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underdogpress · 8 years ago

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Life On The Road with Michelle Baumval

Photo credit: Kurt Cuffy

Michelle Baumval is taking the touring world by storm. Young and intelligent with the personality to match, this young college student has already tackled several jobs on the road and isn’t stopping anytime soon. This Brooklyn native spends nine months out of the year pursuing her college degree and spends the rest of her spare time with bands like Broadside, Old Wounds, Movements, Echosmith and many others. Don’t let her fast-paced career choice fool you, Michelle takes her education just as seriously as she does her touring life. Michelle doesn’t skip class to tour and still manages to do extremely well in school. As an up and comer in the industry she is proving to be a powerful female force.

She was only thirteen when she started getting into the alternative scene and she immediately began making those connections that would later help jump start her life on the road. Her friendly personality and unique sense of humor helped Michelle naturally form friendships with those in the crowd and those behind the scenes. “I was thirteen years old and discovered that there was more to music than what I heard on the radio. I started getting into alternative bands and eventually began going to shows in my area to see these bands that I liked. Before I knew it, I found myself going to shows far outside of my city to see these same bands some more because I could never get enough. Sometimes I’d hang around after the shows were over (way past my bedtime) to meet the musicians that I liked and talk to them about their music, their life, my life, etc. As time went on and I grew older, I kept some of these connections I’d made and watched a lot of them blossom into friendships, some of which I still cherish to this day.” Michelle says.

It wasn’t until 2014 that Michelle and a few friends got their first taste of the touring life thanks to the band Echosmith and Warped Tour. Her friendly relationship with the band and their need for some extra promo help during the dates she was attending helped her earn her first gig. Michelle explains, “I got started with touring in 2014 when I made friends with bands like Echosmith and The Downtown Fiction. During the summer of that year, a couple of my friends and I decided that we wanted to go to a bunch of Warped Tour dates, so upon hearing about that our friends in Echosmith were kind enough to offer the four of us some work for the two weeks of shows that we planned on attending. Every morning, nice and early, we would write up all of their set-time posters, promote their set throughout the day and run the meet and greets at their merch tent. It was a very good “taste” of what working on a festival tour like [Warped Tour] was like.”

That small taste of Warped was just the beginning for her. This past summer she had the opportunity to head out with Broadside and sling merch for most of the summer. This one experience has helped her earn some major respect for her incredible work ethic. “Representing Broadside for those two months meant meeting a lot of new people daily and constantly trying to keep my energy up, even at my lowest/most exhausted state. Some days were definitely tougher than others, but no matter what happened we got through everything all together and, in the end, emerged stronger than before in just about every aspect. I quickly befriended everyone that had anything to do with the Full Sail Stage and really felt as though I was part of a community over the entire two-month span. I learned more than I ever thought I would and earned many great opportunities following this tour. I think the one thing that made this experience worth it for me was the unexpected praise that I received once it had all come to an end. On the very last day of the tour in Portland, OR, a couple of people that worked for the Vans Warped Tour itself approached me and told me that I had done an excellent job all summer long. I was told by people that had been working for the festival for years that I was one of the hardest workers they’d encountered in a while. Some of the guys even told me that they remembered me from my previous years of just attending the festival and volunteering in any way that I could, which to me was incredible. It was a surreal feeling to have all of the demanding work that I had done to stand out and be the best pay off. I can’t wait to do this tour again and to get even better at what I do.” Michelle explained to us.

Photo Credit: Kurt Cuffy

Michelle is smart, adaptable, and always willing to lend a helping hand. Her ability to find a band’s need and fulfill it makes her a dream to have on the road. Her first tour after that Warped experience with The Downtown Fiction is another prime example of her work ethic. “After that, I became more interested in working on tours and the business side of music. During the fall of that year, my friends in The Downtown Fiction went on a tour with The Ready Set and let me tag along for a week on the east coast. I was ecstatic because it was just so unbelievably nice of them to allow me to hang out for all of those nights and to trust me to help out. It felt great to be in charge of something- even if it was just small tasks like running their acoustic sessions/meet and greets before each night’s show.”

She proved to be dependable and handy on the road which helped her responsibilities grow along with her. Michelle went from volunteering a week at a time every few months to spending more time out selling merch, helping with load in and out, and even tour managing. A typical day on tour for her has become second nature. “My duties typically begin as soon as I wake up. I’m almost always the first one up and usually have to make sure that everyone else wakes up and gets ready to leave by the time that we all agreed upon the night before. Then we drive, and once we finally get to the venue I usually help with load-in, carrying the smaller drum equipment, guitars, and merch inside. I set up the merch, sometimes count it all, and distribute everyone’s buyouts to them and find us a place to eat! During the night I sell folks their T-shirts of preference, count them all out after the venue has cleared, and pack everything back up. Then, we load out and do whatever it is we decided to do that night, go to sleep, and then wake up and do it all the next day.”

