A fully impressive lineup of young artists came to Stubbs in Austin this past week, with up-and-coming pop artist Evan Giia opening the show, badass rocker K. Flay getting the crowd hyped, and Louis the Child delivering with their classic beats, vibes and remixes. Check out the photos below, taken by Gaby Deimeke.
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If you’re looking for a music festival to go to this fall, look no further than Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain, a magical 4-night camping music festival experience with music, art, visuals and lights, hosted in Ozark, AK.
Besides this stellar lineup consisting of festival favorites The String Cheese Incident, Ganja White Night and Clozee, there’s lots of fun activities to try out, like sliding down a huge water slide, riding the ferris wheel, or even just exploring the visuals, art, and sounds in the woods.
You can check out their website here, and Instagram here.
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Artist Interview: Jxckson
Jxckson, an up-and-coming independent pop artist in the Austin music scene, sat down to talk with Crowdsurfer about his music and what’s in store this year. Take a look at the interview below.
Photos by Gaby Deimeke
Crowdsurfer: For our readers that might not know, give us a background on how you got started with music and why it’s so important to you.
Jxckson: Hey everyone, my name is Jxckson and I’m a pop artist based out of Austin, Texas. I’ve been singing and dancing since the age of 2, maybe even before that. From choir competitions to dance classes, music has been essential to my identity from the start. Now I’ve reached this point in my life, where I don’t want music to take a backseat anymore. I’ve learned that writing and recording music through the lens of being Jxckson now has fed my creative appetite… and now I’m hungry for more.
CS: What is your songwriting process like? Where do you come up with inspiration?
J: I’m actually a pretty visual thinker. I always start with what I want the overall mood of the song to be and visualize what a music video or a high-production performance would look like. It sort of fuels my creative energy so I’m able to start writing. From there, that usually sparks lyrics to tell the story that I see visually playing out in my head. I always thought it was an odd way to write, but recently I saw a tweet from singer/songwriter KAMILLE that she writes songs in a similar fashion. Makes me feel like I just might be on the right path.
CS: What’s your recording process like?
J: I record all my music at Orb Recording Studio here in Austin with my sound engineer Victor Gaspar. We connected through a mutual friend and thank god for that. He’s crucial to the recording process because he knows how to get the best vocal performance out of me. He knows when I’m just singing without actually thinking or connecting to the lyrics. For me it’s not about getting the vocals perfect, it’s about the character behind it. Does it feel like I’m having a conversation with the listener? He understands that’s what I want in my recordings and makes sure I deliver. I always leave the studio feeling creatively re-energized.
CS: Who are your favorite musical influences and who would you love to collab with?
J: Favorite musical influences would have to be Tinashe, Lily Allen, The Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears, Billie Eilish and a lot of KPop artists – Sunmi to be more specific. Lately, I’ve also been inspired by Doja Cat and Bree Runway. I’m just so fascinated by artists who have an alluring presence about them. It transcends the music and becomes an experience. I want to learn how to capture that experience for myself and anyone who listens to my music. If I had to pick an artist to collab with, I’d have to go with Tinashe. Her vibe is just so effortlessly cool and I would just lose my mind if I had a chance to even do a single 8-count with her. I can barely handle it in my own imagination.
CS: What has the response been to your new music?
J: I released my debut EP, Paradox recently and the initial response has been simply incredible! Having people, other artists especially, reach out to let me know how they connected with the lyrics has been a highlight for me. It’s almost overwhelming, because I very much am still the new kid. I still feel like I’m in my infancy of my career and just about to take my first actual steps. So the fact people take the time to listen to my music and share it, has me feel really lucky and honored. Not everyone gets the luxury to do what they love.
CS: What’s your 2021 look like–what are your plans for this year and what are you looking to work on?
J: Considering I officially kicked things off late 2019, most of my time spent as an artist has been in quarantine. Which gave me an opportunity to write more and connect with artists all across the world. I’ve done virtual performances, so a huge item on my ‘to do’ list is a real live performance. I have a few collaborations coming out in June, which is exciting to provide even more music following my debut EP. I’ve started writing music for my 2nd EP, and would say I’m about a quarter of a ways done with the writing process. I have plans to focus on more songwriting this summer – so a lot more to come!
CS: Anything else you’d like to mention?
J: Please check out my cover of t.A.T.u.’s “Malchik Gay” for the “Power to the Queer Kids, VOL 3” charity album out June 4th. For the past 3 years artist Zach Benson and his friends Tori Leche and Maggie Fraser have created a compilation album of music from LGBTQ artists called “Power to the Queer Kids”. The compilation consists of cover songs and raise money for the Trevor Project with all proceeds going towards suicide prevention resources for LGBTQ+ youth.
