“I want to help push all music, be a part of all music. I never want to be in a box.”
From West Virginia Public Broadcasting and A Change of Tune, this is 30 Days of #WVmusic, the interview series celebrating the folks who make the West Virginia music scene wild and wonderful.
And today’s interview is with a Charleston violinista who teaches children by day and puts a different spin on classical music by night. This… is Alasha Al-Qudwah.
Beth Summers & Alasha Al-Qudwah’s latest release is In With the New.
Interview Highlights
On first falling in love with music:
I used to hear stories about me taking my step-dad’s acoustic guitar and just kind of going in a room by myself for hours, just making up songs, strumming chords. When I was nine-years-old at Montrose Elementary, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra sent the Montclaire Quartet to my elementary school, and it was the first time I saw classical music live. I was mesmerized by the musicians and the experience. I actually was attracted to the cello, but it was just too heavy for me [laughing], but it turned out great for me because I was much more fluid and natural at violin.
I snuck behind my grandma’s back and signed myself up for strings class, which was news to her. It started there. Sandra Groce became my first private lessons teacher, and she really helped me fall in love with music even more by playing in an ensemble and joining the youth symphony and having all these opportunities. It was in high school when I realized there’s nothing else I want to do with my life; I just want to dedicate it to playing music, being a part of music, teaching music… all that fun stuff.
On the first moment she felt like a professional musician:
I think it was when I was in college, when I started getting hired for gigs and started getting money to go play with local orchestras or playing weddings. That’s when I realized, “Woah, I’m getting money [laughing]! So this is a real thing.” As a professional musician, there’s always so many more levels to capture, so you never know if you’re quite there yet, but that’s the beautiful part of the journey.
Credit Michelle Waters
/
Charleston-based artist Alasha Al-Qudwah.
On playing classical vs. band experiences:
I lived in Athens, Ohio, for five years. I went to college at Ohio University, and it was there I started finding I had a different voice with the violin. I started jamming with these awesome guitarists and started to improvise and play open mics. That was my first experience leaving the sheet music, so to speak. I think it really started there because it gave me the confidence to tell a band like Qiet, “Yes, I would love to play and perform with you, and I can learn these by ear.” It was inspiring.
I think for a long time, I thought classical orchestra would be my main focus. When you go to study music in college, that’s what it’s all about. I think what opened by eyes the most was attending the Mark O’Connor Camp in Nashville, and they had violinists there from every different genre to teach a week-long camp. Seeing this master of Klezmer music as well as a master of classical, jazz, swing, old-time, Appalachian… that’s when I realized I wanted to explore more styles.
Credit Josh Saul / saulphoto.com
/
saulphoto.com
A quiet moment for Charleston band Qiet before their NPR Mountain Stage debut in 2016.
On her tenure with the Charleston eclectic band Qiet:
I have a six-year-old daughter who was born in March of 2011, and I get a phone call that June, and it’s from this very strange voice – Christopher [Vincent, the frontman for Qiet]. I never answer my phone, so it’s really interesting I answer this call. I’m sitting in a rocking chair, breastfeeding, and he asks, “Is this Alasha? The violin player?” At that time, I just moved back [to Charleston], so I wasn’t used to being known as the violin player. And he said, “I’ve gotten a suggestion that you might be a good fit for our band Qiet.” And I started freaking out because I had just seen them a couple of months before and thought, “I need to be in a band like that with the gypsy music.” I love playing that style on violin. Ever since then, it’s been a five-year-journey of lots of fun. When I saw Qiet perform, I just knew I had a place on that stage. First off, they all wore all-black, which is my [wardrobe] personality already [laughing]. And just the elements of their music. “Hollow Man” was the song that sold me on them. And it’s still one of my favorite songs to play with Qiet.
Credit Melissa Menon
/
Alasha Al-Qudwah (or “Miss Alasha,” as her class calls her) teaching music to Charleston Montessori School in Charleston, West Virginia.
On her role as a music teacher:
I was sixteen, and I had been going to a summer camp for many years, a string camp, it was my first year of being a counselor, having my own chamber group, being responsible for guiding them through their music activities. That’s what really let me know that music education was going to be a part of my life. I just want to give back, so to speak, especially to the Charleston community. The children need it here, it keeps out arts alive, and keeps breeding new talent that you’ll someday interview!
