R&B Dynamo Parisalexa on 'Songland', Billboard and Ambition
R&B Dynamo Parisalexa on 'Songland', Billboard and Ambition

Parisalexa, the 21-year-old R&B songwriting dynamo from Seattle, by way of New Jersey, is already a rising star in the pop music world. That's evidenced by her tens of thousands of streams on YouTube and her recent appearance on the popular NBC television show, Songland, during which she pitched a nearly perfect pop song to famed songwriter, Charlie Puth. And while Paris didn't win, Billboard said after the episode that hers was not only the top song of the episode but of the entire season. With that in her back pocket, Paris continues to write and record and release new music, including this new jam of late. We caught up with the artist to ask her about her first-ever song, her experience on NBC, and what the word "ambition" means to her.

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Q&AJake UittiPopMatters
ARTIST HOME INTERVIEW: SHELTON HARRIS ON MANAGING TRAVIS THOMPSON AND BUILDING A FAN BASE
ARTIST HOME INTERVIEW: SHELTON HARRIS ON MANAGING TRAVIS THOMPSON AND BUILDING A FAN BASE

If you’re a fan of the Seattle music world, you’ve likely heard the name Travis Thompson in the past year, or so. He’s the bombastic rapper who, still in his early 20s, has played Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, collaborated with Macklemore, Sir Mix A Lot and Geo, and headlined the Showbox. But a name you might not know quite as well – but one that is no less significant – is Shelton Harris. He is Thompson’s manager and the person who has been with the burgeoning rapper every step of the way, from Burien to MTV. 

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Q&AJake UittiArtist Home
The Lil Smokies Share Inspiration For New Album, ‘Tornillo’
The Lil Smokies Share Inspiration For New Album, ‘Tornillo’

Andy Dunnigan, front man for the Montana-based Bluegrass band, The Lil Smokies, thinks the genre he loves is on the verge of something significant. While mountain string bands may not be the first to top most contemporary charts, Dunnigan thinks that’s evolving, changing. That the comradery and harmony offered in the music is pushing it center stage and, if it continues to grow, people will continue to listen. 

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ProfilesJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
The 10 Best Country Albums of 2019
The 10 Best Country Albums of 2019

In September, Ken Burns released his thorough documentary, Country Music. The 16-and-a-half-hour-long PBS series looks closely at the 100-plus-year history of the American art form. For Burns, whose films have exhaustively covered quintessentially American topics like the Brooklyn Bridge and Jazz, the task meant combing through thousands of photos and hundreds of hours of interviews. The work is staggering and came at the perfect time.

Country music has deep roots and a long tradition. Much of it is beautiful. Listening to Hank Williams or Loretta Lynn is divine, of course, but both America and the genre have changed significantly since the days of Merle Haggard. Today, country music has many influences beyond the prairie and the porch. Pop is infused in the music. So too is hip-hop. Furthermore, the people making the music look and live differently from many of the heroes depicted in the early days of Burns' film.

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EssayJake UittiPopMatters
BENDELACREME SOUNDS OFF ON JOE BIDEN, CHER, AND HERSELF
BENDELACREME SOUNDS OFF ON JOE BIDEN, CHER, AND HERSELF

For fans of drag, the name BenDeLaCreme is likely a household one. “DeLa,” as she’s often known, was a standout on season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race and appeared famously on the show’s All-Stars season, shockingly eliminating herself in one of the rounds when she was a favorite to win the competition. Nevertheless, the Seattle-based drag queen has toured the world several times over, bringing her unique sense of goofy physicality, rubbery facial expressions, and heart-warming charm to audiences. This winter, BenDeLaCreme (born Benjamin Putnam) is on tour with fellow Emerald City drag celebrity, Jinkx Monsoon, a former Drag Race champion, bringing their latest project “All I Want For Christmas Is Attention” around the country. We caught up with DeLa to ask her for her thoughts on myriad topics, from Frosty the Snowman to butt implants, and everything in between.

