Page 15 - ION Indie Magazine NovDec 2018

EC: What drove your move to Nashville, TN?

CM: Nashville was always something that was in the back of my mind. It’s really where all the songwriters are.
In Boston, MA, there is a great music scene, but I wanted to immerse myself where everyone was writing. I have
a friend who isn’t in music, but we made a trip to Nashville to check it out last December. My friend was
interviewing for a company that also has a Nashville office -- knowing that if he got the job he would need to
move to Tennessee. He got the job, made the move, and invited me down. Five months later, I moved down to
Nashville.

EC: How is the music scene in Nashville different?

CM: The music scene is insanely saturated in Tennessee. You could be at a songwriter’s round and the person
who has the hit song on the radio right now is up right before you. The first month I was there, Luke Combs was
sitting at the table next to me at a writer’s round. Nashville is a new home-base for me to build up a following
and start touring like I am right now. I’m really just looking to meet people and network.

EC: How would you measure yourself in Nashville, given that there is so much music?

CM: First off, everyone in Nashville is extremely talented. I feel I’ve become a better singer the first three months
because if you find any weaknesses in yourself, you fix them. I worked with Mark Baxter, who was Steven Tyler’s
vocal coach before I left for Nashville. The techniques he taught me, I knew wouldn’t be an overnight fix. I would
replay his lessons over and over again until I was executing what he taught me. It helped me to expand my
register. Just being in Nashville makes you want to up your game. I also really started focusing on wanting to
have my own sound and differentiate.

EC: How do you differentiate your songwriting and music?

CM: I’ve been compared to Matchbox 20 and Goo Goo Dolls. Those rock influences come out and I’m not going
to shy away from that. I want to hang onto that. The intricacies, the lyrics and how I sing it all go into that.

EC: Tell me about your new single “It Was You.”

CM: When I was choosing five songs for the EP “Into The
Night,” I had about twenty friends who knew my music. I
narrowed the potential songs for “Into The Night” from 25
songs to about 12 songs. I wanted to see which songs they
connected to, so I played them on the acoustic guitar. “It
Was You” was a song I had put on the side for some reason,
but that song was the one that jumped out. Writing “It Was
You” was cathartic. It was emotional, and the lyrics came
out quickly. I told word for word the story of a past
relationship. The producer did exactly what I wanted him to
do with the music. It has a modern feel but also a dark
undertone. I’m drawn to songs that have an uplifting
message but still have dark elements. It’s done well, and I
believe people can identify with it. Originally, I had concerns
about putting out a ballad, but it’s me. I grew up loving 80s
ballads like Skid Row “I Remember You.” I love bittersweet
songs like that with big choruses.