Episode 7 - SKORTS - On playing bars and arenas in two different bands simultaneously

This week I chat with Emma Welch, the bass player of the Brooklyn based bands SKORTS and Aggie Miller. I wanted to chat with Emma because she spent time playing huge shows in the band Sir Chloe while helping build SKORTS from the ground up. She has a unique perspective to offer from seeing and experiencing these two different sides of the music industry simultaneously. 

You can watch this whole episode on youtube here - 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPPe1l2rUcs

Check out SKORTS here: https://skorts.bandcamp.com/
Check out Aggie Miller here: https://aggiemiller.bandcamp.com/
Check out Sir Chloe here: https://www.instagram.com/sirchloe/

Shoutout to Showbrain & Ozzie (mentioned in episode) - https://www.instagram.com/showbrain_/

**Vram is my bandmate in Gustaf in case you were wondering** 

Check out the album I mention that I made in the back of the tour van here - https://prettyworld.bandcamp.com/album/radiobraid

Chapters

• 0:42 Introduction
• 1:57 How did you get into bass?
• 10:11 On her first show and band
• 13:49 On her acting training and how it helps with music
• 16:00 Playing DIY shows vs. way larger shows
• 20:40 Music business observations on large tours
• 25:25 SORRY Cables
• 26:10 Feeling out venues
• 27:28 Touring USA vs. UK vs. EU
• 32:13 Van activities
• 40:02 Being prepared IS rock and roll
• 45:23 Dreams and goals for the future
• 51:20 On finances and getting a band fund together
• 53:15 What job do you have?
• 56:50 Nonmusical qualities that make you a better bandmate
• 59:00 On having a bad day in a cool place
• 1:05:20 Do you have any regrets?
• 1:06:50 Outro

Transcript

Welcome back to another week of what it takes to be a rock star.

I am your host Mel, and this week I am chatting with Emma Welch from the band Scorch.

Welcome back to another episode of What It Takes To Be A Rockstar.

I am your host, Mel, and if you're watching this, I am outside, actually, in a place called Rimini in Italy.

I'm on tour playing bass with the band Tea Eater, so apologies for this audio not being great.

But welcome back to another week.

This week I have Emma from the band Skorts.

Skorts is an incredible band from Brooklyn, New York, and I really wanted to chat with Emma because she actually played bass in the band Sir Chloe for a while.

She's playing, like, these huge shows, the band Sir Chloe, while simultaneously playing in her DIY band Skorts.

So I wanted to hear what she had to say about the differences between the two of those experiences, and it's completely fascinating and awesome, and I'm really happy we got to chat, and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

I feel like you have a really cool and unique look into music land because you've played huge freaking stages and you're doing the DIY thing with Skorts.

So I'm just so happy you're here.

But first, I wanna talk about your journey into bass playing because if I'm not mistaken, that's not been a thing for a long time, but you're so natural at it.

Oh, thank you.

Yeah, I love my story, it's really fun.

So, well, I started with music in 5th grade, as a lot of us did, choosing an instrument.

I chose the viola and fell absolutely in love with it.

I played it all the way through high school, all the way through college.

I was in like school orchestra.

I also did extracurricular orchestra.

And so many of my best friends that are still some of my best friends came from my orchestra days.

I had the best music teacher in the world, and Mary Beth Kamise, she like changed my world.

And I was in choir a bit too.

I was always singing since I was a kid.

And then in high school, I discovered the white stripes and started playing guitar.

And, and like around the time that I got fell in love for the first time is this very exciting time, ninth grade.

And yeah, I started getting into, into loud plugged in music and started playing in a band.

And I just played rhythm guitar.

I actually did play bass a couple of times in that band because my, my bandmate had one.

I think I played like a Dead Weather song on the bass.

I forget, I forget which one.

But predominantly just like I was the lead singer and I played guitar.

And then in college, I was playing a lot of viola, doing some chamber music and also getting into like composition for the first time.

And but I've also always done acting.

And college was, I'd always done like school plays, but college was the first time it was like, oh, let's like, what is acting?

And let's get into acting class and like get all up inside the head and the body.

And that kind of took over my focus.

And I was doing a lot more cedar in those days, while still doing music.

And then after I graduated, I went to an acting conservatory, which is what brought me to the city.

And it was acting, acting, acting, a little bit of music.

I played viola in this cool project with my friend, singer Joy, where she writes the craziest like odd time signatures, crazy harmonies and weird, weird.

I had so much fun making music with her.

And then the pandemic hit a little, like a couple months after I had just graduated acting school.

And so that kind of put things on pause a little bit.

And I was still doing like online classes and like occasional Zoom plays and stuff.

But in later that year, late 2020, one of my, my dear friends from college, Teddy O'Mara, he hit me up to get me to play bass and join his band Sir Chloe.

And I, he was like, I know you don't play the bass, but I did scroll all over your Facebook page and saw that you did play one in a band show in high school.

And I was like, that's the kind of person Teddy is.

He's very thorough.

And he's like, and I've done a lot of stuff with him musically in college.

Like he, I played some viola on some of his stuff.

We were, we were connected musically.

And he's like, we need someone who can sing backup.

And like we've gone through a few different people, but I just keep coming back to you and like wondering if you'd be down to like learn this instrument.

And I was like, are you fucking kidding me?

Yes.

And that was like October 2020.

And I spent, I didn't even get my hands on an actual bass until like New Year's, but I was learning the bass parts on an acoustic guitar.

I distinctly remember I got COVID in, I think November, yeah, because it was Thanksgiving.

And I went to stay, I don't know if people know about the COVID isolation hotel programs they had here.

I don't know if other cities had them, but you could, if you were like living in a place where you couldn't properly isolate from roommates and family, you could go stay for free at these certain hotels they had and do your isolation there.

And all my roommates did end up getting it from me because of the way they had already been infected by me.

But we wanted to, just in case, get me to a hotel.

But I remember I brought my acoustic guitar and I was learning the bass parts on it.

And I was so studious at the time.

I was writing out the sheet music to it.

And I was like, which note is the E on the bass here?

Is it up here?

Is it down there?

Which octave do I write in?

I was so studious about it.

Then I finally got my hands on an actual bass and got a little practice amp and started learning.

It was such a great introduction to the instrument because I was familiar to the study of an instrument, but I'd done it through a school setting.

For so many years, I'd done private lessons with viola.

So I was very familiar with that.

But having to start new at an instrument as an adult was really, really precious and really special.

In the early days, I was almost turned away because I can be a bit of a perfectionist when I was like, it's not happening, I suck at this, I'm never going to do it.