In music class, we love to learn about music history. The children love to learn about composers, and I love to talk about it. I love incorporating it with other history, so we’ll spend our music classes doing that and learning all kinds of rhythms and melodies. I like to step out of the traditional box of learning choir pieces, so I like to teach them folk songs like “Shady Grove” and Beatles songs. They wrote an original song with me called “Love, Light and Peace.” They came up with the melody, the chords, the structure, and it’s really beautiful. They’re so cute singing these beautiful folks songs. I want them to be exposed at even a younger age than I was to all the music out there.
I hope to give them the inspiration of being themselves, to never be afraid to dream the impossible. I dreamed the impossible wanting to be a musicians, and there’s always a way. I want them to be able to go out in society and help better the people around them. I want them to understand we’re all equal in this world and depend on each other to help each other. It’s not just teaching them a skill; it’s teaching them to be a better person.
Music featured in this #WVmusic chat:
Qiet- “Wild & Wonderful”
Beth Summers and Alasha Al-Qudwah- “Serial”
Beth Summers and Alasha Al-Qudwah- “Bluest Ocean”
Support for 30 Days of #WVmusic is provided by Kin Ship Goods, proud supporter of DIY music and the arts. Locally shipped worldwide at kinshipgoods.com.
Sunday’s sold out show at Charleston’s Culture Center Theater marks Mountain Stage’s 875th episode and features performances by Colorado jam-grass band Leftover Salmon, Nashville country singer Elizabeth Cook, West Virginia gypsy rockers Qiet, blues rock supergroup Royal Southern Brotherhood, and The Bridge jam band frontman Cris Jacobs. Our radio listeners will hear this episode on over 170 NPR stations via NPR Music starting September 30.
For those of you watching along online, make sure to share your listening/watching experience with us! Use #MountainStage and #gotowv.
Alt-country singer-songwriter Elizabeth Cook and West Virginia-based rockers Qiet have been added to the bill for Mountain Stage’s live production Sunday, July 31 at the Culture Center Theater. As previously announced, the show will also feature jam-grass favorites Leftover Salmon. Advance tickets are $20, available online, by phone at 877-987-6487 or locally at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston.
Cook is prepared to release “Exodus of Venus” on June 17, and the powerful video for “Slow Pain” premiered recently via Galore. This will make Cook’s 4th appearance on Mountain Stage since 2002.
Beloved gypsy rockers Qiet will make their Mountain Stage debut on July 31, with songs from the recently released crowd-funded project “Kiss The Universe.” They’ve built a dedicated following by blazing their own path throughout our state and the region with their jangly blend of performance art and Appalachian charm.
Since the show began almost two years ago, A Change of Tune has highlighted some of the best up-and-coming artists out of these West Virginia hills with podcast-y chats ranging from Ona to Tyler Childers, Rozwell Kid to Qiet and beyond. But those interviews have been a bit infrequent, and since West Virginia Day is coming up (not to mention A Change of Tune’s second birthday), we thought we’d do something special: 30 days, 30 brand new #WVmusic interviews that range from Morgantown alt-rockers and Parkersburg singer-songwriters to West Virginia music venues and regional artist management and beyond, all of which contribute to this state’s wild and wonderful music scene.
Today, we’re chatting with Huntington’s own Ian Thornton, a 30-something who has become a sort of father figure to the West Virginia music scene, and no wonder: he’s played here, he’s booked shows here and he’s even put on a local music festival that’s grown exponentially over the last 7 years. But we’ll let him describe what he’s done and what he hopes to do for West Virginia music.
On his start in music and his father (the namesake for Whizzbang Booking and Management):
I guess it ultimately goes back to my dad. Huge music buff. Couldn’t snap his fingers in rhythm, but he could tell you everything about the Kinks or Dublin Bagpipes or folk music. The guy was incredibly intelligent on a lot of fronts. That’s where I got a love of music from the get-go, getting into the Beatles or the Stones or Buddy Holly.