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Sunsquabi at Empire Garage in ATX
Sunsquabi performed last night at Empire Garage in Austin, and we took some photos of the show. Check them out below! Images by Gaby Deimeke.
Live music is back! We were so excited to see Shakey Graves perform in Austin this weekend, and he did not disappoint. Check out all the photos below, and a video recap on TikTok. Photographs and video by Gaby Deimeke.
It seems like live music might be a real possibility as music festivals around the country started dropping lineups and offering presale tickets this past week.
A folksy music festival based out of St. Charles, Iowa, named Hinterland, has just dropped an impressive Fall 2021 lineup with the likes of Leon Brides, The Avett Brothers, Caamp, Old Crow Medicine Show, Elle King and more.
Check out the lineup below for the full list of acts.
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Life is Beautiful Lineup Out Now!
One of the first music festivals to release a new lineup since Coronavirus cancelled shows everywhere in 2020, Life is Beautiful is ready to get going again this fall in Las Vegas.
To kick it off, Life is Beautiful just dropped their star-studded lineup for the fall edition of the festival. Some of the headliners include Billie Eilish, Tame Impala, Dillon Francis, Haim, St. Vincent, and more.
Check out the lineup below for the full list of acts. It seems that music might be back soon!
This week, we sat down with Cassie Dasilva to chat about her new single, her writing process, and her plans for the future. Check it out below.
Crowdsurfer: Give us a background on how you got started with music.
Cassie Dasilva: I started out as a really shy kid taking piano lessons and performing in recitals from a young age. I got a guitar for Christmas in grade eight, and taught myself a song that same day– literally playing until my fingers bled. I always loved writing poems and lyrics in my fuzzy pink notebook, but once I had a guitar, I really started to fall in love with songwriting. I played my songs in highschool talent shows, local open mics, and opened for some smaller shows that came to town.
CD: I moved across the country to study audio engineering and music production in Vancouver. Afterwards, I split my time between multiple part-time jobs, and gigging with my acoustic in any pub, restaurant or wedding that would have me. I ended up busking downtown Vancouver for a while, eventually making enough in tips to quit all my other jobs, before moving back home to Ontario.
Back home again, I went to Canadian Music Week in 2018 with some friends, and found myself singing at an impromptu Universal Canada jam night. I was signed shortly after (initially as a folk-pop act). I’d started writing EDM toplines and pop songs for other artists by then, and that led to my eventual love for/ transition into pop music and my first label releases.
CS: What is your songwriting process like and where do you come up with inspiration for your lyrics?
CD: I’m mostly inspired when I’m trying to process or deal with something, but I’m also always listening to everyone around me and writing notes in my phone with certain phrases and circumstances that I find interesting or can relate to. I usually start with lyrics– I like to write a few lines and then twist them into melodies. I approach writing kind of like making a puzzle– fitting pieces together until suddenly the picture starts making sense and everything just fits and has a place.
CS: How has TikTok changed the trajectory of your career?
CD: TikTok has been AMAZING. I went from having under 100 followers to 20K and over 1M views almost overnight– just crazy. I can’t believe the response to “Unsolicited Contact” on there and what it’s done for me. I’m excited to be reaching more people, and thankful for every single interaction, comment, and message I’ve received. It blows my mind that people are not only leaving the app to go listen, but liking the song enough to add it to their playlists/ follow me/ send me kind messages. I’m doing things completely independently right now (which can be trying, to say the least). I’ve questioned if I’m on the right path so many times over the past few years, so this sort of positive reinforcement from complete strangers all over the world has been life-changing for me as an artist.
CS: What has the response been to your new single?
CD: I’m blown away by the support this song is getting. I get so many messages from people thanking me for writing the song, saying how much they can relate, or even that it gave them the courage to block their ex. When we were recording the song, I kept saying that I wanted it to be a song that people screamed in the car with their friends, and now I’m getting messages from people saying that’s exactly what they’re doing. It’s wild!
CS: Tell us about working with an all-female team and why it was important for you to do that.
CD: When I was signed, I found myself working with a team of mostly men. It was difficult at times to explain my point of view, or see my perspective mirrored in those around me. I’d been one of only five females enrolled when I went to recording school, and afterwards found myself in a network and industry completely dominated by men– which was at times intimidating and confusing as a young woman. I worked entirely with male producers, and attended writing camps where I was the only female. After I was dropped from the label, I just felt like I needed to consciously explore other avenues, including working with other women in the industry, especially on production.