But that was actually didn't get too much in the way, which I was grateful for.

It was really helpful to have something very specific that I needed to learn.

I had these parts to these songs for this band, and I think that helps me not get too lost in the sauce of like, where do I even begin?

And so, oh my god, a fly just hit the mic.

I wonder if that was, it was a fat one.

Yeah, I wonder if that was audible.

That's pretty sick.

That's our guest guest star today.

But yeah, it helped to have a very clear path that I was on while also, I like took some virtual lessons with a friend, and I did Fender's like online tutorial, free, the free two-week tutorial.

And my friend Teddy also, he's just, he's predominantly a guitarist, but he can play anything.

He's a total genius.

So he was helping me out and I'd send him, I'd be like, is this the part?

He'd be like, oh no, honey.

It's actually really, or like, oh yeah, you totally got that.

And yeah, I was just really, really fortunate that they, that Teddy and Dana, Sir Chloe, were down to take a shot of me, that they knew my musicianship and just had faith that I could translate it to the bass.

And so I got to start playing shows later that spring, which was just nuts.

The first gig I played, it was a Twitch stream at Brooklyn Steel.

It was a completely empty Brooklyn Steel, was the first live gig I played with the bass.

Wow.

Which was just totally insane.

And I knew it was insane at the time, but now that I especially like, I've been building a band with Skorts from the ground up, and just like knowing what that got to be my first experience is just insane.

We got like a two-hour sound check or something, and I'd never like worked with a monitor before, so we were all being so nitpicky because we, like most of us had not done, except for our drummer who had been like, a session drummer a lot.

Like a lot of us hadn't really played a lot of shows.

It's crazy the way these things like pan out.

But we're all just like, actually, can I get a little bit more guitar?

No, actually, can I get a little bit less?

Like just because we're like, oh, we have all this time and we're playing to a completely empty room.

There's like huge concrete space.

And yeah, then I just, I was actually watching some of that because it was all recorded.

So I get to go back and watch it and just like seeing seeing like the kernels of who I am as a performer in that show, but like how far I've come since that time.

That was May 2021, I think.

Well, so was that your first show, like even in general with a band since like your high school band?

Yeah.

Well, I guess I had done some, I'm trying to think what like band like shows I'd maybe done at Bennington where I went to college.

I did like all sorts of theatrical performances.

I did some performances with my friend Singer.

But yeah, the first really fully plugged in band, as we understand what a band is, show since high school.

We only played, I think, three shows in high school, like a park, a garage, and a backyard.

Was the park your first show?

I think the first one was the garage for Brandon's 18th birthday.

Brandon.

Brandon.

That's when you sang and played guitar?

Yeah.

And we did a bunch of white stripes covers, and I think we did White Rabbit.

On the Jefferson Airplane.

Yeah.

Nice.

Set the stage for us there.

Who was there at that show?

Was it friends or was it family?

Yeah.

It was a lot of Brandon's family.

I remember my mom was there.

My mom, she's the sweetest thing.

She like, it was Brandon's birthday, but she got Brandon and Ian, my bandmate and me a present.

She didn't want anyone to feel left out.

I think she got us all like band t-shirts or something.

Definitely like a couple of my friends came through.

I feel like it was mostly like Brandon's friends and family, because it was kind of like his family was like, don't you want to play a show for your birthday or something?

But it was like the kind of garage that like flips up and had it open.

And that street was, Brandon and Ian lived across the street from each other, and my high school boyfriend lived on that block as well.

And initially he was in the band also, but when we broke up, the initial band, which is called Fly Squid, kind of broke up.

And then Ian and Brandon, who had been like best friends with Jake, like they secretly messaged me and they're like, we actually really miss playing music with you, do you want to start a band with the three of us?

And then we became the riotiers, I'm sure Jake should grin, but it all came out in the wash.

Wow, that's really, really fun.

I love hearing that.

What did it feel like for you that first show?

Did you feel like, oh my gosh, I love doing this or was it just like a whatever day?

Oh my God, no, not at all.

It was huge.

It was such a special day.

I distinctly remember going to work, I worked at a coffee shop at the time where I met Char from Skorts, going to coffee shop the next day and being like, they don't even know that I just played a rock show last night.

Well, actually, I told every customer that came in, I was like, guess what I did last night?

No, it was huge.

It was so special.

I remember having this feeling a lot on stage, but I feel like I'm pretty sure I had it during that show, just being like, I can't believe I get to do this.

I'm having so much fun.

Just like, this is so cool.

It really felt like the beginning of something, and it was because my life has been totally different since Teddy asked me to pick up the bass.

It's like, maybe the bass would have found its way to me, but I can't know that for sure, and it has totally made up my life of the last few years.

And yeah, it's been the most special thing, and it's just really cool to see how paths evolve, because I was totally on the acting path, and I wasn't seeking out music, even though I always kind of do both, but music found its way to me, and it's just made complete sense to go all in on it.

Well, yeah, you can tell when I'm watching you, it's just like, yeah, when I'm watching you.

It's like, when I see you perform, it's so natural, and it just makes sense.

And then when I saw her, I don't know how I found it, I think you posted about it one day or something, and you were like, I haven't really been doing bass for a while.

I was like, what?

I thought you would have been doing this forever, but you just make it seem, it just seems like it's this perfect puzzle piece in your life, and you could just see that when you're playing.

And I'm glad to hear that.

Yeah.

That's what I hope for, because the feeling is really strong in me, and it's nice to share it.

And yeah, I definitely like the years I spent, I did like a Meisner acting program right after college.

And all the shedding I did in those years of just being a performer, so much of that schooling was like, how do I take myself how I am on any given day and get show ready?

How do I get myself ready to give over to perform and to share with other people?

And although that's not the version of performing I'm doing right now, it's totally aligned and like helped me, like made me ready to take the bat with this version of performance.

That's awesome.

Yeah, it feels really special.

Yeah, I love that you have that other side of you to take from and put into music.

Yeah.

And I feel like that's huge for, I mean, a lot of musicians that I know don't have that kind of training, you know?

And I feel like a lot of musicians that I know, they get kind of caught in their head.

And I feel like maybe something like that would help you have tools to get over that.

Oh, totally.

I also just found my, like the specific type of acting study it was, was very much like understanding your internal world.

And then like the first stage of it is like what makes up me and what causes me to feel these various ways.

And then it's like, how do I take that and shape it to tell a character story?

But like the type of like unlearning of societal habits that you do in acting school, I think would be valuable for every human.

