Issue VI: Layers

Issue VI, 2018

CENTER STAGE Music Center Corp.

“Layers”

Skela • Allow Me To Introduce Myself • John Brautigam

THE TEAM EDITOR IN CHIEF Angela Munro MANAGING DIRECTOR Veronica McCormick CREATIVE DIRECTOR & HEAD DESIGNER Christiana Kaimis TEAM WRITERS Rebecca Lewis Ulises Amaya

CONTRIBUTORS John Brautigam Regan Lee Skela

www.CenterStageMusicCenter.com

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CONTENTS

4 Letter From the Editor

6 Allow Me To Introduce Myself

8 Skela Photo by: Chiara Gerek

Art by: Regan Lee

18 Pain... It Happens 10 Ways to Prevent Injury

21 Under the Covers Playlist

Cover photo by: Chiara Gerek

22 Sit Down Session with John Brautigam

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

W

e always hear that music can be an outlet; an outlet to express yourself. Whether we are writing songs and compositions, or just listening to them, music helps us to discover different layers of ourselves. After all, every person is made up of so many beautiful layers that makes each of us unique. Music gives us the platform to embrace parts of ourselves that we wouldn’t normally show to the world. You could use lyrics to express the thoughts you couldn’t speak. Or, you could create an on stage alter-ego to unleash your superhuman self. In this issue, we explore the idea of embracing all of our layers and the layers of the people around us. We will sit down with John Brautigam to learn how to cover a song, while putting your creative spin on it. We also meet Skela, a former Center Stage student who is making waves in the NY music scene.

Enjoy, Angela Lee Editor & Author

ABOUT CENTER STAGE Center Stage Magazine is a branch of Center Stage Music Center, a teaching studio in Westbury, New York. Since opening our doors in 2011, our goal has always been to create a comprehensive learning experience beyond what is taught in the classroom.

This magazine is a natural extension of that goal and aims to provide an even greater array of musical knowledge for general readership and the budding musician. Written by musicians for music lovers, our desire is to bring all the diamonds in the rough to the masses and to inspire the next generation of artists, musicians, and listeners.

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“ WE ARE HUMANS. WE ARE ENTITLED TO OUR LAYERS.”

To think that as humans, we only have one personality, one face and one passion is an unfortunate thought.

We tend to be afraid to show the world ALL of us. One of the reasons music is so special to us is because it helps us discover areas in our souls that we didn’t know existed. It brings out personalities that we didn’t know we had. It speaks words that would probably never come out of our mouths. We tend to put ourselves in a box as we live our lives full of routines and expectations. But, we fail to notice that we use outlets that allow us to uncover different layers of who we are. We don’t realize that we actually love our layers. We are inspired by famous personalities who portray a non-conformist image.

So why do we conform? Why does our band have to have one sound?

Why do we have to have one voice?

Why not give ourselves permission to explore and embrace our layers and the layers of those around us.

Because essentially, we might be more alike than we think.

-SKELA

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Written by: Rebecca Lewis Photo by: @itshaleyh 8

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Walking along Avenue A on a bitterly cold January evening, I made my way to DROM, the gyspy themed music club where the artist Skela was performing that night. The building was also cold upon entering, but as I walked towards to stage, Skela greeted me with a warm smile. Dressed in loose jeans, a baggy white T-shirt, and a custom made “Skela” necklace, she appeared comfortable and relaxed as she prepared for her sound check with her backing band. When she got behind the mic, Skela looked right at home as her powerful, yet soothing, vocals filled the room.

Skela has been making a name for herself in the New York music scene, combining her unique voice with her impactful lyrics for a sound entirely her own. Initially self-taught from a young age, she regards music a pure form of self-expression that has helped her through tough times in her life, and you can hear that through her soulful performances, both live and recorded.

Skela released her first EP last year through HERO Records, and has plenty more in the pipeline.

And not just music either. She’s a poet, an author, a screenwriter, and a director. I sat down with Skela for an interview that, like her music, was very intimate. In an attempt to get some place quiet, we spoke in a photo booth, face-to-face and only inches apart. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get a commemorative photo together. But in that confined space, we had a broad and personal discussion about how Skela got to where she is, the impact of music in her life and what she hopes to achieve one day. She held nothing back, just as she does in her songs.

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CS: What first got you into music?

