#AMFMoodLive Series: Sydney Wright at Whip In (Season 3)

Mood Live, presented by Mood Media and Austin Music Foundation, is back for another season! We’re thrilled to continue our support of the local music community by showcasing artists from AMF’s Artist Development Program (now in its third year) and featuring their music in our programming (heard in 100+ countries around the globe).

On Thursday, June 13th we kicked off Season 3 of Mood Live with a captivating performance from Austin’s own Sydney Wright. This year we’ve relocated to Whip In (our employees’ go-to happy hour hangout), which offers the perfect stage for our intimate live series along with a cozy atmosphere and delicious offerings.

Opting to perform as a one-woman-show, Sydney Wright used loop pedals to cleverly layer her voice, instruments, and beats to craft a sound that filled the room. Though she’s been writing songs for over a decade, her first solo album Seiche (which serves as a greatest-hits-so-far) debuted in late 2018. She started her Mood Live set with a song from that album called “Tip,” which was a great way to spotlight the complexity of her live-loop setup. She then introduced a new tune that she’ll be recording later this year with Superfónicos. You may remember that we featured Superfonicos in Season 2 of Mood Live (and that the band features Mood’s very own Erick Bohorquez), so we were excited to hear about their collaboration! Sydney turned her focus back to Seiche, launching into “Time of Night” followed by an unrecorded song entitled  “Somebody’Somebody.” Watch a demo of the song below to see how a live-loop performance comes together:

Sydney then took a break from her original material to cover a song by fellow Austinite Danny Malone. He’d sent her a piece he was working on called “The Bad Stuff,” which loved so much she promptly put her own spin on it so she could share it with the world. Next came her recently released single, “Tenderfoot.” We highly recommend clicking HERE to give it a listen! Sydney ended her set with an unreleased song written on her recent West Coast tour. Originally titled “Millennials,” the song evolved throughout the tour and was renamed “Insatiable.” We can’t wait to hear the recorded version of this one!

After being charmed by her performance we wanted to learn a little more about Sydney Wright, so we asked her a few questions about her inspiration, what sets our city apart from other music towns, and what’s on the horizon for her. Read our interview below:

What inspired you to use live-loops when you perform? I didn’t want to depend on bandmates to play shows. I could get by playing acoustic, but live-loops offer another element of production that can create a full-band sound.

Your debut album is a collection of songs from your 10+ years as a songwriter….how did you decide which songs made the cut? My producers Stefano Vieni and Alex Ponce helped me sort through and choose the most compelling pieces, initially. I released the ones I felt deserved to be heard.

What is your favorite thing about the Austin music community? I love the solidarity and the culture of collaboration and building each other up. I’ve been to other cities where that is not the case. In Austin, I haven’t known any artists to be competitive, superficial, or looking for a leg-up no matter who they have to step on to get it.

Biggest challenge facing artists in the Austin music community? Getting advice from people that are tuned-in and aware of the volatile current climate and incessant changes happening in the music industry(which might be hard to find anywhere). I think it’s important to find sources for guidance that are plugged into the national music industry in epicenters like LA, New York, and Nashville. These people are in town several times a year for events like ACL and SXSW so they’re accessible. I think it’s important to make these necessary connections to step out of the region and move forward toward a national audience.

Who are your favorite Austin artists right now? Superfonicos, Dossey, Middle Spoon, Go Fever, Eric Tessmer, Jane Ellen Bryant, Danny Malone, Jackie Venson, Lady Fang, Carrie Fussell, and Kalu James. I’m also really into my visual artist friends that I get (or wish) to collaborate with: Da_She_ (clothing design), White Light Exposure (photo/film), Kelsey Oliver (choreographer/dancer), Kala Media (photo/film), Jacob Weber (photo/film), Charlotte Yun (dancer), and Jordan Haro.

What’s next for you? I just got off my first tour, and I plan on hitting the road again as soon as I can book it. I’m also in the studio working with Matt Parmenter at Ice Cream Factory Studios on several different pieces. I got nominated for Black Fret, so I plan on getting paid to work next year which will allow me to fund consistent projects and make more art!

Austinites can catch Sydney Wright on July 19th at the Long Center for Black Fret Summer Sessions. She’ll be sharing the stage with aforementioned Superfónicos and another Mood Live alumni artist, Jaimee Harris. Don’t miss it!

We’re thrilled that our first Mood Live of 2019 was a success and we’ve got a few people to thank for that. First, shout out to the Mood team for showing your enthusiastic support of the series and the local music community. A HUGE thanks to Austin Music Foundation for continuing to bring us Austin’s rising talent. We also wanted to thank the Cultural Arts Division, along with our new friends at Day Dreamer and Whip In for supporting the series.

– Submitted by Jessica Reed, Mood Media Marketing Team

Read the original article here.