Like I was telling this to a friend recently, like even though I was playing out circumstances that weren't my own in these scenes, my body was going through the experience of speaking in emotion to another person.

And that was like time spent doing that, that like I've built on in my own personal life, because it's like my body actually went through the process of like being vulnerable to another person.

Even if it was imaginary, my body still got to practice that.

And I think like that is valuable for everyone.

That's huge.

Yeah.

That's so cool.

So I want to hear a little bit about your, your unique perspective more about, because you said you had this first show with Sir Chloe, and it was at an empty Brooklyn Steel.

But then I'm sure you went on to do, I've seen you, you went on to do like big shows in front of people, whatever.

I don't know, you've played like massive shows.

Pretty big shows, yeah.

But you're also in Skorts, building from the ground up.

So was there something when you started with Skorts that surprised you from that DIY perspective?

Or like, I don't know, I want to hear a little bit about like the differences between the two sides.

Yeah.

Yeah.

No, there's so many times where I just was like so honored by how cool it was to be doing both at the same time.

Like playing to bars with like five people, to playing to like stadiums opening for big artists and shit.

And I think the scariest shows are always the ones where you're playing for people you know really well and you want to impress.

Like there could be 10,000 strangers, but if there's five like loved ones, that's so much scarier.

Like I remember our like, whenever we played New York on Sir Chloe tours, when it was Sir Chloe headline shows, those were always ones where I was suddenly like, wait, I just played like 20 shows, but for some reason my heart is like pounding way heavier and I like can't talk to anybody before the show.

And I'm like, why am I sweating so much?

And it's because there's like so many friends or like there's a crush there.

My parents are there and those shows are so much more, the stakes are so much higher.

And I feel like you hit, but definitely like I got comfortable over time.

Because when I started out, I was much more in the cedar head space.

And I remember like I used to stretch before every show, and I wouldn't have a beer before any show.

And I'd have like quiet time, and I was so like studious about it.

And then like as I played more shows, and I loosened up around that, which I think that version of getting ready for a show also totally works.

But for me, it was really freeing to let go of that and be like, oh, I can't have a couple more beers, or like, it's just a very different version of getting ready than I started out with.

Because I, and I also think like making it a little more serious like that made, was also more nervous, because you're like lifting up the experience a bit more when it's become, I found the kind of balance of like it being a performance and it also being casual and like wanting to be like present and playful with whoever's there.

But definitely like just getting to play more and more shows.

And the fact that I then joined, like I started playing in Skorts fall of 2021.

So it's like a little tapered after starting with Sir Chloe.

And it was like really definitely different kind of music.

And it's also was like my own baselines and I was a bit more invested in the songwriting and in the giving away of it.

Because it was also like, how do these baselines hit live?

They're just like a different kind of performer started to come out of me.

And also like playing these dingy bars rather than these like nicer venues.

Like I was getting a little more wet and wild.

And then I got that kind of got to filter back into Sir Chloe and all like all the experience and the professionalism of playing in these venues with like better sound and stuff got to filter back into into Skorts.

And they just kept kind of filtering into each other.

And it just equaled like that many more shows that I was playing, that were each shows a totally new experience.

And yeah, practice really makes you better.

And I'm just so, so glad that I've gotten to play so much and like gone to loosen up into it and like shape who I am as a performer and try out a lot of stuff.

Because there's there's so many different stakes of shows.

There's shows that have been like last minute and it's like, oh, we can really just fuck off on this one or the more like there there's big people here.

There's people I love or there's label people here or whatever.

Like do your best show ever.

Like gotten to do so many different versions of what a show is and they all inform each other.

Yeah, I love that.

That's such a good description of doing both because I'm in the same spot.

And yeah, I really feel like both things just add for each other.

When you were torn around with Sir Chloe, you had this peek into the music business on the side, the music industry, the music business on the side that not a lot of musicians always get to see.

Most musicians want to get to see.

So is there something that you saw or felt or understood about the music business?

I don't know how involved you were on that side, or if you were just added in, or anything that surprised you?

I was really mostly doing the live shows, so there was a lot of the meetings and making things happen that I didn't get to see, but I definitely saw how much work it is, and how all-consuming it is, and how much compromise you have to make.

I think what seems to come true through all of it, and what I feel like has carried me through my performance life, is just being kind to people is always the way to go.

Because you don't know who's who, you don't know who they're connected to, but that shouldn't even matter.

Just treating every sound person with kindness and respect.

You see so many people just be assholes, and then you hear people talk about those assholes, and then they don't want to work with them again.

Sometimes that doesn't matter because people have power and they get to do whatever, but just treating everyone with kindness always comes back.

People are just excited to work with you, and just being generally into what you're doing as much as you can, is what really matters.

And yeah, a lot of people are really awesome, like giving people the benefit of the doubt.

Yeah, I love that.

I agree too.

Like sometimes with Gustav, we're really nice to a sound person.

They're like, wow, why are you so nice to us?

Because you're on our team.

They're basically your other band member that night, you know, and they're literally controlling what the crowd hears.

Exactly.

I don't know if you've ever seen the Far Side comics.

Do you know those?

They're really funny.

It's this guy, Gary Larson, used to make these comics, but there was one where the sound guy was in the back of the room, turning up the suck knob, you know?

I'll send it to you.

That's awesome.

Yeah.

Also, it's always been really important to me to watch whoever else is playing, like just being a face out in the crowd.

Because I feel like, and I mean, sometimes with touring, like you're just not able to do that because you're really tired or you need your space, but it always feels good to just like watch, even if you're not into the music, just like I'm going to be in a face in your crowd, so you'll be a face in my crowd, and it all like comes back and returns.

Definitely.

There's a lot of friendship going on with music and supporting each other.

And Skorts, my goodness, you all are like at every show.

I feel like I don't think I've been to a show in a really long time where I haven't seen like some of those.

One of those, yeah.

Yeah, Char and Ali are definitely better than me at getting out there.

And yeah, it's just so much fun.

It's just been so cool to be a part of this moment in time, where so many people are doing so many cool things.

Like it's been so great to get connected with all of your crew.

And I just, I love seeing all of your 500 million projects between the five of you or whatever.

And yeah, it's just, it's so special.

And that you're all playing in each other's bands.

And yeah, it really is, it's community and it's fun.

And it's like, everyone's doing really cool shit.

It's awesome.

I agree.

It is a really great moment in time.

And like doing the park shows, they're always really, I don't know, Ozzy, shout out Ozzy.

Seriously, show brain.

Yeah, show brain.