Then I got my first instrument in high school [as a] freshmen, hanging out with friends and playing music. But I really started taking part in the music scene with The Love Coats, which was my first band that was really doing stuff in Huntington. With them we saw moderate regional success. We weren’t huge or anything, but we did well in our area.
I was in another really cool band called Desolation Row, [where] we were a little heavier. [Then] AC30 came from a band called Whirling Dervish, [which] lost a couple of members, added a couple of members and turned into AC30.
On wanting a career in music at a young age:
I knew I wanted a career in music since middle school, [but] I didn’t know how. Everyone wants to be in a famous band. Who doesn’t want to play Wembley or Madison Square Garden? Always carry day jobs, that’s the thing about music. You always need some other income. If you depend on music from the get-go, you’ll be in a lot of trouble, [and you’ll] be really hungry.
On opening a bar in Huntington:
We got ahold of Shamrocks, my brother and I, in ’08. The Love Coats had broken up already, and I was still in love with playing shows, meeting bands and that whole atmosphere. The Shamrocks venue was actually where I played my first rock’n’roll show, [which] was called Marley’s Doghouse at the time, and it came up for sale. None of us had ever been in the bar business or ran a bar, we kind of jumped in with two feet and I took over the entertainment and booking side.
That’s kind of where it all started with me learning how to book shows, talk to bands, and handle events of that nature. It was a long process, a lot of learning, but we caught our stride and were doing really well there for awhile.
It was a good venue, cool room. Dirty dive bar. Smelled terrible, concrete floors. That was the essence of it. I was going through Myspace, trying to find bands in the area. Most venues have to field so many emails about bands wanting to play, being picky-choosey. [But] at that time, I was like, “Please play this bar. We have to have music.”
I was putting really funny bills together. Which is something I’ve liked to do since then. I’d put a country act with a metal act, or a punk rock with a hip hop. At first it was out of desperation but I really like the eclectic style. I like more than one style of music; I think people like more than one style of music. If you limit yourself to only one, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
That first year was rough. It was slow going. But eventually we started catching some tread in the area. The thing about Huntington is there isn’t a lot of choices for live music. Today, we’re down to the V Club. There’s other places that will do music, but I wouldn’t call them venues. Like they’ll have music in their bar.
With Shamrocks, we were hitting a niche. We took the role of the dirty dive bar, and I like that. That’s what rock clubs are: musty and dark. That’s where the best things happen, I feel. We caught on with a lot of the scene, and people who couldn’t really get shows in Huntington. We were more open arms.
On the sustainability of #WVmusic:
If people aren’t getting behind it, and you aren’t having that thriving force behind it, it’s hard for people to sustain it. People get older too. That’s a thing with bands: it’s a lot of fun when you’re 22 or 23, but you get older and have to get more serious about your life, [so] bands take backseats. From our heyday, there’s only a few left [like] Sly Roosevelt and Deadbeats and Barkers. I think music scenes go in ebbs and flows, a lot of high points then it kind of drops off. Recently we’re on another upturn. People are getting inspired again, and you see bands popping up.
Credit Courtesy of Ian Thornton
/
Ian Thornton began the Huntington Music & Arts Festival on a wing and a prayer. Now, it’s grown to a full week of music, arts and collaboration in Huntington.
There weren’t any festivals in town promoting our local scene other than two bars. And the problem with that is you’re cutting out 90 percent of your potential listeners. Not everyone wants to come to a bar and a show that starts at 10:30 at night. You’re limiting yourself to people listening to your music. I wanted to bring those bands out of the bars and to the forefront of Huntington. A daytime family-friendly event where they could enjoy some of these bands that I felt were doing really good and that I could get behind. You could have fun and still go home and get to bed at a decent hour if you needed to.
The first year… the event went well, but it was a hard thing to get together. I had never done it before, and I jumped into it. I’m a really particular person because “if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself,” and I’ve been burned in the past. I wanted to take it upon myself to have a successful event, [where] I have to do a majority of the work to pull it off. I’ve probably put more work on myself than I should at times, and I’m getting to a point where I can rely on people. I can finally delegate some stuff out. I’m learning… [laughing] I’m slowly giving up!
