Author: gaby deimeke

portraits + concerts | photo + video 💖
📸 gaby deimeke photography

Categories
Music News Reviews

Track by Track of Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl


Lights, Camera, Action! Taylor Swift’s sassy and sparkly twelfth studio album The Life of a Showgirl has officially released this week, along with a matching visual theatrical release, and we’re here with a track by track analysis to dive into allllll the drama and show-stopping lyrics. Take your places; the show is about to begin!

Track 1: The Fate of Ophelia

Get ready to nod your head along from the very first track with a little dreamy ’70’s inspo sprinkled in. But first, let’s dive into the lyrics. Who is Ophelia and what happened to her? Ophelia’s fate in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragic drowning, a consequence of her descent into madness after Hamlet kills her father and rejects her.

Lyrically, Taylor seems to be comparing herself to the dark tale of Ophelia, saying that if her lover hadn’t found her and saved her, she would’ve ended up with the same tragic fate. “And if you’d never come for me, I might’ve drowned in the melancholy, I swore my loyalty to me, myself and I, right before you lit my sky up….you saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia.”

The second verse starts, “Keep it one hundred, on the lands, the sea, the sky, pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes” in the most dreamy, synthy pop perfection (this one will get stuck in your head). In an Instagram post in July, her partner Travis captioned a carousel of snapshots with Swift, “Had some adventures this offseason, kept it 💯.” Plus, 13 (our queen’s lucky number) plus 87 (Travis’ Chiefs jersey number) equals 100, so there’s lots of tie-ins here. This is a lovely, catchy ode to her partner, and it seems like she finally got the love story she always dreamed about. With such deep lyrics, the contrast to the upbeat synths make this immediately immaculate.

Track 2: Elizabeth Taylor

This is not the first time Taylor has mentioned Elizabeth Taylor in a song. “He can be my jailor, Burton to this Taylor” was a lyric on Ready for It on the Reputation album, comparing her past relationship with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who received excessive media scrutiny for their very public relationship. Elizabeth Taylor continues those lyrical themes, with lyrics “All the right guys, promised they’d stay, under bright lights, they withered away.” She seems to be rhetorically asking Elizabeth Taylor, someone who’s been in her position before, if this love is finally the true love.

Musically, this song reminds us of Rep a bit, with a brighter and richer production (thanks Max!). It’s the sonic embodiment of a a vintage perfume bottle with encrusted diamonds. Starting with a piano and string moment and leading into a catchy, bass-ey beat, it’s effortlessly full glamour.

There are so many good Hollywood one-liners in this one, from Taylor commenting, “You’re only as hot as you’re last hit, baby.” Swift laments on the downsides of stardom, saying, “Oh oftentimes it doesn’t feel glamorous to be me” and “What could you possibly get for the girl, who wants everything and nothing all at once? Babe, I would trade the Cartier for someone to trust… Just kidding.” Iconic.

Track 3: Opalite

Being a Libra girlie myself, I immediately clocked this being connected to Travis when the track list dropped. Taylor has a habit of connecting certain parters or relationships with vivid imagery and coloring; she often associated her previous partner Joe with the color blue. In Daylight from the Lover album, she says, “I once believed love would be black and white, but it’s golden, like daylight.”

Opalite is giving a little Disco easy listening vibe with a baseline and hint of guitar, and a chorus that yet again gets stuck in your head. This song seems to also be about how all the past relationships didn’t work, but how this love is finally real. “Oh my Lord, never made me one like you before, you had to make your own sunshine, but now the sky is opalite.”

The second verse is about Travis’ past relationship, “You couldn’t understand it, why you felt alone, you were in it for real, she was on her phone.” Then he finally ended it, and found Swift. “You finally left the table, and what a simple thought, you’re starving til you’re not.” Perhaps a small reference to her song Right Where You Left Me here (“Help, I’m still at the restaurant, still sitting in a corner I haunt.”)

There’s also a fun tie in to her friends and fellow musicians with the lyrics, “And all the perfect couples, said “when you know, you know” and “when you don’t, you don’t.” That’s a full lyric from Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff’s song Margaret which is a song Lana wrote about Jack and Margaret falling in love and knowing it was finally true love. 

And there’s a subtle nod to being head-over-heels in love from her 2008 single Fearless, with the line, “But my Mama told me, it’s alright, you were dancing through the lighting strikes” which reminds us of “And I don’t know why, but with you I’d dance in a storm in my best dress, fearless.” Something about Taylor being so self-referential in her makes it so fun for the fans, and we love it.

Track 4: Father Figure

With musical interpolation from George Michael’s hit song of the same name, Father Figure reallyyyy goes there, highlighting the darker side of the music industry and alluding to how the deals like the sale of her masters get done in terrible ways. The song sounds like it was inspired by what happened with Scott Borchetta, founder of Big Machine Records and the man who signed Taylor to her first record deal at fifteen, just to ultimately sell her masters to Scooter Braun, something that felt like a huge betrayal to Taylor.

With lyrics like “I’ll be your father figure, I drink that brown liquor, I can make deals with the devil, because my dick’s bigger, this love is pure profit, just step into my office,” you can tell that Taylor feels a lot of resentment and bitterness toward her experience in the music industry and how slimy it all was, but in writing this song, she has flipped the perspective, and now she’s the one in charge.

Even through the lyrics are a bit sinister, the song is rather upbeat and has a nostalgic quality to it. The whispered, “I protect the family,” gives us shivers, and the key change chorus at the end is fabulous. Another fun fact: George Michael’s album with the eponymous track went on to win Album of the Year at the 1989 Grammy’s – the year that Taylor was born.

