{"id":27514,"date":"2020-06-25T09:56:22","date_gmt":"2020-06-25T13:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=27514"},"modified":"2020-06-25T09:56:35","modified_gmt":"2020-06-25T13:56:35","slug":"music-spotlight-while-readying-for-a-virtual-ladybug-fest-local-acts-hope-to-be-back-on-the-road-this-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=27514","title":{"rendered":"Music Spotlight: While readying for a virtual Ladybug Fest, local acts hope to be back on the road this fall"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Soraia<\/p><\/div>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the course of music more than any other event since the spring of 1860.<\/p>\n

On April 9, 1860, the French inventor \u00c9douard-L\u00e9on Scott de Martinville created the\u00a0first sound recording\u00a0in history. An eerie rendition of the folksong “Au clair de la lune” was captured by Scott\u2019s trademark invention — the phonautograph (which is the earliest device known to preserve\u00a0sound).<\/p>\n

There certainly were landmark changes over the years including vinyl records, live stage concerts for audiences ranging from 15 people to 500,000 attendees, recording tape, cassettes, digital recording, music videos, CDs, live audio streams on the internet and instant downloads.<\/p>\n

All made their mark, but none approached the craziness that the coronavirus has wrought.<\/p>\n

Everything in the world of music has been turned upside-down including live shows, work in recording studios, album releases and promotional work.<\/p>\n

Local musician and veteran rocker ZouZou Mansour and her band Soraia have experienced this big-time \u2013 having released their new album \u201cDig Your Roots\u201d via\u00a0Steven Van Zandt\u2019s\u00a0label\u00a0Wicked Cool Records within days of when COVID-10 shutdown the country.<\/p>\n

The Ladybug Music Festival, which is the country\u2019s premier music festival featuring female acts exclusively, has also been slammed. The festival has rocked downtown Wilmington with a wide array of music every summer since 2013 \u2013 but Market Street in Wilmington will stay quiet in June 2020.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the Ladybug Music Festival will take place on June 29 and 30 \u2013 digitally. Fortunately, Soraia will be one of the featured acts.<\/p>\n

Soraia\u00a0has just released its new album \u201cDig Your Roots\u201d via\u00a0Steven Van Zandt’s\u00a0label\u00a0Wicked Cool Records.<\/p>\n

Soraia\u00a0\u2013 ZouZou Mansour (lead vocals, tambourine), Travis Smith (bass guitar, backup vocals), Nick Seditious (guitar), Brianna Sig (drums, percussion, background vocals) \u2013 epitomizes raw power, unrelenting energy, chaos, and freedom.<\/p>\n

With a live show that is frenetic and intensely interactive, the band\u2019s chemistry has been cemented through years of fierce, persistent touring from the dingiest dives to the most massive amphitheaters, helping them attract a worldwide fanbase.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album dropped on Friday March 13,\u201d said Mansour, during a phone interview Wednesday evening from her home in South Jersey. \u201cWe were in California and were leaving for Vegas. That\u2019s when they told us things were shutting down.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show in Vegas was really well-attended. When we flew back from Vegas to California, the flight was pretty empty. The airport was really empty. We did a show in Alameda across the Bay from San Francisco and then we flew back home to Philly.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight away, we did a Facebook Live show with all of us together. It was on March 20 to replace our album release show that was supposed to be at MilkBoy Philly but was cancelled. Playing altogether with the four of us in one place was one-and-done because Travis has a 94-year-old grandmother that he sees often.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started doing Spotify sessions with us separated. Actually, we then got more listeners than we ever had before. We realized that there was an audience that needed music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soraia\u2019s debut album \u201cShed the Skin\u201d was released in 2008.<\/p>\n

There is one cover on the album that really showed where Soraia is coming from. The track is \u201cJolene,\u201d which was written and recorded by Dolly Parton in 1974. Parton\u2019s version is light country pop. Soraia\u2019s version is bluesy and drips with the emotion of a desperate woman who is about to lose her man to another woman.<\/p>\n

In March 2013, Soriaia released the album \u201cThe Valley of Love and Guns,\u201d which featured 10 powerful tracks that were a showcase for Mansour\u2019s expressive voice — tracks that hit you both in your ears and in your gut.<\/p>\n