Because I feel like he just totally took all these bands and he became like some sort of glue between them all and connected things that were kind of connected, but he made them super connected by doing these shows and kind of introducing all the bands to each other even more.

And I don't know, this park show is it just, it's just fun to be there all day.

And that last one was like one of the best days ever.

There's something so magical about it and like the rain took it out and then moving into Berlin.

That day felt so special.

I was just so happy all day.

If you wanna be happy all day long, I suggest you check out Sari Cables, my favorite cables in the whole world.

They're rad, they're colorful, they're made from really nice materials with really kind and nice people based out in LA.

Meticulously made for you, so you don't have to make them.

You can just buy them from saricables.com and enjoy your life in that way.

I love Sari Cables, I use them when I'm recording with my microphone, this podcast, and also on my Teeter Tour, I've been using my Sari Cables.

So thank you, Sari Cables, for sponsoring today's episode.

Check them out.

I find like venues is a lot like dating where I kind of know immediately whether I'm going to vibe with the place or not, or have a good time.

And it's like, it's either like a guaranteed good time, or it's a time I'm going to have to fight for, but it's still possible.

But it's kind of like the layout of a space, it's the vibe of the crew and how they work together.

You feel it instantly, kind of like you do on a date, where it's like, oh, I'll see where this goes, but it's always that first impression of a venue.

Wow.

I don't know if you have that.

Well, it's funny, the more gross and dingy, I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna have a good time.

For sure.

When it's like, I don't know, I know what you mean.

You can kind of tell from your, sort of your first interaction too, from the first person you walk in, and if they're just like, hey, how's it going?

And then, you know, in Germany, they're always like, cold snacks?

You like get cold snacks before you even load in, you know?

They like want you to eat before you do everything, and then eat after you do everything.

And, oh yeah, we had the best promoter for our three Germany shows.

He was just like so on it with all like the snacks and drinks and like, like just like the kindest, sweetest energy the whole time.

We just felt so welcomed and taken care of.

I love that.

It was awesome.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I want to hear your thoughts on touring.

You did the US too, right?

Okay.

So you're, I want to hear your thoughts about touring the US versus touring overseas, UK versus, you know, mainland Europe, too.

Yeah.

Because we did a month of, or we did a couple weeks in US, and then a month long in US, and then a couple weeks in Europe.

And this was over late 21 through 22.

And then 2023, we did six weeks Europe and UK, two weeks off, six week US.

And it was our longest tour ever, twice in a row.

And I remember knowing that I was going to hit, usually I had had a midway point of like, oh my God, and then you get over the hump, and you roll through to the end, where I had a feeling on these longer tours, there's going to be two of those, which was true.

Two point.

But it definitely hit a little harder in Europe, because I think there's a lot more you're doing of just like language difference and culture and custom difference.

You're doing so much more to adjust at all times, that it was that slight bit more exhausting.

But also, what I really liked about that tour was the spacing of it was a little different in how we drove around and got around.

And there were so many moments where we'd arrive in a new city, and I would get like an hour and a half and I would just go take a walk and like explore whatever city it was.

And like those were, that was like the best way to see a place.

And for whatever reason, I didn't get to do that as much in the States tour.

There's something about the timing or just how it all fell out.

Did you tour in a bus or a van?

We did a Sprinter in both places.

We had a couple internal flights on the Europe tour, which was kind of crazy.

And like those were actually the days where we ended up getting in like really early.

And then like I remember, I think it was Copenhagen, where I had like three hours and I just walked and walked and walked and walked, walked like all over that city and it was so special.

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm trying to think how to call out like any specific differences.

I definitely think there's like crowd energy in the way people engage during shows is different.

Like I feel like the UK and the states were a little more aligned in the kind of like rowdiness, but there's definitely like places in the states where people were a little more stoic, but that was a lot more consistent in the Europe shows.

But there was, it was just so nice.

We've always had the best time in Warsaw.

The two shows we played.

Well, actually, yeah, I was just saying that, but actually like a lot of East, we did like Warsaw and Prague and Budapest.

And these crowds were like fucking crazy.

And it was so much fun.

And a lot of people, when we talked to them afterward, were just like, we don't get a lot of shows here like this, like loud rock shows and just were like, had so much like energy and excitement to give.

And it was just such a great like meeting of our energy with their energy and like some of the best shows ever over there.

We've never played those spots, so.

Oh, they're really sweet.

Yeah.

Yeah, I guess they're like different, but I feel like every single show is kind of different, even in like so much of the states is so different from each other too.

Then I'm like, I think it's just the being in totally new worlds again and again for like, just like suddenly like waking up in the van being like, wait, are we in a new country now?

And is it like, do we have to pay for the bathroom here at the gas station?

Oh, no.

And then like, do I have my Duolingo going on the right language right now?

And like that kind of like constant shift is like exhausting in a different way, but it's also so rejuvenating because you're seeing so much new stuff when you're like from the states getting to tour out there.

So it's kind of like a much like bigger waves of exhaustion and rejuvenation, where it's a little bit more steady in the states, but it's still fucking crazy and exhausting and rejuvenating.

Yeah, I feel like in the states, the drives are so much longer, so you have less time to do stuff.

I guess it depends on the route that you're doing, but the bigger the shows, the more you're going to be doing just like major cities.

And sometimes it's just like brutal drives.

Long ones.

Yeah, and the bigger shows you do, the earlier you have to get there.

So, the less time you have to be a human, kind of.

What are your van activities, your go-tos?

My van activities varies.

When I'm in Europe, I sleep a lot because I don't have cell phone service over there, so I can't even do anything.

There's nothing for you to do?

Yeah, but last tour, I made a little album in the back.

I just jammed it on my computer.

That's so sick.

Yeah, that was just like a goal every day.

I was like, I'll just make a song a day.

Oh, I love that.

Thanks.

And in the US., I try to read.

You always try.

Yeah.

Sometimes I do.

I'll get on a good roll.

But when I do, I just read a book in 24 hours.

I just eat the whole thing up.

I try to scratch things off my to-do list, but I don't know, I feel like I get to a point where I'm just like, I try to stare out the window too.

Sometimes I'm just like, I just need to look outside.

And yeah, I don't know.

I get to that point where you said that like that weird hump.

And I'm just like, I just need to be a person and make sure I eat good today and sleep good.

And yeah, like I said, the bigger the shows, the earlier I have to get there.

So the less sleep I've been getting.

So I am just desperately trying to like, nap.

I do meditating.

