by Jane Lambert

VIDEO VOYAGEUR: 3 Q’s WITH MADAME Z

In a world increasingly defined by crisis – climate change, social division, political dysfunction, and a profound disconnection from nature and one another – art and music can serve as both mirror and medicine.

For Madame Z , music isn’t just an outlet. It is a lifeline. A writer at heart, and a musician by calling, she brings a deep emotional honesty to her work, balancing the stark realities of the present moment with a fierce and unwavering belief in our collective potential to heal and transform.

Her latest release “Save The World” is a heartfelt plea for unity in the face of collapse. It is a song born out of sorry and yet steeped in hope. A reminder that while we may feel powerless as individuals, together, we still hold the power to change course.

In this Exclusive Interview, Madame Z opens up about the inspiration behind the track, the challenges of being a one woman creative force, and why the video’s poignant visuals are just as essential as the lyrics themselves.

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

It can be deeply disheartening to reflect on the state of the world – the pollution, the relentless destruction of our planet on so many levels, the poisoning of our oceans and waterways, the mass extinction of countless species (thanks, unsurprisingly, to human activity), the reality of climate change (whether some choose to acknowledge it or not), and the ever-present forces of bigotry, racism, war, genocide, political dysfunction, division, and hatred. The list feels endless – and it is catastrophic. The energy of the planet itself seems to echo this pain.

As Einstein once said, “Man invented the atomic bomb, but no mouse would ever construct a mousetrap.” In so many ways, we are engineering our own downfall – driven by capitalism, greed, and a profound disconnection from one another and from the Earth. This song, I believe, speaks volumes without needing much explanation. Yes, it’s painful to witness and experience all of this. It can feel overwhelming, even hopeless. But the message at the heart of it is powerful: we need to come together. It’s not too late. We still have the ability to make a difference – even if it’s just by being a light in the darkness and holding on to the possibility of change.

Similarly, the video itself highlights much despair and destruction but also intertwines moments of hope and potential. The current state of the world may feel bleak but there is potential for humanity to turn it around.

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

As noted, it coincides with the lyrics themselves. Despair (which many of us have been feeling as of late) but looking to the future of possibility. As one person, I may not be able to change the entire world but TOGETHER we can make an impact.

3. What was the process of making the video?

I chose to use AI for this video because, simply put, I’m a one-woman operation.

I have three kids and a demanding executive-level corporate job that often spills into evenings and weekends. Music isn’t my primary or even secondary priority in terms of time – but it’s essential to who I am. It’s as vital to me as the air I breathe. At my core, I’m a writer. Music is one of the few ways I can fully express the emotions and thoughts I often struggle to put into words. But with the limited time I have, I have to rely on the tools available to me to help bring my ideas to life.

My publisher has been encouraging me to pair videos with my releases, but since it’s just me doing all of this, I lean on resources that make that possible. I’d love to shoot and produce videos from scratch – but right now, that’s just not a realistic option. So, I do what I can. I created short video snippets and pieced them together to help visualize the message I wanted to share through this song. It might not be perfect – but perfection is overrated anyway.

What matters most is the message, the emotion and the intention behind it.

Stay connected with Madame Z:

Website / Instagram / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music

05.16.25

by Jane Lambert

VIDEO VOYAGEUR: 3 Q’s WITH MOLLY THOMAS

Molly-Thomas-Even-the-Strong-04-13-25-copy

Rooted in Southern soul and shaped by years of touring, collaborating and creating from the heart, Molly Thomas has carved a distinct path as a songwriter, musician and storyteller.

With a voice that carries both grit and grace, Molly’s music brings together an authentic honesty and depth – qualities that shine through in her latest single “Even The Strong” and self-made video.

Following a transformative season of healing and reflection, Thomas brings us a visual companion to a song that speaks to resilience, vulnerability and the quiet strength it takes to lean on others when life demands more than we can carry alone.

