Happy International Women’s Day to all our women kicking ass out there! One of those women, the very talented Bea recently launched her online store with us and we are stoked to publish this interview that we did with her. Check it out!

How did you get your start/how long have you been doing music?

I've been playing music for longer than I haven't which is so weird to think about. I picked up the guitar the summer before my 8th grade year. I was stuck at home bored, because I was grounded for wearing eyeliner (strict parents). Of course, I'm thankful for that now.

Is music your full time gig or are you doing something else to "keep the lights on"

Other than being a mother to the raddest 8 year old boy named Brixton Mackaye (after The Clash song and Ian Mackaye), I'm a fashion designer and co-founder of an eco-conscious, luxury line of bags for modern, badass women/mamas (NONA). I'm also the lead creative at an event promotions and talent management company. 

 

Keeping busy I see! So, where are you from and how does that affect your music?

I guess I'd say I'm mostly from Dallas, although I've lived in San Francisco, Texas and NYC. My first job in music was a booking assistant for a couple of concert venues in Dallas, Texas. I think I saw over 200 shows my first year working there, and every night that I would get home from a show, I'd write. That was a super inspiring time for me. I moved to New York to pursue my music further and that was great for a lot of reasons, but definitely not what I was expecting. I got there just as the music landscape was shifting, and people started consuming music differently. Less CDs, more MP3s, less live music, more DJs. Tack that on to the all too familiar challenges working musicians face, and it was easy to find myself needing a change or a move. 

Alternatively, where do you live now and have you felt a change in your music since moving?

Currently, I'm in Syracuse, NY. I moved here and was really focused on being a mom. An old industry friend reached out to me about playing a show in SF some years ago. I hit the stage for the first time in five years and forget about it. I was hooked all over again. I started writing, recording, touring, and it has been nonstop ever since.  

 

Anything coming up that we should know about?

I'm going on tour with some of my favorite musician friends ever. Rhett Miller from the Old 97's, Chris Trapper and Emm Gryner. I'm also working on a new music video ... super psyched about that. 

Rad congrats on that! Tell us something your fans don't know about you ...

Not sure. I'm a pretty open book. I write just about everything I go through. I can't think of many questions I wouldn't answer.

Your go-to track that you always find yourself playing?

I know this is bizarre, but I totally have a thing for the star spangled banner. What other song can you pretty much hear infinite covers of? Honestly though, the stuff I listen to changes from week to week. It could be anything from St. Vincent to Tupac to Taylor Swift. 

Anything else you'd love to share?

Go see more live music! 

Thanks for stopping by to chat with us. Everyone, check out her new store here.