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01/15/2007 10:04:10 PM · #1 |
i've enjoyed posting here and writing here, but almost everything i've posted has had to do with photography. this past weekend, i wrote my first article that wasn't for me, or about me, or about what i do. it was for a local paper; i was asked to turn in about 750 words; this came out to a hair under a thousand. it will be interesting to see how it gets edited...
just thought i'd share it here, feel free to comment or ignore ;-)
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The Next Big Step
How 16-year-old Goochlander Sarah McCalla went from wondering "what's next?" all the way to New York City
When Sarah McCallaâs brother Sean left for Virginia Tech last fall, they agreed that instead of dissolving their six-year-old band, Zerohour, they would just take a break. For Sarah, that break lasted only a month.
âMusic is such a part of my life, I couldnât stand it!â To fill the void, Sarah started Googling âRichmond Bands Needing Bassâ and came across Conshafter, a band she recognized from their airplay on local radio stations.
After telling her parents what she wanted to do, John and Sheila McCalla were slightly apprehensive. Having spent years as managers, roadies, and chauffeurs for Zerohour, they were never ones to hold their children back from their dreams. However, they realized this was a big step. While John McCalla was supportive, he says, âI was also a bit skeptical that they would even consider her, especially considering her age.â
Sarah knew the odds were against her. Not only did she have to overcome the age factor, but also the gender factor. Even though there have been a number of successful female bass players, their numbers are very slim. To prepare for her audition, Sarah did not simply download the songs the band requestedââI downloaded and learned every Conshafter song I could find online.â When her number came up, she was ready to play.
âHonestly,â says Conshafter co-founder and front-man Chris Konstantinos, âwhen she answered our ad, we thought, âwell, ok, we can give her a try,â but she came in and blew everyone away. Even though we auditioned others, there really was no question that Sarah was the one.â
Conshafter is the brainchild of two UNC Chapel Hill graduates, Chris Konstantinos and Dave Cykert, who discovered their mutual love of music while rowing for UNCâs crew team. Over the past eight years, the band has been through a number of drummers and bass players before settling into their current lineup. Cykert plays guitar and shares songwriting duties with Konstantinos; drummer Travis Wilson joined the band last summer. âAll things considered, the lineup we have right now is probably the best weâve ever had,â added Konstantinos. âSarah brings an unbelievable amount of skill and maturity to the band.â
Most remarkably, in spite of all the members having regular day-gigs, the band has managed to garner some national attention. They have self-produced three indie records; the most recent, âSlow Drive off a High Diveâ, was just released on iTunes this January. In December, they were recognized by spin.com as their Artist of the Day for December 13, 2006. As well as having songs in rotation on Satellite XM and on Y-101, they also contributed a track to the indie movie âThe Glorious Mustache Challenge.â Conshafter is one of those bands that seem to have a knack of putting themselves at the right place at the right time.
Having someone Sarahâs age in a professional band creates some interesting logistical challenges, especially considering she didnât even have a driverâs license when she joined the band. Thanks to their experience supporting Zerohour, John and Sheila McCalla were ready to step in and provide some heavy liftingâliterally. Johnâs Yukon can be found at every show, full of drums, guitars, amps, and other essentials. More importantly, their guest house has become Conshafterâs practice venue.
Sarah, now a sophomore at the Maggie Walker Governorâs School, has been balancing music and school since she was eight. âOther kids came home from school and played sports; I came home and played music. It was my after-school activity.â Sarah continued, âIâm a perfectionist, so I push myself as hard as I can at everything I do.â
When she joined Conshafter, Sarah was excited at the prospect of playing with other people again. However, as the lineup began to gel, she and her bandmates started to realize they had something special. âBack in December, we were all packed into the Yukon, going to play a gig in Ohio, and we really started to get to know each other. It was really cool to see that we all had the same dreams, the same drive, and were making the same commitment to it.â
Little did Sarah realize that less than six month after Googling up Conshafter, she would be in a Manhattan recording studio, laying down bass lines for her new band. As it turns out, a few years ago, Conshafter caught the ear of Keith Shockley, a man whose walls of gold and platinum records rightfully mark him as one of the most influential hip-hop producers in the country. Shockley told Konstantinos that when the time was right, he would get Conshafter into the studio to do a top-of-the-line professional recording.
The time just happened to be right this past weekend, a long weekend sandwiched between Lee-Jackson Day and the Martin Luther King holiday. Conshafter packed up John's Yukon last Thursday night, and headed up to the Big Apple for a weekend in the studio. The sessions were grueling, lasting until 3 or 4 in the morning, sometimes requiring the band to spend hours tweaking parts of songs that will last only seconds in a recording. For Sarah, this is exactly where she wants to be. "It's a blast! If this takes off, that's great! I can always come back and finish school. But, if I have the opportunity to go out and record and make music and do this for the rest of my life, well, that would be perfect."
Message edited by author 2007-01-16 09:27:13. |
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01/15/2007 10:43:27 PM · #2 |
That's a nice story, and it will be interesting to see how they edit it. Maybe if they drop out the double space between paragraphs it will not need to be edited HA : )
It's a good write up, If they cut it I would expect that the paragraph beginning with "When she joined" will be cut.
I did the music thing part time from 67 thru 73, then full time until 83. It was a lot of fun, and very difficult at times. One guitar player/singer and I worked with each other for almost the entire time. A good article like this one is a huge morale boost for the band members.
Good luck, and I hope that you will be writing many more articles.
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