Photo Credit: Francheska Pastor

Michelle seems to enjoy the simple things in life like being surrounded by great people, supporting the art her friends create, and seeing the world. That appreciation for the little things goes a long way when you’re living out of a van with several other people and not every day is paradise. Michelle tells us, “I love walking around cities I’ve never been to before and eating their donuts. I love getting to know new people and spending my days smiling until my cheeks hurt. I love being able to visit friends that I rarely get to see otherwise because of how far apart we live. I love watching my second families play music every night to different crowds of people. Mainly, I just love being broke.”

“No one’s comments have kept me from continuing to do what I love and I will never let them.”

Her bright attitude and ability to roll with the punches has really come in handy and makes her the kind of person bands want to have on their team. Even though she embraces the world with a strong mindset sometimes the world fights back in other ways. Just like many other women in the industry, Michelle too is experiencing annoyances that are totally unnecessary, but she even handles this with grace and intelligence. She explains to us, “I regularly receive unpleasant comments from ignorant security guards, promoters, friends of the bands I work for, etc. It’s pretty crazy to think that in the year 2017 there are people that still make outrageous sexist assumptions about the females that they encounter in their music scene. I’ve been the first one of my group to walk into venues before just to have promoters look right past me and ask my band “whose girlfriend” I was. I’ve flat-out been told by tour managers that someone in their band had said they wouldn’t hire me, as they “didn’t want a girl on their crew” because they “didn’t think [I]’d be able to handle it.” I’ve had drunk men come up to my merch table and demand a size large of every shirt for free while calling me “babe” and talking down to me as if they were in charge and I just had to meet their unreasonable demands. I’ve had people try to touch me before and I have felt a large share of discomfort. The unfortunate part of the matter is that it probably won’t stop any time soon, but the good news is that not everyone is like this. For instance, my guys always stick up for me, sometimes without my even knowing, and I appreciate it more than I can ever express. I try not to let the close-mindedness of others get to me. There are so many badass women in this industry and I look up to a lot of them. I feel really lucky to have gotten to know so many of these women that have inspired me and to have been able to hear their stories and learn from them. Nonetheless, no one’s comments have kept me from continuing to do what I love and I will never let them.”

Michelle offers great advice for those who hope to get involved with touring, but may not know where to start. “I think first and foremost it’s important to make sure that you’re always just having a good time and doing things because you enjoy doing them. That being said, as far as networking goes, I’d say it’s essential to just let people get to know you in a natural manner. Go to shows. Communicate with those around you. Let people know that their art means something to you (if it does). Don’t be afraid to show that you’re having fun. Break out of your shell if you’re shy- there’s no reason not to! But also, don’t force yourself onto others because you think it’d be “cool” to be their friend or because they have a lot of “connections” or whatnot. Moreover, don’t get discouraged if everyone doesn’t instantly fawn over you. Give it some time. Let people see what you’re all about and what your personality is like and everything will fall into place on its own.”

Photo Credit: Kurt Cuffy

2017 is already off to a great start for Michelle and is probably going to prove to be her biggest year yet with new opportunities arising. “Well, I began my year on a week-long run with a New Jersey hardcore band called Old Wounds and now I’m back in school. I received two incredible tour offers for the spring that happen to be during my spring break so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with that! Afterwards, you’ll probably catch me on Warped Tour again, and I guess the rest will get sorted as the time approaches.” she told us.

Even though she has a big year ahead her she is still focusing on long term goals ahead of her. Touring has helped Michelle get a taste of the music industry from a new side and has allowed her to pinpoint what exactly she hopes to achieve throughout her career. “I started off not knowing what I wanted to do and just going with the flow, but as time went on I realized that I wanted to work my way up to something like managing bands someday. A lot of the people I’ve worked with have told me that I’m “too smart” (aw shucks) to just settle into the position I’m in and to keep working until I get to where I want to be. While I’m still young I would like to continue touring, take on bigger tasks on the road, and then eventually move on to industry jobs off the road, such as managing bands.”

