Rebekah Todd – All About Musicianship And Entrepreneurship (Interview)

Here she is, still swinging again from musicianship to entrepreneurship,

Switching the letters of a poetic side for the numbers of a more economic side

Concerned about the fulfillment of her artistry, and the success of her business

Losing sleep, dedicated yet smiling, taking the bitter with the sweet.

A balance is needed, to stand still and make your way to the top,.

Rebekah Todd, Soul & Blues singer-songwriter from Wilmington, North Carolina, is an independent artist blessed with an outstanding voice, as soothing and moving as can be.

Throughout her overall songwriting she’s telling stories with charisma, conviction and emotion.

Her voice is as light as a feather, falling from the wings of a singing bird,

Her voice is as solid as rock smashing the surface of calm waters,

In other words, mind-blowing is her voice.

She and her band, The Odyssey, know how to put music into life.

Besides their artistry now is the business side.

Being a musician is not only about creating art and masterpieces,

Being a musician is also managing a professional activity, running a career.

That’s why you have to switch your artist hat for the entrepreneur cap.

The challenge is to find the balance between both.

That’s a challenge Rebekah and her band managed to face with success, as they’ve been working on a funding campaign, Kickstarter, for the launch of a sophomore album.

Indeed, after releasing her debut EP, Forget Me Not, in 2011, and first LP, Roots Bury Deep, in 2014.

Her second album, titled Crooked Lines, is finally set for February 17th.

For the Kickstarter, Todd crafted 30 original fine art paintings for the campaign and with the help of 450 fans, the campaign was completed with over $32K raised to fund her sophomore album, Crooked Lines.

The funky horns you can enjoy on “Hustle” are played by notable horn player Marcus Anderson (Prince).

The album features 10 soulful tracks which was produced by Dick Hodgin and Chad Lister (Osceola Productions), recorded and mixed by Dick Hodgin, and mastered by Brent Lambert (Kitchen Mastering).

Before February 17th, pre-order Crooked Lines HERE already.

For this album, Rebekah Todd faced the challenge to collect over 30,000 dollars (32K) for her funding campaign in 45 days.

Such a challenge happens to be quite a journey, let’s talk about it in our following interview.

“In the last two years, I’ve felt my voice mature into a confident blues and soul style. The album is a great representation of that growth and is something I am deeply proud of.

The album is rich as it dips into the more vulnerable love songs, such as ‘Let Me Prove My Love’ as well as the sweeping and wailing rocky/blues tunes like ‘Can’t Sleep’.

It’s in ‘Hustle’ where the band really found its funky stride.

I can’t wait for fans to listen to all of the new tunes and am already itching to start on a new album as we push even further into our sound.“ – Rebekah Todd

INTERVIEW

1) I’ve met several musicians who had to run a funding campaign for their album. But sometimes the amount of work for such a campaign takes more time than the work on the music, and this can be annoying. As an independent artist, how do you find a balance between your musicianship and your entrepreneurship?

This is so true and quite honestly, it takes a lot of work to keep things balanced.

I typically find that I spend much more time being an entrepreneur than I do as a musician…especially as an independent musician.

2) Running such a campaign is always a great challenge and journey. Which would be one of your most valuable souvenir from such your hustle for this campaign?

The Kickstarter taught me a lot about our fanbase and how loyal they are to the music.

If it weren’t for the fans, we would not have been able to complete the album, hands down. We are so grateful to them for their support.

3) How did you grow, as a person, from your hustle?

Our single, “Hustle”, was written at a time when I was dating a guy who had several jobs and was trying to make ends meet.

I would watch him get home at midnight and wake up at 7am for the next job. He barely slept and needless to say, we didn’t really have much of a relationship because he had to work so much.

It taught me a lot, that relationship. We all have to hustle in one way or another.

For him, it was four jobs. For me, it’s trying to be an entrepreneur and sell my music to people every day.

4) At Sounds So Beautiful we recently met a busker from Los Angeles (Katie Ferrara), and it’s interesting to discover the journey of a street performer, such hard working people.
For the video of your single Hustle, you’re involving several street performers.
Tell us about your connection with street performers. How much can they relate with “Crooked Lines”?

I can’t wait for the release of the video. We have chefs working in their kitchen, baristas at their coffee shop, my band on stage at a show, buskers playing all kinds of instruments in downtown Wilmington.We even have street performers covered in silver paint.

It’s a really cool video and I’m very proud of our videographer, Jesse Gagne for all of his hard work.

Photograph by Jesse Gagne

5) What makes you feel like home when it comes to North Carolina?

I currently live in the beach town of Wilmington, NC.

When you drive into town you can smell the salt in the air and there are seagulls in the grocery store parking lots.

The oak trees twist and bend their branches in a way that you can only find near the ocean.

The people take their time around Wilmington and no one is in any kind of rush.

It’s a place people come to relax and I find it very soothing.

6) When it comes to the music in Pentecostal church, what used to amaze you the most?

The Pentecostal churches have a reputation for being uninhibited and saying/doing whatever they feel in the moment.

They sing at the top of their lungs and it was in the Pentecostal church that I first learned to harmonize. The older women there sing with big, strong voices and a slow vibrato.

The sound makes my eyes water.

7) Lauryn Hill is among your inspirations, which is your favorite song?

Zion, all the way!

8) Your sound in Hustle reminds sometimes of Joss Stone.
Have you ever been compared to her? Did she inspire you too?

Joss Stone has an amazing voice. That is a huge compliment. It’s actually not one that I get too often but I’m happy that you think that!

9) Where do you get the inspiration for your paintings?
How would you define your art when it comes to painting?

I do mostly abstract art as of right now and typically work with acrylic and mixed media.

My paintings start off very loosely and I paint whatever colors and shapes I’m feeling in the moment.

I turn the music all the way up in my studio and just let it happen!

10) If there were a picture to illustrate your shows, how could you imagine it, in all colors and shades? And when are your next shows?

Live shows for me are all about feeling.

As a performer, it’s my job to feel the job, feel the band, feel the room and give back accordingly.

I live for the moments when everyone gets on the same frequency in the room. Sometimes the moment lasts for a minute, sometimes for several…but that’s what it’s all about for me.

I would call it a lavender.