Track 5: Eldest Daughter

At just over four minutes long, Eldest Daughter is the longest track on The Life of a Showgirl. It’s also a fan-recognized tradition that the Track 5’s on her records are typically the most vulnerable, emotional, and raw, such as All Too Well and Delicate on past albums. This song is no exception, with a full acoustic guitar and piano moment.

Taylor starts by talking about how cut throat the world is, and how she puts on a bravado to seem cool and relevant. The chorus builds, with the lyrics, “But I’m not a bad bitch, and this isn’t savage, but I’m never let you down, never gonna leave you out, so many traitors, smooth operators, but I’m never gonna break that vow, never gonna leave you now.” It’s a lovely love song, and a vulnerable moment for Swift, who loves to show swagger and confidence in her life and career, but who perhaps feels finally trustworthy of her new parter enough to open up in this way.

She compares herself to Travis through how they grew up: “Every eldest daughter, was the first lamb to the slaughter, so we all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire” and in contrast to him, “Every youngest child felt, they were raised up in the wild, but now you’re home.” I’m not crying, you’re crying.

Track 6: Ruin the Friendship

For a nice mid-tempo song sonically, we were really not expecting this track to take such a sad turn. It seems to be about her high school friend Jeff Lang who passed away in 2010 of an overdose (Forever Winter is also proabably about him). Lyrically, she starts the song narrating the story of a crush that she had back in high school that she didn’t want to make a move on, because it would ruin their friendship (and he had a girlfriend). “Don’t make it awkward in second period, might piss your ex off.”

The story continues, with, “When I left school I lost track of you, Abigail called me with the bad news, goodbye, and we’ll never know why.” She further clarifies, “But I whispered at the grave, “Should’ve kissed you anyway,” and at the end adds these heartbreaking words: “My advice is always ruin the friendship, better that than regret it… and my advice is always answer the question, rather that than to ask it, all your life.” There are some funky bass notes in the bridge, and some background chorus “ah, ah’s” that she sings as the song builds at the end, which is super satisfying. Another very easy listening song that anyone would enjoy, but lyrically quite devastating.

Track 7: Actually Romantic

Get ready for a This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things inspired diss track! This seems to be a rebuttal to Charli XCX’s Sympathy is a Knife song where Charli mentions some of her insecurities related to Taylor while she was dating Matty Healy, with lyrics like “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show, fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.”

The first verse into the chorus has a nice electric guitar strum that give a early-2000’s vintage vibe. Another mid-tempo song but a bit faster than the previous track, Taylor pops back with so many insane lyrics that we don’t know where to start.

It starts off with probably some of her most crazy lyrics ever: “Heard you call me “Boring Barbie” when the coke’s got you brave, high-fived my ex and than you said you’re glad he ghosted me, wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face, some people might be offended, but it’s actually sweet, all the time you’ve spent on me, it’s honestly wild, all the effort you’ve put in, it’s actually romantic.”

Her vocals are very ethereal on this track and scratches a very satisfying itch in your brain, and her fun little ad libs at the end are such a throwback, with the bridge getting even crazier lyrically. “You there, I’m ready babe, stop talking dirty to me, it sounded nasty but it feels like you’re flirting with me, I mind my business, God’s my witness that I don’t provoke it, it’s kind of making me wet.”

Everything is Romantic is track 7 on Charli’s album, and Actually Romantic is track 7 on this album. And apparently Charli also has a chihuahua, which is mentioned in the song. Yikes, the dramaaaa (we love it.)

Track 8: Wi$h Li$t

Glitch 2.0 is here and we can’t get enough! There’s something very enjoyable about the synth-ey moment in this song and her crooning vocal, “I just want you!” and vocal notes when she sings, “We tell the world to leave us the fuck alone and they do.”

This song seems to be comparing how so many others want money and fame and everything (“They want that yacht life, under chopper planes, they want those bright lights and Balanci shades, and a fat ass with a baby face,” and “They want a contract with Real Madrid, they want that spring break that was fucking lit, and then that video taken off the internet”) and how in contrast, her goals are flipped: she just wants to have a quiet life with Travis and have some kids.

The slower tempo of song totally works for the vibe and cohesion. The bridge pushes all the words together: “I made wishes on all the stars, please God bring me a best friend who I think is hot, I thought I had it right once, twice but I did not, you caught me off my guard, I hope I get what I want, ’cause I know what I want.” There’s another lovely buildup at the end of this song that really works. It’s romantic and melodic.

Track 9: Wood

Some of us were questioning what the heck Wood could be about (hey, get your head out of the gutter). This seems to be a lovely track about her relationship with Travis, with a couple cheeky lyrics thrown in. Upon listening to the first ten seconds, you might think you’ve accidentally stumbled upon I Want You Back by the Jackson 5, with the classic electric guitar strum, percussion, and groovy baseline. There’s even a fun sound effect of someone knocking on wood when she says the matching lyric leading into the chorus.

“It’s you and me together dancing in the dark, all over me, it’s understood, I ain’t got to knock on wood.” Finally, after all this time, the relationship is real and lasting, and she doesn’t doubt that it’s the one. Moment of silence for the cheeky bridge and her partner’s podcast reference: “Forgive me, it sounds cocky, he Ah!-matized me, and opened my eyes, Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see, his love was the key, that opened my thighs, girls, I don’t need to catch the bouquet, to know a hard rock is on the way, and baby, I’ll admit l’ve been a little superstitious, the curse on me was broken by your magic wand, seems to me that you and me make our own luck, New Heights of manhood, I ain’t got to knock on wood.”