When it comes to picking bands out, I try to see as many shows as I can throughout the year. My main concern is if a band is active, they’re actually doing something. I want them to have something to promote. I guess it’s kind of like Mountain Stage: you’re not just picking people to pick people. You’re [looking for] a working band, aspiring to do something positive, promote your music and do things. [So] that’s what I like to look for: bands on the rise, or are actively doing it.
It gets a lot tougher because I have to separate friends [from work]. I have to treat the Huntington Music & Arts Festival with a level of responsibility and can’t let everyone on it.
Like Of the Dell, those boys are a perfect example. They were hounding me last year, [and I would tell them,] “You guys are great, and I love you, but you’re just not ready.” Now they’re more than ready for a spot this year. They’ve hit the game hard and have over 25 original tunes [now]; they’ve put the work in and you can see it.
Credit Kaci Tallman
/
Ian Thornton (far left) enjoying a break from a festival with his #WVmusic friends (who happen to be members of Tyler Childers & the Foodstamps and Ona).
Essentially what I’m doing is selling a band. I’m trying to sell a band to a venue who’s never heard of this person, or me, so if you’re just doing to make a little dough, it’s a half-hearted attempt. I refuse to act in that manner. So when it came to picking the roster, those are all people I have a lot of faith in, and I really enjoy their music personally. I could listen to it, and I listen to it often. I think that makes my job easier because you’re more sincere about it. I think sincerity is a big proponent of this sort of thing because if you don’t believe in it, how can you get someone else.
I try to rely on my credibility, that I’m passionate about what I do.
Credit Courtesy of Ian Thornton
/
Ian Thonrton began Whizzbang Booking and Management in the Spring of 2016.
On being friends with (and managing) Morgantown’s William Matheny:
I’m incredibly excited about William. He’s one of the first ones I’ve contacted back in the Shamrocks days, and to this day I’ll stand behind the Born of Frustration album. We hit it off early, and I’ve been a huge fan of his for so long. At Shamrocks, I would only let sound guys play local music in-between bands. I don’t know how many times I’d only play Billy’s record back there.
From a managing sense, Billy’s incredibly intelligent. He’s been in the scene for a long time. He knows what he wants. In terms of managing, I only truly manage Tyler, Ona and Of the Dell; the rest I help out [with], give ideas, talk back-and-forth. I primarily book those acts. [But] William is a force of his own. He teaches me things. He asked me to join his band, [which] I think he and Bud [Caroll] came to the conclusion because Adam Meisterhans plays bass on a majority of the record [and] he wouldn’t be able to make all the gigs. So they invited me to play, and I jumped on it to play with a guy I’ve been a huge fan of for years. It’s kind of fun to be that involved in something and separate yourself to pitch it too. We’re a nice couple; we make it work.
Bud and I really hit it off! I knew who he was early on, [but] we weren’t really friends in the early Shamrocks days. [But] The Love Coats opened up for American Minor, we started talking and we’ve been incredibly close ever since. He’s been integral to the early days of the Huntington Music & Arts Festival. [Our band] AC30 was a really fun run, and we never really broke up; we kind of just stopped playing. Hopefully we play again. We’ve got some songs recorded that I’d like to get out there.
On being called a “father figure” in the #WVmusic scene:
It’s been a main goal of mine to treat bands well from the get-go, and I think that stems from me having a musician background to begin with. And I think when you treat people well, you get it in return. Ultimately when it comes to taking on the roll I have, it wasn’t intended by any means. If you told me 8 or 9 years ago that this would be where I was, I don’t know if I’d believe you or not. It’s a matter of doing it, really. It just became a passion of mine that kept going. When it comes down to it, people can talk all day, but until you take the effort and step forward and take the responsibility on, nothing’s going to change, nothing’s going to happen with it. I didn’t really see that getting done at the time.
So I just felt it upon myself, I had a great opportunity with a rock venue. One thing just kept leading to another. I was earning the respect from a lot of bands with the venue treating them right when they weren’t being treated right at other places.
I do get joked about with that stuff every now and then. All the Ona boys call me dad, and in return the Foodstamps starting calling me mom. [Laughing] So I have the whole thing there.