\u201cTravis and I are the core of the band and we\u2019ve been together for over 10 years,\u201d said Mansour, during a phone interview after the release of \u201cLess Than Zero. \u201cWe released our album \u2018The Valley of Love and Guns\u2019 in 2013, \u2018Soraia Lives\u2019 in 2014 and \u2018Less Than Zero\u2019 in 2015.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soraia had just signed a deal with Wicked Cool Records to release new material as well as the band\u2019s back catalogue<\/p>\n

\u201cWicked Cool Records is owned by Little Steven Van Zandt from Bruce Springsteen\u2019s E Street Band,\u201d said Mansour. \u201cDavid Fricke, a senior writer at Rolling Stone Magazine, contacted us out of the blue and said he loved our music. He has a show on Sirius Spectrum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soraia\u2019s lineup solidified four years ago when Brianna Sig took over on drums and added backing vocals.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few years ago, I was playing in another band and someone told me I looked like Soraia,\u201d said Sig, during a phone interview. \u201cOur bands shared a bill and I hinted that I wanted to be their drummer.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot long after that, Soraia needed a drummer for a tour and contacted me. I played on that tour and eventually, it turned into I was her drummer. That was two-and-a-half years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sig grew up in Norristown\u2019s West End and was the daughter of local jazz musician Bill Signorovitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI began drumming when I was about 10,\u201d said Sig. \u201cMy dad was a jazz guitarist, so I was exposed to music early. I graduated high school in 2007 and had my first band in 2010. It took a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sig found a home with Soraia and fit in well with the band\u2019s veterans.<\/p>\n

The domino effect had started, and the dominoes continued to fall in a positive direction for Soraia.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s album \u201cDead Reckoning\u201d was officially released on October 13, 2017 on Wicked Cool Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the new album in January at Renegade Studio in New York. Our label really wanted to capture our live sound. We did two songs with Little Steven and 10 with producing ourselves with engineer Geoff Sanoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band just set up and played live in the studio. It was all analog and recorded directly to tape \u2013 which was exciting. It was our first time to record analog, so it was really special. It was nice to go in and be our own producer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s new LP followed a similar path.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Dig Your Roots\u2019 from February 2019 to summer 2019,\u201d said Mansour. \u201cWe cut it at the same studio we used for \u2018Dead Reckoning\u2019 \u2013 Renegade Studio in New York. It was a completely analog recording. Nothing sounds as good as tape.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also used the same producer \u2013 Geoff Sanoff. He\u2019s a great producer. We\u2019ve grown with him. Geoff understands us and understands our music. He\u2019s a member of the band when we\u2019re in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team of Soraia and Sanoff has proven to be an effective unit in the studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at \u201cDig Your Roots\u2019 as a continuation of what was begun on \u2018Dead Reckoning,\u2019\u201d said Mansour. \u201c\u2018Dig Your Roots\u2019 is coming to terms with the light and dark inside myself and in the world. I come from a diverse multicultural and multireligious background. My father was Muslim and Egyptian, and my mother was Belgian and Catholic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was \u2018different,\u2019 and I hid some of my background from people — thinking I wouldn\u2019t be accepted. Digging my roots is being proud of who I am, letting it come before me even at times, being proud of where I come from, and asking the listener to do the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album also refers to loving what grounds you — the people, the lifestyles, the places you live, where you grew up. It\u2019s being willing to dig up your roots and re-plant if where you are no longer keeps you free \u2013 metaphorically, of course. Inherently, I want this to be the message of the record — If you\u2019re down, get up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further nourishing the band\u2019s roots is the continued support of Wicked Cool\u2019s Stevie Van Zandt. The label head has been an advocate ever since naming their breakout track \u201cLove Like Voodoo\u201d the Coolest Song in the World on his syndicated radio show and SiriusXM channel Little Steven\u2019s Underground Garage in 2013.<\/p>\n