The Redwood tree lyric could be a little joke referencing a viral tweet from a few years ago comparing the lyrical prowess of Taylor versus Ariana Grade, when a fan said, “Swifties when Ariana sings about sex and doesn’t write it like, “He stuck his long wood into my Redwood forest and let his sap ferment my roots.” Either way, this song sounds like is could have been made forty years ago or today; it’s an instant classic and is totally different production-wise to any song she’s ever made before.

Track 10: CANCELLED!

Get ready for Ready For It 2.0 meets the Pretty Little Liars theme song with Cancelled! Melodically a bit dark with yet another irresistible beat and lyrically tongue-in-cheek, this one is another immediate hit on the album. It seems like all celebs in the spotlight get cancelled these days for one thing or another. Taylor, who had her own experience getting “cancelled” in 2016 and leaving the spotlight for a period of time, seems to be fine with it, saying, “Good thing I like my friends cancelled, I like ’em cloaked in Gucci and in scandal.” and “Welcome to my underworld, where it gets quite dark.”

She goes on to name potential reasons that they got cancelled: “Did you make a joke only a man could? Were you far too smug for your own good? Or bring a tiny violin in a knife fight? Baby that all ends tonight.” Yet another guitar-heavy track, and it works, especially in the bridge where it gets delightfully gloomy and edgy melodically, while Taylor explains how her friends were there for her when she was being publicly shamed. “They stood by me before my exoneration, they believed I was innocent, so I’m not here for judgement, no, but if you can’t be good, then just be better at it, everyone’s got bodies in the attic.” Shivers down our spine!!

Track 11: Honey

With Call It What You Want meets Slut vibes, Honey is slower, almost R&B inspired song built on all the words that can be used as catcalls to pick up women, like “honey,” “baby,” and “sweetheart.” Crooning to us to a slow and seductive beat and guitar strum, Taylor tells the story of all the terrible guys she’s dated in the past, the names they called her, and how her new partner has totally changed her perspective on what those phrases mean: “But you touch my face, redefine all of those words, when you say “honey.”

Through the bridge she dives in more, saying, “When anyone called me, late night, he was screwing around with my mind, asking “What are you wearing?” Too high to remember in the morning, but you say it like you’re in awe of me, and you stay until the morning.” We’re sobbing to this jazzy little beat in the best way.

This definitely paints a picture of how different her love with Travis is and how she’s enjoying simple domestic moments at home with him, with lyrics like, “Honey I’m home, we could play house, you could bend down, pick me up, who’s the baddest in the land? what’s the plan? You could be my forever nightstand, honey.” This song is somewhat simple production-wise, but it just works.

Track 12: The Life of a Showgirl ft. Sabrina Carpenter

The last track on the album and the only feature, but a nice decision to bring in Sabrina, another iconic showgirl who’s stardom is also peaking at this moment in time. The song tells a warning tale of the dark sides of fame and show business to the melody similar to Cool by the Jonas Brothers, with an unexpected boom clap crowd beat starting off the song.

The lyrical style of the song is reminiscent of The Last Great American Dynasty, where Taylor tells a story of an iconic woman throughout the song, and incorporating herself into the song, too. In this, she’s waiting by the stage door to get an autograph from a famous showgirl, and the woman tells her that it’s not all she thinks, with lyrics like, “The more you play the more that you pay” and “You don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe.”

Then, she grows up and tries to become famous. “So she waited by the stage door, as the club promoter arrived, she said, “I’d sell my soul to have a taste of magnificent life, that’s all mine.” And in the end, it works, but at what cost? Sabrina sings the second verse, adding a little country twang at moments and harmonizes with Taylor. It speeds up in tempo at the bridge, almost giving a musical theater quality with the talk-singing to then slow way down for the last line. They culminate the song with, “And all the headshots on the walls of the dance hall are of the bitches, who wish I’d hurry up and die, but, I’m immortal now, baby dolls, I couldn’t if I tried.” It builds to a full ending, with Taylor’s voice in a microphone effect saying thank you in the way that she did every night at The Eras Tour. “Give it up for the band, the dancers, and of course Sabrina. That’s our show, we love you so much, goodnight.” It’s the obvious choice for the album ending.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Taylor made a very sassy, showgirl-ey glitter gel pen album with Max Martin and Shellbeck (with the most amount of “bitches” added to the lyrics of any Taylor album ever, lol). It’s the pop bangers of 1989. It’s the drama of Rep. It’s The shiny, sexy allure of Midnights. The long nights on the road and alone in a hotel room bathtub after the Eras Tour shows ended. It’s slightly less lyrically profound than The Tortured Poets Department or Folklore/Evermore, but that’s okay. Not every album needs to come with a dictionary. All of her past influences came together to make The Life of A Showgirl, a very approachable and thematically cohesive album that the masses will love.

It’s the glitter on the floor after the party, the mascara running down her face in the shower. It’s not all fun and games, but it’s her life, at the peak of stardom, with the love of her life, and this album encapsulates this moment perfectly. She really made a timeless pop album, bought back her masters and found the one to spend her life with. Swift is immortal now, baby dolls.

Categories
music festival Music News

BonnaBlues: Bonnaroo Cancelled After 1 Day

Bonnaroo 2025 boasted an eclectic mix of artists on the lineup that was meant to run over four nights on the Farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It had a really great lineup that mostly never came to fruition. Fans could enter the grounds and begin camping starting on Tuesday, but the music didn’t start until Thursday. That evening, Marcus King’s soulful, raspy voice and guitar riffs filled the night air on the main stage during the first sunset of Bonnaroo 2025. 

