Hi I'm mari. I'm 14 and currently a solo artist. I do covers at the moment but hopefully, soon I can release and sing my originals.
Dollface started as a duo acoustic group and grew into a 4 piece band within years of its formation. We love to keep the crowd entertained with anything from the best-known sing-alongs to the most random jams you could hear anyone cover! Crowd participation is a must for Dollface so we encourage the listeners to send us their requests. Music is life for us so we live it to the fullest!
By Victoria Canales
Getting to the professional level and becoming a part of the industry is every songwriter’s dream. However, it’s understandable that this passion-project-turned-career is elusive and oversaturated with competition, and when everybody is chasing the same goal, it can feel like nobody succeeds. But that didn’t stop Laredo native Modern Sophia from trying.
Sophia Nance, aka Modern Sophia, has been making music for years; her first published song was released when she was in the ninth grade. Now, she is a sophomore at UT Austin and a vital part of the music scenes both in Austin and in Laredo. Having been a member of an orchestra, mariachi, and her own live band, Sophia is no stranger to performing, but she enjoys behind-the-scenes work just as much as being in the spotlight. She writes, records, and produces all her own music, but last year, she decided that she wanted to learn more. SoundSync Austin, an ATX-based music publishing group, was teaming up with Universal Music Publishing Group to create a songwriting camp for aspiring Austin writers.
“I almost didn’t apply!” says Sophia. “But I’m glad I did.”
She was accepted into the camp and immediately got to work. The camp brought in some talent from outside Texas, including producers who have worked with musicians such as Becky G. Participants were put into groups to brainstorm and write together, and she says she gained a lot of real-world experience from the camp.
“I think I definitely learned about more pop, and that was a game-changer for me. The thing is, I know I don’t have to necessarily do pop music to be successful, but it’s good to know popular production techniques right now, and that is what I feel has really advanced my songwriting.”
Along with learning production techniques, Sophia says that she made some important industry connections. Through the songwriting camp, she met a creative lead who liked her work, and after a few months of working together even after the camp had finished, Sophia was offered a contract to write for UMPG.
The past few months have been a mixture of hard work and creative bliss for Modern Sophia. She dedicates much of her time to her music and has been experimenting with new sounds and techniques. Sophia continues to work with producers under UMPG, and she is in constant communication with the creative lead who originally discovered her work. Though her solo music has been on a bit of a hiatus for the past year, she says she has new projects in the works, and she’s ready for Modern Sophia to come back stronger than ever with this newfound experience.
When asked about any advice she has for aspiring musicians and songwriters, she says that networking is the most important aspect of the music industry.
“People always say that success is always half luck and half hard work, and I’ve heard that a million times. But what I’ve learned from other artists that are doing well is that yes, getting discovered at a show is luck, but it was hard work that got me at the show to be noticed in the first place. You really have to put yourself out there.” Sophia says that if she hadn’t joined a music club at UT, she wouldn’t have met the friend who told her about the camp, and she wouldn’t have met the creative lead and gotten the coveted contract that she has now.
Modern Sophia with Boo
Ultimately, Modern Sophia loves what she does, and she takes inspiration from everything around her. Her cat, affectionately named Boo, has been a major source of happiness and sanity during the pandemic, and she calls him her best friend. She doesn’t let the pressure get to her, and she continues to live out her dream. Her two cities can’t wait to see what she does next.
By Victoria Canales
Music fans will be kicking off this June with the brand-new single “Kay” from singer-songwriter Justin Lorencez. Known for his infectious melodies and a voice somewhere between Ezra Koenig and Nick Rattigan, Justin has amassed thousands of streams all over the world. Laredo Music Scene sat down with him to talk about his biggest inspirations, the writing process, and quietly going insane after a year-long live performance drought.
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How long have you been making and playing music?
“I started playing guitar first in the sixth grade. I didn’t really get it at first; I was like ‘Man, that’s hard.’ I kinda dropped it a little bit, but in the seventh grade, I actually ended up picking it up again, and then bass, and then drums, and even a little bit of piano! It just got a little easier, and after that, I never stopped playing. I think it was that same year that I started recording with Garageband on my phone in my little closet. Dude, that’s where I started recording! And then in either eighth or ninth grade, I started releasing. I was like, ‘I gotta get the nerve to release music now.’ Everything after that--you know, I’ve been producing, so I got actual software where I could record my songs, started doing things differently, and yeah! I’ve been doing this for a couple years now.”
Where were you releasing the songs? Did you use SoundCloud?
“Yeah, that’s where I was first releasing the songs, but after about two years I was like ‘I need to start recording better so I can put them out on better streaming services.’
You mentioned a lot of different instruments. Are you self-taught?
“Yeah! So I was really inspired by other people--like, they live their lives around music and it’s their career. So I used to watch youTube videos of other artists and be like ‘I can do that, I can do that.’ I would try it, and of course it takes a lot of practice, but yeah, I’m self-taught.”
Which musicians would you watch? Who’s your biggest inspiration?
“I actually started playing guitar because of James Hetfield from Metallica. I just loved how fast he was; I was like, intrigued by it, and I remember pretending to be in concerts in my room! I learned a lot of Metallica songs since they were so fast. I would put on backing tracks, set up my amp in my room,and just pretend that I’m playing with them. That’s kinda where I first envisioned myself playing for a crowd: in my room. I’d also see Brandon Flowers from The Killers, since he mostly sings and plays the keyboard, and Matty Healy from The 1975, and the Strokes. These musicians, I wanna say that they’re in everything that I play. They’ve played a big role in the music I play, and they’re big inspirations still. That’s just how it goes. People who are out there, doing it for real, are going to inspire you no matter what. That’s what I want to do for other people.”