Skela: I guess I have two very distinct memories. And the first one is being a singer. From when I was really little, I remember just like, being obsessed with singing, and repeating songs over and over again. Trying to memorize how singers sang, and that’s how I learned how to sing. So that was the first time I thought ‘Oh music is something that, it’s kind of like mine and it’s special.’ And then the second time around was basically when I was in college and it was that epiphany of, ‘Holy s***, I am not happy with this whole, let’s go to school, and then afterwards you’ll get a job’ and however the story’s told. That was about the time that I really started to pursue music. I thought, ‘I have these songs in my head and I want to get them out.’ And that was the time I actually walked into Center Stage Music Center, and made friends with Veronica. I had never been encouraged to take a piano or guitar lesson when I was younger. So when I walked into Center Stage, she ended up literally giving me free lessons. She would sit down at the piano and I would sing these songs and melodies I had in my head, and she would put music and instrumentals to it. That was the official marking of, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be Skela, I’m gonna do this!’

CS: You said that when you were 19, you finally went to Center Stage and started music lessons, but before then you were self-taught. What do you think you have gained, that you might have missed out on if you pursued traditional lessons from the get-go?

Photos By: Abraham Hidalgo

Skela: When you pursue music as a career, there’s kind of this ingrained incompetence. Or this feeling of it, because you think ‘Wow, all of these people have been in music school since they were five. Or you know, had people in their family who were musical and who pushed them.’ And I think about that a lot actually. ‘Maybe I’m not good enough, maybe I don’t have those things that I needed.

But I do know that what is special about my journey is that music has always just been about expression.

And it has always been a coping mechanism for me.

I don’t know if that gives me a leg up, but it certainly has helped my life and made me more whole as a human being. I had something to channel pain, anger and sadness through that I don’t think everyone has.

When you’re a teenager, you think ‘Does everyone feel this way? Is this normal?’ And I mean, it’s not that it’s not normal, but it’s certainly not the status quo in textbooks of how you’re supposed to be feeling. And music helped me with that.

CS: So is that how you personally see music then?

As this pure form of expression?

Skela: I feel like there’s two different ways of looking at music. One being, this is a song. And another one being, this is a piece of someone’s heart, you know?

You can make something mathematically beautiful, with beautiful melodies, and it can go anywhere. And then you have music out there that could go on the radio, and could be sonically perfect, but it’s also a piece of someone. So, I feel like the way that I view music is, it’s a piece of me. I don’t know how to extract it and make it into something perfect. Or, I mean, perfect by standards.

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CS: There are musicians and artists out there who feel like they’ve succeeded when they have a top 40 hit, or they have their songs played on the radio. What does success look like for you as an artist?

Skela: I’ve always said, the only thing I’ve really ever wanted out of music as a career, is for the music I make to help people in the way that music has helped me in my life. Music is not just a Band-Aid, it’s like medicine.

So whenever someone reaches out to me and says ‘This song like, literally saved me today. I’ve been listening to it all day.’ It seems a little bit more granular, but there isn’t one big step in anyone’s life where you think, ‘I made it!’ So, those little moments are droplets of success that encourage me to keep going.

CS: You said that you get these droplets of success when you feel like you’ve touched someone. Do you ever think that you would want to play a similar kind of role that Veronica and Center Stage played for you; to provide guidance to other young artists?

Skela: Oh my god, yeah, absolutely! I feel like one of the big issues right now that I see in our education system is that people don’t value creativity enough. They’re taking away music programs and they’re taking away art programs. Not every child can take piano lessons as a luxury. There are plenty of children who can just afford to go to school, and that’s it. They can’t afford a piano or a guitar or lessons. I think that literally just having instruments around is a luxury in life. It’s a privilege to be able to say ‘Huh, what’s that thing on the wall? Maybe I should try to play that.’ That’s not something that most kids get to do. So I would love to, one day in the future, find a way to give equal opportunities to children and teenagers from low-income families

Skela: Yes. From the get go young girls are told, ‘You’re not good enough, you’re only good for your looks.’ And it’s affected us at the root. People might not think it affects you later in life, but it holds us back and it changes everything. From the way that you handle your friends to the way that you work to what you ask for in life out of your partner. So, as a woman, I of course care. I would like to have a bigger impact in feminism in the future. But right now, one of the things I can do is put out music that is not always from a male-dominated scope. It’s not always about getting the guy, or being hurt by the guy. It’s more about expression. Write music about yourself.