Thursday also boasted a headline set by Luke Combs, Bonnaroo’s first ever country headliner on the main stage. He had an unforgettable set, including starting the performance by shotgunning a beer and sharing stories of how he wrote his songs. He brought out legendary country singer Miranda Lambert as a surprise guest and she sang “Kerosene” as well as Marcus King for his last song, “No Rain in Oklahoma.”

This year, Bonnaroo also debuted the Infinity Stage, an open-air dome designed stage with spacial sound and a 360 experience. Of The Trees B2B Tape B and Rebecca Black DJ’d there on the first night of the festival, with lasers and totems surrounding the entire area. There were mixed reviews for the stage – fans inside the audio experience said it was great, but fans outside couldn’t hear as much and it didn’t provide great visuals from farther away.

The Who stage, located at Outeroo’s Plaza 7, highlighted up-and-coming artists and rising stars. And of course, the iconic Other stage hosted Dom Dolla, who mixed songs together for a two-hour headlining set on Thursday as part of their new After Hours lineup with late night live performances lasting well into the early morning. 

Friday morning started strong with hundreds of people doing Yoga in Centeroo and enjoying their High Five Friday on the Farm. Things only got worse from there. Early in the afternoon, before the festival had even opened to music, rain storms with lightning and thunder passed over the festival, causing the campground to be completely flooded and many campsites to be destroyed. After an entire day of delays, Bonnaroo announced that they were forced to cancel the rest of the festival and that fans were encouraged to leave on Saturday. Fans will also receive a 75% refund on their tickets and camping passes since there were no sets from Friday to Sunday. 

Sets that never came to fruition included Friday’s John Summit headlining and Infinity stage takeover sets, Avril Lavigne and Olivia Rodrigo on Saturday night, Remi Wolf’s Superjam on Sunday, and Hozier closing out the weekend. This was a disappointing end for this year’s Bonnaroo. They were forced to cancel in 2020 due to Covid-19 and again in 2021 due to inclement weather, so to have to cancel again in 2025 is especially unfortunate. Next year, the festival organizers might have to reconsider when they host the festival, due to the large amounts of rainfall in Tennessee in the summer.

Categories
Concert Photography music festival Uncategorized

Sips and Sounds Fest

The annual Sips and Sounds Fest started on the first day of SXSW this year in Austin with some impressive artists, including night one headliner Halsey, who played rock inspired versions of her hits. Fans had lots of activations to enjoy, including a Silent Disco and Coca Cola Fan Zone, where they could relax and grab a drink.

There were many fun musical highlights from day one. Ashe arrived in a sparkly pink dress and twirled the stage as she sang her hits, along with a cover of “Unwritten” by Natashia Beddingfield and “Love Story” by Taylor Swift.

Ashe

Disko Cowboy DJ’d a hype set of country hits mixed with EDM beats, and the crowd was loving it. He was accompanied by two dancers donned in sparkly cowboy hats.

Suki Waterhouse
Disko Cowboy
Blusher

Suki Waterhouse brought out Ashe as a surprise guest to sing their collab song, “Pushing Daisies.” Australian trio Blusher had choreographed moves to go with their upbeat pop-inspired songs. 

The two-day fest was sponsored by Coca Cola, with an option to recycle bottles and cans to redeem festival swag. To make recycling easy and accessible, “Recycle & Refresh” stations were set up throughout the festival grounds, supported by volunteers from Keep Austin Beautiful. With Austin food favorites like Amy’s Ice Cream and Southside Flying Pizza, there were plenty of tasty options for festival goers.

The Cinemark activation provided a bit of shade in the hot Texas heat, with a cool building you could enter to watch movie trailers and get free popcorn.

Khalid

The Austin skyline sparkled prominently in the background as the sun set over the city, and Khalid serenaded the crowd with hit after hit, including fan favorites “On The Way,” and “Location.”

Halsey pranced around in black cowboy boots and a white dress, singing her songs to the large crowd in downtown Austin, including her new single, “Safeword.” She closed the Friday fest with her popular song “Without Me.”

Paul Russell
Nessa Barrett

Day two was a bit cooler in temperature but with just as much excitement. Paul Russell kicked off the day with his TikTok hit “Boo Thing.” Nessa Barrett brought the brooding vibes and strummed guitar to her set.

Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker
Claire Rosinkranz

Musicians Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker performed emotional songs from their collaboration project “Brent.” Singer songwriter Claire Rosinkranz told the crowd that she would be performing mostly new material to get a feel from the crowd if they like them or not (they liked them!).

AJR

AJR was a wild set of chaos, dancing, and hats. Brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan (hence the name) performed their hit songs, building up the songs and creating fun moments for the crowd. They ended with their song “Weak.”

Benson Boone

Benson Boone closed out the weekend with a performance full of backflips, fireworks and glitter. He kept the crowd entertained and singing along despite the chilly weather.

This iteration of Sips and Sounds Fest was the best yet. Fans loved the downtown location, impressive lineup, and great weather. We can’t wait to see what’s in store next year.

Categories
Uncategorized

Ultimate Tour Packing List

If you’re a music photographer and you’re headed out on tour, you might be wondering, how do I pack for weeks at a time?! What is necessary to bring and what should I leave at home? How can I avoid overpacking? Well, I have some ideas that might help you out!

My name is Gaby and I’m a touring concert photographer. I’m about to leave on a ten-week US bus tour, and I just made the ultimate packing list that I want to share with you. So, if you’re looking for inspiration or even if you’re just curious about what people bring on tour, continue on for my list!

