VIDEO FEATURE & WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Musician:  ARIELLE
Video:  “Magick Again”

Eric Johnson Hurricane Harvey Relief Benefit Show & Live Webcast this Thursday, Sept 7, at 8:30 PM EDT with special guest Arielle

https://www.concertwindow.com/bluerock

Queen’s Brian May says Arielle is a singer-songwriter and a guitarist whose “small body holds an amazingly big heart and amazingly mature passion. Her musicianship is a clear indication she has been here before! Pass her by at your peril.”

Arielle has already made the cover of Guitar Player magazine and released the single “California,” which reached No. 3 on CMT Pure. She has a four-octave vocal range, and Queen’s Brian May created a guitar role specifically for her in the West End musical We Will Rock You. She played guitar on tour with Cee Lo Green, moved to Nashville, and is receiving attention for her new songs “Pulse,” “Aquamarine,” “Dead Broke,” “The High” and “Kitchen Sink.”

Arielle has performed with global activists and opened for Heart, Joan Jett and Graham Nash at Kiss the Sky in 2014, raising awareness for captive whales and dolphins. She considers herself a ‘Conscious Artist’—“one that creates from a place of self-awareness, personal growth and development, and creating a more peaceful and stable world by that which comes out of me.”

Mmusicmag.com is proud to feature her latest video “Magick Again.” Arielle says “It has been one of my favorite songs written thus far. I wrote it right before I went to Ireland for a crazy spur-of-the-moment idea that I wanted to be close. An inner calling I guess to my heritage? To my old life? I don’t know. But it healed a lot of my heart somehow, and out came this song. It’s one of those where I questioned, life is magical. What else is there that I can’t see? Gravity, Oxygen … Love.”

We spoke with Arielle who will be the special guest of one of popular music’s most respected and renowned guitarists, Eric Johnson—to raise support for Hurricane Harvey victims. 100% of the proceeds go to Hurricane Harvey Relief. This storm has landed hard for so many now on a long road of recovery. Join Blue Rock Studio for a one-of-a-kind evening of music and generosity. You can watch the performance live, or you can watch it via Concert Window:  https://www.concertwindow.com/bluerock. It’s a pay-as-you-wish ticketing.

Performances are webcast in multi-camera HD video and pristine audio. Enjoy exclusive artist interviews between sets. Get online early. They open up cameras an hour before show time so you can test your stream connection. Here is a link for the best stream practices, to help you all enjoy the experience: http://bluerocktexas.com/live/’ target=’_blank’> http://bluerocktexas.com/live/

ARIELLE Interview
with M Music & Musicians magazine publisher, Merlin David  

Why did you decide to do this Blue Rock Studio Hurricane Harvey Relief Benefit Concert with Eric Johnson—where 100% of the proceeds go to Harvey Relief?
It’s really funny actually. The day before Blue Rock Studio reached out to us, I was speaking with Eric and his manager, Joe, about setting-up a benefit. The timing was perfect. Since we live here in Texas, it was only natural to feel very much called to help our fellow brothers and sisters during this time of need.

Why do you feel it is important for musicians to help people come together, for humanity, especially in times of crisis?
This is where we remember the importance and relevancy of art. How it cuts to the core, and can create a universal platform—simultaneously reminding us that we all have the same desires and needs. Musicians and artists get to express that outwardly, through song. It’s healing, and so very necessary. It gives a soundtrack to the pain, and the lyrics can become a bit of an audible hug.

To those who can’t be there to watch this performance, how can we get involved and help?
They will be able to watch via Concert Window: https://www.concertwindow.com/bluerock. It’s a pay-as-you-wish ticketing, where 100% of the proceeds go to two amazing non-profits doing incredible work. Even if you don’t have time to watch the show, donating helps.

Why do you consider yourself a “Conscious Artist”?
To me, being a conscious artist means being aware of the key of impact that we hold as artists, and beings. A lot of times in the past, I have written songs and created music for the sole purpose of becoming successful. Perhaps I was having a bad day, wrote a song and released something negative. It’s like if you eat a meal, and you don’t think of how it will affect you afterwards. It’s really important to be aware of what we create not only musically, but by interactions, intentions and energy. It all impacts everything around us and within us more than we know. So, to become aware of this, and I’m working on it, is an art form. In turn it can make the music much more powerful and healing.

Especially in these times, why do you think it’s important to write songs with social significance—songs that have greater value/meaning?
Just about anyone can write a song—about anything. But what’s not easy is to take a deep emotion and create something unifying for everyone to enjoy. To have the melody and harmony match the internal feeling, and to create it universally so that even the language barrier cannot stop the penetration of the feeling in unison.

How did the idea of the new song “Magick Again” come to you?
I was thinking about love, and how it made me feel—the impact of being in love, how love can change me. Obviously, I think it can change a lot of people, most of us even, but I tend to speak for myself. (Laughs) In this case, I was thinking about how there were aspects of me I had lost.