CS: Tell us about creative directing your music video (we love the pink vintage aesthetic!)
CD: I started envisioning this video from the moment I wrote the song, and knew exactly what I wanted it to look like. I was writing and revising outlines for months leading up to shooting, handmade a ton of the props, art-designed, and even styled the entire cast. Though I almost lost my mind taking it all on, I’m so glad I did because it feels so authentic this way. I was completely comfortable on set because I knew exactly how I wanted everything to look and feel ! I’m so thankful that the director, Kate Harrison, was willing to take on the project and bring all of my ideas to fruition! It’s my “New Rules” meets “Scream Queens” meets “Euphoria” dreamscape.
CS: Who are your musical inspirations?
CD: I’m a lyrics person through and through, and I’ve always been drawn to storytellers. Taylor Swift, Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, John Mayer, and Winnetka Bowling League are a few of my favourites.
CS: What’s your 2021 look like–what are your plans for this year and beyond?
CD: I’m releasing more singles throughout the year, and an eventual EP that I’m REALLY excited about! In the meantime, I’m writing more music, and I hope that post-global pandemic I can get a tour spot and play my songs for people in REAL LIFE. I am really missing performing and connecting with people that way, so I’m looking forward to getting back out on stage.
CS: Anything else you’d like to mention?
CD: Just want to say thanks for having me!! Oh, and please go stream/ watch the video for “Unsolicited Contact”, and follow me on socials @cassiedasilva! I’ve put my whole heart into this project and I’m doing it on my own terms, so any support truly means the world!
In a Covid world, music has taken on a different meaning. It’s helped us express all the things we’re feeling as we’re navigating this crazy time: anger, frustration, sadness, loss. And that’s exactly what this album did for me.
I didn’t realize how much I needed a beautifully written album on the softer side to listen to this week, and Creatures In Your Head is the perfectly produced quarantine album just for that reason.
The opening track, Creatures In Your Head, was a refreshing opener that began with soft singing and a relaxed melody, and that thread continued throughout the album. As lead singer Alex Hwang crooned on the second track Spiders, “It’s just the way it is… for now.” Talk about hitting home.
Pretty Lies jumps up in tempo and is the best ride-around-in-your car anthem for air drumming the bridge, and the catchy whistling and sassy lyrics of Lonely Weather are the perfect yin and yang to the slower songs on the album.
Then there’s Hummingbird, which has a darker, spacy, bouncy vibe. “Light speed with the crack of dawn, Hummingbird with the high beams on,” will be stuck in your head all day (in a good way). It almost reminded me of some classic Neighbourhood tracks.
Things speed up and get a little chaotic in Funhouse, just to dip down with a ballad, One For Me, as the following track. The album ebbs and flows in all the right ways.
Cemetary gives you goosebumps upon a first listen. The lyrics of the chorus got to me: “Everybody needs a way to hold on, just a little bit, just a little bit longer.”
The album wraps with a gentle acoustic track Goodnight Moon and Weight, which has major throwback vibes in the best way. If you need some new quarantine music to listen to, look no further. This band is highly underrated and I hope their new release has all the success it deserves.
You can check out Run River North’s new music here and their latest YouTube videos here.
The number of artists who are speaking up publicly about mental health awareness is growing by the day. Up-and-coming artist Whitney Woerz wants to be part of that discussion. She’s an ambassador for Bring Change to Mind, a nonprofit who’s mission is to end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness, and she’s been using her song lyrics to cover a plethora of topics surrounding mental health and wellbeing. We sat down with Whitney this week to talk about music, inspiration and all things mental health.
Crowdsurfer: What inspired you to start writing music?
When I was 13, a friend one day reached out and said that she was planning to kill herself… As a 13 year old, I didn’t even know what that really meant. I didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t responding or anything.So I wrote a poem for her and then put a melody to it. I had never written a song before, or a poem for that matter, but I recorded a video and sent it to her, not even expecting a response. She did respond though! And she said that the song saved her life. And it inspired her to get therapy. Wow. Saying it out loud still shocks me. That literally was the biggest life changing moment, I think, ever, because I realized my lyrics did that.So we sent my song to Bring Change to Mind, which is an organization run by Glenn Close to help end the stigma around mental illness. I’ve been a teen ambassador for them ever since I was 13, and I’m still working alongside them. We start the conversation basically. That’s like, honestly, the most important thing you can do is just start the conversation.