✨TOUR PACKING LIST!!!! ✨

Camera Gear / Electronics

These are my go-to pieces of camera gear and electronics that I simply could not tour without. I usually also throw in multiple phone and computer chargers just in case.

  • Two Canon R6 Camera bodies
  • R6 batteries and chargers
  • 24-70mm Lens
  • 70-200mm Lens
  • 50mm Lens
  • Lil camcorder
  • G7X Point and shoot
  • G7X batteries and charger
  • AA and AAA Batteries
  • Laptop
  • Laptop Charger
  • Phone chargers
  • Battery pack
  • External hard drives
  • Speedlight
  • Off Camera flash and trigger
  • Headphones
  • AirPods
  • iPad
  • Cord organizer bag
  • Multiple outlet extension cord
  • Rapid strap
  • Peli case
  • Memory cards

Medicines / Vitamins

These are SO crucial to have on tour to help with getting sick! I use melatonin to help fall asleep and zinc is a life saver if you start to feel a cold coming on.

  • Zinc
  • DayQuil
  • NyQuil
  • Electrolytes
  • Hydration packs
  • Vitamin C
  • Melatonin

Toiletries

These are obvious but listing them out anyway!

  • Body mist
  • Toothbrush
  • Toothpaste
  • Hairbrush
  • Face masks
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Razor
  • Pimple patches
  • Face sunscreen
  • Face Moisturizer
  • Deodorant
  • Earrings
  • Wet Wipes
  • Body lotion
  • Brow gel
  • Foundation
  • Lip gloss

Food & Snacks

I keep a few snackies in my bag just in case, and we usually stock up on the bus too in case we have any late night or early morning cravings.

  • Larabars / granola bars
  • Travel nuts
  • Travel Water Bottle
  • Travel cutlery

Clothing / Shoes

Black, black, black! Stage blacks are pretty much all I wear on tour. I do however like to bring one cute outfit in case we go out on an off day.

  • Black shirts
  • Black shorts
  • Black pants
  • Black hoodie
  • Black sneakers
  • Gym sneakers
  • Shower Sandals
  • Underwear
  • Bras
  • Socks
  • Laundry pods
  • One cute outfit

Misc Fun Things!

These are super optional but I feel like it helps make touring more fun to have a few special touches.

  • Postcard stamps
  • Stickers to give to fans
  • Deck of cards
  • Monopoly deal cards
  • Poster tube
  • Gaby name tag for bus bunk
  • Photos of the fam for bus bunk
  • Streamers for bus bunk
  • Gaff tape

And that’s it! That’s my giant list of things to pack for tour. What would you bring?!

Categories
Music News

Sips and Sounds Fest in Austin


If you’re looking to start off 2025 in Austin with a great music festival: look no further! A star-studded lineup is coming to Auditorium Shores this spring. Pop superstars Halsey and Khalid will headline on March 7th, with up-and-coming artist Benson Boone and AJR on March 8th. Other exciting artists scheduled to perform are Suki Waterhouse, Tessa Barrett, Ashe, and Chelsea Cutler. Coca Cola is hosting the festival and tickets are available for purchase here.

Categories
Uncategorized

Inside Barb’s New Single “Beside You”

Austin-based artist Barb dropped a new single this week that we already have stuck in our heads. The song is about a situationship that’s getting “so boring” with the back and forth of it all.

Barb says that the song “captures the hazy, late-night moments when their love is intoxicating, fleeting, and leaves you feeling like a temporary fix—addictive yet hollow.”

With lyrics like ‘there’s poison in your alibi’ and a hook that hits—‘it’s so boring that I can’t believe that it’s true’—Barb traces the ambiguity of a relationship full of dimly lit smiles and empty words. Punchy guitars, a yearning vocal performance, and a raw edge for the romantically exhausted.

The visuals for the project were filmed during a rogue photoshoot on a rooftop in Austin at sunset. Images by Gaby Deimeke. Check out the new song here and follow Barb on social media here.

Categories
Concert Photography

The Beaches + Charlie Houston at the Fillmore

By Bethany Ivan

Going out on a Monday, knowing that you have work the next day is one thing, but that excitement of clocking out from a 9am-5pm job, and driving to the Fillmore in Charlotte to see The Beaches perform is definitely next level, especially when you know that the band has a few fun and exciting songs to perform. 

The Beaches took a stop in the city on Sept. 30 on their ‘Blame My Ex’ Tour, with supporting acts by Charlie Houston. Houston, who opened for the band, started us off with some mellow tunes, which is something I needed after a long day of work. The audience was also in for a treat as Houston played a cover of “Year 3000” by the Jonas Brothers. 

As The Beaches began to perform, three words came to mind: energetic, powerful, and fierce. The band not only served looks but with their talent, their performance was completely unforgettable. Leandra Earl and Kylie Miller amazing guitar playing, the fun and mesmerizing voice of Jordan Miller, and Eliza Enman-McDaniel’s wicked talent on drums made it all worthwhile.  Songs  such as “Blame Brett,” “Jocelyn,” and “Shower Beer,” filled the venue of excited fans. Throughout their whole performance, it felt like one extended weekend, which was very well needed. 

I have never really liked Mondays, but after seeing The Beaches and Charlie Houston live in concert, it’s safe to say that I appreciate the day a bit more as I either put my headphones on at work or turn up the radio in my car, with the band and Houston playing through the speakers on full blast. I may or may not say this a lot, but these two artists are definitely going on my playlists on Spotify, where I will listen to their songs on a constant repeat. 