I do like self-hypnosis in the back of the van, which can be good, but can be sketchy if someone just like randomly slams on the brakes and you're just like, you're in the most peaceful spot ever.

And then you're like falling off the thing.

So I go through phases where I'm like, I'm never doing that again.

And then I'm like, but I'm in this van for eight hours today.

Like I should be able to meditate a little bit, you know?

Yeah, you get so many aspirations about like, I'm going to have so much time.

That's just downtime.

And there's so many like self-growth things I'm going to do and all this shit.

And then, yeah, you just want to stare out the window because you're tired.

It's recovery, yeah.

Yeah.

And yeah, having to let go of that belief that I'm going to get a lot of shit done.

It's like, I don't know, I love tour so much because it's like this weird limbo state you get to be in.

I love how much limitation there is because I feel like, and I definitely discovered this from lockdown and various COVID isolations of like, I actually kind of thrive when there's little choice.

Because it actually makes me really creative and imaginative with how I use my time.

Because it's like, these are the five to six people that I whisk for the next month.

These are, this is the schedule that I'm like a child.

Like, I don't get to choose when and where I go anywhere.

So when I do, it's like, oh, I'm in like a strip mall.

Like, let's go explore this strip mall.

And I love just like being in liminal spaces all the time.

It's really like, I don't know, it puts you in this very like peaceful place.

It can, while there's so much like, and you're leaning into the chaos with how like chaotic shows can be.

And just the chaos of what it is that we do.

But yeah, it's a cool, it's a cool head space to be in.

And just to kind of surrender to like, I'm not obligated to a lot of the things I'm normally obligated.

Well, I'm on the road.

Sorry.

I can't do all the things that I normally do.

For sure.

Which is cool.

Yeah.

I know.

I like that too.

My life used to be like more simple when I was home.

But this year and last year, I think it got more complicated.

So I was always looking forward to going on the road because I was like, I can finally relax and just like, just sit in the back of the van and stare out the window.

And you know, but it's like, it's not really relaxed.

It's like you're recovering.

Like I said, you're always in a state of like, you know, whoa, who am I?

Yeah, literally.

Yeah.

And I'm an introvert too.

So like I do need alone time eventually, but like it's so hard to come by on tour.

And so I feel like I kind of like internally do this weird like a welcome time thing where, I don't know.

We've gotten good, Gustav has gotten good at being together and kind of being alone at the same time.

Like sometimes we'll go for hours without talking or we're all just kind of like doing our own thing in the van, like living separate lives in the same van, on the same schedule, eating the same food.

Like somehow we're still separate beings.

Yeah.

It's such an intimate place to get to.

I feel like in the early Sir Chloe tours and also our very first one, we weren't in a Sprinter.

We are in like a smaller kind of van where like you really actually could hear everybody talking.

We're like in the Sprinters, you can't hear the person in the back when you're in the front unless they're screaming.

Impossible.

But we would do a lot of like listening to music together and be like everyone put on their favorite album from middle school or like cue up some songs, which was really sweet.

But I think like when we got into the next couple tours, I don't know if I'm more of an extroverted introvert or an introverted extrovert, but I'm definitely like a hybrid where like I really do refuel with myself, but I also can refuel with other people.

I was so excited for like road games and all this stuff and like slowly realized that like a van sometimes is that, and it happens organically, but van is kind of like zone out personal time also.

Or like other than like the person in the front being there to help engage the driver if they need it.

But sometimes even the driver just really wants to zone out too.

But yeah, that was kind of a fun shift to be like, oh yeah, no, we need to kind of not be obligated to entertain each other.

We just literally, literally can't.

And then being able to tap in and out organically of social moments.

When you get back to the hotel and it's like, who wants to go to dinner and who wants to take out and watch Netflix and be on their own and just kind of that ebb and flow of like, you can kind of feel when someone is needing that alone time or the people are really craving a hang or play like Super Smash Bros or something.

Yeah.

You know what I love?

I love what Rom did.

He bought this battery powered piano.

Rom loves playing piano and he brings it on tour.

It folds over into itself and then it opens up and it's just like, I don't know, it's like this long and he just sits there and plays piano for like three hours in the car.

That's so cute.

He just has headphones and you just hear like the clicks.

But it makes me so happy.

I'm like, dang, that was such a good idea.

It's so cute that it can fold.

Yeah.

It just goes in the back pocket of one of the front seats.

It's perfect.

I can relate with that.

You become so in tune with your bandmates that you know who needs time, and when they need time, or how they need time.

Or for me, I always need a hug, and everyone could always, oh, he'll needs a hug.

Or do you need a hug?

Yeah.

You know what everyone needs when it's really cool.

Yeah.

It's a really special way to get to know people.

For sure.

Knowing the way that they, what their bedtime routine is, feels really intimate too.

You get that with lovers and you get that with bandmates.

I know.

That is true.

That's really funny.

I never thought of that.

But yeah, I know everyone's very well.

Yeah.

I think a lot about with Teddy who brought me in to Sir Chloe.

He was my college dorm neighbor for a couple of years.

And I was like, we went from brushing our teeth in college to brushing our teeth on the road together.

Brushing our teeth together for like six years or something.

Yeah.

You know what?

I love your story because it really shows, it shows your discipline as a person that was able to translate into getting this awesome gig.

Because I feel like people think like, I'm good at music.

Isn't that enough to get these awesome gigs?

And it's like, are you willing to sit for months and notate the songs and spend that much time?

Because it's actually shocking how many people you hear about, that you send them songs and they're like, oh yeah, I listen to it once or something.

And then they come to practice thinking that they're prepared.

But I don't know, I feel like having preparation is like, or even desiring to be that prepared for a gig is not something that is common for some reason, and I really don't understand that.

And I know, I know that you guys in Skorts, you're rehearsing a lot, you're preparing a lot, and I feel like that's such a huge thing.

Yeah, I don't know how there became this association that it's like not rock and roll to be prepared or whatever.

I'm like, it's fucking rock and roll to be good at what you're doing and fucking shred.

And it takes time and energy to shred because you need to spend all that time outside of the show.

So when the show comes, you turn all that off and you get to coast with it.

And then you're available to all the crazy magic that happens during a show.

And you make all those discoveries of new stage moments, and you're open to relating with the audience or what happens.

But you have to spend that time outside.

So when you get there, you've played that song a hundred times already.

So you don't have to think, you just do.

And it's like, yeah, it really, I definitely was doing that.

I remember before that first Brooklyn Steel show, I ran the set like every day for like two weeks.

Or like before that I'd rehearsed a lot, but I've definitely like gotten to tone down a lot, because I learned that I don't need that much preparation.

