WRITING SAMPLES

Selected samples

Lyric Lounge: Becca Leigh (Connections Media)

Artist, songwriter, feminist, traveler… noble land mermaid? Those are the specs of the brilliant Becca Leigh. Though Miss Leigh doesn’t strive to evoke specific emotions in her listeners, because “all emotions are equally relevant and powerful,” she admits that her songs are “emotionally charged.” That is not to say, however, that they are sad. Becca Leigh’s lyrics are dynamic and each song expresses a full range of emotions, particularly in “Nothing Needs Saying,” a song inspired by Pablo Neruda’s poem “It Is Born.”

Leigh’s lullaby is evocative of the sea’s hypnotic, paradoxical rising and falling, rushing and receding. She relates the ocean’s courting of the land with the enticing, often tumultuous and fleeting, nature of human interaction. We can’t bottle the sea or pick the ocean up like a sheet and wrap ourselves in it in the same way we can’t capture a person - except in our minds.

Leigh’s lyrics - her vivid, poetic imagery - seem to come from another land or plane of existence where brief moments of humanity are reflected within the natural realm. Immersed in her lyrics, we can nearly visualize them - we can see a glimpse of cursing in the car (“curse all the way home at no one / at the empty streets”) in the crashing of a wave against still water.

Lyric Lounge: Cayla Fralick (Connections Media)

Fade in. Interior of an apartment, evening. You’re home alone, staring at the wall. Music plays. You’re daydreaming, feeling nostalgic. As you reminisce, feelings of longing take over. You’re in a funk, in a haze. Wish you would snap out of it, but you are unable or unwilling to help yourself.

Most of us have found ourselves in a such a state. In “Help Me,” Cayla Fralick conveys that sticky feeling of nostalgia and the lethargy that often accompanies it. The inability to lasso your mind in as it retreats back, remembering, warping your perception of the present and altogether ignoring the concept of future.

Cayla’s haunting latest release (and first release from a forthcoming full length album), “Some Hotel” shares similar themes of nostalgia, loneliness, and day-dreaminess. Listening to either of Fralick’s songs, it is unsurprising that she is also a writer of short stories. Her songwriting illustrates fully-developed scenes and context, demonstrates self awareness, and creates enthralling moods.

Punk meets heartland rock on Matt Megrue's latest, 'Lost Hearts of the Jilted Age' (Charleston City Paper)

Real life. That’s what Matt Megrue sings about on his latest EP, Lost Hearts of the Jilted Age, out Fri. Feb. 10. Punk meets heartland rock in this three-song EP, which was intended to be the second in a series of three seven-inch EPs put out by his band Matt Megrue & the Daisy Chains. Megrue says, however, that he and the Daisy Chains experienced “a series of hang-ups from about March until October” of last year and Lost Hearts of the Jilted Ageproved to be “a beast” to release...

...The first track on the EP, Lost Hearts of the Jilted Age, is all about coming to terms with adulthood and responsibility. Written at a time when Megrue felt personally and creatively exhausted, “stuck, uninspired, claustrophobic, and searching for a spark.” Megrue calls his audience to arms in the catchy, upbeat drinking song of sorts,“Mah-sha-rah, mah-sha-rae, We’ll Drink these Blues Away!” The song explores the emotions associated with maturation and the slipping away of youth, but rather than feeling apathetic or cynical, we are filled with exuberance, and we toast to change...

...Lost Hearts of the Jilted Age earnestly tackles authentic feelings associated with aging and the struggles of getting through life, exploring these themes in a nostalgic yet invigorating way...

Press Pass: Diaspoura (Woodchuck x Chucktown Underground)

Cool, distant, angsty -- the makings of Diaspoura’s latest single, GTF. But a contrast to the polite, soft spoken, well-articulated artist who we met at WoodChuck headquarters. (Yup, still our living room.)

Anjali Naik’s persona (Diaspoura, duh) is an edgy, emotional presence, probably because Naik is primarily inspired to write when she is upset or angry. Diaspoura is fueled by Anjali’s frustrations at injustices in the world and embodies self-discovery. Writing has always been a coping mechanism for her; a way to process emotions and direct them into clever lyrics.

It’s hard to describe the music of Diaspoura. (We’d venture to say it’s like you’re floating in space, but also underwater… while inside of a seashell.) And though the lyrics are inspired by angst and unrest with social injustice, Diaspoura’s music provides a womb-like comfort to her listener. As she sings the lyrics “get the fuck away from me,” rather than feeling a disconnection from the artist, we feel camaraderie...

Empowerment Through Art (The Southern Gallery)

Growing up as an Asian-American female in a predominantly Caucasian city like Myrtle Beach, featured artist Kelly Lu felt a larger burden in securing her self-identity than most adolescents. Fortunately for us all, Lu has used her artwork as a means of self-expression and self-discovery. Her work is not only appealing to look at but also challenges the viewer to consider what commentary on racism, feminism, and youth culture lie at its roots. Lu particularly finds inspiration in Japanese art, tattoo artists, youth culture, and social media. Personal convictions about feminism and cultural appropriation are evident in her work, as well as themes of violence, death, war, identity, and rebellion. Lu’s achievements thus far are all the more impressive considering her young age and status as a female, Asian-American artist...