Categories
Interviews

Introducing Sisi: An in-depth interview with Austin’s rising musician

Austin-based singer-songwriter Sisi Berry sits at my kitchen table, coffee mug in hand, ready to entertain. Red cowboy boots and a white tank top on, she shares a sweet smile. Sisi emanates that effortless I-just-woke-up vibe that reminds me of female rockers from the 70’s, with the kind of messy hair and no bra je ne sais quoi that feels impossible to fake.

She rattles off anecdotal stories of her life, themes including heartbreak, the importance of family, and finding joy in the small moments. She names artists she loves at the moment, notes feelings of imposter syndrome that sometimes come up, and plans a summer full of finishing a new album and the promise it brings. It’s always positively refreshing and delightfully entertaining when I get to sit down with Sisi. I wanted to do a deep dive about her life, and ask her about where she came from, what moments impacted her the most, how she twists life lessons into lyrical expressions. In this interview, she dives into her new music, her writing process, and much more. Here’s my conversation with Austin’s next rising musician, Sisi.

Crowdsurfer: Tell us about who Sisi was growing up.

Sisi: I am one of five brothers and sisters. And I helped my mom raise them. My identity, more than anything, has always been that I’m my mother’s daughter, and I helped raise the kids. I didn’t play music. Music was more of like the loud background noise. It was in our house because we’re Latino. So it’s just always in the background. Not because any of us played it, per se. I sang in church. What I did more than anything was write with my sister, because my sister’s a poet. She’s six years younger than me, but we just wrote all the time. So more than a singer, I felt like a writer. And then I started singing around high school.

The first song I ever sang was the National Anthem. Because I wasn’t tall enough to get put on the court for the volleyball games. But I would sing the National Anthem. Which is why when I sang in the Austin FC and everyone said, you have to learn the song, I was like, no, I know that song better than I know any song.

Sisi growing up was just a little kid. Me and my siblings played outside all the time and I raised the kids and babysat everybody in the neighborhood, worked as a lifeguard. I was just a little worker. Forever. That’s literally what I feel like I’ve always been. 

Crowdsurfer: When did you first find interest in music in the sense that it became something you made and created?

Sisi: You know when you write something good, and you want to share it, and then your sister or your sibling thinks it’s good, and then they’re connecting to it, and then you’re like, this is cool, I think I’m doing the thing that people do. And it started kind of locking into place. 

I felt in college, when there was very much a fork in the road between pursuing medicine and playing music, that it felt like a choice, that it couldn’t be a hobby. Music was so backseat. It was like this thing that I did, like the way people like to go to the gym. I was like, I play music. I played in a band. And the more I played the more I felt like it was a tangible option. I didn’t grow up in the industry or whatever. So you don’t see it as an option. It’s just stuff that other people do. It’s worlds away from you. And the more I did something, whether win Battle of the Bands, or have a band in general, go to a studio for the first time, because that was the award for winning Battle of the Bands in college, or play a show and people being stoked, because they’re like, aren’t you the girl that played last night?

And that feeling alone, being like, that your songs were memorable, that someone’s night was about something that you did, that you existed at all. So you almost felt like, you were more alive and more connected, in a new world, and that was a big click for me, I guess. I remember calling my mom. I was sitting on the top of my roof and crying because I felt really bad to not pursue medicine.

I’d gotten the opportunity to have a full ride for pre med and I was essentially walking away from it. And to go, you know, play my little guitar, which my head space really did have a different – not a disrespect for it – but like a vanity almost like playing and writing. It felt like a selfish way to spend time or something. Like I could not wrap my head around it ‘cause it was serving nobody but me. So music felt selfish until it felt like it was connecting to people and serving some other, some other new thing, an emotion for people. Or myself, actually, because I’d never really written for people. It was just helping me process life and I needed it. 

Crowdsurfer: What is your songwriting process like?

Sisi: Everything I’ve ever written is anecdotal. Everything I’ve ever written is like a, Hi, nice to meet you, my name is Sisi, this is all real. I even have a song that says, “And if someone asks you, What happened? I hope you send them my Spotify link.” So if you need to know anything, it’s all there. Between family stuff, and love stuff, and work stuff, and life stuff, faith stuff, all the things. Just being anecdotal. 

Crowdsurfer: How do you feel like your family and your heritage has influenced your music? 

Sisi: My family has impacted everything. It’s the pursuit and my biggest why behind it. Like, the reason that it doesn’t feel selfish is because my dream is to retire my mom with my music. To take care of my family and that be the the reason we’re all okay. Which is probably a hero complex that I have to work through in therapy. But, I just want everyone to be okay. And I want them to have every option in their life.

I think that’s everybody’s dream. And I’ll speak for most Latino kids, that like, our dream is to take care of our mom. Like, take care of our family. That’s a very ingrained part of our culture in general. My mom is everything, and has done everything and sacrificed her whole life for us. So that’s the big impact.

Being my mother’s daughter also means that I was raised very Venezuelan. We’re a military family, and my dad was American. But we were raised in the most Latino household ever. My family is very, very big. And whether we were in Venezuela, or Germany, or New Orleans, or Washington, or El Paso, or San Antonio, it was little Venezuela. If you asked, “Where are you from?” After moving so much, I was like, I’m from my mom’s house. This is where I’m from. I’m a military kid with a Venezuelan family. So the impact of being Latina is, is more, if anything, my personality and like gusto and the matriarchal feeling of being a Latino woman raised by my mom. I feel a lot of like power, if that makes sense. I feel a lot of ownership over self. It’s less to do with do I sing in a certain genre or anything. It’s more of like, I write different feelings in different languages, certainly. But the influence of being a Latina and a Venezuelan daughter is more of like my core’s confidence or something.