But I was like, I have no idea what's going to happen when I get on that stage.

Because I also like, it's gotten way better through a lot of shows, but I was like coming out of a few years of really intense anxiety that had surfaced from this really bad experience with Molly in college.

It had always been dormant inside of me, but it was also transitioning out of college, and I'd had an incredible time at college.

That's a hard transition for most people to leave whatever your schooling situation is and just be out of school for the first time.

Yeah, it was a super big transition, having a lot of social anxiety and shit, and doing acting school really helped with that a lot.

But this was a new setting doing music in this way, and I was like, what if I just get suddenly so panicked and I blank or whatever?

So I was like, I need to be so prepared, so that variable is not even going to affect me.

Then I just built so many experiences of successfully getting from beginning to end of a show, that helped ease that anxiety too, and then I, as a result, didn't need to be as prepared.

But still, yeah, I've definitely been, I think as I've, with Skorts, we play so constantly and we rehearse so constantly.

I'm out and about preparing, but I haven't actually, I've been really craving and missing my own personal musical study.

I think that when I was first learning bass, that was happening so much, obviously, because I was learning, or when I joined Aggie Miller and I was learning all those songs to catch up.

I've been kind of missing that personal musical study.

And yeah, I like how you talk about making your own music in the back of the van.

Like you just have to, when you're out and about doing so much time, you just have to carve out that time because otherwise you'll keep finding excuses not to do it, which is what I've been doing.

But that's, I've been craving that, like being a nerd about music on my own.

Yeah.

I know.

I was just talking to someone the other day about that, where the more you play out, the less you play music.

It's so annoying because you're like, I'm going to go on tour.

Then your brain, when you're younger or whatever, you're like, wow, musicians are just playing all the time, and you see these Rolling Stones backstage jamming, like Jimi Hendrix back there.

You're like, wow, these guys, they just live in the dream playing all the time.

Then you go on tour and you're barely able to look out the window, and then you get your soundcheck and you play for your hour or whatever, and then you're like, wow, okay, we did it.

But you didn't make up anything new that day, you didn't jam that day, you didn't do scales or whatever.

Maybe you could backstage somehow or the green room.

You have to really put yourself in that position to do it, or like push through the tiredness of tour to get yourself in that, I don't know, like what Rom did.

I love that because that's his instrument.

Like he plays guitar, but like at home, the first thing he does when he wakes up is plays piano for like an hour every day.

And he didn't want to lose that.

So he brought, you know, he figured out a way to bring it on tour.

So cool.

Yeah.

And yeah, I want to hear more about Skorts.

So you're all in this together.

And I know you all recently got a new drummer and you publicly on the page were like, we need a drummer.

You can't get paid for this.

Like we're a team or whatever that I'm making that up.

You did not say that.

But basically that's the vibe.

Like, hey, we need a drummer.

You're not getting paid right now.

Like we're in the building portion of this band.

Like, what are your dreams for Skorts?

Like to get, you know, as big as possible to do the thing or like as a band, have you talked about that, your goals for the future and like, or like getting to a point where you're all getting paid or what's, have you talked about it?

Yeah.

I mean, I think we're definitely aligned and like wanting to take it as far as it'll go.

And I feel like I was a few steps behind Char and Ally on that.

Because I also was like, like getting to experience a lot of those things with Sir Chloe.

But then like coming back to Skorts, and this is something that I've been, I've been building and it's like my creative blood is in here with these people.

And I think like that shift really started to happen for me this year of like, oh, this is something that like putting our minds to like we can take it as far as it'll go.

And yeah, there isn't like, at least in me, like a concrete, I don't want to hold on too tightly to like what that might look like because then like you're, it's not going to look the way you think it is.

And then you like get disappointed or whatever.

But I just like, I, every, even just the like small gains we have each day of like someone new connecting with our music or like buying a t-shirt or saying that they were inspired or excited by what we do, like just continuing to have more of those moments and like reaching as many people as we can is all that I hope for.

I mean, we would love to, we're trying to gear up a little mini nearby tour, which will be our first one.

We actually, we have an out of town date already booked.

We're playing Bennington College, which is my alma mater, which was put together because Aggie Miller that I play with is all Bennington students and the drummer plays in a band with some current Bennington students.

And they had a gig actually with Two Man Giant Squid also.

And then I was like, can we join?

And then Garrett, who plays in Surgeon General, which is the band with some current students was like, hell yeah.

That's going to be really special because I got to play Bennington with Aggie Miller for this festival called Sunfest.

And that was just so trippy and cool to come back and perform as who I am now.

But we're doing that date.

But we'd love to get bigger, bigger and better tours and we're working on getting an album out.

And it would be nice to get signed and to have a manager.

Our dream right now is to have a freaking manager.

Because there's so many things to think about all the time and we're just doing it all ourselves and with the help of a lot of friends who offer photography and graphic design and various amazing skills.

But it would be nice to have someone who can just be an extra brain in the soup to be like, here's some playlists you should submit to or here's some festivals we should submit to or whatever.

Because playing festivals would be awesome.

I don't really have a specific goal, but I think kind of intentionally.

But I definitely just want to keep it going, keep the fire burning and reach as many people as possible with it.

Yeah.

I think it's totally possible with your band.

Everyone who sees you, they go to a show and then I look over and people are just like, like, first show we did together at the Sulton Room last year.

That was such a great show.

That was my first time seeing you all too.

I'm glad seeing you.

Yeah.

I remember just looking over at my friends and they're like, they're really good.

Oh my, this band's actually good.

Everyone's like, they're actually good.

I don't know.

People, I feel like they don't have much hope sometimes for seeing a new band.

And then when it's like, whoa, this is awesome.

It's a pleasant surprise.

It really is.

Yeah.

And I feel like I've really felt that, and been taking that, actually taking that unafraid to take that in, to take that I feel people's hope in us.

And I have that hope too.

And like not being shy or with myself about that anymore, being like, no, I actually think what we're doing is really good.

And I can feel that other people think that too.

And like that is really exciting.

And yeah, I feel really buoyed by people's experience watching us.

Because the experience of live shows is this very cyclical thing where you give and you receive on either end of the performances, I'm sure you know very well.

And it's cool to, yeah, I think realizing that people were coming to shows that weren't just our friends, that they'd seen us because they know another band and they came to show and they thought it was cool what we were doing, so they came out to our show.

Seeing that that actually happens, I was like, oh, okay, yeah, this is the like grassroots of how you start to build a little community with your music.