It’s a matter of wanting to do it, and actually enjoying it. Nothing I’ve done is for recognition or anything. The main goal is promoting WV/Tri-State music. I would put our scene against the Seattle boom in the ’90s or the Austin boom. I think we’ve got, per capita, just as good of stuff as anywhere in the nation. If I have to be the one to push it, that’s what I’m going to do. Until I can’t do it anymore, or for some reason it gets pulled out from under me but so far so good!
Credit Max Nolte
/
Ian Thornton on public transportation in D.C. as he accompanied Ona to their Sirius XM The Loft performance.
On the highlight of his #WVmusic journey:
Huntington Music & Arts Festival. If I had to be proud of something, it’d be that. It brings a lot of people together. That thing takes months and months of planning, phone calls, hitting the streets and getting sponsorships myself. But then it’s over in a flash. You get there at 8 in the morning and before you know it, the last band is hitting the last note. It kind of shoots by. I did all this stuff and now it’s over. But it’s such a thrill. It isn’t just a Huntington thing; it’s West Virginia-Kentucky-Ohio. Seeing these bands so happy and being together with other bands their friends with or love, and seeing them all onstage in one day, or it’s a whole week at this point. We’re growing this to something I think will be something Huntington pushes. I think it will be one of their attributes, and that’s my goal. People coming around to see it, filling up the hotels and businesses. Doing what we can to make Huntington a great city.
It’s obviously a grandeur idea, but like how SXSW is. All different art forms are expressed, people come from miles-and-miles, countries away. I mean, it’s Austin, TX. But I think we can do that on a small scale. And we’re finally getting noticed some of the people in Huntington…. We’re not just a bunch of rock n rollers renting out the amphitheater playing guitars loud. This is a serious thing; we all take it seriously. We’re here to promote it and show what your city has to offer you. All you have to do is buy a ticket.
On the future of the #WVmusic scene:
I think we’re on quite the rise, I think some great things are about to happen. I’m seeing new bands pop up; new bands I really dig. You know, I preach Tyler Childers and Ona heavier than anything. I’m closer to those guys. I believe in them more than anything. I’d risk life and limb for both of them. I think seeing them doing things that are quality and getting recognition across the country, literally. Even other countries at this point. I look at their sales and the attention they’re getting, and it’s inspiring. All it does is keep increasing passion. It’d be one thing to keep beating a dead horse, or run into a wall, but if you get behind something and it catches on, it does nothing but invigorate you, and make you want to push harder, get more acts doing things.
When I came into the scene, it was really funny. The Love Coats were the only pop-rock band around, so there was no one to play with. What we did was learn 3 hours’ worth of music, basically do our own shows because it was a really heavier scene.
The ’90s Huntington scene which was a little before my time was huge with bands like Chum doing huge things. We were a heavier scene, and it was starting to wain off when I started coming up to it. It’s transitioned now, I don’t think you put your finger on just one thing or another. We’re eclectic and I love it. Being eclectic will bring more music than being stifled. Seeing new bands pop up across genres is really inspiring, and I think we’re on a rise personally. There’s great things happening, past couple of years, and great things to come.
On advice to young West Virginians looking to get into music:
I would say just love what you do, and be passionate about it. And be ready to work hard, because that’s what it takes. And don’t put money as your ultimate goal, I know bands that do that and nothing good comes of it. If you love music, love music. If you love what you do, love what you do. Believe in what you do and push for it. You will reap benefits from hard work. Love what you do, practice, hone your craft and just believe in yourself. Network, meet other bands, become friends with other bands because nobody can do everything on their own. It takes that networking and comradery to make a music scene to help build everybody. It’s not a one-person thing; it’s a music scene for a reason. So you go watch other people’s bands so they’ll watch your band. You have to be a part of it. You can’t just jump in and expect anything. Work for it, earn it.
On his hopes for #WVmusic in the years to come:
I hope that we become a focus of the national music scene, and I hope we can set a bar because, I hate to be the guy to beat on West Virginia, but we have a stigma about us. [Laughing] Hell if they even know West Virginia is a state. It’s constantly a thing we have to battle. I’d like to have such an impact that people will be like, “We have to do what they’re doing in Huntington. A small city, but look at what they’re doing. Look at how active they are and in sync with each other.” I want to build a music scene that can be admired from the entire nation, not just West Virginia or the surrounding areas.
