted the video for her spunky, and catchy as all get out, single "Don't Regret A Single One" and here she answers her Essential 8 where she talks songwriting, her dream venue, what she does on her days off (might surprise ya), and much more!

When/where do you do your best writing?
It’s a combination of in my home studio, when I am on my own – and also when I have my favourite cowriters over to write with me, and in some of my cowriters’ studios. Writing at two of my favourites, Jess Sharman and Kaity Rae’s studios, is always great. I find I write quite different songs when I’m writing on my own and when I write with others. I love doing both!

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
Play live. As much as you can. That’s your job, that’s where you learn and that’s what you are doing this for! I see so many musicians spending all their time worrying about getting publishing, record deals, managers, agents… And I’ve done the same myself. It took a while for me to realise that the only thing you really need to focus on is doing gigs. Because as you get better, the right people will find you. And then you’ll be ready, because you are so experienced as a performer. That is not saying it’s a bad thing to meet people and connect with them, or to learn about the music industry (that would be my second bit of advice – knowledge is power!), but don’t let that take up all your time. Remember that you are doing this because you love music.

What’s your dream venue and why?
The Round House in Camden. It’s the most beautiful venue and the sound and lighting there are out of this world. I have seen two very contrasting gigs there, Carrie Underwood and The Staves, and both blew me away. I’d love to put on a show there.

Matt Stell was around 12 when his mother gave him his first guitar - which he promptly stowed in a closet and forgot about for eight years or so. Instead, he threw himself into basketball, getting good enough to earn an athletic scholarship and pave the way toward earning his bachelor’s degree at Drury University earning his masters in communication at the University of Arkansas.

It was there he began hanging out with fellow students from Texas, who opened his eyes to their state’s unique legacy of great country music artists. Soon enough, Stell was performing his originals at a local bar (under a pseudonym—Paul Wayne Walker—so that his coach wouldn’t find out no less) and ultimately realized that music was the path he was destined to follow. He made the move to Music City around 2014 and eventually signed with Wide Open Music. On March 16th, Stell released his debut EP, Last of the Best, and here he kindly answers his Essential 8 where he talks about songwriting, passing those hours in the van, Stevie Wonder, and more.

​Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
All of the above.  When I started writing songs I drew a lot from personal experience. It was the easiest and most genuine place to start and I still write this way.  After a while though, I started running out of interesting things that happened to me to write about.  That’s when I started to branch out and write about things I heard about from other peoples’ perspectives.  Some of my favorite songs are fictitious characters in situations I’ve only read about (Travis Tritt’s Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde, most of Marty Robbins’ stuff, Steve Earle, etc.) Nowadays I keep my antenna up pretty much all the time for any kind of story or perspective that’s interesting and could be the bones of a song.
 
What’s your favorite/”go-to” food on the road?
I’m always down for whatever the local flavor is. Honestly though, I’m always happy to see a Subway in the truck stop where I’m buying fuel.  It’s not really my favorite, but at least my body doesn’t forget what a vegetable is before I get home.
 
How do you kill the long hours in the van?
Podcasts, books and iTunes U lectures. There’s nothing better than getting on iTunes and downloading the audio of a semester’s worth of lectures on an interesting topic.  The lectures usually come from leaders in a particular field from the finest Universities in the country for free. I’ve learned about American and world history, philosophy of mind, law and justice, astronomy, behavioral economics, and a bunch more.

Ontario native Jaclyn Kenyon has been on the stage since the age of 12, when she was the youngest performer ever in Canada’s all-female artist showcase Honey Jam, competing against artists twice her age. At 15 years old she caught the eye of world-renowned vocal coach and multi-platinum producer “Mama” Jan Smith after which
Jaclyn spent time in Nashville and L.A where she learned -more about herself and what inspired her as an artist working alongside multi-platinum writers and producers.

Jaclyn’s latest single, “Daddy’s Got A Shotgun,” is a youthful, fun track about an overprotective father that can be found on her forthcoming EP. Here, in advance of the project's release, Kenyon kindly took the time to answer her Essential 8+ where she talked about everything from musical mentors and her EP to the Opry, Shania Twain, and much more!

Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
​I grew up in a musical home. I remember being three years old sitting on the piano while my dad played and I would be singing with him. My dad influenced me for sure because he always would play music and I naturally just gravitated towards it and wanted to learn as much as I could at such a young age. 