In this Exclusive Interview, we talk with Molly about the story behind the song, the creative process behind the video, and how a spontaneous trip to Spain – and a crash course in video editing – helped bring it all to life!

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

This song is about the idea that even in strength, we all need someone to lean on. Old habits can creep back in, but finding grace, truth and sometimes a shoulder to lean on can help one rise above. I decided to visualize the song in black and white because I wasn’t sure how to allude to the overall feeling any other way. I found a way to add color and added it at the pinnacle moment of the song to heighten the level of visuals to match the song.

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

The song was written in the summer of 2023, just before my car accident.

Ironically, the test of strength was thrown my way and the message of resilience and hope proved to be just what I needed to get through it. A little over a year after the car accident, my husband and I took a celebratory trip from time healing and we went to Spain.

We were both inspired and took lots of video footage in hope to create a video at some point. I wasn’t sure which song the footage would be for, but it presented itself when I started. This song is the first single, to be released May 16, 2025. The footage that we gathered seemed to tell the story I was looking for and so I just went for it.

3. What was the process of making the video?

The process was a bit tedious, considering I was/am fresh at learning Premiere Pro.

In fact, I just got it 3 days ago and have SO much to learn. I initially created the video in imovie. I sent it to my friend, who is a professional filmmaker, and she set me straight, in a loving manner. It took me 2 days to make it once I sat down and loaded all of the footage into my project. I guess because I have experience in imovie and also Pro-tools, the learning curve came a little bit easier.

Thanks to Youtube University (HA), all of my questions were answered as I went along. I’m sure I could have kept going with perfecting it, but decided to let it go, especially because there is a deadline. Also, the realization that I’m a musician just trying to get my song out to the world. I am not a professional videographer. It’s similar to producing and recording a song. At some point along the way, there comes a time when nothing more can be done with the tools at hand, and you have to let it fly.

Stay connected with Molly Thomas on her Website

05.06.25

by Jane Lambert

After Hours Alchemy in MASSEY’s latest single “3:00am Funk”

In the quiet chaos of 3am when bars have emptied, streets glisten with after-rain shimmer and the city feels like it’s catching its breath, MASSEY drops a groove that captures the electricity of that fleeting in-between hour.

“3:00 AM FUNK” isn’t just a vibe. It’s a fully formed nocturnal world built from rhythm, introspection and soul.

Listen in here:

It all opens with a steady, low-slung pulse courtesy of Charlie Wooton’s bass and Doug Belote’s hypnotic drums. Together they work to create the heartbeat of the song, which is measured, magnetic and endlessly listenable. This is a groove that knows how to hold space without rushing forwards. It invites you in and makes you stay.

Guitarists Peter Oravetz and Daniel Groover add fire and texture — dueling one moment and swirling the next — creating a mood that shifts between a swagger and a dream. Their use of reversed guitar loops gives “3:00AM Funk” a psychedelic hint. The 504 Horns (Jason Parfait on saxes and Ian Smith on trumpet and trombone) burst into the mix with brass lines that flash like headlights. All bold, stylish and unmistakably alive.

But “3:00AM Funk” doesn’t just skim the surface of party scene; it digs deeper. MASSEY sings about late night wandering, social saturation and emotional absence. Of longing for something genuine in a world built on performance. And yet, the song is not cynical in any way. It does hold space for beauty too. For those fleeting moments of eye contact, laughter or vulnerability that pierces the surface.

The accompanying music video, which was shot on the vibrant pulsing streets of Denver, matches the song’s mood perfectly – part fever dream, part soul search:

With “3:00 AM Funk,” MASSEY gives the listener a soundtrack for dancing and for feeling. For when the party fades and the questions echo louder.

Find out more about MASSEY on his Website

Stream music on Spotify and Apple Music

04.25.25

by Jane Lambert

VIDEO VOYAGEUR: 3 Q’s WITH REEYA BANERJEE

Reeya Banerjee’s new single “Misery of Place” isn’t just a standout moment on her upcoming album “This Place”. This is the album’s emotional thesis, wrapped up in crunchy guitars, sharp lyrics and a healthy dose of self-aware swagger.