Van Zandt has even become a creative collaborator, penning \u201cWhy\u201d for \u201cDead Reckoning\u201d and co-writing two \u201cRoots\u201d tunes — 2019 Coolest Song \u201cStill I Rise\u201d and forthcoming single \u201cDarkness (Is My Only Candle).\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Mansour, \u201cI’m all about playing a fun song and throwing myself around — that’\u2019 Rock \u2019n\u2019 Roll at its heart. But I\u2019m also about telling the stories of resurrection and life and hope and darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Mansour \u2013 like just about every other musician around the world \u2013 wants to get back on stage. She is eagerly anticipating playing the new songs for live audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all in a position where we want to perform live,\u201d said Mansour. Some acts are playing patio shows but we\u2019re not interested in that. As far as I\u2019m concerned, it\u2019s better to play online in a rehearsal space.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we have started booking shows for the fall. We were contacted by a venue in Austin, Texas \u2013 the Empire Control Room asked us to play a make-up show for our concert there that was scheduled for April and then got cancelled. Now, we have a show there on September 16. We started booking other shows for this fall around that date.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe actually have a show on August 1 at Dragway 42 which is located near Cleveland, Ohio. It\u2019s an annual concert next to the drag races called \u2018Rock\u2019n\u2019Race.\u2019 It\u2019s a big racing and music event that\u2019s been going on for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe start the real touring with a show on September 3 at MilkBoy in Philadelphia. Then we play Union Station in Washington, D.C. on September 4 and \u201cSmyrna at Night\u201d in Delaware on September 5. We have shows scheduled for September in Michigan, Chicago, Austin, Memphis, and Indianapolis.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn October 1, we open for Joan Jett in Albany (NY) and then play New York City on October 2 and New London, Connecticut on October 3. We\u2019re also finalizing a tour of Sweden for the end of October.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be very different. There will be social distancing. Venue capacities will be reduced. People will be wearing masks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mansour remains aware that visits by American citizens \u2013 even entertainers with work visas — might be banned in the fall. She knows that a spike in COVID-19 infections could turn the board showing tour dates into a clean slate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m cautiously optimistic because of the fact that some states are recovering well,\u201d said Mansour. \u201cThe way New York State has handled the pandemic \u2013 I have faith in that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith regard to the tour — if we don\u2019t book it, it won\u2019t happen. If we do book it, there is a chance that the shows will happen. I do ho hope for the return of shows by a lot of acts \u2013 hopefully in the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soraia is covering all bases \u2013 a live tour schedule coupled with internet performances.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have one Facebook Live show in June and the Ladybug Festival,\u201d said Mansour. \u201cThe Facebook Show, which is on June 25 at 8 p.m. is a live set from our rehearsal room. It will be a one-hour acoustic set.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soraia Facebook link — https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SoraiaRocks\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Video link for Soraia — https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SoraiaRocks\/videos\/176577590364803\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur performance for the Ladybug Festival is a full-on band show,\u201d said Mansour, who grew up in Bucks County \u2013 in Fairless Hills. \u201cWe recorded it three weeks ago in our rehearsal room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Ladybug Festival is the largest celebration of women in music in America. Started in 2012 by Gayle Dillman and Jeremy Hebbel (Gable Music Ventures), the idea was to offer an alternative to Firefly Festival that was focused on local independent artists, and free for the community to attend.<\/p>\n

Michael and Debbie Schwartz, owners of the popular Shops and Lofts at 2nd & LOMA, engaged Gable Music Ventures to throw a live music block party for their tenants shortly after Firefly was announced. Gable used the timing of the request to put on the first ever \u201cLadybug Festival\u201d featuring an all-female lineup of artists local to the Wilmington\/Philadelphia music scene.<\/p>\n

The event was well received so Dillman and Hebbel decided they would hold the event annually. Over time, outdoor stages were used, and more artists were added every year — including eventually nationally known acts. In 2019, the Wilmington event featured 100 artists over two days.<\/p>\n

Video link for Ladybug Festival — https:\/\/youtu.be\/mAXYGScC-q4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With the current pandemic conditions, having crowds of people packed in close proximity to hear live music on Market Street is not a very good idea. So, Dillman and Hebbel and the Ladybug Festival team have come up with an alternative. The largest celebration of women in music has moved online due to COVID-19 to protect the safety of the artists, vendors, attendees, and production and event staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cLadybug \u2013 All Digital, All Female \u2013 Music Festival\u201d is scheduled for June 29 and 30 \u2013 starting at 5 p.m. each day. Admission to the event is $20, although fans can donate more as this event is raising funds for\u00a0Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, and\u00a0Downtown Visions.<\/p>\n

The event will be hosted by Jamila Mustafa, who is one of the most prominent voices shaping the millennial generation as an award-winning broadcast journalist, actress, and host. She has hosted a variety of shows on iHeart Radio (Fresh Pick Mondays, Live Sessions, Fan Vs. Artist Trivia), ESPN (EBC At Rucker Park), BET Networks (Sound Bite, Pull Up, BET BREAKS, The Break Down, Inside The Lyric, Set Trippin) and MTV Network’s legendary TRL.<\/p>\n

