Violet and the Newsroom

Hey all! Anabel here (and our lovely Clay in some spots). Not much in the [Violet and the] Newsroom world this week, so I have a little bit more time to think. After a big gig run these past couple of months, I am grateful for the downtime. Stick around to the end to hear about our upcoming adventures!

One of the artists I play with often is Phill Barnett, as part of the Rockhouse Renegades. He’s an epic songwriter- find him on Youtube and Substack. Most recently, we played together at the Wild Ramp in Huntington, WV!

Phill usually ends gigs with a sing-along called Beijing, but last time, he decided to wind the show down with my personal favorite of his. Ginsengin’ has a triple-entendre, for lack of better word. 

• The characters are picking Ginseng, hence ginsenging;
• A character named Jen ends up hollering at some point- it’s Jen singing;
• The main conflict is largely alcohol-fueled, so when they fight, it’s the gin singing.

(I’m always entranced by this tune whenever we play it. Catch Phill wherever he’s playing to hear it in person!)

Songwriting is perhaps my favorite craft; I write for a living now, but aside from stray fanfictions (that you will never find), it’s all prose. Matter-of-fact. AP Style Manual. Sometimes, I want to jot down nonsense that hopefully makes someone feel something. (Often, it’s me feeling the things because I’m a sap.)

We’ve gotten amazing reception off of our two originals we play out the most, Take it Over (by Clay) and Dandelion (by myself)! Having people care about our original tunes that much is absolutely amazing…and slightly petrifying! Here’s what Clay has to say:

“I write for a career, but I don’t consider myself to be a natural writer. When I produce good stuff, it’s often thanks to the sheer volume of material I can cut from – I post or produce maybe a tenth of the words I bang out, if that.

Writing is a skill, and – like any skill – benefits from practice and routine. Write often. Doesn’t matter what, so long as it interests you. Write notes app poetry or self-indulgent fanfiction or start a blog about regional sodas. It does not have to be good.”

When I first started writing, I had a tough time digging deep and being vulnerable. I tried to keep my own life as separate from my tunes as possible! That went out the window when I realized I have good stories to tell. Like this track we’re working on arranging together, Decay. 

“I woke up in my coffin last week,
Woke up when you tried to get a peak”

When I first wrote it, I channeled my ever-continuing grief of losing a parent. The kind you’re never truly able to let go of. I felt such guilt for holding on, and could imagine the person being grieved must be tired of it too! 

“I hate it whenever you do this, you brush the hair out of my eyes
I’ve had to tell you a few too many times, all you’re gonna find 
is my skull.”

Then, I was loved some more and hurt some more. I realized the guilt is shared. When you do not feel good enough for someone- when you physically can not give that love back- it leaves you feeling like a corpse being doted on.

Morbid! Just how I like it. 

I am, if you’ve met me, generally a very happy and upbeat person. In writing, I get out all those emotions onto paper. The hate, hurt, and pain are best served through the life of a song, not being hurled at another person or myself. It’s cleansing, somewhat. Clay, I think, is the same:

“There are lots of writing exercises out there and I won’t clutter the world with more, but here’s a cultivation exercise. Listen in your everyday life for phrases that stick in your head, whether they’re conversations with loved ones, speeches or sermons, or things you overhear in line at the Kroger. Listen for things that make you react – words that feel arranged in a pleasing way, phrases that turn into rhythms in your head when you repeat them over and over, viewpoints and perspectives which seem totally wacky and out of this world… 

Write them down! 

Collect them somewhere to look back on later and see if they still carry feeling divorced from context. Play with the leftovers.”

Thanks for being so interested in what we’re up to. The reception on our socials has been insane to witness, and we are so grateful to be part of such an epic musical community. We hope you’ll catch us weekend after next! October 17, we’ll be playing at the epic Rebel Rebel venue in Berea! Lucy and the Love Letters- another beautiful ‘and the’ group headed by fellow MSU alum Lucy Becker- will be playing alongside us for a show filled with atmosphere and starlight.

Then, after a sure-to-be-beautiful wedding, we’re off to the Appa-Latch-Uh festival in Bell County, near the edge of the Pine Mountain ridge. I’m from the north end of Kentucky’s Appalachian strip rather than the south end, but best believe I love that name. We’ll be playing 7-9 there! I hope you’ll come support us and the cool new musical ideas we have to share with you.

All the best,

Anabel (AP)