The way that I perform is definitely influenced by how I love to dance. And I love to dance because all we do is salsa, merengue.

That’s all we do at my house. That was the influence of music. We didn’t see it like, oh, let’s be singers. It was like, blast salsa, and then we’re going to make arepas.

Crowdusrfer: Let’s talk about your live performances. You performed at Austin City Limits music festival last year. Tell us about that. What does it feels like to be on stage?

Sisi: Performing is my favorite thing in the entire world. When I perform, I feel so comfortable and so myself. A stage like ACL also made me feel like, like you get a sugar crash. You’re like, Oh my God, if it’s not this, then I don’t want it, and you get really hungry and you get really sad at the same time.

But when you are performing it’s the fucking best feeling and it’s also really really humbling because you’re watching people sing songs – like people are singing my lyrics. What?! But it also makes you be like, I’m gonna give you the best show I can like if you came to see me then I want to I want to live up to it.

A big stage like Tito’s stage? So fun. That’s the furthest I’ve been from my bandmates, they were so far away from me. So I was like, where are you? But it also had so much playground and it also tapped into a new way of performing. Like, how can I move around the stage? Who, what areas can I look at? You know, what different version of connectivity can I tap into? And what else do you want from the performance? What, who else can fit on stage? What could be cool? Dancers, stage elements, different outfits, etc.

Any working musician in Austin, I think, that has been here as long as I have, knows the shows we’ve played at 1am for four people, so that’s the first thing I thought of when I was at the Tito’s stage and I saw at soundcheck and you’re like if nobody’s here that’s gonna suck and then it filled and then there were people and then I cried twice because I’m a child and my mom’s there. 

Crowdsurfer: Let’s talk about Sisi. Is Sisi different than you? 

Sisi: Sisi (pronounced Cee-cee) is my name and I go by Sisi because my name is Ana Cecilia and Sisi is what I’ve been called in my family forever. Sisi sometimes gets pronounced Sissy and it gives me a heart attack.

So all the merch was created to help with that sentiment: Sisi, yes yes, ya ya, oui oui.

Is Sisi me? I like to think there’s a lot of connective tissue to all of it. I don’t feel like I compartmentalize too many parts. All my music is really vulnerable, I say a lot of the things that are actually going on in my life. But, I don’t know, I catch myself being very myself, almost to a fault, uh, during shows. And I just feel like friends with everybody. When I’m playing I feel like everyone’s my friend. So I think on stage I just feel like, we’re all in our own little, you know, friend group and we’re all there that night and it’s like, what’s up guys? What are we drinking? I’m gonna sing y’all this one song about that one asshole.

But me performing is the most honest part of me. The irony is that me performing feels like the least performative version of myself. And perhaps the rest of my life has nuances of like different composures that are more performative to just get through the day. On stage, that’s as clean as it gets. That is all me.

Crowdusurfer: Tell us about your latest release, Sugar. 

Sisi: I’ve written so many sad songs that I was also very excited to finally write something that didn’t feel like a sad song. It’s a song on me thinking about the way the world is moving. And the rhythms of how people fall in love or not fall in love, or how they try. And I was sitting at one of my favorite spots called Rosie’s that everybody should go to, it’s in my neighborhood. And in last year’s sad girl summer, I would go on long walks with my dog, walk to Rosie’s, sit in a corner, and order enormous amounts of champagne and watch the world be the world, right? And this little bistro has these little cute kind of European two tops. So a lot of people go on dates there. It’s really cute and romantic and flirty and I’d just sit in a corner with my dog and watch people. And I would eavesdrop obviously. I would hear people doing the thing where you meet people and the way that people would intro themselves. It’s all very bizarre. Like when you’re on the outside, especially with your nervous system being in a heartbreak era, watching people reattempt it, I’m like, that’s, what? And you’re hearing them say things, and you’re like, mmm, that’s not gonna work. And then it does work, and I’m like, oh, she liked that one. What? Like, what are you talking about? And it was escapism, certainly, to listen to other people’s lives. But it also was impressive. People showing, giving their best foot forward. It’s almost like they gave the dessert before they gave the entree. Like, you gotta give all this sugar. And sugarcoating kind of everything about yourself and that maybe if it’s just sweet enough that they’ll see you again and you’ll go in for like an appetizer or an entree.

And my head was like, oh, they’re doing it, there’s no slow roll here on how you meet someone. This is: give them as much of the candy and then maybe they’ll be interested in something more like fully getting to know the monotonies of ourselves. I was just really impressed by some of the lines because they were all the same.

Sisi’s new single, Sugar.

And I was like, no way. Do they have flashcards? Like, is there a newsletter I’m not getting? They said something along the lines of like, “Hey, this was awesome. I’ve got an early morning, but this was incredible. I hope to see you again.” But they’re definitely not gonna see each other again. Or they’re like, “Oh my God, we have so much in common. I love you. Let’s go to Mexico tomorrow.” It’s either all in, or all out. And it was impressive and it was entertaining and it was a world that I don’t want to be part of. But it was sweet to watch. It was just as sweet to watch as it was to do. Like the sweetness that they were giving. And so that’s what Sugar is about. Sugar is the watching them be sweet. So sweet that you’re like, I don’t even know if that’s real.

Crowdsurfer: How have you been writing your new album and what topics are you covering on the new album? 

