Carolyn Shulman is a Denver-based folk singer-songwriter whose connection with music has been a lifelong affair. She came by her love of music and all things guitar-related naturally. Her father has played guitar as a hobby for most of his life, so when Carolyn expressed an interest in learning to play, he brought home a kid-sized acoustic guitar perfect for a nine year-old’s hands and set her up with lessons. By the time she was fourteen, she was writing songs and playing in coffee shops and restaurants in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama. Carolyn recently finished recording her debut album, Grenadine & Kerosene, at Cinder Sound Studio in Longmont, Colorado. She worked with veteran producer and award-winning singer-songwriter John McVey. Shulman and McVey brought in a band of seasoned musicians including Michael O’Connor, Eric Moon, Christian Teele, Chris Engleman and Kramer Kelling. Glenn Taylor of Bonnie & the Clydes plays pedal steel on two tracks, and fellow Colorado-based singer-songwriter friends Edie Carey, Megan Burtt, and Jen Hitt lent their support as background vocalists. We caught up Carolyn as we speak regarding her new video for “Matter of Time.”

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

This song is about trying to escape the daily grind or create a bit of spark in a relationship by seeking some adventure, “getting lost,” and not being worried about making mistakes. I thought the song would work well for a video because it is a fun, bouncy, folk-rock influenced song that lent itself to a narrative video. 

What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

Since the song is about breaking routines and seeking some fun and adventure, I wanted to incorporate a mix of scenes depicting routine, day to day lives as partners, spouses, or parents, contrasted with fun road trip imagery. I also specifically asked my video producer to include all kinds of couples and families in the video – I wanted to make sure that my LTGBQ and non-white listeners and friends saw their themselves represented, too. 

What was the process of making this video?

I worked with a fantastic, professional animator and video producer named Lars Skaland. Lars lives in Norway, and we connected through a platform called Fiverr, which is an online marketplace that helps people seeking creative work find digital creators to help them. Lars stood out on the platform because his lyric videos often incorporate the lyrics into the scenes of the video in super creative ways that I didn’t see in other lyric videos. I sent Lars the song, lyrics, some background on the song, and my ideas for a video concept. We had some back and forth to flesh out the details, and he NAILED it. I was so super pleased with his work, and he was very professional and an absolute pleasure to work with! I am thrilled with the results and love this video.

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

City of Angels is a space station; a fantastic pleasure dome foretold by legend. The actual Falcon 9 launch rockets us to a polyrhythmic society, where intricate instrumental layers spotlight human diversity while chanting primordial simplicities at a futuristic dance rave. Memories of our planet take on female form dreaming in immersive rivers of sound. Away from Earth, we become our primal selves, sharing a singular human essence yet radiating complex expressions of spiritual selves.  

What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

Hope, love and the human spirit inspired my belief that, if we could all step off our planet and celebrate the essences of each other – even for just a little while – society could connect as angels to each other. 

What was the process of making this video?

I had witnessed a Falcon 9 launch, hearing its roaring engines achieve
the ultimate in human creation and started imagining a very special spaceship! The pleasure dome itself contains elements of immersion represented by a futuristic river flowing through the space station and ending at a viewport. I combined stock footage with artwork, creating cinemagraphs and graphic loops. I especially enjoy compositing elements, using layered effects, to express the viewpoint of the music.

As the COVID-19 crisis raging in India sets record death tolls, the world watches from afar. #ToIndiaWithLove will be a week-long impact campaign ending with a benefit concert, sending a message of hope and solidarity with the people of India during this incredibly trying time. The event will be a fundraiser for the International Association of Human Values and its network of 10,000s of volunteers on the ground in India, so they can get supplies to high-need communities, establish COVID care centers and provide and mental health programs during this challenging time around the country. IAHV is hosting a benefit concert May 23rd at 3pm ET. 