Inspired by a haunting question that first surfaced in her teenage years – “Are you experiencing misery of place, or profound, lifelong misery of self?” — the song digs into the complex relationship between geography and identity, asking how much of our discontent is rooted in where we are. And, how much in who we are.

To bring those layered themes to life visually, Banerjee teamed up with longtime friend and visual literacy expert Kelly Kingman-Joslyn, whose work translates complex ideas into striking hand-drawn images.

The result is a music video that’s anything but traditional. It is more of a moving sketchbook full of flickering memories, half-thoughts, bold colors and scribbled commentary. It’s part animation, part stream-of-consciousness and entirely unique.

In this exclusive interview, Banerjee explores the origins of Misery of Place, the question that’s haunted her for over 20 years, and the deeply personal (and creatively rich) process of making the video with Kingman-Joslyn.

1. Tell us the story of this song, Why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?

“Misery of Place” is essentially the thesis statement of my upcoming record, “This Place” — a collection of songs exploring how the places we live leave emotional imprints on us.

The song was inspired by a question that’s been rattling around in my brain since high school — over 20 years ago(!): “Are you experiencing misery of place, or profound, lifelong misery of self?”

It came from a teacher, passed along through a friend, and at the time, I was furious. I was 17, and it felt cruel and unhelpful — like, what kind of teacher says something that brutal to a kid still figuring out who they are?

And yet… the question stuck. Through every move and transition in my life, I kept coming back to it. It shaped how I think about identity, belonging, and change — how much of what we feel is about where we are, and how much is about who we are.

This song wrestles with that tension — between geography (physical and existential) and self — and it does it with crunchy guitars, narrative lyrics that nod to Bruce Springsteen’s character-driven storytelling (with a smirk), and the sonic swagger of the 90s power pop I grew up on. It felt right to kick off the album cycle with this one, because it asks the question the rest of the record is trying to answer.

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

I didn’t want a traditional narrative video for this song — the song itself is full of characters, but it’s also packed with doubt, cheek, and internal monologue. So I teamed up with my dear friend Kelly Kingman-Joslyn, a visual literacy expert whose job is literally to transform spoken ideas into powerful, hand-drawn visuals. She works with keynote speakers at corporate events, sketching huge live illustrations on whiteboards or easel pads to help visual learners absorb complex ideas — and she also creates animation videos for clients like Goldman Sachs.

That combination of clarity, creativity, and abstraction made her the perfect person to bring Misery of Place to life. I wanted the video to feel like flipping through someone’s subconscious — a swirl of memory, sarcasm, self-doubt, and scribbled footnotes.

Instead of telling a linear story, the video leans into abstraction: sketchbook textures, bursts of color, and hand-written text that echo the psychological layers of the song. It’s part inner monologue, part visual essay — and it adds a new dimension to the song’s central question.

3. What was the process of making the video?

The video was a true collaboration, but also an act of deep trust. I gave Kelly the track and a brain dump of what the song meant to me — a mix of stories, reflections, and the emotional weight behind the lyrics. Then I stepped back.

I trusted her completely to take all of that and filter it through her own artistic lens. Her ability to translate words and feeling into image is extraordinary, and I knew the best thing I could do was give her the space to do what she does best.

There was also something quietly full-circle about working with Kelly. She’s married to one of my closest friends — we met freshman year of college, and after graduation, we were roommates for nearly a decade. He moved out when he married her! So asking Kelly to make this video kind of felt like calling on family. That trust wasn’t just creative — it was personal.

Kelly is based in Beacon, NY — a small city in the Hudson Valley with an enormous artist community. It’s a place filled with visual artists, filmmakers, photographers, writers, and musicians, many of whom I’ve crossed paths with over the years. I lived there for a long time, and it was one of the most creatively rich chapters of my life. So in a way, this video wasn’t just a collaboration between two artists — it was a product of a larger creative ecosystem I was once part of.