Why did you spell magick with a “k”?
The “k” represents the true meaning of it. Not the pulling-a-rabbit-from-a-hat kind of false magic, but gravity and oxygen—laws of nature we simply rely on, yet cannot see. There is so much that we cannot see. It’s kind of fascinating, exciting and crazy to think what’s going on underneath the surface. How much of my awe-struck attitude got lost while I was growing up, while I was getting beat-up by my life experiences? Well, it comes back when you allow it.

Is there a new album soon?
On October 1, I will release a new album, My Gypsy Heart. It evolved by me simply feeling like I don’t belong anywhere. I say don’t because I still feel that way. It’s been a theme. I’ve released three EP’s this year. I’m constantly creating. Although it’s a shorter album, it has a theme. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard on anything in my life.

Who inspired you to write songs?
Queen, first and foremost. The feeling of being able to express so clearly, and in a way that is truly universal to any language, is magnificent. To be able to paint the sky and meet our ears with sound, vibration and emotion is truly magic. Also, Steve Perry, Brian May, Joni Mitchell and so many more. I’ve got songs that represent all of them, and people say they can tell their influence in my music.

What made you want to write songs?
I remember the first time I ever heard a song that gave me goosebumps—“Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie. I remember feeling, “Wow! I want to be able to do that. What power to express in that way.” So when I was 11, a friend of mine, Cameron, gave me a pad of paper, showed me a few chords and set me off to the races. He wasn’t very adept at teaching or even writing for that matter, (laughs) but it gave me the boost I needed. To be honest, before I was even able to talk, I would hum melodies and create music I knew didn’t exist. It has always been inside me. It’s my voice. I feel like my first language is music—second, English. It’s where my heart can speak at the same velocity as it feels.

Tell us about your creative process.
Most of the time, a whole part, if not the whole song, will come to me in my head. Sometimes it will be a melody with a lyric. Other times, I’ll just kind of desire it out of me. I sit there, strumming chords, massaging the piano keys, and something comes out that inspires me—that feels the way I do in that moment, and it begins to pour out.

How did the idea of “California” come to you?
To make a really long and drawn out story short, I signed a bad record deal. I lost myself in the midst of Hollywood and my shallow desires, and found out I still wasn’t happy. I woke up to a person I wasn’t, and even though I thought I had everything I could want, it made me miserable. It did, however, allow me to wake up to the real me—an eternal process. It was the most important learning experience in my life. It helped me realize that a goal of mine is to become accomplished without selling your soul and your body.

Tell us one experience where something unique inspired you to write a song.
I get song titles to summarize experiences or to create unique metaphors. I have one song I am in the middle of writing called “As Black as My British Tea.” Those Brits, whom I adore, always pour milk, or in my case almond milk, into their tea. It becomes light brown. The song talks about how something seemingly dark isn’t as bad as it seems to be, or from where it began. Now that I just tried to explain it, it didn’t make as much sense. (Laughs) But I love visuals like that.

What songwriting tip would you like to offer?
Listen to music that has great chord progressions—like the Beatles, Queen, Broadway musicals. Think outside major, minor, rules. I like to break them all. It adds a layer that is instantly different. Ears perk up, hearts open. Not to shock, but to stun them just enough so they pay attention—and feel.

What instrument can you not live without—that helps you write, record or perform?
I started singing when I was five. My parents wouldn’t buy me a guitar until I was 10. It was a red knock-off Strat called an Austin. I have a handmade guitar, Two-Tone, that I built with a friend. It looks like a Firebird, but cooler. I also have an acoustic D-28 named Cali. It’s a Martin, but I don’t like to promote big companies unless we do stuff mutually.

What PRO are you with?
BMI. But to be honest, in the next few years I think there will be more independent PROs, which I will be jumping into as soon as that happens. I like the indie vibe. I like being in control.

Top 5 Musicians who inspired you to become a musician? 
Brian May, Jeff Beck, Cozy Powell, Vito Bratta, Sting.

What are your Top 5 favorite albums of all time?
A Day at the Races (1976) – Queen
Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop (1989) – Jeff Beck
Back to the Light (1992) – Brian May
The Soul Cages (1991) – Sting
Blue (1971) – Joni Mitchell

Tell us about a “pinch me” moment.
I went to go see Jeff Beck opening for Eric Clapton—while sitting next to Brian May, and his family, who invited me at the O2 Arena in London.

Best advice you’d like to give upcoming musicians.
Don’t take the easy route. I can easily wear a mini-skirt and play guitar. I can wear a ton of makeup. But to be genuine? To show up as me and not worry about the radio, the fame, money, success, beauty, ahhh—that, to me, is creativity. You are enough as you are. Grow, grow, grow—but never think for one second you have to change yourself. There’s an audience for everyone—trust me.

What’s next?
My Gypsy Heart comes out October 1. I’m going on a month-long tour in September and October to Colorado, the East Coast, and then in November I’m off to Ireland and the UK.

Where can your new fans get more info and stay updated?
www.ImArielle.com
youtube.com/officialarielle
facebook.com/the.official.arielle
patreon.com/arielle
instagram.com/officialarielle
twitter.com/arielleofficial