Ask anyone in Charleston about the #WVmusic scene, and you’ll get responses ranging from venue reviews to summer fest suggestions to, of course, band recommendations. No matter what kind of response you get, we’re sure it somehow leads back to Qiet, the Appalachian gypsy rock band that has been a fixture of the #WVmusic scene for quite some time.
We sat down with Qiet frontman and founder Christopher Vincent in the #wvpublic studios to talk about the band’s new record Kiss of the Universe and why their February 27 double album release show with Charleston’s The Sea The Sea might just be a turning point for the #WVmusic scene.
Qiet‘s newest release Kiss of the Universe will be available for purchase this Saturday, February 27 in Charleston at A Change of Tune’s presentation of Qiet & The Sea The Sea’s Double Album Release Show (featuring the acoustic guitar stylings of Spencer Elliott).
Individual tickets are $15 (general admission) or $30 (which includes general admission + both new albums + charitable contribution to Step by Step WV and Covenant House), available at the Clay Center box office or online. Win yourself a pair on A Change of Tune’s Facebook.
Christopher: I was born in Virginia; I was raised between Virginia and Ohio and West Virginia. I didn’t stay in the same place until… I think I still haven’t, actually. I haven’t spent a lot of time in one place. But as a whole, mostly in West Virginia.
On Qiet’s start:
Christopher: I started Qiet when I was fifteen, that’s when I started playing music, but I didn’t know how to make music. But I still made albums. They were full compositions; they just sounded completely whack. Most of it was gibberish because it was a lot of first take stuff. Because I placed a lot of importance on whatever I was feeling, whatever was in my heart. I was like, “Nobody’s going to hear this stuff anyways.” So I started making albums and never let anybody listen to it. Because the first time I ever let someone listen to it, it was my friends who I listened to music with all the time. They put it in the music player and started skipping through tracks and ejected it. They said the CD quality was awful, they called it unlistenable. So I swore to never let anybody listen to music ever again, and so I made Qiet albums in closets until I was 22, when I finally decided to put together a live project. That was because my friend was like, “You really need to get a band together to do this.” And I laughed in his face and said, “Who would want to listen to this?” I still kind of feel that way but…
On Christopher’s blacklist:
Christopher: I have one name on my blacklist, and you won’t believe who it is: Christopher Vincent. Swear to God. I didn’t even know that until after he was on my blacklist. I think he actually might be a nice guy, but it was a really bad situation at an Eve6 show, and it was really bad. I had his card in my pocket, and I remember being like, “What is his name? ‘Cause it’s going on my blacklist.” But I’m sure he’s a nice guy, I’m sure we would get along if I [see him again].
On Qiet’s evolution:
Christopher: The first show we had 13 people on stage. And then the second show was a different number. Third show was a different number. And it was like that for a while. Then I got a core that I enjoyed playing with. I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone this, but the original idea of Qiet was to have evolving numbers. Some of them I would use a couple times, but mostly gather whatever musicians I could. I didn’t plan on playing a lot of shows. I figured, a quarterly show with new musicians? Because I didn’t want it to be like every other band.
On Christopher’s musical background:
Christopher: I’ve taken a couple vocal lessons since I’ve lived here in Charleston. I didn’t keep up with that (I don’t know remember why). I’ve never taken a guitar lesson or piano or drums. I was in jazz ensemble in high school for drums, but they never let me play because I was awful (which was fair).
On Christopher’s first meeting with Kiss of the Universe producer Eddie Ashworth:
Christopher: I don’t know anything about music business. I still can’t even remember the word “publicist” 80% of the time [laughing]. So I’m sitting here, trying to fight through a business conversation with a veteran and I have no idea. I made it weird, but he still decided to go with us.
On the #WVmusic scene:
Christopher: I still honestly talk about this place like it’s in an era of potentiality. It’s great around here, but it’s not to fruition yet…People don’t have an attitude of investment. They can’t see further down the road of putting money in a musician’s pocket, and then you’re going to get more quality musicians, you’re going to get more quality experience and the people in the audience are going to feel that experience, they’re going to want to come back to your venue, they’re going to want to give more. It would be a self-perpetuating thing if it would just get over that precipice.