A community-rooted project in every sense. We didn’t storyboard it traditionally. Instead, Kelly treated it like a live sketchbook in motion, responding to the song’s tone and energy in real time. What she created was a moving mural — quirky, emotional, and raw — that mirrors the rhythm and spirit of the song itself.

Keep up to date with Reeya Banerjee on her Website.

04.22.25

by Jane Lambert

VIDEO VOYAGEUR: 3 Q’s WITH KRISTY CHMURA

In a powerful tribute to Earth Day, singer, harpist and songwriter Kristy Chmura releases a re-imagined version of her song “Wake Up”. This is a heartfelt environmental anthem that brings together music, activism and visual storytelling.

Originally released on her 2018 debut solo album “Stained…Glass Heart”, the song now returns with a fresh cinematic arrangement and a compelling music video that shines a spotlight on the urgency of protecting our planet.

Deeply rooted in her love for nature and her decade-long commitment as a volunteer with her town’s Shade Tree Commission, Kristy’s passion for trees, forests and wildlife pulses through every frame of this video.

Collaborating with world-class musicians Christian Eigner and Niko Stoessl, along with longtime creative partner Damien Musto, Kristy brings new life to “Wake Up” through haunting melodies, stunning visuals and a message that resonates deeply in today’s climate.

In this interview, Kristy shares the story behind the song, the inspiration for the video and the creative process that brought this urgent and moving project to life:

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

The seed for my song “Wake Up” was planted a while ago. I released my original version of “Wake Up” with my longtime creative partner, Damien Musto back in 2018 on my debut solo album, “Stained…Glass Heart”.

I’ve always felt a deep connection to nature, a sense of belonging that resonates in my soul especially whenever I’m surrounded by trees, and I was becoming increasingly worried and distressed by what I would see in the media: the destruction and attacks on our environment, and how greed and thoughtlessness towards the planet hurts us all.

All these things overwhelmed me – the images of deforestation, the oil spills, the sheer disregard for our planet, even seeing things in my own community like clear cutting properties for new construction – I reached a point where the the inner activist in me became ignited. It wasn’t just about the planet; it was a personal ache, a sense of loss. I had to do something, I couldn’t stand by any longer, so I used what I have: my voice.”

“Wake Up” is a call to action to myself and to anyone, reminding us we need to look within ourselves and become more conscious of how our actions affect one another. We’re all part of a giant ecosystem. If we each do something, no matter how big or small, that contributes to solutions and creating health and balance for our environment – that’s a step in the right direction, and we need to keep going in that direction one step at a time. Sometimes that first step is just becoming more self-aware.

This newly reimagined version of “Wake Up” came to be because one summer, the smoke from the Canadian forest fires drifted south, casting a pall over New Jersey. The air hung heavy, and the poor air quality made it challenging to breathe. The sun was a hazy orange disk in the sky, and you could smell the wood burning from hundreds of miles away. Experiencing that broke my heart, thinking of the acres of trees and the extreme impact on the entire ecosystem.

This reignited the pull inside me to want to do something to help, so I turned to my music once again. I reached out to my team of music collaborators—Christian Eigner, Niko Stoessl, and Damien Musto—and told them I had this idea to rearrange my original version of “Wake Up” into something new and bigger, because I felt the song had an important message that needed to be heard. They were all on board, and there was an electric energy between us as we created this more pop/alternative style of “Wake Up”.

I decided to visualize this song in this specific way because I wanted to make the video more about delivering the message and bringing this important global issue about the health of our planet to the spotlight.

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

The inspiration behind this new video came from many things – I like watching documentaries about the environment on Pattrn TV, and I’ve always been incredibly moved by Michael Jackson’s video for “Earth Song.” However, I had to narrow it down and keep my budget in mind, so I chose a source of inspiration from a past experience – a concert I had attended, which was the Live Earth concert organized by Al Gore when he released his documentary, “The Inconvenient Truth.”