It's like, and that's what really approached me, because I know, because I'm that kind of friend too, that like even if I don't like what my friend is doing, which genuinely I normally do, but like even if I'm not into their music or whatever, I'm still going to support the fuck out of them.

So when it was like that, I'm like, I know my friends, they say they're into it, but you can never really know for sure because you know that they love you, and that's why they're there predominantly.

But like to have strangers come through and engage with the music, it's like, oh, okay, something's actually happening here.

They actually like it.

Wow.

Yeah, that's awesome.

You also, you all recently won the Arvika Lady, what was that competition called?

Battle of the Band?

Winter Madness.

Winter Madness.

Yeah.

The grand prize was what, 5G?

5K, yeah.

Wow.

So that's super cool.

Were you able to use that money to, or have you even used that money yet?

Has your brand used it or are you using it in the future?

Yeah.

I mean, we finally got some merch, which we had just barely, we, I don't think we'd done before the battle, which was kind of crazy.

Maybe we've gotten like one batch, but we finally got some.

But yeah, we definitely have been able to like, we also had to like pay ourselves back for a lot of things that we were in the red on, like music video shit and stuff, and that it was like we now like have a band fun, actually, that like we're able to like pull out of and put into and like actually feel like we can maybe do a little bit of touring.

And yeah, stuff like getting merch, paying people, paying ourselves back for things is kind of where we started.

But we definitely haven't been like, we need to spend that all right away.

We're like, now we actually have something here.

So when we do like studio days or whatever, we have somewhere to pull from.

So you all were really helpful to do touring.

Yeah.

So you all, when you did a music video, you'd all just chip in like a third or fourth or whatever.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And we like had some like show funds going so like, but we like quickly exhausted all that we'd had when we like worked on some stuff.

And then it's like, now we can kind of, we have a little bit of cushion that's not immediately out of pocket, which like we're all down to do, because it's like, it's what you do.

You're investing in something you care about.

But it's nice for it to come from like actual income that the band is making.

It's like, oh, that can actually be possible.

Yeah.

And during the day, you're a painter, right?

I'm a painter, yeah.

Nice.

What, inside just houses or is it like?

We do some commercial, but it's mostly houses and apartments.

It's my, one of my best friends who I met at Bennington also, and is my roommate for several years, and now is like lives two blocks from me.

She started a house painting company in 2020.

She grew up, her dad was like a painter and then a contractor, and so she grew up around it.

But she had been working as a receptionist at barbershop and was like, maybe I'll go to hair school, maybe I'll become an urban gardener, or maybe I'll start a painting company.

And she chose painting company.

And I was like living with her through her process of starting a business, which was crazy.

And she's so incredible for doing it because it's fucking crazy.

And then I helped her out with a couple projects.

And it was later that year that Sir Chloe came into my life and was like, I was working at a coffee shop at the time, but it was kind of like music was starting to take more of a forefront too.

And then I kind of stayed at the coffee shop for a little bit, like one shift a week.

But the painting kind of became my main thing.

Because she was just needing people that she could trust, and she kind of trained me on the go, and she found that I was picking it up relatively quickly, that she was like, you should just work for me.

And I was like, yeah, I should just work for you.

That's cool.

And it's been so great to work with her, and she's been really understanding that music is my main thing, and I'll go away for a month and a half at a time.

It's definitely not easy for her.

We've brought on another friend of mine as another main third painter, and then we have some odd hands that will throw in when we need more people on a job, and they can plug those people in when I'm away.

But it's definitely takes a constant shift for her, for me to be leaving.

But now that I'm mostly in the city, it's definitely a little bit easier.

But she's still totally flexible with me being like, Yaskworts is going to tour for a week here or there.

Because also she's still building up this business, and the work is sometimes inconsistent.

So we have this mutual understanding that she's like, I can't always guarantee I'll give you work.

And I'm like, I can't always guarantee I'll be here.

And it works out.

But we definitely make it work, and the business has been building.

And I'm so fucking proud of her, and it's been really cool to be a part.

And it's just a nice job that it's physical, and I can leave it at the door when I leave, which is always the kind of job that I wanted.

Because I did social media for a while, and even I'm just not good at boundaries of clocking out.

I'll still be thinking about it and being like, oh, let me respond to that Slack message or whatever.

And so it was hard for me to leave work at work when it's that kind of job.

But with this kind of job, it's like, I'm painting a wall, and now I'm not in the physical space, so I'm not working anymore.

Yeah.

Yeah, I really like that.

And it's just nice to work with my body.

And I've never really been a visual artist, or never trusted myself to be, and this has kind of shown me that I can be.

Because we do straight-up latex painting, but our main thing is faux finishes, mainly lime wash.

And then we've done one or two murals, which was cool.

To be like, oh, I actually can paint a nice shape.

I was like, I didn't think I'd ever be able to do that.

I love that.

I've been grateful that, just like with Teddy taking it, I've been really lucky to build good relationships with people that then trust to bring me into their fold.

It's been a recurring theme in my life that I'm really thankful for.

Well, like I said, it's a testament to who you are, because they know you're going to work hard, and you're going to be prepared and do a good job, and not just whatever with this wall that you're going to do it.

So, I mean, you make it easy, I think is what it seems like, and I hope that people listening can take away from that and realize no matter what they're trying to do with life, like if they show up full force like that, that it makes things easier.

Yeah.

Even though it's harder when you're getting there, and doing the sitting there and being prepared for it.

It takes time, and it's like, I don't know, sometimes time that people feel like isn't necessary, but I don't know, it just laying that foundation is just huge.

Yeah.

And it's a huge part of being in a band, literally.

If you want to be in a long lasting thing, I feel like showing those qualities is, it's like you're showing this value, this extra, you're bringing more to the table than someone who's just like, yeah, listen to it once.

Who would they pick?

Like Emma writing out notation, and you're just like, yeah, it was cool.

Also showing excitement or being excited, wanting to actually do the thing that you're asked to be a part of is huge too.

Because I don't know, as a songwriter, when you're showing someone your songs and they're just like, yeah, let's do it.

You don't want that.

You want someone to be like, I like this song, let's play it.

Totally.

Yeah.

Being good to work with and not thinking that you're better than any experience are invaluable ways to be, and will come back in returns.

For sure.

I have just a couple more questions for you.

This has been so nice.

I've loved this.

I love talking about shit.

Yeah, me too.

I feel like it's what I do anyway, and I was like, I feel like people would be interested in this.

I don't know, because musicians, we just sometimes you're just like, hey, everything's awesome, and you don't always hear about the like, I'm desperately staring out the window trying to.