On working through self-doubt as a public figure:
Christopher: I still have social anxiety. And I’m in the spotlight now. People hate me. People hate me who have never met me. And I hear it from other people. And I’m like, “Is that verbatim?” And they say, “Verbatim.” I don’t understand it, and it doesn’t feel good. If that one person in the audience isn’t satisfied, it bothers me. But when someone just really despises me? Some part of me has got to question, “Am I doing something wrong? Could I be doing something better?”
Christopher: We’re walking out on a limb right now. We’re building our own production. This is something I used to do in Huntington, but there were venues (smaller than the Clay Center but bigger than what’s available around here in [Charleston]). There were venues in Huntington where we put on our production, where we got control of the bar, what was stocked at the bar, we even got bar sales. We got to decorate the place ourselves. The place was called Icon at the time, and that was where it was at. Having complete control over the presentation, because you also have control over the sound, when you sound check and load-in, everything down to the n-th degree.
So [we’re taking this] to the Clay Center. We’re throwing in some money in hopes that we can build our own presentation and take it to the next level, take that step, take that risk, incur that risk for everybody else who might want to put on their own presentation. Because the more people that do it, the more facilitating the Clay Center will be. It’s a big, beautiful venue, and when it’s not being used, it’s a shame. And if you can get people organizing and using that place, they’ll be more facilitating… We’re really just trying to build honesty with the venue. Rob Rosano [the Clay Center’s vice president of theater and sales] started up the Sound Check Sessions in an effort to get the local music scene kickstarted, too. So it is happening; it just needs the right ingredients. And this is one of them.
On Qiet’s hopes for their new release:
Christopher: We’re either going to be rock stars or I quit [laughing]. I can’t do much better than this. If the public isn’t ready for this sound or I can’t get the ball rolling on this, either I’m doing something wrong or the world’s not poised for it. Just take my legacy and move to Guadalajara.
Credit J. Travis Morton
/
A Change of Tune is proud to present Qiet The Sea The Sea’s Double Album Release Show. (We’re also proud of these limited edition posters, which will be available at the gig!)
Missed out on last week’s ‘A Change of Tune’? Don’t know what to expect in the week to come? Here’s your Tu(n)esday Wrap-Up.
Interview(s):
Last Sunday’s Mountain Stage was a dream. Between our good friends Ona making their Mountain Stage debut to seeing our first indie music crush Ra Ra Riot synth-pop it out to crushing over Overcoats’ unsigned folktronica sound, the show was our favorite musical moment of 2016 (so far, that is). The show will be available on VuHaus and NPR Music in the near future. In the meantime, you can hear our chats with Ra Ra Riot and Ona on our website and listen to Overcoats on our past show playlists.
Credit Josh Saul
/
Joni Ona = J’ona
‘A Change of Tune’ Feb. 21 Playlist / Downloads:
Speaking of playlists, check out last week’s #achangeoftune playlist below and find downloads for most of the songs from our West Virginia public library friends on Freegal.
Alabama Shakes vs. Rolling Stones- “Don’t Want to Miss You No More”
Santigold- “Chasing Shadows”
Francis- “Horses”
Andrew Bird- “Capsized”
DIIV- “Is the Is Are”
Matthew White- “Cool Out” feat. Natalie Prass
Qiet- “Daddy’s Too Old”
The Sea The Sea- “Set Us Free”
Ra Ra Riot- “Foreign Lovers”
Rostam- “Wood”
Weezer- “Thank God for Girls”
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down- “Nobody Dies”
Alex G- “Mary”
Hannah Grace- “Keep Your Love”
The Tulips- “Heroes” (David Bowie cover)
The Week to Come:
– We’re proud to announce that ‘A Change of Tune’ will present our #WVmusic friends The Sea The Sea and Qiet‘s double album release show this Saturday, February 27 at the Clay Center in Charleston. Find out more about the show here and pick up your tickets here. (Did we mention we’ll have ‘A Change of Tune’ Qiet/The Sea The Sea posters for sale?)
Credit J. Travis Morton
/
– Speaking of Qiet, we had the pleasure of sitting down with the eclectic rock band’s frontman to chat music and mountains. Keep an eye on our page and our socials for the complete chat when it goes live this Friday.
