Renee Arozqueta

How did you get your start in Music? Did you grow up in a musical family?

Yes! My mother played and taught dulcimer when I was growing up. When we moved to Florida, she took up her dream instrument, the upright bass. And she was influenced by her father, who played sax and clarinet.

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What made you decide to pursue music?

I have chosen to pursue many things over time: marine biology (college), teaching, serving, management, high pressure bandwidth sales, teaching again. In between all of these, there was always music and art. When I was teaching, I saw two different types of students. The one who is interested in music to varying degrees whose parents support and encourage them to practice to varying degrees. And then there is the tiny human that you couldn't keep away from the piano if you punished them for playing it. That is me. This is what drives me to pursue music, it is a compulsion. Deciding to pursue music as a career is another story.

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You have a lot of passion for teaching music. What or who helped you ignite that passion for it?

Definitely my mother and a few key influential teachers. The most notable is Kevin Stever, an Orlando staple who plays all instruments and genres but is mostly known for bass. 

Kevin was my mother’s music teacher when she decided to try bass. It was him that encouraged her to move from electric to upright. It was him that showed me how to play without  sheet music. It was him that took the time to record my first albums when I was 16 and 17. You will never hear those, by the way. Lost to the archives of time and/or existing only as burned CDs scattered throughout the state.

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Who are your musical influences? How do they have an impact on your music?

As a young singer songwriter - the 90's gave me Fiona Apple, Jewel, Natalie Imbruglia, Alanis Morsette, Tory Amos. 

Later on, I found garage grunge Modest Mouse, Neutral Milk Hotel, Radiohead, Wilco, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, 

In Pensacola I was obsessed with gritter lo-fi folk punk: Kimya Dawson, this Bike is a Pipe Bomb, Ghost Mice, David Dondero, Bright Eyes, Karl Blau

And finally, as we entered our current post modern “whatever it is”: Indigo de Souza, Field Medic, Amy Hendricks.

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You have a lot of experience being on the road as an artist. What is one of the lessons you’ve learned from it?

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. Years just keep adding up between now and when I had those adventures. They are still my most treasured memories. Just last night I dreamt, as I often do, that I still had my big white van. Sometimes waking up in the desert, sometimes in the mountains, sometimes in a strange city, usually alone. I always felt that being on tour was like a waking dream because you never knew what your world was going to look like, and it was always changing. I suppose touring gave me a lot of mindfulness and gratitude practice. I appreciated feeling truly alive even if I was dirty, tired, poor, and hungry, because I was doing exactly what I wanted. Nothing could touch me. I was a badass. 

 

What was one of your biggest obstacles in your music career and how did you overcome it?

My first response is money, but that's not the most difficult part. The one that keeps me up, causes doubt, whispers imposter syndrome, is the belief (correct or incorrect) that it isn't possible or in the cards for me to be able to make a living as an artist. As I type this, I know it's bullshit, but it's so hard to believe when I am attempting a budget, seeing friends make investments, go on vacations that aren't tour, buy pillows from home goods. Regardless of the reality, I keep making art because of the compulsion and the joy it brings me. Challenging our own doubts and beliefs is an ongoing pursuit. I’m going to work on putting myself out there unapologetically.

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I know it’s difficult for working musicians to juggle work life with music life. How are you able to balance them? 

I do not have a good answer for this. Either I have little executive function or my body just requires 15 hours of sleep/video games a day. But I suppose the best strategy I've picked up is prioritizing the most important task and making that task as easy as possible by breaking it into small chunks, writing and prepping, and asking for help! Help in the form of body doubling, “accountabilibuddies,” or advice. The other side of my brain has no brakes. If I decide work is the highest priority, I'll go full speed until burnout. I don’t like doing that, but sometimes it's the only way to get it done.

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How was your band, LadyBits, put together?

Ah, my bits!!!  All three songwriters of the Ladybits (Renee Arozqueta, Kevin Meehan, and Mike Adkins) were booked on the same night to play at Grumpies. 

The short version is when you find your people it's obvious. It happens naturally and without trying too much. I credit the universe. 

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What is your writing process?

