Just Jaded
Life on the Road with McKenzie Helquist
Regardless of whether an artist is “big” or “small”, performances act as the catalyst, if not the driving force, for every musician's career. It not only helps them gain more traction as an artist, but it can also help them build a stronger sense of community amongst their fanbase.
There are other ways in which an artist can promote themselves and their music, especially through the use of social media. However, there is nothing quite like hearing your favorite artist perform live for the very first time. Just as there's nothing quite like having to be on the road and perform back to back for the artist.
Yet, it does beg the question of whether or not touring is as elusive and glamorous as it's painted out to be? Especially when we look at it from the perspective of the artist or the crew members.
For this month’s episode of Music Industry Insights, Jade and Joanna bring on McKenzie Helquist, a VIP tour representative with Live Nation Entertainment, to help answer some of these questions.
McKenzie has an extremely impressive portfolio. She's worked with bigger artists, like the Jonas Brothers and Dua Lipa, and has spent over half a decade in the music industry. Thanks to her extensive experience, she’s confidently able to speak on a lot of the misconceptions surrounding touring while also providing us with the blueprint to navigate this sort of profession.
McKenzie initially discusses her introduction into the industry and how she was able to go from working smaller venues in her hometown to touring with bigger artists through the process of networking.
McKenzie goes on to discuss all of the obstacles that can pop up on a day-to-day basis on tour. Whether that be the mental and physical exhaustion of having to juggle multiple tasks, spending weeks, if not months, away from home, or the range of emotions she's had to grapple with; from loneliness to imposter syndrome.
This led her into a bigger discussion of all of the misconceptions that are commonly associated with this job, including all of the “perks” that come with seeing your favorite artists perform live multiple nights and “exploring” a new city every night. For McKenzie, these assumptions couldn’t be farther from the truth, especially considering that her schedule will require her to work well into the performance and after.
There’s no guide book or course that can prepare you for the fast-paced work environment and long hours that come with a job like this. It’s more a matter of experience and figuring it out along the way.
Yet for a job that can be very time consuming and somewhat exhaustive, McKenzie has found it to be quite rewarding. Not only has she become more independent and self-reflective but she's also gained a stronger sense of appreciation for all of the work that goes on behind the scenes.
That being said, make sure to tune into this month’s episode, which you can find anywhere you listen to podcasts or on the Jaded Productions website to hear more about McKenzie's experience touring and all of the hard work that goes into this profession.
Author: Faiza Niazi
Life in Uncanny Valley With COIN
The idea of Artificial Intelligence developing feelings, intuition, and becoming more and more human-like is terrifying. It sounds like sci-fi to most people, but it’s becoming a reality, one that has made the lead singer of COIN, Chase Lawrence, question what the meaning of the human experience is.
Uncanny Valley is COIN’s fifth album and arguably their strongest. The 14-track alternative pop rock sympathy was released earlier this year in March. During my first listen to the album I honestly thought it was another record full of love songs, but I could not have been more wrong.
The term Uncanny Valley refers to the region of emotional response that happens when AI technology is too similar to humans. When reading the album title and understanding its meaning the theme or narrative of the album is revealed.
I love a well-done narrative album, and as of late I have not been able to find any new albums that match the level that COIN took this record to. During my second listen, I was able to hear how the band put intention behind every piece of their work.
The opening track ‘Learning’ is used as a way of ‘plugging in’ to the album and explaining the idea of the human experience vs. A.I. with lyrics like, “there’s no algorithm for intuition,” and “I’m more than zeros and ones.”
It also echoes what could be called the band’s motto, “learning to love.” Either they’re learning or it is the A.I., that part is unclear. It might even be that the band is picturing that they are A.I. and are breaking out of technology into the human experience. To emphasize the feelings of being in Uncanny Valley COIN welcomes listeners to the album with an electronic voice saying, “Good morning user,” at the end of ‘Learning.’
The voice reappears a few more times in the album saying the same phrase at the beginning of ‘I Think I Met You In A Dream’. “Showing search results for, is it selfish to love yourself,” is the second time the voice breaks through on the album during ‘Take a Picture.’
The final appearance happens at the beginning of, ‘Watering A Dead Flower,’ where it says, “welcome to the beautiful place,” followed by the sound that can be inferred as something powering on.
Each time the voice appears it has a purpose for serving the narrative and works in building a stronger soundscape for the album. It’s a guiding force and something that I think is very unique to the record.
My top two favorite songs off the album have some of the deepest meanings in my opinion and drives home the idea of the human experience. ‘Getting Older’ is a complete 180 from ‘Brad Pitt,’ an early track. It’s about coming of age, and the wiser you get from experiencing life. The idea of, “getting older, getting wiser,” is something completely belonging to the human experience. We're not programmed to do something, we learn to do it.
Touching more on the human experience again, ‘Plug Me In’ is a track that puts into perspective the effects of loneliness and loss of all hope and innocence. The line, “so plug me in,” makes me think of life support like Lawrence is asking to be taken and given life support. Accompanied by a layer of melodies, violins, piano, and chirping birds gives the end of the track an angelic and eerie feeling of technological failure with the sound of glitching noises.
As much as ‘Plug Me In’ feels like the final track of the album, COIN takes it one step further with ‘Loving.’ ‘Loving’ takes the sadness of ‘Plug Me In’ and finds a solution. “I wanna feel what’s real,” is a line that sticks out the most in this track and it’s the idea of COIN breaking out of Uncanny Valley and back into reality.
Adding to that the last ten seconds of the entire album, are just the sounds of technology failing or being shut down completely, indicating that COIN has left Uncanny Valley and the album is finished.
Uncanny Valley is a large step up from the previous works of COIN, and with all the intention put into it, it’s hard not to love it. The concept of the album has been done before and turned into Sci-Fi albums, which are great, but the focus on the emotional side is what makes this album stand apart for all the right reasons.
Author: Zaylee Bell