Because I feel like being on a big tour, you're like, you're so lucky, and you are, but you don't want to say anything like, oh, I felt weird today.

Because like a million musicians are like, you're in the spot that so many people want to be in, like screw you.

How could you even feel like tired?

You know?

Yeah, no, that was a big thing I had to talk through with myself.

Through like the first couple tours is I feel like initially, I felt like every show and every day had to be like juiced to the extreme.

And like every day had to be that day.

And then I was like, there's too many days.

That's like literally not possible.

And it would be like mad with myself when I wasn't having a good time.

And then I like was able to make that shift and be like, oh, some days I actually hate doing this.

And like I actually had a terrible show or like I felt like a hack up there.

Or I just didn't have fun.

I felt angry at the crowd, which then when I come back, I'm like, no, no, no, don't be angry at the crowd.

Like they paid to be here.

And it's like, you just like don't get up in your head about that or whatever.

But it's like, it's very important to be able, for me, to be able to have bad days.

Like I'll definitely talk to people that are like, oh, all the shit about music.

But like every time I get up there, I remember why I do it.

And I'm like, maybe 75% of the time I get up there.

And 25% of the time, I'm like, fuck this shit.

I'm actually having a bad time right now.

I'm tired and it's really hot.

Europe shows, that's the difference in Europe.

There's no goddamn AC and the shows are so hot.

That's true.

And there's like fog everywhere, right?

You can't breathe.

Yeah, where you just like the sound set up is really not working in your favor that day and you can't hack it.

And it's just sounding really bad in your monitor, or your in-ears or whatever.

And like overall, like having good days and bad days, like made it more of a real thing and actually made me love it even more.

Cause it's like, it's not this fantasy thing.

It's actually like, this is my real job right now.

This is a job that like I'm coming at every day.

And like some days I'm in a good mood, some days I'm in a bad mood.

And like that's cool that I still get to do it, even when I'm having a bad day.

I get to do this.

I get to have a bad day in a really cool place.

With really cool people making music.

And like that's really awesome.

And like letting go of my expectations around like, always wanting to like, also like being able to take alone time and not being like, oh, I need to cherish all the moments with the band.

It's like sometimes I need to have an alone moment and I'll have a magical moment with myself somewhere in the city.

Or I'll just have a dull day and I went to bed early.

Like that's fine.

That's like my favorite day.

I love when like the rest of Goose software like in this mood to go out and party all night.

And I'm like, I'm going into bed and I just like lay in the hotel or wherever for like 9 p.m.

to like noon the next day.

And I'm like, this is the best day of my life.

Literally, yeah.

And they come back and they're like, oh, I hope you had a good time.

Like we have like, they have some crazy story of like, you know, whatever, like the craziest night of their lives.

It was so fun.

And I'm like 0% jealous because I had some crazy.

It's a very good way to be.

Yes.

Both options are great.

Exactly.

And some days I'm in the mood to like go crazy.

But yeah, yeah, I love that thing.

I was going to ask you something.

I totally forgot what I was going to say.

But I just love hearing how you explain things because yeah, it's OK to have a bad day.

Oh, I was going to say it's like in my mind, it's like you throw a birthday party for yourself every single day for like weeks.

And some days you're like, I don't want to party today.

I'm just like too much fun at the fair feeling.

Yes, I really get that.

I've had the two years before this year.

Wait, why can't I say this clearly?

Not this year, but the two years before my birthday was on tour.

And the first one, it was towards the end of tour.

The second one is at the beginning.

The first one, I had a really good day to start, and then I had a terrible day and ended it like crying a lot because I was just like so overwhelmed by like how special every time was.

Which sounds so crazy, but I was like, because the band was so sweet.

They like, we were in San Diego and they like, they took me to like a petting zoo, and we were, and like we got like burritos and margaritas and ate them like at this petting zoo.

I was like off the side of the road, we got to like say hi to a horse and some goats or whatever.

And then that was so sweet and delightful.

And then we like got to the show, and like they like shouted me out at the show.

And then I was like getting like birthday messages and stuff.

And it's like sometimes that kind of like attention on the birthday just gets like really overwhelming.

And it was like end of tour, I was pretty exhausted and I just like ended the day like so overwhelmed.

And I was because I also just like suddenly felt like so undeserving of all of it and it just like crash landed inside of me.

And I was like, my friend lived in San Diego and we were like going to go all go out.

I was like, I need to go home.

And I'm so sorry.

And then I like talked to my like our tour manager, one of my best friends.

And I was just like, can I just cry for a second?

He's like, absolutely.

And I just like needed to ball.

And then like as soon as I did, I was like, I'm so silly.

This is a great day.

But I was like, it got so built up.

But then the next year it was an off day where we were, we were taking the ferry and then driving through the hills in Scotland.

And then they found a horse sanctuary to surprise me with on the road.

So two years in a row, they found animals for me to be near.

And then it was just like a really long travel day.

It was like ferry and then like six hour drive.

And we ended it like with some wine and watched chicken run in the hotel room.

That's amazing.

Yeah.

And that was like the very beginning of tour.

So I still had some energy and it was just a really sweet day.

But yeah, I love that you said it's like tour is like every day is your birthday and it's just too much.

You have to un-birthday it.

Yeah.

You can't let not every day can be fantastic.

And then it makes room for the days that will surprise you.

Yeah.

Definitely.

Yeah.

My last question for you, do you have any regrets with music?

It sounds like your musical journey is pretty rad, to be honest.

It seems like, yeah, you kind of just dove right into these really special projects.

But is there anything like you wish you did differently?

Like you wish you started earlier?

Do you wish, you know, anything like that, or do you?

Yeah, anything come to mind?

Yeah.

I feel like whenever I get regret questions, my impulse is always just to be like, I don't, like there's definitely things I don't feel good about, but I don't really feel regret about them.

Because I think if I turned on regret in my brain, I would go crazy because I think by the way my brain works, I could be really predisposed to like what if thinking?

And it's just easier for me to kind of like turn that off and just be like, it's been pretty marvelous and exciting and sometimes sad and heartbreaking and stressful, but mostly beautiful the way my like path has fallen out.

Some of it's been in my control, some of it hasn't, and I wouldn't really have it any other way.

Yeah, no regrets.

No regrets.

Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of What It Takes To Be A Rockstar.

Appreciate you being here and listening.

And I got another great episode coming up next week with Dylan from the band Balaclava, another awesome band from Brooklyn right now.

So tune in and see you next time.