Mustafa has been featured as a Forbes \u201cMastermind,\u201d celebrated by former Vice President Joe Biden, awarded four City Council resolutions and named one of the Most Influential People of African Descent Under 40 by the United Nations. The former Miss Delaware State University and current international HBCU advocate founded HBCU 2 Hollywood in 2017, a University\/College speaking tour that highlights the importance of education, health, and purpose.<\/p>\n

The headliner is Keri Lynn Hilson is an American singer, songwriter, vocal arranger and actress from Atlanta. One of the featured performers will be West Chester\u2019s multi-talented Nicole Zell.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Nicole Zell<\/p><\/div>\n

Zell, an alumna of West Chester Henderson High School, has a long history with the Ladybug Festival already.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I played Ladybug was in 2015,\u201d said Zell, during a phone interview Tuesday evening from her home in Bala Cynwyd. \u201cI did a \u2018Wilmo Wednesday\u2019 at the Queen that Jeremy and Gayle host in Wilmington. That was my audition for Ladybug \u2013 and it was where I met Alexandra.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alexandra March is Zell\u2019s podcast partner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been a full-time touring musician for 10 years so I\u2019m enjoying the break,\u201d said Zell. \u201cI\u2019ve been getting into other things like making jewelry and doing a podcast, \u2018Follow Your Art,\u2019 with Alexandra March.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFollow Your Art\u201d is a home for art creators and appreciators. Hosted by artists, Alexandra March & Nicole Zell, their podcast promotes collaboration and community through hearing the stories of creatives from all different walks of life.\u00a0It is available on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube and Buzzsprout.<\/p>\n

Video link for Zell\/March podcast — https:\/\/youtu.be\/jvBOajRffHs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2017, I played Ladybug as a duo with Alexandra,\u201d said Zell. \u201cThen at Ladybug 2019, I played with my band THRILLCHASER at the Queen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith THRILLCHASER, we finished making our sophomore album late last year and were looking at a release early this year. We started making the new album in late 2018 and finished it in September 2019. Just like with \u2018A Lot Like Love,\u2019 we recorded the new album with Taylor Larson at Oceanic Recording Studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a concept album. Each song will have visuals \u2013 a video to tell the story. We have a few singles and some lyric videos. But, with the shutdown, we haven\u2019t been able to make any music videos.<\/p>\n

For Zell, pursuing a career in music was natural. Born into a musical family, she grew up singing, songwriting, and playing instruments from an early age. Since then, she has established a successful career\u00a0for herself as a solo artist \u2013 as former guitarist for alternative rock band, American Wolves \u2013 and as guitarist\/vocalist for THRILLCHASER.<\/p>\n

Zell\u2019s\u00a0songwriting achievements are equally as\u00a0impressive as her extensive\u00a0track record as a live performer.\u00a0She has honed her craft by writing hundreds of songs, co-writing and collaborating globally, and working in numerous genres spanning from pop, indie, alt\u00a0rock, country, folk, soul, funk, spoken word, to rap.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith THRILLCHASER, we\u2019re in a holding pattern now,\u201d said Zell. \u201cIf the shutdown didn\u2019t happen, we would have had shows booked and been touring the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, if we had released the album and then been unable to tour, it would have been a disaster. Having a new record to promote and being unable to present it to the fans live would have been a really bad situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there is the upcoming virtual version of the Ladybug Festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ladybug Festival is such a great event,\u201d said Zell. \u201cFor female artists, it\u2019s really incredible to have something like Ladybug to champion female artists. It\u2019s incredible what Jeremy and Gayle do. It\u2019s the world\u2019s largest female festival.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lineup of artists for the spectacular two-day festival also includes Keri Hilson, Larkin Poe, Vanessa Carlton, KT Tunstall, Mary Lambert, Kechi Okwuchi (America\u2019s Got Talent), Evie Clair (America\u2019s Got Talent), Morgan James, Taimane, Lauren Ruth Ward, Asia Sparks, Kalie Shorr, Singing OUT ft. Crys Matthews and Heather Mae, LUANNA, LULLANAS, Tara Hendricks and Alicia Goku.<\/p>\n

