Page 54 - ION Indie Magazine MayJune 2020 Issue

CARRIE WELLING

Nashville country/folk artist Carrie Welling’s bio describes her bold, sultry voice as reminiscent of
Sheryl Crow’s grit, Natalie Maines’ twang, and Stevie Nicks’ heart. Welling has logged countless
hours on the road, performing at venues and house concerts across the US, as well as an
international tour through Germany and The Netherlands.

Regarding the current challenges, Welling shares her experience, "Life as a musician always keeps
you on your toes, but this pandemic has really thrown me for a loop! My big album release show in
Nashville for my album "High Heels and Heavy Things" and opening for Delta Rae on their North East
tour next month were completely canceled! That was so disappointing! I haven't set a new release
date yet because it's still so unknown when and if this will all be over. It's been a bit scary, especially
since touring and shows are my main source of income. I've decided to push back the release of
the full record to really do it justice. A live show for the release of my first album has always been a
dream of mine and I think a date coinciding with the tour feels like a better fit.”

Welling continues, “I have a Patreon and the support of my patrons has been amazing. I call them
my family. We are a community and I love interacting with them. Earlier this week I had a virtual
conference with them on Zoom where we all got to see each other, have conversations, and I even
sang a couple songs.”

Welling shares how she is turning to live streaming to stay connected, “I have been trying to roll with
it by turning my gig life into virtual live stream shows! I have found that people are really watching
and engaging in real-time, which is so cool! I can interact with fans in a way I couldn’t with a
traditional live show. I can have a real conversation in between songs! At a time like this, people
need music. It's really cool to see everyone embracing the technology that we have. It's almost
overwhelming! Could you imagine if this happened 15 years ago? I don't know what I would do! I
did an online show last Thursday using the "Stage It" platform and it sold out – twice! I had to release
more tickets! People were so generous! I was on a happiness high for the rest of the night. This show
was the equivalent of what I would have made from the 2 house concerts that were canceled in
April. I decided that I will do another one on April 3 , the date of my original release show. I'm trying
rd
to sell at least 200 tickets. The online show on the 3rd will be a celebration of the release of a new
single that I've been wanting to put out for a while. This song is not on the record, it's an exclusive
track. I've been sitting on this song for about 2 years because it didn't necessarily fit my record. It
dawned on me the other day that this is the perfect time to put it out. Plus, I'm an independent artist
so we can really do whatever we want! The song is called 'Flames" and it's all about getting through
tough times. Instead of being afraid of the fire, you have to walk through it and fight. I thought this
would be the perfect time to give people hope."

Learn more about Carrie Welling at the following links:

Website: https://www.carriewelling.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wellomusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carriewellingmusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carriewellingmusic/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheHattie84
Video “Get Away Driver” https://youtu.be/_TJqETzF2Ko