Caryn Sever Discusses Folk, Rock, and Murder

Caryn Sever is a singer-songwriter based out of Washington, D.C. Mrs. Sever recently met with us to talk about how songs are crafted, how to score gigs, and how musicians are empowering themselves. With her guitar in hand, Caryn told us her story of being a musician, from busking in Portland to finding successes online. Listen to the full podcast here:

Caryn’s repertoire ranges from folk-rock to punk and pop, she’s recently been prolific attempting to write a new song a week. Caryn admits that creating 52 new pieces is an act of herculean discipline and allows her to flex creative muscles and to step out of her musical comfort zone. Her peppy demeanor belies the darker tones of her work. She reaches back into her folk traditions in one of her latest pieces, the murder ballad “With the Evil“. The song is roughly based on someone she knew and how things may have turned out for him. Caryn says that developing this kind of song allowed her to explore a new songwriting space while being guided by the framework of previous murder ballads like Pretty Polly. Learning new styles and developing a range of material is difficult and requires experimentation, her song-a-week challenge is helping Caryn grow as an artist and find her voice.

Caryn has a show at DC’s Velvet Lounge on Tuesday, January 15, 2013. Mrs. Sever is working hard to finish her yet-to-be-named album due at the end of summer 2013 and mentioned a kickstarter campaign that will begin in February to help finance the album. Community was a big point of discussion throughout the interview and Caryn ended our talk urging everyone to consider volunteering for ongoing Hurricane Sandy support.

Check out Caryn Sever’s blog or more information including upcoming shows. You can also follow Caryn on Twitter or visit her Facebook fan page. Need a killer singer-songwriter for a gig? Check out Caryn Server on Reverb Nation.

Photo Credit: Nikki Smith

**Updated: Caryn’s show at The Velvet Lounge is on January 15th, 2013.