Also featured will be Victoria Theodore, The Accidentals, Carsie Blanton, Gina Chavez, Eljuri, Lauren Jenkins, Willow Hill, Jessica Latshaw, Victoria Watts, SIRSY, Shannon Arianna, Alisabeth Von Presley, Nya-Jolie, June Divided, Joy Ike,\u00a0Jenny Leigh, Angela Sheik, Akilah Divine, Aubrey Haddard, Hoochi Coochi, Zookie Baby, Taylor Kelly,\u00a0Toin\u00e9, FRUUT,\u00a0Maya Belardo, The Upstarters, Lauren Kuhne, Alyssa Garcia, Lefty the Greatest and Eleanor Two.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

KT Tunstall<\/p><\/div>\n

KT Tunstall\u00a0is a singer-songwriter-musician from Edinburgh, Scotland who burst onto the music scene in 2004 with a live solo performance of her song \u201cBlack Horse and the Cherry Tree\u201d on the popular British TV show \u201cLater… with Jools Holland.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the decade that followed, she released four full-length studio albums, along with a few EPs and live recordings.<\/p>\n

Tunstall\u00a0has had her songs featured in a number of hit movies such as \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada,\u201d as well as television shows such as \u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy\u201d and \u201cCriminal Minds.\u201d Her album sales are approaching 10 million and she has been nominated for a Grammy Award, the Mercury Music Prize and several BRIT Awards.<\/p>\n

A few years ago,\u00a0Tunstall\u00a0thought she was done with music. She had reached a turning point in her life and she called it quits for her music career.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did I quit — it was really the circumstances,\u201d said\u00a0Tunstall. \u201cMy father passed away. I broke up with my ex. I was miserable. I created my own story. I was a success musically, but I didn\u2019t feel happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

So,\u00a0Tunstall\u00a0halted her career as a rock musician, left the U.K. and relocated to Southern California.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realized I could find sanctuary in Southern California,\u201d said Tunstall. \u201cSo, I sold everything I owned and moved to Venice Beach. It was the best thing I\u2019ve ever done. I had been defined by music for 20 years. Who I was had become lost in that identity. I wanted music to be what I do not who I am. So, I cut the cord.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tunstall\u00a0relocated to Los Angeles, abandoned the world of rock music and set her focus on writing music for films. She studied composing soundtracks at the Skywalker Ranch and composed and performed the following soundtracks — \u201cWinter\u2019s Tale,\u201d \u201cMillion Dollar Arm,\u201d \u201cTinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast\u201d and \u201cAbout Ray.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I moved to California, I spent a lot of time chilling out and reflecting,\u201d said\u00a0Tunstall.\u00a0\u201cI love listening to music in my car. I spent time driving through Laurel Canyon and Topanga Canyon — listening to the music that was made there by acts such as Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got inspired. I began writing these really big choruses. At the same time, my mind and my body said \u2018No.\u2019 I was making very unfettered music that wasn\u2019t self-conscious. I was writing muscular, emotional pop songs that I would be foolish to have ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for\u00a0KT\u00a0Tunstall\u00a0\u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Dxf0lhz1dJo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Based in New Orleans,\u00a0Carsie Blanton\u00a0is not your typical singer-songwriter. She makes music that focuses on witty, intelligent songwriting.<\/p>\n

Her latest album \u201cBuck Up\u201d is a melodic mandate for survival, commenting on the most recent changes we\u2019ve seen in the country. Blanton\u2019s sound is influenced by blues, jazz and pop styles.<\/p>\n

On the album, the darker subject matter is lightened by bright, catchy melodies and her engaging vocals. As much as\u00a0\u201cBuck Up\u201d\u00a0reflects political and personal catastrophe, these themes are always presented in a humorous and playful way.<\/p>\n

Even though\u00a0Blanton\u00a0lives in New Orleans \u2013 a city with music everywhere a lot of great studios, she came to the Philly area to record her latest disc.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded it at Pete Donnelly\u2019s studio in Haddonfield, New Jersey,\u201d said\u00a0Blanton.<\/p>\n

Blanton\u00a0is a talented singer-songwriter whose music spans a variety of genres. She is also adaptable when it comes to finding a place to call home.<\/p>\n