That concert was so inspiring, with such an important message raising awareness about climate change, that it has always stuck with me. Melissa Etheridge did a music video for her song that she created for the film, “I Need to Wake Up,” and so I gathered inspiration to create my own version of what they created back then. I decided to try to focus on one climate issue that I feel passionate about, which is our forests, and try to highlight how they are such an important ecosystem that we need for maintaining the health of our planet.

3. What was the process of making the video?

Creating the video was a long process. This video is the culmination of many ideas. It was challenging to create something with such an important message, as there are many different environmental issues warranting attention, so I needed to narrow it down to just one. I didn’t want to be the focus of this video; instead, I wanted the message of the song to be in the spotlight. So I worked with my video team at Sunbeam Productions LLC, and we brainstormed many ideas.

I had a strong vision about gathering many different environmental images and text with different facts to create a story in the form of a mini-documentary, but I still wanted to have shots of me singing interwoven within those images. I researched the text that appears in the video from many different sources, like the Arbor Day Foundation and the Audubon Society, etc. I then put together the text story within the visual story of the images I gathered.

I came up with the idea of projecting all these images onto a large backdrop. We then scouted a location with a cyclorama wall and shot the singing scenes there, and it all worked out perfectly. I have Julia Schnarr and her team at Sunbeam Productions LLC to thank for putting all the pieces of my vision together into this video.

Keep up to date with Kristy Chmura on her Website

02.28.25

by Jane Lambert

MASSEY’s New Single “Tattoo My Heart” – An Electrifying Ride Through Love and Mystery Featuring Charlie Wooton on Bass

MASSEY’s new single “Tattoo My Heart” is a visceral, no-holds-barred rock ‘n’ roll blast.

It’s gritty and unapologetically electric, taking you into a world where hard-driving guitars meet a mysterious and cinematic narrative.

Listen in here:

The song opens with an urgent riff, and it only intensifies from there. Peter Oravetz and Daniel Groover’s twin guitars cut through the mix, with their dueling solos creating a sense of tension and release that mirrors the track’s voodoo-inspired storyline. Charlie Wooton’s basslines pulse with a deep and powerful groove, while Doug Belote’s drums sound almost like the driven heartbeat throughout.

Each beat and riff sounds like it’s pushing the track forward as it develops into a feverish, all-consuming love story that the song paints. It’s about a relationship all wrapped up in mystery and obsession, where only one touch is enough to be forever marked.

But it’s MASSEY’s vocals that genuinely sell this track; his voice is commanding, direct, and full of emotion, and he has conviction behind each word. It’s the perfect vehicle for the story of a man caught under the spell of a mysterious voodoo priestess.

“Tattoo My Heart” was recorded at the now legendary Dockside Studio in Maurice, Louisiana, and the setting proves to be the perfect backdrop for the song’s swampy and electrified energy.

The production is not too overdone, but it manages to capture the band’s live energy. There is that unmistakable New Orleans vibe, which also has a layer of mystique to the already cinematic feel.

The voodoo theme is reflected in the lyrics. “Tattoo My Heart” explores a love so intense and consuming that it leaves a mark on the soul. It draws the listener into a tale of passion and magic, of danger and allure. It’s the kind of story that is both intoxicating as well as unnerving. It’s almost like falling in love with something you know you have no control over.

Accompanying the single release is a striking music video where the story comes alive with a visual twist.

The video features young women seducing men, with tattoos on their skin glowing with an electric charge that pulses like lightning. This visual effect emphasizes the track’s themes of enchantment, obsession, and the irreversible impact of love. The glow of these tattoos becomes as mesmerizing as the song itself.

In MASSEY’s own words, this track is “Rock ‘n’ Roll alchemy – a spell designed to captivate and spark something deep within.”

And it’s easy to see why. It’s a potent blend of passion, musicianship, and authentic energy. An explosion of sound and emotion fills the space with an electrifying presence.