I largely write in my head first before I ever find chords or touch an instrument. Words and melody come together and they must be written and recorded or they fly away. There's a short amount of time that a specific version of a song presents itself in my mind. If I only write the chords and words, the rhythm and feel will be lost and has to be reconstructed. When I bring a draft to an instrument (I write on piano and guitar) the song takes shape as I process the unique parts, recognize the repeating themes of my style, and make conscious decisions to alter them. I love to switch instruments to flesh out alternatives, the mechanics of a guitar vs a piano drastically change even simple chords. With the Ladybits, I'm entering a new writing phase more akin to collaboration as opposed to directing a back-up band. I still capture and create a draft, the difference is that I have three minds altering it. It's extremely beneficial when writing with other songwriters to hold onto concepts loosely, let them change. To try on ideas like clothes in a fitting room. 

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What is the story behind “Little Boat”?

Thank you for asking! Little Boat has four verses in chronological order. The first two weigh the scenario of dating someone who doesn't quite fit. There is love, there is comfort, but also a feeling of not quite fitting the mold of their desire/expectation. But because you love them, the first reaction is to accommodate. It's easier to act out the story/belief that "I'm just a mess of a person: all over the place, too loud, too literal, too colorful, too spastic, too emotional, just too much” than to fully accept and embrace yourself. 

 

"So you go back to you apartment, one bright room with the paint in the carpet, to water your flowers and fade into dreams and they bloom... in colors you've never seen. "

I rock. My own little boat. 

I don't need to do anything to make myself "gooder, prettier, thinner, quieter, more acceptable" for anyone. 

 

You finally got your album out with the LadyBits. What was the process of putting the album together like? 

Incredible! I can't help but compare producing an album to having a baby. There are labor pains, there is much patience required, in the midst it is hard to see the big picture, you remind yourself that it is all part of the process, that it is worth it, that no one can make your art better than you, so just... put it out and move forward. Perfectionism is a terrible burden. 

We recorded most of the album at the Melrose Center on the second floor of the library. This was by far the most comfortable and luxurious studio for recording for several reasons: 1. We could take our time, without the concern of payment and time constraints, we could relax and reflect in the creative process. 2. This allows for as many takes as it takes! 3. Since we did it on our own, the sense of accomplishment is instantaneous. 4. By breaking the recording up over several months of recording, we were able to listen to our rough mixes over a few weeks before we had access to the studio again. 5. That beautiful well lit space became our clubhouse, that no one can get into while we're there unless we let them in. No one can hear us and this allows for mistakes, more experimenting, just feeling safe. 

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You are also very involved with your community including Swamp Sistas. Tell me about your work with them. 

The Swamp Sistas has been a hugely positive community, not just because of the excellent contributions to good causes, not just because of awesome shows. Not just because of awesome music, but in our world, I feel that we lack community in all forms. Everytime I go to a Swamp Sistas event, we are surrounded by it. You can't sing harmony by yourself. This is the work that inspires me, creating a bunch of positivity together, more than the sum of our parts. We combat the all too common trap for artists and peers - competition. 

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What advice would you give to any aspiring musician wanting to pursue a music career?

Make art that truly inspires you. Try not to think about the presentation, the show, the views, the likes while creating. Identify and protect when you are in your "zone”--just keep going, it's awesome and unlike anything else. It's the endorphins you keep coming back for, not the eventual applause. 

 

Decide what success looks like for you. Is it to complete a song? Is it to play a show? Is it to produce an album? Is it to have 100,000 subscribers? Is it to simply express yourself, or is it to make money. There are a lot of ways to make money, this is not one of the easier ones!

 

Know that there are ebbs and flows to being an artist. It's also not something that you are one year and suddenly not the next. If you are an artist... you are. We may have to get service jobs to climb out of debt, we may have chapters in our life when our guitar collects dust. This is not giving up, it is just hibernation. 

 

Get good at doing your research. You cannot be a successful artist without an online presence. The curse and blessing of our time. Do it yourself (everyone has access) or hire someone to do it for you. It's a necessary evil .  Be as consistent as possible and just keep going! The road is longer than you think, but is it worth it? Not sure, ask yourself as you travel: are you enjoying the trip or just struggling to get to a destination. 

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What can we look forward to from LadyBits music in the future?

The first and latest incarnation of the Ladybits, we punked out. But all of us have deeper folk and classical roots. Our next project will lean to an acoustic feel, "the softer side of Sears.” Even different instrumentation: Renee on Piano, Mike on guitar, and Kevin on upright bass.