Sisi: I am doing this record with Chris Boosahda. People know him for being a part of Shakey Graves, producing Wild Child. He’s an incredible producer. I’m so excited to work with him. A lot of it’s been about what’s going on, what have I written in the past, what do I want to include on the record that feels cohesive and it feels like the one good sourdough bread all together rising at the same time rather than like a basket of random shit.

The topics range, it’s kind of like a journey. You can literally listen to it in order and be like, oh, she was not okay. Some, kind of okay. All right here. Some of my songs are about how I do recognize love to be very real because of the love of my parents and the sweet family life. So it’s the acknowledgement of that love, love is so versatile and the ways that we should need it or want it don’t have to be. You don’t lose love. You lose the people that give it but not love. Love always belongs to you. So you never have to go find it. You walk away with yourself in every interaction, and you wake up and you go to sleep with your own head and your own heart. So you’re not without it ever. It’s just a gift you get to give and receive in different ways.

I wrote a song recently called Rhythm and Blues that I’m so stoked on because it’s about the accountability also of recognizing that if you stayed in something that you made a choice. Like I made a choice to stay, you know? And why, and is the self analysis of that. Who was that girl? And Rhythm and Blues is about being like, well, I gave you rhythm and you gave me the blues and, and choosing to be without the sadness is choosing or like deciding, acknowledging that we’re definitely not together. And when it becomes your identity to be the sad girl. 

There’s not a strategy necessarily on what I’m writing and how I’m writing. It’s more that I’m just letting the way that my anecdotal self wants to write, because I write fast like that, and I write things I like when it’s like that. For future music, I’m not sure. I’d like to try and explore other ways of writing, but this one is, as I’m feeling it, what I’m feeling, and how I want to bop to it, which is different.

The beginning, the first parts of the record, I was putting out music that’s I don’t want to bop, I was just kind of throwing up. You know what I mean? And these, especially Rhythm and Blues, is parts of music that I love, like, R& B, and soul music, and vibing, and kind of grooving and dancing. And R&B has that, and I’m so excited to put it out.

Crowdusrfer: Tell us about Who’s Gonna Worry About Me.

Sisi: Who’s Gonna Worry About Me is the first song I wrote where I felt the listener’s response. As I would release pieces of the lyrics, people would write me and say, “I really needed this song. This song means a lot to me.” And I was like, what? Like, are you, are you lying? Like you’re actually listening to the song?

And the opportunity to do a music video was also probably the most transparency of actual pain I felt because we got to lean into asking how do you give the impression of those lyrics? And that was the first time that I got to do a project with a proper team. It was produced by Gaby DeLeon, and filmed by Gaby Deimeke. And there was an actor, Jeremy Vandermause, and that was new to me too. And that was a huge, um, momentum and morale boost for me.

Crowdsurfer: What are you looking forward to the rest of the year and onward?

Sisi: I’m not like an already big thing, and I’m not starting from scratch, but there’s this runway, and there’s a pot of water coming to a boil and you’re just like, it’s almost boiling, like it could be a thing. We could really cook some dope pasta, but like it’s not there yet.

And so I think the goal of putting a team together to release this record in this way feels like a really real science project of being like, this is what actually works for an artist in my scenario. And being from Austin, and wanting to represent Austin, I feel really proud to have been a working musician in this city for this long, and I feel really loved and supported here. So to try and honor also this city and the space that’s nurtured me by doing the damn thing. If they’ve given me platforms to try and support me, then I gotta go and do this shit, you know. I’m looking forward to seeing what that actual momentum for the record means from an indie perspective. 

Here’s what I want to see: What does breath look like for this record? And who do I become in trying to give it breath? Cause it’ll be someone I haven’t been yet, cause I haven’t done it yet. So, who the heck am I gonna be? 

You can see more of Sisi on her Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify page. Photos and interview by Gaby Deimeke. Special thanks to Gaby DeLeon.

Categories
Concert Photography

The Aces and Modern Moxie Rock Out at The Underground

As fans waited for The Aces to perform, Modern Moxie took the stage, where they played and rocked out to songs from their album “Claw Your Way Out” and their recent EP “Gutter Honey.” After their set, the members of the band gathered at the merch table where fans could not only meet the friendly members that make up Modern Moxie, but also purchase copies of “Gutter Honey,” and could get t-shirts, stickers and pickles. 

The members of The Aces appeared on stage as they performed their songs such as “Daydream,” “Always Get This Way” and “Girls Make Me Wanna Die.” As the members of the band danced on stage to their songs, the audience began to dance along with them. At one point of the show, lead singer of the band, Cristal Ramirez, shared with the audience on how they came from Utah and since starting their careers and while on their journeys of self-discovery, never imagined playing venues in cities such as Charlotte. 

To an ordinary person, one might see this concert as another performance at one of the venues in Charlotte, but to The Aces and to their fans, it was a performance that gave them hope and created such an energetic and accepting environment. Check out the photos below, by Bethany Ivan.

Categories
Concert Photography

Maisie Peters at Waterloo Records

The “Good Witch” herself, Maisie Peters, made an afternoon stop at local Austin record store Waterloo Records before heading to perform her headline set at Emo’s later tonight.

The event was part performance, part autograph signing for vinyls and CDs of her newest album, The Good Witch. Maisie and her guitar player Joel Peat played an intimate acoustic set of Body Better, Wendy, Want You Back and Lost the Breakup to dozens of cheering fans, encouraging them to sing along for the last song.

Maisie then signed albums (and anything else) for fans that had purchased The Good Witch, and expressed excitement for her Emo’s show later that night. Check out the photos below, by Gaby Deimeke.