In this interview spotlight, I chat with Kim Petrarca about her music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I am from Rhode Island, and I’m a singer-songwriter that falls under a mixed genre of indie/folk/rock. Most of my music is acoustic guitars and vibey guitars with very literal and honest lyrics.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
I have been writing poetry and verses since I was a kid, and I always loved singing and dancing and music. I was in choir from age 12 on, and in my senior year of high school, I picked up guitar and started putting my poetry to music. Really just life and the beauty and the pain of love and loss and hope and the emotions that surround our experiences and capturing that moment in the memory of a song or a lyric is what motivates and keeps me writing. Even if I’m not writing songs, I’m still writing words and keeping them in my notepad.
How is your last release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
My last EP release was a mixed bag of raw emotion and somewhat of an exercise in deliberate songwriting and growth as a writer. I had a cover song on there from my old original band, Grey Sanford, a tune called “Time” written by Greg Roch. I did a whole re-working of the song totally stripped down, featuring Brian McKenzie on guitar and backing vocals. I also had a co-write with Brian, “Baby, Please” which is probably my favorite track on the EP, and is a very open and personal take on my experience in moving to Nashville. There were a couple songs that got cut, a couple of angry little gems, and there’s a very poppy, half-country song on there as well.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Well the pandemic has created another whole set of huge challenges with being able to gig and stay relevant, but social media has been an asset to any artist to stay alive, live streaming, posting updates, sharing new songs or ideas, etc. Indie artists struggle to make a dime (but that’s not why we do what we do!) so streaming services have certainly affected revenue and even CD sales on shows etc., but technology of being able to connect and collaborate and cowrite with other like-minded artists and even the use of digital tip buckets on live shows has definitely helped.
What was the last song you listened to?
I have been listen to the new Ryan Adams record quite a bit- it’s incredible. He’s been doing live streams on Instagram every night, and it’s been amazing and really something to look forward to.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I collect vinyl, but I’ve not pressed any for my own music as it’s quite costly to do so. I still have a cd player in my car, but I usually download new records on my apple music when the come out.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I know I’m supposed to say spotify, but I prefer Apple Music. My songs are on Pandora as well, which I listen to at work, and on my station, I love getting exposed to new artists and songs.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
My website is kimpetrarca.com where all my music is cataloged along with my links to socials and music streaming sites, amazon, apple music, spotify, pandora, ReverbNation
Facebook is facebook.com/kimpetrarcamusic
Anything else before we sign off?
Just stay safe, wear your masks, be present, be honest, and be kind! Thank you for having me!