I mean, it’s so much fun to write about heartbreak and love. In one sense, it’s the juiciest, most magical stuff in the world. But it doesn’t have to be about how ‘I wasn’t good enough.’ I have this new single coming out called What’s Wrong With Me. While the chorus, says ‘What’s wrong with me?’ it eventually states ‘You’re what’s f****** wrong with me.’

“Music is not just a Band-Aid, it's like medicine.”

CS: I’ve read some of the other goals that you had. You want to have 11 albums in your lifetime, and open up a candle shop by the beach. One that kind of struck me was how you wanted to start a non-profit that donates female sanitary products to homeless shelters and schools.

Are there other kinds of issues like these that you feel passionate about, whether it is income related or other feminist issues?

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CS: Was it hard for you at any point, as you said, in this industry that’s so dominated by men?

Skela: Oh my god, yeah! It’s so intimidating being the only girl in the room, always. It’s uncomfortable. There used to be this whole view that women don’t support women in the music industry. But that’s going away because women are now viewing each other as allies.

I feel like I’ve had such bad experiences with sound guys. For example just now! They immediately look at me like I don’t know anything about what I’m doing. He was talking to me like I’m really slow [laughs]. I know they’re just trying to be nice and everything, but I automatically come out on the defense when I’ve had all of these negative experiences with live shows specifically.

CS: What advice do you have for other young women who are trying to become musicians and artists or who are trying to break into male dominated fields?

Skela: Work with your girls. Grab your girl and be like, ‘Let’s start a band,’ or, ‘Let’s work on this content project I have,’ or, ‘Let’s make a

Photo By: Chiara Gerek

YouTube video together!’ I try to work as much with females as I can. I try to be inclusive in that way. It’s so easy to find male musicians to put in your band, but it was hard to find Alana [Skela’s drummer]. She didn’t come easy, it took some digging. I work with female artists for pretty much all of my projects. In an industry that’s so dominated by males, it actually is something that you need to do with purpose and be like ‘I’m going to consciously seek out females to work with’ even though there are five men right in front of you.

CS: Seeing you on the stage in your sound check, you seemed super in your element.

Skela: Did I? I felt so out of it.

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CS: Even if you’re out of it, you seem like you’re doing what you’re meant to be doing. How does it feel for you to be up on the stage and doing what, as a child, you wanted to be doing?

Skela: It’s really scary. I always just try to focus on the technical aspect of it so that I can almost distract myself. I feel like, the preparation always sucks, but then once you’re there, you’re like ‘Oh this is fun.’ [laughing] You basically only get an hour of fun, you know what I mean? The rest of it takes so much work and you’re so scared. Like just now, up on stage, I’m thinking ‘Oh my god, why did I choose this profession?’ But, once you’re actually up there, it’s like the music hits you first and then it hits the other people.

So when you’re performing, you almost feel like a vessel. The words and music are almost passing through you.

CS: I’ve seen that you’ve written a screenplay and you directed your own music video. How do you see all your various passions influencing each other?

Photos By: Maksim Axelrod

Skela: I feel like words and language are like an overarching path to everything from music to screenplays to articles. I think words have always made sense. So for me it’s not, how do these tie in together, but rather, these exist and I’m going to do all of them because I know how to use words. If you can figure out how words work and how they emote best in different scenarios, then there’s no reason not to cross over to other areas.

CS: And I saw that you had included a comic with your EP. And I personally love comics. What inspired that?

Skela: I’m actually on a label called HERO Records. And basically, their whole tagline is ‘Where music meets comics.’ So how it works is that they’re attached to a comic company, or rather a publisher, and each artist that is signed with them gets intertwined into these stories in the comic book. And the music is used as an interactive tool so that if you read the chapters, my song would pop up. So, they’re building up to that. For now what we’re doing are these one-off comic books.

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Click here to watch “Secret” by Skela 14

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“I feel like the way that I view music is, it’s a piece of me.”

CS: I saw that one time you said that you think your writing process is kind of odd. How so? Describe it to me.

Skela: I feel like it doesn’t ever really make sense.

Sometimes, I’m really drunk and crying and writing a song.

And then sometimes, I’m on a bus and I’m writing a poem and then I’ll put my poem into a song. And then there are times I go into sessions where I’ll work with producers. So they’ll have a track all ready and I’ll input my poetry that’s on my phone into a song. But I don’t know if I’m ever doing it right. I still can’t tell, but I do it anyways.