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Q&AJake UittiInterview Magazine
Silversun Pickups Share Evolution of Sound Before Starting US Tour
Silversun Pickups Share Evolution of Sound Before Starting US Tour

It is odd to think that a major rock band had to be brought out of its shell. That, at least according to Brian Aubert, is exactly happened with Silversun Pickups.

Aubert, front man for the Los Angeles-based alternative rock band, explained that the group honed it’s signature distorted-yet-bright vibe in its early days from being inside intimate venues. That the SSPU sound wasn’t coaxed out in a marathon rehearsal or songwriting session but from playing live in front of small audiences in intimate local clubs.

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ProfilesJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
Joseph Explains Genesis of ‘Trio Sessions’ EP, Premieres “Without You”
Joseph Explains Genesis of ‘Trio Sessions’ EP, Premieres “Without You”

On the final day of recording sessions for their latest LP, Good Luck, Kid, the trio of sisters that comprise the Americana group, Joseph, stayed a few extra hours to get something new on tape. The result is a five-song EP, called Trio Sessions, featuring stripped-down versions of recent songs. The soon-to-be-released collection – the first track of which, “Without You,” is premiering here – harkens back to the band’s early days playing secret shows in Northwest art galleries or filming stirring music videos just the sisters and a guitar.

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EssayJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
JOHN WATERS WEIGHS IN ON LIZZO, TINDER, AND SANTA CLAUS
JOHN WATERS WEIGHS IN ON LIZZO, TINDER, AND SANTA CLAUS

John Waters, the mastermind filmmaker behind classics like Hairspray and Pink Flamingos, is known for his remarkable balance between the snooty and the trashy. He is dichotomous in his creative works, keeping a well-groomed thin mustache while filming his star, Divine, eating literal dog poop off the street. Walking a tightrope between well-kempt and tawdry, Waters has risen to fame and notoriety for his stories and unique sense of charm. Of late, the artist received a Grammy nomination for the spoken word album adapted from his book, Mr. Know-It-All, and recorded a vinyl single, “Make Trouble,” with Jack White’s label, Third Man Records. In December, Waters will tour his annual Yuletide show, “A John Waters Christmas,” which is always profane and never not entertaining. We caught up with the infamous raconteur to ask his thoughts on a myriad display of semi-random topics, from Donald Trump to Disney+.

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Q&AJake UittiInterview Magazine
Music Is Family, and Vice Versa, for The Allman Betts Band
Music Is Family, and Vice Versa, for The Allman Betts Band

When Duane Betts, son of Allman Brothers founding guitarist, Dickey Betts, and co-founder of The Allman Betts Band, first started to play guitar around 13 years old, he asked his Hall of Fame musician father for a little advice. While Dickey was known for his robust – even shrieking – playing style, he offered his son a more philosophical, even Zen-like response.

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EssayJake UittiAmerican Songwriter Magazine
Hip-Hop Legend Kurtis Blow: The Interview
Hip-Hop Legend Kurtis Blow: The Interview

Kurtis Blow was there at the beginning of hip-hop. Without him, the genre may never have become the worldwide phenomenon that it is today. To list off, Blow was the first rapper to sign to a major label, receive a gold record for rap, tour the US and Europe, record a national commercial, create a rap music video, and the first rap millionaire. Today, he is on tour with the production of the Hip-Hop Nutcracker as the show's - what else - emcee.

Blow, known for his songs, "The Breaks", "Basketball", and "If I Ruled the World", is generous in conversation. A man of faith, he speaks freely about his history at the birth of hip-hop as well as his time working as a minister, spreading religion. We caught up with the emcee-orator to talk about his origins in hip-hop, how the genre grew, and what he might have become hadn't it been for the truly American invention.