Blanton\u00a0grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountain area in Virginia, moved to Eugene, Oregon when she was 16 and relocated to Philadelphia a few years later.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was 21 when I moved to Philly,\u201d said\u00a0Blanton. \u201cI had a fun and pretty easy time there. I still love Philly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blanton\u00a0released her debut album \u201cHush\u201d in 2002 and followed with \u201cAin\u2019t So Green\u201d in 2009, \u201cBeau\u201d EP in 2010 and \u201cIdiot Heart\u201d in 2012. Her two albums prior to \u201cBuck Up\u201d were \u201cNot Old, Not New,\u201d which was released in 2014, and \u201cSo Ferocious,\u201d which came out on 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuck Up,\u201d which was just released in February 2019, was produced by Pete Donnelly and\u00a0Blanton\u00a0and engineered and mixed by Donnelly at Westmont Station Recording Studio in Haddon Township, New Jersey. Some bass and vocal tracks were engineered by Patrick Firth at The Patty-O in Queens, New York. The album was mastered by Jim Salamone at Cambridge Sound Studios in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Video link for\u00a0Carsie\u00a0Blanton\u00a0\u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/d89fe_p4gX4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lauren Ruth Ward, who played live at Ladybug in 2018, <\/strong>grew up in Baltimore splitting her time between a bohemian mother and a Republican father.<\/p>\n

From a young age, she also had a natural drive for creativity — with the talent to back it.\u00a0Ward\u00a0also taught herself to sew clothes, as well as sing and play guitar, taking cues from the music of her childhood — \u201870s rock and her mom\u2019s old disco compilations along with the music of her teens such as Mirah and Elliott Smith.
\nAfter graduating from high school in suburban Baltimore,\u00a0Ward\u00a0took on hairstyling. By 22 she had a fully booked calendar with cancellation backups at the salon where she worked and was running her own wedding updo business. She was ambitious, successful, and doing work she loved, yet something was missing. That led to a new career and a new hometown.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no catalyst,\u201d said\u00a0Ward, during a phone interview from her home in L.A. \u201cI just knew I needed a switch. I had been a hair stylist for nine years. I was working six days a week \u2013 sometimes seven. I was making great money, but I felt super complacent \u2013 and guilty.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I said \u2013 I want to quit my job and move to California to be a musician. At that point, singing was nothing more than a hobby. There were times I\u2019d convince someone to play music with me but that was always short-lived. In Baltimore, that dream isn\u2019t really alive. In California, people juggle day jobs and their pursuit of dreams. In Baltimore, they accept their fate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baltimore is great for crab dishes, tourist attractions and festivals like Honfest (when there is no pandemic going on) but it\u2019s a horrible place for aspiring musicians.<\/p>\n

So in 2015,\u00a0Ward\u00a0packed up her life and road tripped to her new home — Los Angeles. After a challenging, perfectionistic pursuit,\u00a0Ward\u00a0came together with a band — Liv Slingerland (bass), India Pascucci (drums) and guitarist and fellow songwriter Eduardo Rivera.<\/p>\n

Together, the four new friends created\u00a0Ward\u2019s debut album, \u201cWell, Hell,\u201d a nine-track sampler of what she calls the band\u2019s \u201cfour modes\u201d \u2013 heaven, hell, acoustic and pop. The band\u2019s chameleonic moods are punctuated by\u00a0Ward\u2019s playfulness with her bandmates on stage, dancing with audience and her signature white dotted eyes.<\/p>\n

Video link for\u00a0Lauren\u00a0Ruth\u00a0Ward\u00a0at Ladybug 2018 \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZrDwIU-CtyQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Other acts from the upcoming festival that also played Ladybug in 2018 are Lefty The Greatest, Joy Ike,\u00a0SIRSY, Angela Sheik, Victoria Watts, Aubrey<\/strong> Haddard, Jessica Latshaw,<\/strong> and Hoochi Koochi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the course of music more than any other event since the spring of 1860. On April 9, 1860, the French inventor \u00c9douard-L\u00e9on Scott de Martinville created the\u00a0first sound recording\u00a0in history. An eerie rendition of the folksong “Au clair de la lune” was captured […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5166],"tags":[3912,9913,5585,8999,7412,5917],"class_list":["post-27514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-keri-hilson","tag-kt-tunstall","tag-ladybug-festival","tag-nicole-zell","tag-soraia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27514"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27515,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27514\/revisions\/27515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}