CS: What inspired your latest song Retrograde?
I wrote Retrograde right as Corona kicked off. It was a really weird time obviously and on top of that, a Mercury retrograde was going on. I, and everyone i knew was feeling like their life was upside down. I wrote it with a writer Ayelle and producer Stavros and we were kind of all feeling life was just not good at the moment. So we’re just like, “It’s the retrograde.”But, it also has a positive message too. There’s always the light at the end of a dark tunnel that you can never see at the time. Whenever you’re in a dark space, not even just in retrograde, you feel like you can’t get out of it and like it’s the end of the world. Think back to a time you thought everything was miserable. And then suddenly there’s the light.
CS: How do you find positivity amidst all this chaos happening right now?
WW: Personally, I find happiness within myself when everything externally isn’t amazing. I realized one day that I have control over my thoughts, which was quite a profound realization. And then I was like, wait a second. Anybody can do this, like I feel like we’re all magicians, but we don’t know it. And you can literally just switch. If you want to be positive, just be like, I’m quitting the negative. It’s going to be positive. And then once you start thinking positively, just watch how your life will do a 180 flip, because that’s exactly what happened to me. I started thinking positively, almost to trick myself at first, actually, and then it wasn’t a trick anymore. I was just thinking positively and then manifested basically almost by accident, good things. So it’s very interesting when you, I don’t know, learn that you have control of your thoughts. I like to say that I create my own life now because of that. But I just always try to see the light at the end of the tunnel. To me, I think Corona happened for a reason. And we’re going to make it out because we always make it on dark places.
CS: What challenges have you gone through personally with dealing with mental health issues?
In high school, everybody around me was just really, really sad. It’s so interesting, though, because I feel like we all put on such a happy face, but really underneath, we’re just sad. And yeah, it was a lot of external factors. My family wasn’t doing that great. And my first boyfriend broke my heart. I feel like so many people can relate to that, especially with a first love. And I, as a junior in high school, was distraught. I didn’t want to live anymore. And so I channeled that into lyrics. Writing lyrics was basically therapy for me. Everybody who I played like the breakup songs for who had been through a hard time was also just like, wow, it’s relatable and it’s hard. It’s really hard sometimes.But looking back at the person that I was, I saw how harshly I treated myself, also how harsh and negative I was. And how sad little Whitney was. But all those were ALL learning lessons. Everything is a learning lesson and everything happens for a reason, too. So now I’m looking back at that stuff and I’m like, wait- that literally shaped me. I am so thankful for all the pain that I’ve experienced because of that. And if anyone’s going through pain right now, one day you’re going to look back and be like, it made me who I am.
CS: What’s your self care routine like, or what are some things that help you to feel better sometimes?
WW: I suggest writing down the thoughts in your head that stand out to you, then they become art in a way. And also like actually pay attention to your thoughts. We’re just on autopilot with our thoughts so much of the time and they just let go speeding. So what I’ve been doing is just trying to, like, really be conscious of my thoughts. And that has changed how I think and how I live.
I also meditate almost every day, even just for ten minutes. Let’s you clear your head and let positive energy come in. I have a bunch of spiritual candles charged with different energies I like to light too to clear my mind. But the biggest thing for me is to try to focus on my thoughts and decide if they are beneficial to me or not. It’s a little bit scary when you first do it, actually trying to be conscious of your thoughts, but very very cool once you achieve the good that comes from it.
CS: What does it mean to you to be an advocate for mental health awareness?
I think my main goal in life and music is to be happy and to make other people happy. That’s Bring Change to Mind’s exact same goal too! Like everyone deserves to be happy and we have such a short time on this planet.I’m just so thankful that I’m able to have a platform where I can share. I am so thankful that I can share my music with a message every day.
CS: What’s next for you?
WW: A lot. I’m actually at a studio right now. We’re working on a very cool song. And so next for me is new music. I’d love to do an album. I would love to just get a Whitney album out there. So hopefully that’s what’s next. But definitely just new music. I’d love to continue singles, if that’s what it’s going to be.
CS: Anything else you’d like to add?
WW: Well, actually, yeah, there’s a mercury retrograde happing right now and it’s last day is the election, so listen to my new single Retrograde to have something to relate to while the energies are off! Oh and one more thing. One thing that has really helped me whenever I’m feeling like a bad thought or anything, I just think about how I am one hundred percent not the only person who’s thinking that thought. So no one is alone in anything that they’re going through. And if you’re thinking something, someone else probably has too. So you’re not alone in anything.
Learn more about Whitney at her website right here.
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