Listen while you read! Emily's original 'Utterly Neglected'
Q: What music styles or musicians do you think most encompass your style, and why do you find them inspiring?
A: Well, all must know I am a throwback of the 1970's. I live for those artists and those songs. My hero is Jackson Browne.. he carries the weight of the situation in his melodies, and his lyrics are a blend of being relatable yet unique, like, you'll always know when it's one of his lines. Melodically speaking, Dan Fogelberg taught me everything I know. I remember when I first got into him, and studied his chord changes, and felt so bad ass when I wrote a song that went from a G to an E major...and the song was in D ;)
And he's so diverse, going from a crazy blues guitar song to a classical instrumental. Then rocks out on barre chords.
Q: So if you had to define your music in your own words how would you describe it?
A: I'd say that I'm aiming to bring back the singer/songwriter genre.. they way they did it in the 70's. Not just grabbing a guitar and writing lyrics about looking for your prince charming, haha. Taking actual observations on your life or being in some elses shoes, and writing from there. I am a Beatles fanatic and strive for every melody I put out to be a perfect one. Of course I write bad ones, but you have to know how to filter yourself. That's why albums were so short back in the day. 10 songs was a record. Side one and side two. Today it's 15. 2 or 3 good songs, and lots of filler.
Also, I need people to be brought together again and all feel the same thing for different reasons. Remember when Let It Be brought together the entire hippy generation? Well I can't seem to find our Paul McCartney in this generation.. music's gotta be brought back.
Q: Where do you find most of the inspiration for your lyrics? Are there any scandalous stories behind them? ;)
A: Haha, well my earlyyyy ones, like, middle school, of course all probably had some specific event or sentence and I'd write a scene around it in my head.. yea, that's how I used to do it, haha.
Today, my lyrics come from the melody. When I write a melody, a phrase comes with it, I have to craft the rest, but there's always that nugget that comes up on it's own, and I take it from there. Sometimes I'll write something and say "oh, this can't possibly be about me," but there it is, lurking in my subconscious..
Q: You seem to have an endless list of gigs, what keeps you on the stage continuously?
A: Booking, calling, and emailing my ass off! All I want is to tour and make albums. I get a high from performing, even if it's to no one. It's the only thing I want to do, the only thing I can possibly picture myself doing. I have to book all the time because if I don't I'll get anxious and I miss it and need to have a ton of shows lined up.. I want to be on an endless tour.
Q: What was the coolest gig you've ever done?
A: Hmm. Probably at The Lemon Grove in Youngstown, Ohio. It's a beautiful coffee shop turned club at night.. like a long hallway with a little stage, really dark, and lots of lights. And it's in my dad's hometown, which means a lot to me because of all his stories from 'back in the day,' where he used to play just around the corner. And it's the town he saw Dan Fogelberg in for the first time, before he was really 'Dan Fogelberg.' When I'm back in Youngstown, I'm channeling these things. It gives me chills, makes me want to cry and laugh all at the same time and it makes me feel like I'm really doing it.
Q: So what have you got going on now? Any new offers or big shows coming up?
A: Well there's this AWESOME band called The Janks that I saw in Harrisburg a year ago, and have been trying to land an opening slot for them next time they come around. Looks like that'll be happening, if I keep playing my cards right!! And I'll be graduated in a month's time.. and going to be booking in New York and New Jersey, mean while finishing my debut album called 'Watching The Highway.' And my second one, 'Aviator,' is pretty much mapped out. When I have my album, I'll be able to start looking for publishers, a small booking agent, and radio play. And I'm writing all the time.
If you'd like to check out Emily or learn more you can link to her on both myspace , facebook, and twitter!
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