43. a music scene that works for all of us: interview with marquetta miller
Episode description
today you are in for a treat! i'm chatting with seattle based musician marquetta miller (of breaks and swells + knife knights) and we talk about it allll. if you are a musician thinking of becoming a working musician, or just a generally cool human, this episode is for *you*. marquetta shares her perspective on the scene and what she hopes to see when we come out of quarantine as well as lessons learned over the past year. it's beautiful discussion on how the scene can work for all of us, with a nice touch of - make sure to prioritize your mental health - in there.
a little about marquetta:
Marquetta Miller has been performing her whole life; from singing Stevie Wonder into a hairbrush, to singing Stevie Wonder in front of a sold out crowd. Marquetta has spent over 15 years in the Seattle music scene; exploring many genres: jazz, punk, power pop, soul, and musical theater to name a few. She has stepped on many stages; from The Moore, to The Comet Tavern. Currently she is the vocalist for Breaks and Swells and working on releasing new music in 2021, and a contributing member to the hip-hop collective known as Knife Knights. The artist is a Black woman dedicated to lifting the voices of her community, especially those from BiPOC, LGBTQIA+, and femme-identifying backgrounds. After a Covid-induced break from performing Marquetta is ready to get back on stage.
things we discussed:
- staying safe during the pandemic as a musician and making decisions for you and your mental health, but also considering the collective
- staying active as a band during a pandemic, and especially during a huge social justice movement
- a few silver linings to the pandemic and all the challenging feelings that come along with that
- being able to respond to the moment with music
- the challenging feelings of having personal hardships unrelated to the pandemic during a pandemic
- the processing and grieving that needs to happen for a lot of us after this last year v the urge to get back out there and go hard
- the overcommodification of everything v doing things out of joy
- the disconnect between bands and venues and bookers
- considering setting an industry standard when accepting a show offer
- the “argument” of booking local openers for touring acts and remembering why we are doing this: the music
- going on a next level tour
- goals for the future as a musician
- Marquette’s writing process
- trust yourself and put your mental health first
give it a listen and then make sure to check out all of Marquetta’s projects and support this rad human!
Marquetta's links:
IG:
@knife_knights
what's next?:
book a call with me: right here
sign up for weekly love notes: right here
hang with me on ig: right here
music:
intro + outro music by young go hards: bandcamp
my solo project: bandcamp