writing
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In conversation with Chiara Maria: finding her way back to music
“Since I was a little girl, I have always loved singing. I started songwriting at the age of seven. The first song was ‘The Hamster Song,’” Chiara Maria confessed, laughing. “After that, it was just like a way for me to process my emotions, but I never told anyone about it. I didn’t want anyone…
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In conversation with ‘Beneath the Garden Magazine’: unveiling inspiration as the heart of storytelling
If you visit the website of Beneath the Garden Magazine and click on their mission statement—as most writers who are eager to submit their work do—you will meet a quote from Audre Lorde’s collection of essays, Sister Outsider: “I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must…
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In conversation with Claire Martine: stepping out of the comfort zone
“A little grunge, a little dreamy, a little kitschy.” This is the description of the sound that Claire Martine, Milwaukee native-turned New York transplant, has been cultivating and creating for herself. “With leaning into the grunge side of things, with having the shoegaze-y grunge distorted guitars, but I also do really love having digital glitchiness…
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In conversation with Amanda Conti: the personal and professional pieces of songwriting
Of all things, it was an Instagram ad that brought the nonprofit RiverJAM Music to Amanda Conti’s attention. “I don’t know how I saw [the ad],” she explained. “And it was such funny timing because the night before, I just had a whole breakdown about the fact that I felt very disconnected from myself as…
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RiverJAM Music’s Songs & Stories showcases three generations of guitar virtuosity
Red Bank, NJ, saw three generations of guitar talent perform at RiverJAM Music’s Listening Room: Songs & Stories concert on March 25. With Pat Guadagno, Johnny Kasun, and Luke Brindley showing off their fingerpicking skills, the venue was filled with the type of infectious melodies only a guitar can produce. The night began with Reagan…
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In conversation with Kyra Soto: finding confidence in first drafts
Kyra Soto is no stranger to performing. Where some shy in front of the lens of a camera or the idea of being perceived, she thrives. “I grew up within the arts, and I’ve always just loved being in front of cameras.” She immediately recounts the Nickelodeon show iCarly, which served as the OG average-person-to-influencer…