Confirmed artists include: will.i.am, Krishna Das, Ari Afsar, Jennifer Lee Snowden, Ali Stone, Cozmic, Raye Zaragoza, Deva Premal & Miten, MC Yogi, with more to be announced. The event with finish with special guided meditation with global spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and other specials guests. The event will also include conversations with field leaders working tirelessly on the ground to grapple with oxygen and medical supply shortages, and to address the challenges daily wage workers are facing during the lockdowns. 

The event will be hosted by actress Fagun Thakrar and social entrepreneur Johann Berlin and produced by We & Goliath. All the artists and organizers are donating their time. The organizers are asking people across the globe to send #ToIndiaWithLove messages, poems, songs, and words of inspiration to India during the crisis, many of which will be featured in the event and/or website. “We have been so inspired by the compassionate response to our efforts so far. We hope this campaign and event can help spread hope, bring awareness about the situation in India, and raise funds for much-needed support,” shares Madhu Kadari from International Association for Human Values. “India has given so much to the world – including arts and culture, ancient sciences, yoga & meditation and so many technological innovations. 

Now is a time for the world to stand with India in her moment of need,” says Fagun Thakrar, co -host. “Even though the challenges in India are exponential, so is our capacity for kindness, generosity, and spreading hope. Now is a moment where we can all show our support and stand with India and the Indian Diaspora in a time of need,” says Johann Berlin, co-host In addition to the thousands of messages of hope and inspiration generated from the campaign, the proceeds raised will go to the International National Association for Human Values for projects the ground – providing beds, oxygen supplies, food, and mental health services. About IAHV: IAHV is a 501(c)3 organization that serves as a global platform for humanitarian initiatives that solve problems by uplifting human values. For 35 years, IAHV, in partnership with Art of Living, has mobilized its global volunteer networks to provide humanitarian and disaster relief through immediate material aid and services, trauma relief, and sustainable community development. IAHV has a strong reputation in India and around the world and sits on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

Website https://toindiawithlove.iahv.org

Join the event here:https://toindiawithlove.iahv.org/benefit-concert/

NADUH (nah-duh) composed of TARANEH (aka Tee Krispil), Jenny Lea (of I M U R), Rosita Alcantara (of Off Topic), Giorgi Holiday (aka Giorgi), and Larisa Marie, write, engineer, and produce all of their music – meaning they have crafted a sound that’s truly representative of their collective energy. With heavy influences from 90’s R&B, soul, and modern hip-hop, the self proclaimed soft/hard music NADUH make is representative of their queer, femme/tomboy identities as they dance between themes of empowerment and juicy realness.

New single, “CHAPSTICK,” was produced by TARANEH and written by all five members. Flipping the script on the often used line in male hip hop – “I took your girl…” – the crew wrote a queer rendition from the perspective of women having the power and energy to attract other women.

Sunshine & The Blue Moon know that whatever dreams or nightmares may come, it won’t do us any good to lose our ability to embrace joy and even get silly once in a while. In fact, it may be that spirit—the groovy one, the enlightened one—that keeps us from losing ground in the years to come. Their sophomore album Born 2 Boogie (out June 25) is shot through with that spirit, simultaneously amplifying the good vibes of ‘60s psychedelia while wrestling with the demons that the last few years have re-loosed on the world.

Lead single “Good Morning Sunshine” reminds us to find time to unwind, inspired by dreary hazy mornings, when you wake up and don’t want to do the things you’re supposed to do. We’re all in the same boat, sharing those introspective humdrum days, despite our different lived experiences. 

Toronto punk band Faiyaz and the Wasted Chances have a raucous, rough around the edges appeal whose sound falls somewhere between Warhol pre-punk and the local DIY scene in which they flowered.

Modern life in the city can be extremely draining and vamperic. New single, “Glow,” was written at a time when frontman Faiyaz Shah was working a full time job, touring in multiple bands and sleeping on the floor. However, there were moments worth experiencing and taking in. Moments as small as taking a bath or as beautiful as the night sky.