Michelle is level headed and works harder than most students her age. She offers great advice for other women trying to make it in the music industry. “I hope reading this got you thinking, and I really hope to see more ladies working on the road. Don’t ever get discouraged when it comes to finding a way to do what you love.”

Follow Michelle on social media to keep up with her: Twitter | Instagram

Story by Carol Simpson

#interview #michelle baumval #tour #underdog press #music blog #music news #music industry #warped tour #broadside #old wounds

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onestowatch · 3 years ago

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Dan Campbell Chronicles ‘Other People’s Lives’ on Stellar Debut Solo Album [Q&A]

Photo: Michelle Baumval

The Wonder Years frontman Dan Campbell is blazing a trail of his own with his debut solo album Other People's Lives. Known for his vulnerable writing style and roaring vocals, the singer-songwriter delivers a folk album that proves everyone has a story to tell.

In a bid for purpose and structure, Dan started writing songs for and about other people back in early quarantine. He found joy learning about their lives, endlessly searching for details to tell their stories. The songs he wrote let listeners look through narrow openings into the quiet, milestone moments in the lives of strangers.

We had the opportunity to talk with Campbell about his debut solo album and what he learned about himself and people while writing about strangers.

Ones to Watch: Most people know you from The Wonder Years and Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties and all of the impeccably written songs you created for those projects. What made you decide to do a solo project, and how did you separate yourself from those other projects?

Dan Campbell: To be totally transparent, it was born out of need. My life has been centered around touring for the last decade, and when that went away, I lost a lot of "hat keep" me in orbit and the means for supporting my family. I had an 11-month old at home and no idea what I was going to do. My manager suggested trying to write songs for other people, and I gave it a shot and fell in love with it. So when I really needed something to focus on, I had these songs. I would wake up with my son and do the dad thing until his first nap, go down to the basement and work on a song, get a demo of it on my phone, and then go back to parenting for a few hours. I'd listen when I'd take him on walks and make mental notes and when he went down for his second nap, I'd refine the song. Usually, I'd work on 1-2 a week. The routine did so much for me.

As far as separating it from TWY and AW20, it was just about being conscious of the things I do specifically for those projects that make them what they are and avoiding those hallmarks. For AW20, musically, this is fairly similar, but I made a conscious effort to keep these more in my lower and middle vocal range, partially because the subject matter called for it. Also, the real keystone of Aaron West is the story arc, and so as long as I wasn't in that narrative, I think it becomes something of its own immediately.

What was the most surprising thing you learned about the people you wrote these songs about/for?

I think one of the big things was realizing that everyone has a great story to tell. In a way, I knew that, but this really made it plain to me. It can be easy, as a human, to see yourself as the main character of reality and to have this kind of myopic view of the world. Writing these songs helped me remember that every person's life has its own richness.

What did you learn, if anything, about yourself during the creation of this record?

One of my favorite discoveries was how much I loved interviewing people. That's where the process of the songs began—I had Skype calls with everyone. They had a story they wanted to tell, but I really enjoyed the process of digging for little landmark moments and asking after details to add depth to the narratives. I learned quickly how valuable it could be for the songs to find out what color paint was used, what model the car was, what street the house was on, etc. It was honestly fun to work with people to help add color to the stories.

This record, as the album title shows, is an anthology of other people's lives. Is there an overarching story that this body of work tells about people and the lives we lead?

For a long time, I thought the album divided itself into songs about love or death, but the more I thought about it, the more I think I've decided they're all love songs. Some of them are about the joy of finding and cultivating that love, and others are about the sadness of losing someone forever, but they're all about love at their core. Writing an elegy for someone is its own sort of love song.

Cliche question, but what is your favorite track on the album?

It changes all of the time but this week, it's “The Kings of Halloween.”

Which song was the hardest one to write

Technically, I think "Conversations with the Flowers" was maybe the most challenging, because it's one song that's remembering the lives of four different people. Finding a way to structure that to give adequate space to each of those lives and stories while still building a sonically nice song to listen to was a bit of a puzzle. Emotionally, it was "The Kings of Halloween." The way Leah told that story, the way she spoke about her mom, I really felt it. That's one that I was nervous to send because I desperately wanted to do justice to the story.

Which track are you most excited for people to listen to that hasn't been released yet?

It might be "Streetlights Painted You Gold." Robin's harmonies and Kristine and Maria's strings really added so much beauty and life to the song. I think it's an easy one to fall for. Dan Campbell’s Other People’s Lives is available everywhere you can stream it.

#dan campbell #other people's lives #other peoples lives #album reviews #singer songwriter #interview #folk

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