With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect?
Yes for sure! Anytime I’ve written a song and I feel that way, it's usually over a line that just really sticks out in the song and it’s usually the line that ties the song together perfectly. It gets me excited when that happens. 

Minnesota-based songwriter Andy Cook’s new EP Modern Man is a 22-minute indie-rock/Americana ride that stokes twinges of nostalgia with jangly guitars, articulate synth lines, and driving percussion as it follows Cook digging into life in this hyper-digital age via lyric-driven, sonically-rich landscape. In advance of the EP's April 13th release, Cook kindly took the time to answer his Essential 8 where he talked about the story behind Modern Man, Jeremy Ylvisaker, dreaming big, and more.


Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
I do! My music mentor is Jeremy Ylvisaker, a guitar player and all-around amazing musical mind. He currently plays with a variety of group including HALEY and The Suburbs, and has also toured with Andrew Bird and been an artist-in-residence at the Eaux Claires festival. Jeremy taught me how to play guitar beginning about 5 years ago, and has since become producer and bandmate too. As both a player and a teacher, Jeremy has this magical way of making things simple and focusing on how best to convey whatever idea or emotion it is we’re trying to get across. He’s at once exceptionally talented and wonderfully humble—a n artist and a person I look up to immensely!

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
I called the album “Modern Man” for two reasons—one, I’m exploring what it’s like living in modern society and how we navigate life through social media and this non-stop cycle of activity and information. Second, I specifically wanted to use the word “man” because I very much believe in equity and that across all industries, professions, and situations men need to think more about how we can support that and push back on so much of the toxic masculinity we are exposed to and perpetuate, even without intent.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
I’d say it’s a combination of my own experiences and observations. Music is the best way I’ve found to express myself and understand/convey how I see the world. If there’s something I want to say or make sense of, a song is the best way to do it!

At only 20 years of age, Texas native Mason Lively is an old musical soul who crafts songs like a seasoned veteran. Released on April 6th, his first full-length, Stronger Ties, is a sonically diverse yet cohesive and balanced record that shines a light on Lively’s songwriting and diverse influences. Recently, Lively kindly took the time to chat and speak about his roots, the album, working with Pat Manske, and more.

Your first EP, Livin' Large in a Little Town was recorded with Lloyd Maines and Pat Manske when you were sixteen. When did you initially feel the pull of writing, singing, and performing?
At 14 I picked up the guitar and started honing my craft playing older country songs. Eventually, I began songwriting and my parents, who saw something in me, talked me into going to record. They've been incredibly encouraging and that is something for which I’m very grateful.
​
It's amazing to have such supportive parent. Is your family musical?
I’m the first to ever do anything musical. I grew up around, and am influenced by, many genres from classic country to blues and rock. When I was a kid, I was listening to Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Robert Earl Keen, as well as Randy Rogers and Turnpike Troubadours. I listen to so much and I wanted to keep the album to represent every aspect of Texas music that influenced me as an artist.

FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2018
DOORS: 6:00 PM
SHOW: 7:00 PM
TICKETS: $15

Named "country music's next rising star" by Billboard magazine, Dylan Schneider released his latest EP, Spotlight’s On You, in April of 2017, and the five-song album hit the #1 spot on the iTunes Country Album Charts.  This past November, he signed with Interscope Records as the label's first direct country artist - coinciding with the release of his new single, "No Problem". Currently on tour, Dylan will play NYC's Opry City Stage on April 6th and ahead of the show, he took the time to talk about signing with Interscope, playing NYC, connecting with fans, and more.

At 18 years old, you must have known music was your calling early on. When did you first know it was something you wanted to pursue professionally?
I fell in love with country music when I was in 7th grade and that’s really when I knew it’s what I wanted to do. I love the storytelling and authenticity of country music and that’s what I try to convey in my music.

Congratulations on signing with Interscope last year.!How did that come about and how do you feel about being the first country artist on their roster?
Thank you! I’m really excited to be the first country artist on Interscope’s roster. I’m obviously in great company there… The Insterscope crew has been super supportive of me from the very beginning, so I knew that’s where I wanted to be.

Prior to signing with them, you released a couple of EPs, so is a full-length album in the works?
There’s a new EP in the works…  I’m currently writing and recording for a summer release on that!