CS: And I’d also seen that you draw inspiration from whatever you are currently interested in, or whatever you are reading.

Skela: I’m always reading a different book, so I figure that has to impact my writing in a huge way. And my opinions and my outlooks and my perspectives are constantly changing because I’m always kind of viewing the lens from a different author’s perspective. When you’re reading a book, you’re in it. You almost feel like you’re the writer. That’s why when I read, I like to read multiple books from the same author. I feel like that’s how I really get to know the author and what they’re trying to say.

CS: I was going to ask what are you reading. But, I guess a more apt question would be, who are you reading right now?

Skela: Right now, I actually just finished The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts. He’s a philosopher and he talks a lot about religion, which is actually a very reoccurring theme in all of my music because I went to Catholic school for my entire life. So I plan on reading more of him because I really enjoyed his writing.

CS: Who are you listening to right now?

Skela: I don’t know how to say his name because I’ve only every read it online: Cuco. He makes this really cool kind of doo-woppy, Spanish, trap music. It’s like Lana Del Rey meets Latin spice. I’ve never heard Spanish music done this way so I really like it.

CS: Who have you collaborated with in the past, and who would you want to collaborate with moving forward?

Skela: I usually just work with my friends, honestly. I have a track coming out with Triarchy in February. And that’ll be fun because he’s actually one of those artists that I found by chance when I was out in LA for the summer. Most of the people I collaborate with I’m just friends with, and I’m like ‘Hey, you want to have a session, make a song?’ But I do want to collaborate with more women specifically because it’s fun to work with girls.

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CS: Are these people that you became friends with after you started breaking into the scene yourself?

Skela: Yeah. Well, you’re all there to support each other.

My roommate is always telling me, ‘Your phone is constantly blowing up. And it’s because people who are in the music scene don’t e-mail, [laughing] they text you. So, we are constantly sending each other songs and promoting shows and events and asking for feedback, and it’s awesome.

CS: Who should we be listening to more, especially in the New York scene? Who would you recommend? Or maybe not necessarily just in the New York scene, but in general.

Skela: You should be listening to: Frances Rose, Josh Jacobson, Florio, and Atarah Valentine. I’m just listing off my friends. [laughing] But seriously, I feel like if you’ve come this far in music in New York, you definitely are talented. You have something that people should listen to because this s*** is not easy. I give a lot of credit to New York musicians specifically.

CS: What comes next? What are you working on now?

Skela: So I had a single and a collaboration that came out in February. I’m also trying to put together a project for early spring. But the big news is that I’m launching my website, which is going to feature a project I’ve been working on for so long. I’m releasing the first three chapters of a book that I wrote called Building You Up. I’m really excited to introduce this big piece of myself that I’ve been keeping on the back-burner.

Follow Skela Spotify Skela Instagram @byskela Facebook www.facebook.com/byskela

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Click here to watch “Untouchable”

by Skela CENTER STAGE

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PAIN... IT HAPPENS 10 Ways to Prevent Injury Written by Ulises Amaya

As musicians, pain is something we don’t like to talk about. But if you aren’t careful, it’s an ever present possibility.

There are plenty of reasons why we don’t talk about it, fear, ego, and denial, to name a few. We often don’t accept it until it’s unavoidable and too late. Such was the case for me in the fall of 2016. I was 26 and pushing myself hard on bass without taking necessary precautions to prevent injury. It happened around the same time that a band I had been playing in had just broken up. What I wanted to do most of all, play and create music, was no longer possible for me.

I had worked myself into overuse, with my nerves inflamed and tendons stressed. The exact confluence of events that lead me to that moment were a combination of extended practice sessions, hours typing at a keyboard, and weight lifting at the gym. It turns out I had (have) two conditions: Tendonitis, which is not uncommon amongst musicians, and Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, which is an enflamed ulnar nerve (The “funny bone” nerve that runs down the pinky side of your arm). I could not play my instrument for six months. I never knew how much I needed music until that moment.

