The northeast is a diverse haven of sound, from folk to indie pop, to rock and metal, and hundreds of other genres that give way to their own existing sub-genres. What becomes popularized, and therefore monetized, on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, is only one percent of these platform’s total artist digital population. Despite the diversity of music being created here, the northeast remains physically disconnected between cities. In examining how to bridge this divide, six different musicians interviewed agree on one solution: that the merit of the independent artist lies in the power of the people.
Question of the Century:
While New York City may be the first musical-hub in the northeast that comes to mind, Saratoga Springs, about forty-five minutes north of the state’s capital, contains a rich history of live performance, home to both the historic Café Lena and Skidmore College. It was this musical community that brought legendary folk duo, Ellie Ushakov and Francis Davies, aka Question of the Century, to Skidmore in the first place.
“We’re young people who play old music”, says Davies.
Recently, the band was supposed to open for a show at Café Lena, but due to last minute cancellations, they ended up headlining. Domino-effect style, they became the introduction to the venue for a younger generation of listeners, while simultaneously giving an older generation hope through their art.
“I’m glad we could entertain people for a night!” says Ushakov.
The band encourages people to attend more live shows, as that’s where you will find, “the unknown pillars of your community”.
Ana Schon at Pasta Planet by Sleeper Radio
Ana Schon:
Ana Schon is another artist who agrees that “there’s no replacement for connecting in-person”.
Schon is an independent pop-rock artist, originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, now located in the greater Boston area to pursue her PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“The community has had to build its own spaces…” Schon reports. Similar to Saratoga, there is no succinct sound to the city, but rather a spectrum of genres that coexist. One of Boston’s greatest challenges, however, is opening up music venues as obtaining real estate, liquor licenses, and grants are expensive. As a solution, through her studies at MIT, Schon has hosted a series of pop-up performances in second spaces such as warehouses and churches.
Trouble Girl by Elle Moscowitz
Trouble Girl:
When it comes to pop-up venues, Trouble Girl of Bristol, Connecticut knows a thing or two. This punk-grunge band consists of Lee Briggs, Nell Srinath, and Tyszka, who have all dedicated their work to the exposure of trans, femme, and BIPOC art.
Briggs had always loved live music, but when he first began attending shows, he was discouraged by the lack of representation at venues.
“The more shows I went to, the more I got bitter about it so I was like… ‘I could be the representation I want to see’”.
In Connecticut, Srinath discusses how artists have “the opportunity to gather people from marginalized communities and privileged communities alike, and realize that none of us are free until all of us are free”.
Due to a lack of DIY, queer-safe spaces for music in Connecticut, the group decided to run a venue from the basement of their home, that they called “The Lavender House”. Trouble Girl is committed to making ethical music, prioritizing the needs of their community. Because of this, the group has chosen not to release their music on Spotify, but instead you can find them on Apple Music, and Bandcamp.
Grace Corbett by Linden Amster
Grace Corbett:
Grace Corbett, on the other hand, believes strongly in the power of niche branding. “Ultimately, to survive as an artist, you have to go viral on social media… I ask myself
‘who wants to be listening to my music’, and how can I market it in a Grace Corbett way?”
Corbett, also a student of Skidmore College, started their musical journey when, through
a series of music-adjacent hobbies, they realized they wanted to “write music that makes people feel less alone”.
This ultimately led to the creation of two very different projects; the first being a Star Wars parody video that blew up online. Corbett had re-written the lyrics to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Traitor” about Darth Vader through Padme’s perspective. When Corbett finally posted a video to Tiktok, the official Star Wars account commented “if you look closely, you’ll see me sobbing”.
While this project was a reminder for Corbett to “find joy” in their art, "Raspberries", a single off of their debut album “ILYF”, was a testament to their community. Corbett had collaborated on a remix of the song with creator YUWE, and gathered their friends to frolic in a field in order to film its corresponding video.
“Seeing all your friends show up for you… it’s a tangible representation of why I make music”.
Mina vs the Pit of Despair by In Luna's Garden
In Luna’s Garden:
Connecticut band, “In Luna’s Garden”, run by duo Tucker Coughlin and Abigail Luis, have undergone a mutli-media film adjacent project. In early 2024, the band released their debut album, “Mina Versus the Pit of Despair”, alongside a series of paper-puppet animations they plan on making into full-length film.
“Everything was drawn by hand,” Luis describes, “then it went into digital refinement and animation done by Tucker”.
Inspired by the work of Gerard Way, Jhonen Vasquez, and Tim Burton, the album follows Mina as she battles five internal demons in the allegorical “pit of despair”.
“More and more people are going independent because it’s the only reasonable thing to do to reach your audience directly”, says Coughlin, and with the message their album represents, In Luna’s Garden has decided any profit made will be donated to suicide prevention.
In every step of the process, the independent music scene is a radicalized medium, made not with the ultimate goal being profit, but rather mobilizing community. Tucker Coughlin puts it best when he says, “If the local community doesn’t have support… then we don’t have any more artists, and that would be a shame”.
Written by Maxwell Andromeda McGuire
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