Hailing from Fort Worth, traditional country resurgence group, Keeper Of The Plains, is bringing back a red dirt sound that hasn’t been heard on country radio in quite some time. Their debut radio single, "Keep On Rollin'", a breezy, fiddle accented tune with meaningful, uplifting lyrics, is already gaining traction on the Music Row Country Breakout Chart delivering their music to a wide range of welcoming listeners. Here frontman Michael Gutierrez answers his Essential 8 and talks musical mentors, KISS, Brantley Gilbert, and more!
​
​Did you have a musical mentor?  If so, who was it and how did they influence you?                                                                
I would have to say my music teacher in junior high school, Mr. Hayels.  He was truly an inspiration as well as a great mentor to me.  He encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming an entertainer through his words and his confidence in me.
 
What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
 The best advice I’ve gotten from true musicians was to keep reaching for the stars.  The struggle is real and cruel but if you keep being persistent, your hard work will pay off some day.  If it was easy everyone would be in the entertainment business so keep on keeping on.
 
What’s your dream venue and why?
 It would have to be the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.  It’s one of the most beautiful venues, indoor or outdoor, that I have ever seen.
 
Who would you love to collaborate with?
 I would love to collaborate with Brantley Gilbert.  I think we could have a good time writing some tunes together, maybe so good that I could open up for him. Haha!  With our gritty tone and rock country feel I think it would be awesome!

Singer-songwriter Nina Ricci keeps her footing in folk revival  with her debut album Designs On Me.  A storyteller by nature, each of the project's seven songs tell a tale revealing her sentimental side and sketching dream-like images that stay with the listener well after first listen. Here, Ricci kindly took the time to answer her Essential 8 and spoke about the album, songwriting, her dream venue, and more.

Why did you choose to anchor the album with these songs?
When I started to get the idea it was time to record an album I was going through a reemergence of writing. My personal mode of writing is a little different. I don’t write all the time. I let time pass between my writing sessions so that I have something new and fresh to write about with new aesthetic influences. That way I am not writing the same song over and over.

My reason for choosing these songs is simple, they were ripe for the picking. They were my newest and freshest works, the cream right off the top, and they carried that youthful vibrance a song has when it’s newly written. I looked back on my older songs as candidates, but I felt the new ones had a sort of connection to each other that I didn’t want to break up. I think that’s because my approach to writing songs changed around this time. I wanted to relate to my audience in a personal way. Whereas as a folksinger, I tend to act as an interpreter of narratives that are aesthetically old and difficult for people to grasp, I felt that these songs had a “right now” kind of relevance.

For example, I was starting to bite the bitter end of the truths about being a performing musician when I wrote “Numbers Don’t Show.” The difference in a successful career and a mediocre one is based on the number of tickets sold at your concerts. Because we as musicians are all in this race together and we have the same struggles for our music to be heard, I wrote “Numbers Don’t Show” to them. “Folk City” was inspired by a day trip that took me to Greenwich Village. My dad lived there in his 20’s and some of my favorite folksingers played in the music venue Gerde’s Folk City, back in the day. I wasn’t able to write the song for a long time until I had one last wind of inspirational gusto when I learned about a theater group called “Folk City Musical” who is bringing to life the historicity of the Greenwich Village folk scene on stage. “I Never Deserve Any Good Thing I Got” was a clear contender because of it’s poetic lyricism and humanity. It’s me, looking at myself like I am, and that’s the design I had for the album: to show people who I am as a person, a writer, a performer, and an overall musical craftswoman.

Originally formed as a tribute project to recreate the early music of the 1970's band Little Feat, the Nashville-based progressive blues outfit Big Shoes soon garnered an impressive following that led them to carve out their own unique identity. ​On February 23rd, the seven-piece released their new album, Step On It! and here Big Shoes' drummer/bandleader/producer Andy Peake answers his Essential 8 and talks touring, the Hollywood Bowl, fave fan gifts, and more.

Do you have any touring tips?
Enjoy it! I have been to more places as a result of my career than most people ever have a chance to. Being a musician has allowed me to be a world traveler. In addition, though, treat it like a job, a fun and interesting job.

What's the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
Do your homework. Prepare with a passion. Then have fun.

What's the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
The luckiest people are usually the ones who work the hardest.