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This was the beginning of more than a year of trial and error. The first thing I did was see an orthopedic hand surgeon who gave me the prognosis and recommended me to an occupational therapist. Ultrasound and the stretching regiment he gave me, along with simple strengthening exercises helped me a great deal, but I was way too over eager to jump back into to playing. As soon as I felt better I pushed too hard and felt like I was back at square one. The burning in my forearms became pain in my shoulders and then pain in my back. Some days, I would even have soreness in my elbows stemming from the ulnar nerve issue, a more long-term problem that only served to confuse my anxious mind at the time. I ended up seeing a chiropractor for adjustments and alternate strengthening sessions. It was a very long process of getting myself back in playing shape and learning how to treat my body right. The hardest thing though, wasn’t running around to a bunch of different doctors, or having to continue small muscle strengthening exercises. It was feeling as if I would not be able to do what I loved. The mind is by far the darker place. At the time, all I could think was that I’ll never be able to play the way I did before. I had never felt depression like that. It was mentally torturous. I searched the Internet incessantly, hoping I could find information on my specific problem or at least find comfort by reading about someone who had gone through it.

Finally, over months and months, I began building myself back up through 5 minute practice periods that evolved into 10, then 15. Today I stretch before I even pick up my bass, and I stop playing the second I feel pain.

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It took time but I am happy to say that I can go hours a day with no pain at all. If you are going through a similar hardship and feel that crushing powerlessness, be patient. You can get back in there but you have to take your time. This, like music itself, can’t be rushed. I strongly recommend a hobby that occupies your time and more importantly your mind. I learned card tricks in the interim. The important thing to remember is to not be disheartened when things get rough. The good days will get better and the bad days fewer. Stretch before practices, ice yourself down afterwards, and take breaks. Hang in there friends.

I thought it’d be good for you to know what my routine is like these days so maybe it can help you

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Forearm stretches, several variations: 30-45 seconds on each arm.

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Wrist stretches: 30-45 seconds on each wrist.

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Shoulder stretches using the doorway: 30-45 seconds on each arm.

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Depending on difficulty of practice: 5 minute breaks after 30 minutes of playing or 10 minute breaks after 50 minutes of playing.

Ice down after practice sessions.

Get up and walk around.

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Warm up on your instrument with simple finger exercises to get blood flowing.

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I mostly always keep my arms straight to keep from exacerbating my nerve condition.

I take turmeric vitamins once a day for inflammation.

After a week of long rehearsals and gigs, I’ll take an Aleve to cool down the inflammation further.

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I often sleep with elbow pads to keep my arms from bending.

Good Luck!

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Under the covers playlist CHET FAKER – NO DIGGITY (BLACKSTREET)

POST MODERN JUKEBOX – CREEP (RADIOHEAD)

THE FUGEES – KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS WORD (ROBERTA FLACK)

RYAN ADAMS – BAD BLOOD (TAYLOR SWIFT)

NIRVANA – THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD (DAVID BOWIE)

THE WHITE STRIPES – JOLENE (DOLLY PARTON)

ST. VINCENT – DIG A PONY (THE BEATLES)

LANA DEL REY – BLUE VELVET (BOBBY VINTON)

PATTI SMITH – SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT (NIRVANA)

MEAGHAN SMITH – HERE COMES YOUR MAN (THE PIXIES)

FIONA APPLE – ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (THE BEATLES)

FANNY ISABELLA – HEARTLESS (KANYE WEST)

STURGILL SIMPSON – IN BLOOM (NIRVANA)

YAËL NAÏM – TOXIC (BRITNEY SPEARS)

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SIT DOWN SESSION WITH...

John Brautigam

John Brautigam is a seasoned music instructor with years of experience working with students of all ages and levels.

He’s a graduate of Berklee College of Music, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Film Scoring with a minor in Video Game Audio. John has composed for many short films, some video games, and is currently working on an original jazz musical. He’s also an avid songwriter, performing at many local Long Island open mic venues. John has been playing the trombone for over fifteen years, having participated in many different ensembles including jazz bands, pit orchestras, brass quintets, marching bands, and symphony orchestras. He’s also a proud alumnus of the Atlantic Brass Quintet Summer Seminar. Aside from his original jazz musical production, John currently also plays trombone in a local ska band, “The Going Rate.”

In this sit down session...

Viewers will learn step by step how to cover a song. From choosing the key, to arranging the parts for your instrument, to putting your own creative spin on the song, John will be giving viewers invaluable tips, tricks and examples.

“ WHEN YOU’RE COVERING A SONG. IT’S JUST YOU AND YOUR GUITAR” 22

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