Article in The Daily Times, Knoxville, TN
By Lee Zimmerman 8-23-23
Angela Easterling epitomizes what it means to be a singer and songwriter. Her songs resonate with expression and imagination, while also sharing sentiments imbued with honesty.
It’s little wonder then that her music has been so well received. Her sixth album, Witness, released late last year, and was cited as one of the best albums of 2022. Like her earlier albums, it earned rave reviews in a number of notable publications. In addition, she’s a four-time Kerrville New Folk Finalist, a Telluride Troubadour and a two-time Wildflower Performing Songwriter Top 10 Finalist. She’s toured the U.S. extensively and performed at numerous concert series and music festivals. She will also take part in the next Songs From the Brook Concert at Springbrook Park on Thursday, August 31.
“I certainly want to continue to grow as an artist, and continue to produce music that people will still enjoy and find meaningful,” Easterling said when asked about her past accomplishments. “That would be my main goal. It’s always good to have the ambition to build on what I’ve achieved so far, and to keep my name out there so that I can continue to book great shows and hopefully earn more fans.”
Easterling, who lives with husband Brandon and their three children on a farm in South Carolina that’s been in her mother’s side of the family since 1791, cites such influences as the Indigo Girls, Emmylou Harris, and other artists in the arenas of classic country, California country, bluegrass, and folk.
“When I was in middle and high school, and the first part of college, my goal was to be an actor,” she said. “I started out as a musical theater major and that’s what my degree is in. However once I started playing guitar and writing my own songs, I realized I could make my own opportunities that way. I didn’t have to wait for someone to cast me on a project that I was right for. I could create my own project, and even from the very beginning of only playing guitar a short while I could go out to open mics and find a way to perform. I have always loved to perform from the time I was a little kid. It’s very empowering to write your own material and then put yourself out there to do it. I’ve never been patient or good at waiting when there was something I wanted to do. What I found when I started writing is that I really enjoyed it just as much if not more than I did performing It became a very vital way of expressing myself and processing my life and the things I see in the world.”
She said that her interest in exploring her art never wavered. “When I first finished college, I tried to continue to pursue both acting and music, but what I found is while the acting jobs were few and far between, I could book a whole bunch of music gigs and string together a living,” Easterling said. “At that point, I made the difficult decision to leave acting behind, because it’s just too difficult to try to pursue both acting and music at the same time. They both require 100% and then some. I still have the hope that someday I could come back to it, because I truly love and miss it, but we’ll see. I certainly don’t have the time right now. I always tell people I left my dream job of acting for the more realistic path of being a singer-songwriter. Haha!”
In that regard, Easterling adds that she finds her inspiration through a mix of personal reflection, history, a connection to that history, and reflections on societal issues. “When I hear other artists’ songs that I love, I just have this overwhelming urge to write,” she said. “It’s just a matter of making the time for it in my busy day. I am very fortunate that when I do tap into it, I always find something, or a little bit of something. The biggest obstacle to my muse right now is these three little children running around my house. It never fails; when I take the guitar or banjo down off the wall, somebody needs a popsicle or a Band-Aid or help with their homework etcetera, etcetera. I’m like, ‘Come on, mommy needs to write!’ so I do have to be very pragmatic about it.”
Fortunately though, her career has progressed to the point where she feels she’s on steady ground. “A lot of things have changed for me in the last few years,” Easterling said.” I now have three children, and my partner and I play a ton of shows to make ends meet. We are fortunate to be able to play music for a living, but it is definitely a full-time job. Not to mention being a mom of three is full time and then some! Also COVID happened and my finances took a huge hit. In many regards my new album, is very much like my first in the way that it was made. I wasn’t sure if anyone was going to like it or care about it. It didn’t have all the more well-known Nashville musicians on it that my last few albums had. I have been pleasantly surprised at the response to it.”
Easterling added that she feels a particular connection to East Tennessee. “I played Songs by the Brook maybe five years ago,” she said. “And I have wanted to come back ever since, It’s a really sweet series and Phil (Eakin, the event organizer) is a wonderful guy, and he’s so great to the musicians that he books. I just remember it as being one of those good gigs that you always wanna come back to. It’s a beautiful environment for a concert.”
Easterling said she will be performing solo at Springbrook (“I love to play with a band, and rock out, but I also love playing solo, too, because you can just let the lyric and the melody stand on its own, and really be heard”) and that she’s also begun work on her next album.
“This is definitely the most ambitious project I have ever attempted, and I am a little bit intimidated by it, but I am also so excited and so inspired,” she said. “One thing I will say, is there is a Knoxville connection, so fingers crossed, when I do have something ready, y’all will be some of the first to know!”
Link to article: https://www.thedailytimes.com/entertainment/angela-easterling-finds-motivation-through-music/article_d92678c2-4102-11ee-84a3-0344d2e3bf8c.html