We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hannah Laine. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hannah below.
Hannah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Back in the fall of 2022, my band Earth Radio decided to try a different approach to songwriting to create our next album. The last 4 albums that we’ve made have mostly consisted of individually-written songs that Justin Avdek (bass/vocals) and I have brought to the group, where they are then molded by the others and seasoned with Earth Radio flair. Dutcher Snedeker (keys) has also contributed some songs that Justin and I have written lyrics to. Past members Mario Copeland and Travis Swanson have brought their own tunes to our first and third albums as well. This approach to creating an album was really fun and explorative, as we got to know each other’s writing styles and challenged us to get creative with production in order to make these very different songs feel like part of one cohesive project.
After the band went through many changes – with members coming and going and changes in the music industry from a global pandemic – we found a new stride with our core 4 members (Avdek, Snedeker, David Ward (drums) and myself) and decided it was time to make a new album. This time we had a new intention, which arose from a prompt from Justin’s fiance, Hannah: “If the Earth could speak, what would she say?” With that question in mind, we headed out to a farm in Vermont and settled into the milk house, a cozy cabin attached to the barn where the farm’s chickens and goats live. The farm was nestled on a beautiful field with mountains in the distant, all colored in deep red-orange and golden yellow autumn leaves amongst the evergreens. Mountain hikes, waterfalls, and Lake Champlain were nearby, and posed as monuments of inspiration for our writing. Over 5 days, we buckled down in the cabin, sharing the thoughts that came to us from our prompt, and taking many breaks for hiking, eating fresh food from the farm, meditating next to waterfalls, and chatting with Roel, the ecologist who built this self-sustaining farm with his wife Tiny. After 5 days of writing, we spent 2 days in the studio bringing our 5 songs to life with recording engineer Jeremy Mendicino and his sweet pup Roxy.
As we contemplated the prompt “If the Earth could speak, what would she say?” ideas flowed. Some ideas would come up that didn’t really stick, or weren’t totally received by the entire group, but they were equally as important as the ideas that did stick because they – like rocks in a stream – directed the flow of energy and led us to the final destination of the project. Seeing the channel of ideas flowing from all of us was my favorite part about this process. Every single person brought something really special and important to the songs, and each idea was necessary to nurturing these songs into existence. It isn’t an easy thing to collaborate with other people on a project that you all care so much about, but it is a beautiful thing to witness the flow of creativity and how even a little resistance and head-butting can direct the songs into the form that they were meant to take. All the while, having this intention above our heads to honor the Earth and what she would have to say kept our egos in check. At the end of the day, it’s not about us as individuals at all. It’s not even about us as a group! It’s about using this art form to inspire humans to seek a nurturing relationship with the Earth and waking us up to truly understanding what is needed from us to bring balance to this planet that is our home, and that is a part of us.
The recording part of this project is complete, but the project itself is still in motion. We are at the stage where we are brainstorming how to release this EP and truly honor the intention every step of the way. We’re talking about what kind of visual elements might support this vision and intention and what collaborations the project could benefit from. I know there is so much more to this story that has yet to unfold, but this creative process has been my favorite yet. It has taught me the power of intention and has deepened my gratitude for the really lovely people that I create with. We are all so excited to share this new music with the world, and I know that it will come into this world at exactly the right moment.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have been a singer, songwriter, pianist, and creative for most of my life. At a young age, I found songwriting to be like a therapy and a way to process difficult things and connect with my spirit. I was a shy kid. Talking in front of crowds felt challenging, but singing always felt so effortless and empowering. I grew up singing with my dad, who is also a musician, and singing in church and school choirs. In college, I studied business instead of music because I hadn’t really recognized the magnitude of my dream of singing, performing, and being a musician at that time, but thought a business degree would give me skills to work in the music industry as a music festival planner/coordinator. I continued writing songs during my free time and sang in an a cappella group “Capital Green”, where I eventually became the music director. In my senior year, I got a job as the music director for the MSU University Activities Board, which gave me the opportunity to host (and perform at) open mics, and book and promote concerts on campus. Being the music director for both Capital Green and UAB gave me incredible skills that I use every day as a business owner, bandmate, and musician – all skills that a lot of musicians don’t consider necessary, but are extremely valuable in the business of music! During my senior year, I started performing my original music every other Thursday at Potbelly, and this is where I met my friend Joe Vasquez, who later introduced me to my now bandmates, Justin and Dutcher.
