We recently connected with Black Baccara and have shared our conversation below.
Black Baccara, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
“It’s a hard choice between our newest released song, ‘Before You Were Sorry’ and our newest unreleased song, ‘Static Dreams’. ‘Before You Were Sorry’ was a very emotionally vulnerable song to write. The original lyrics were just a vent song because I needed so deeply to get the words out of my system in some way. Then I found this painting at goodwill called ‘Swan Lake’ (it is featured on the artwork for the song), and that caused me to go down a whole rabbit hole of swans, longing, attachment, and found myself relating in the way of unconditional loyalty, for better and worse. This inspired what are the current lyrics, along with other imagery and topics such as smoke, comparison, and lack of communication. It was the second song we had ever written as a band, and definitely brought us closer throughout the process. We wanted every part of the song and media attached to it to represent something, no filler. ‘Static Dreams’ has been very meaningful to me too because it caused me to get out of my usual ‘I’m hurt and sad’ kind of songwriting. The song is actually about escapism to internet culture, specifically about it being used as a coping skill growing up neurodivergent. We have been playing the song live for a while and I am excited for it to one day be officially released.” -Noël
“The first two originals we wrote, ‘Who Are You?’ and ‘Before You Were Sorry’ were really meaningful since we recorded and released them. For ‘Who Are You’, we spent time in the early morning (up to 1-2 am) recording in the studio, and this was a moment where we all bonded over the love for the music that we create and perform. Another topic to mention is that I really enjoyed playing with and adding a grungy influence to the guitar part in our unreleased song ‘Sacrifice’.” – Scott
“The most meaningful projects I worked with in Black Baccara were when I composed our unreleased songs ‘Poltergeist’ and ‘Static Dreams’. I started writing ‘Poltergeist’ for my digital music project. I liked what I composed so much that I planned on originally making it a solo project song but over time I felt as if the song was perfect for Black Baccara with its atmosphere and chorus. ‘Poltergeist’ is definitely our heaviest song and one of my favorite songs we’ve written. ‘Static Dreams’ was written when Noël and I wanted to write a song with a heavy yet catchy vibe. I came up with the instrumental and the demo and brought it to Noël who demoed the vocals, and then we brought it to the band. The song is in my opinion our most catchy and fun song to play live.” -Luke
“The most meaningful projects I’ve worked on have been for this band. I have yet to write anything but the drums for any of our songs, but the process of that still makes me really proud. The fact that we always collaborate in person on our songs means a lot to me and makes them that much more special. We always manage to turn writing sessions into jam sessions and those are always my favorite rehearsals we have where we get to play off of each other’s talents and collaborate.” -Alannah
“Our first single released as a band, ‘Who Are You?’, marked a turning point in my development as a musician and producer. Being the first song I produced to be released on streaming platforms, I had to work past many obstacles I perceived to be barriers that kept me from working on music before. Pushing through these hurdles alone taught me so much about production and release, but doing so with my closest friends felt so much more rewarding once we put it all together!” -Patrick
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hello, we are Black Baccara, an alternative-rock band from Nashville, TN. We take inspiration from bands like Bôa, Evanescence, Opeth, Strange Boutique, Paramore, and more. We all met at Belmont University and formed our band in 2023. Our song ‘Before You Were Sorry’ is out on all platforms January 31st. We have been working on it for a long time and are so excited to put it out to the world. I think what sets us apart is our willingness to cross genre-boundaries, such as adding breakdowns to songs when we never would have done that originally. We are very proud of our project ‘Before You Were Sorry’ and upcoming unreleased music.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
“Going to local shows and trying new music you wouldn’t have before. Support the local bands you like and buy their merch, tickets, and follow them on social media. Commenting and interaction directly with the band and artist is important to create a genuine relationship and following.” – Scott
“I would say buying merch, going to shows, interacting with their social media, and just generally showing your support are all amazing ways to support your local scene. It helps so much and gives us so much more motivation when we see that people enjoy what we do.” -Noël
“I think the best thing we can do to support artists is to be friendly to the people you work with. It’s important to have good industry connections and make friends through it. It’s important for musicians to support each other going to each other’s shows and creating friends amongst each other.” -Luke
“I think society can help support artists by trying to listen to more up and coming bands. Especially in a place so rich with music like Nashville, going to local gigs becomes an integral part of the culture. I love meeting people who come to our shows that I hadn’t previously known. It might not seem like it but I think it makes a big difference when smaller bands start to see new people at their gigs.” – Alannah
“The best way for artists to make their way in the industry is by working together. A man who has no one around him has no direction to move forward in, and the same principle applies for bands and artists. Developing a network of like-minded musicians who work well together is what makes a band work so well in the first place, and having many bands work together helps them all become better and more experienced in this industry.” – Patrick
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
“A lesson I had to unlearn is how a band dynamic works and the way it contributes to making good and creative music that you enjoy and appreciate. The skills you bring into a band is important, but what’s just as important is the environment and relationship of the members in the band. That mood can be affected by others and the dynamic your band has is important so you can bring out the best and most creative side of yourself and each other. It’s not something you should or need to do alone.” -Scott
“The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was comparison. Yes, it’s good to see how you can improve and take inspiration from others, but let that be a motivator instead of something that tears you down. Being a Belmont Commercial Songwriting major, I am constantly surrounded by people creating amazing songs, and it’s hard to not compare myself sometimes. I have to remind myself that just because my writing is different from another song I like, does not mean it’s a bad song. Learning to not compare myself to others and rather look at how I can improve has saved me a lot of insecurity.” -Noël
“The most important lesson I’ve learned being a musician is to let go of one’s own ego. Being in a band is a group effort and oftentimes when people treat a band as a solo project it leads to discourse and problems amongst one another. Sometimes it’s okay to go with the flow and see where musical ideas can take people.” -Luke
“The most important lesson I’ve learned moving to Nashville is how much all musicians are valued. Being a girl drummer, I’ve faced some underestimation of people thinking that I can’t be as good of a player as the boys. However, I’ve found nothing but an amazing community of musicians here in Nashville that support each other regardless. This has helped my confidence as a player and makes being a drummer here so incredibly enjoyable.” -Alannah
“Throughout my early career, I thought there was one pathway to produce specific genres of music, and I still suffer from thinking this way from time-to-time. Truth be told, even from song-to-song, every stage of the songwriting, production, and performance process is different. The bands who are the most well-rounded recognize they can’t tackle each problem the same way, so they adapt to their environment and present themselves in a way that best reflects the desires of their audience.” -Patrick
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/blackbaccaraband?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabe7yBN4-2CGfJiZhKqEAgelCa6B8xsvBoKMcDuqVqGYHW-XqngNkZumYU_aem_MZUXpQiZJ_j0TyFEEv6Jvw
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/black_baccara_band
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Black-Baccara/61552415296884/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@blackbaccaraband
- Other: https://black-baccara-band.tumblr.com/
Our email is [email protected]
Image Credits
Chloe Marvin, Noël Williams