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Q&AJake UittiPopMatters
SEATTLE’S SMALL TO MEDIUM-SIZED MUSIC VENUES KEEP ON, DESPITE AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
SEATTLE’S SMALL TO MEDIUM-SIZED MUSIC VENUES KEEP ON, DESPITE AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Jodi Ecklund lives two miles away from the Clock-Out Lounge, the Beacon Hill music venue she opened a few years ago that provides pizza, drinks and enough room for a small stage, small backstage and space for about 250 people to see a show. Ecklund has made the trip countless times back-and-forth, on-call seemingly 24/7, as she books live events and manages the house in its day-to-day operations. And while the average passerby might not look at the modest, blue-painted exterior and think the Clock-Out is one of the most important buildings in the city, it is.

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EssayJake UittiArtist Home
BRITTANY HOWARD IS LISTENING TO RICO NASTY, NINA SIMONE, AND BLADE RUNNER
BRITTANY HOWARD IS LISTENING TO RICO NASTY, NINA SIMONE, AND BLADE RUNNER

This is “Add to Queue,” our attempt to sort through the cacophony of music floating in the algorithmic atmosphere by consulting the experts themselves. Our favorite musicians tell us about their favorite music—the sad, the happy, the dinner party-y, the songs they want played at their funeral. In this edition, we speak with Brittany Howard, the powerfully piped singer who rose to fame with her Grammy-winning band, Alabama Shakes. After releasing her debut solo album, Jaime, recorded during an extended hiatus from the Shakes, she spoke with Interview about growing up with Elvis, getting married to Dylan, and (one day) collaborating with Björk.

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Q&AJake UittiInterview Magazine
J. PINDER ON WORKING WITH DR. DRE IN L.A. AND PAYING IT FORWARD IN SEATTLE
J. PINDER ON WORKING WITH DR. DRE IN L.A. AND PAYING IT FORWARD IN SEATTLE

J Pinder speaks smoothly. If his voice were a person walking down the street, that person would be gliding, as if perfectly calibrated for steady movement against all possible pitfalls. J Pinder is also a rapper who grew up in Seattle and later found himself in the throws of Los Angeles working for none other than the legend, Dr. Dre. In the studio, he helped with recording, writing and A&R. Now, the man is back in the Emerald City to bring some of that L.A. knowhow to Seattle, to bolster its infrastructure and to help up-and-coming artists know what it takes on the next level. We caught up with J Pinder to ask him about his early inspirations, how he landed in L.A. and much more. 

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Q&AJake UittiArtist Home
Interview// Play for Mortal Stakes: A Conversation with Richard Kenney
Interview// Play for Mortal Stakes: A Conversation with Richard Kenney

At a glance, the award-winning poet, Richard Kenney, can seem like a book hard to crack. His prowess with language, his oratory muscles, his years nose-buried in highfalutin tomes—all of these might suggest a question-and-answer interview would prove more mind-boggling than equal-footed back-and-forth. However, in reality, Kenney is a warm chap, as willing to explain an idea at length as he is to sit quietly over a cup of tea and ponder whatever words linger in the grey area between the conscious and unconscious. A world-class writer, Kenney is, perhaps above all else, a teacher, a guide. In this way, he embodies the literature that he’s fallen in love with. At its best, he’ll tell you, literature is a way to learn how to be. And in Kenney’s presence, that road map is laid out on the table, compass beside it.

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Q&AJake UittiPoetry Northwest
DAVID SEDARIS TALKS PRETTY ON HOTEL ROOMS, FLEABAG, AND HELL
DAVID SEDARIS TALKS PRETTY ON HOTEL ROOMS, FLEABAG, AND HELL

The author David Sedaris is known, perhaps above all else, for two things: his thoughtful sense of humor and his eye for surprising details. A bestselling author for books of personal essays like Me Talk Pretty One Day and Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls, Sedaris was famously discovered by radio host Ira Glass, who saw the author reading from his diary one evening and later invited him to read his essay, “Santaland Diaries,” on the air. The piece helped rocket Sedaris to fame.

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Q&AJake UittiInterview Magazine