After college, I felt a little lost, trying to get event planning jobs and not getting any leads – probably because my heart wasn’t in it and I actually didn’t want those jobs at all. I spent a lot of my abundant free time writing music, practicing scales, taking voice lessons, practicing yoga and meditation, and journaling. Eventually, I joined the cover band Funkle Jesse and started performing almost every weekend and worked at a coffee shop during the week. In 2017, I contacted Justin to record on my debut solo EP “Cut Your Strings,” along with my partner Chris Bota (guitar) and Brian Williams (drums). I released the EP in May that year. Recording and releasing that EP was like diving into deep water. It was the moment that I truly recognized that I wanted to be a musician for a living and that putting my songs out into the world was a necessary step, no matter how scary and vulnerable it felt. Justin and I played a few shows that summer together and started writing together, which we found was a a brilliant flow. That summer, he called me up, saying that he was going to record an album in his parents’ basement and invited me to be a part of it and contribute some of my original songs. And that is the moment Earth Radio was born! We recorded 10 songs in a couple weeks and released it in March of 2018. Earth Radio began playing shows in West Michigan and growing a fan base. Over the past 5 years, we’ve released 4 albums, and a 5th is on the way.
In 2018, I was playing shows almost every weekend – either with Earth Radio, Funkle Jesse, Bluewater Kings (a wedding band) or solo, and I began teaching private music lessons, while still seeking lessons for my own growth. In 2019, I transitioned from working at the coffee shop to teaching voice and piano lessons at a local music academy. In the summer of 2019, Earth Radio played a few Michigan music festivals and I went on a yoga retreat to Peru to nurture my yoga practice and experience the beautiful culture and terrain. Then in 2020, everything slowed to a stop. Luckily, I visited the library right before the shutdown and was locked in my home with books about sound healing and vocal pedagogy textbooks. That year, my lessons went virtual, and I spent every other ounce of free time studying the voice, sound healing, writing music, and practicing yoga. I also launched a Patreon for my music, which is a subscription site where folks pay a small monthly price to have access to exclusive content posted by Creators. 2020 put a wrench in my performing plans, but ended up giving me more time to spend with my artistry, play around with my looper, and develop my teaching style.
In 2022, I opened my own studio for Vocal Empowerment Coaching called Seed Sound Studios. I had begun to realize that my teaching style and pedagogy isn’t like most vocal coaches. My interest has taken my studies to the mind, body, and spirit and how these things relate to the voice, all the while considering the classical way of teaching voice and the body’s way of learning through experience. Taking into account the complexity and uniqueness every person brings into the studio, I have seen that there is no linear path to teaching and learning. My overall intention with every student that comes into my studio is to bring them into a stronger and deeper relationship with their voices. This, of course, looks different for everyone. Some people resonate with sound healing, so we might do more sound therapy in our sessions. Some people really want to hone their technical abilities, so we focus on vocal agility exercises. Each person is so different and each voice uniquely beautiful, and that is what I love about coaching! Everything I do to nurture my own artistry, I bring back to the studio. My weekly practice, my weekly performances, the voice classes that I take, and the books I read all come with me to the studio every week to help me support my students in their own journeys.
Looking back on the past decade, I see how much I have grown, and how all of that growth has come from taking risks, saying yes to my dreams, believing in myself and my abilities, and committing to a daily practice – whether it be yoga, piano, singing, writing, or meditation. I feel so privileged and honored to be able to make music, perform, travel, and support other people in their artistic development for a living. Ten years ago, I hadn’t fully realized this dream. Now, I’m dreaming even bigger!
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I feel like my purpose here on Earth is to heal myself every day and bring that energy with me everywhere I go to inspire healing in others. Music, sound, and writing are tools that have helped me in my healing journey throughout my life. I feel that it is my purpose to share that with others, through my own music and through vocal empowerment coaching. The Earth, our planet, needs healing and we need to heal our relationship with the Earth if we are to continue living here. I feel that this message comes to me in my songwriting again and again. In a fast-paced, hustle-culture of a society, it can be hard at times to find and nurture that connection with the Earth. Luckily, there are so many people in my circle who are working on nurturing that relationship too, which inspires me and brings me back to that intention when I get wrapped up. I hold this intention close to my heart, and I will continue to no matter how much success comes my way.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I would like to see society as a whole respect artists, creatives, and all people. Like all ecosystems, society will thrive when it truly embraces diversity. Artists bring culture, joy, inspiration, critical thinking and change to their local scenes, and they should be valued and compensated fairly for it. I see a lot of artists burn out because they struggle so hard making a living from their art, so they quit and take corporate jobs. We need more spaces that support ALL artists – LGBTQ, BIPOC, and women. We need more artists stepping into their power and demanding higher pay and saying no to “opportunities” that don’t respect and value their time and energy. We also need people to choose to experience the art of their local scene and stretch out of their comfort zones. How great would it be if we had a thriving art and cultural scene! 
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hannahlainemusic.com
- Instagram: @hannahlainemusic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/hannahlainemusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzqXq2i6UuGZzG-AdWb5QoA
- Other: Seed Sound Studios: www.facebook.com/seedsoundstudios
Image Credits
Jessie Harris – Wildcrest Studio Loren Johnson – Sunfire Studios