How would you describe your music?
“Hmm… I think my solo stuff is very all over the place. I don’t think I have a genre, but I do want to say that it’s the most alternative it can get. When I say ‘alternative,’ I say that because it doesn’t really conform to any other genre.”
What’s your songwriting process? Is it music first, lyrics first, or somewhere in between?
“Most of the time, I’ll play something on my guitar, or I’ll play around with my keyboard, and I’ll be like, ‘Hey, I like how this sounds.’ And then I’ll turn my laptop on and record it and see what I can do with it. For example, I’ll record something with an acoustic guitar, and then next thing you know, I’m adding electric guitar, and then bass, and then I’m writing lyrics for it! So it’s very spontaneous sometimes.”
You’ve got a new song coming up! What’s the story behind it?
“The beat itself--I don’t want to say it’s uplifting, but it’s kinda fast, but it has to mask what I’m actually saying. I was very naked in the lyrics. It’s about, you know, a love for someone that I didn’t really want to let go of, and that I still don’t want to let go of. I just woke up one day, started playing guitar, and started singing, and the first thing that came out of my mouth was their name. It was so simple, and it’s very beautiful when things come together like that.”
Cover art for "Kay".
Do you have any upcoming projects planned?
“Yeah, we’ve got something a little bit unorthodox. The band and I don’t usually play live shows streamed on Instagram Live and stuff like that. I did some of those when quarantine started but you know, it’s not the same thing. But we are planning to stream a show soon! It’ll be for “Fool4u'', since the song reached 10,000 streams on Spotify.”
Congrats! That’s so exciting. How long has it been since you played a live show?
“Dude, it’s been like a year, almost two years. You go insane! Like, what am I supposed to do now? But once you feel like you’re getting closer to playing shows, you start to feel better.”
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Justin posted a teaser for the song on his Instagram, @justi.fuk, and the reverb-drenched guitars and lo-fi sensibilities promise great things. “Kay” by Justin Lorencez will be out on streaming services tomorrow, June 1st.
By Victoria Canales
Unsurprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has been brutal to music all over the world. Caught in its path of destruction, cultural and musical powerhouses such as Madison Square Garden and Coachella have had to shut down operations for over a year. Tours were cancelled, album releases were delayed, and countless independent venues had to shut down permanently. For live music, the pandemic was, without exaggeration, catastrophic.
Close to home, Electric Lounge was one venue turned victim. Located in the heart of Downtown Laredo, Electric Lounge was a club known for hosting both local and out-of-town bands within its DayGlo-streaked walls. According to owner Rudy Martinez, the venue had a mission of supporting rock and indie musicians who typically have a harder time finding gigs. In an interview with Laredo Music Scene, he spoke candidly about the lack of diversity in Laredo’s nightlife.
“Tejano there and tejano there and tejano there!” Rudy laughed. But that didn’t stop him from trying something new. “I’m gonna do my own thing. If it succeeds, great, and if it doesn’t, at least I did it my way, and I did something different.”
However, Electric Lounge had difficulties of its own, even before the pandemic. A mixture of bad business partners, skyrocketing rent, and nightlife competition left Rudy struggling months before COVID-19. “I had everything against me,” he explained. “I was faced with a very tough decision. Do I close and just take the loss? Or do I try?”
He chose to try. For a few months, Electric Lounge was attempting to recover from its hardships, and Rudy was staying afloat. But only a few months later, the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the world, and social distancing guidelines were put in place. When it was announced that bars, clubs, and venues had to shut down and there was going to be no way to pay rent, Rudy took it as a sign to take a break and close down Electric Lounge.
Some time later, Rudy got a call from an old friend. Her mom was renting out a property on San Bernardo and, with the knowledge of Rudy’s background in running venues, offered the place to him. Rudy deliberated, excited at the thought of opening up a new place to celebrate music, but the pandemic was still raging and bars were still closed. Luckily, his new potential landlord said she understood the difficulties of paying rent at a time like this and made him an offer: she won’t charge rent until bars open up again, and she’ll give him two months after he opens to get himself on his feet. This made Rudy much more comfortable, and after discussing the details, he agreed to take the locale.
Today, Rudy prepares for the grand opening of Wonder Lounge, which should be up and running sometime in the next month. In the meantime, he plans what measures he’ll put in place to protect musicians and audiences alike. Referring to musicians playing at Wonder Lounge, he suggests, “If you have your own microphones, bring them in.” This will serve to reduce time in between sets that would be spent disinfecting equipment. Regarding masks, Rudy says they’ll still be required to enter, though they can be removed if the person is at their own table. Though maintaining social distancing and mask guidelines will be a challenge, Rudy says, “We’re going to do our very best to make sure that it’s a safe environment for everybody that walks in that door.”
Live music in the coming months is going to look very different than ever before, and in such an unprecedented situation, everyone is going in blind. But artistic expression is an unstoppable force, and if there’s one takeaway from the recent wave of Instagram live and Twitch stream concerts, it’s that musicians are stubborn. Voices all throughout Laredo will continue singing, even if through a mask.
Alex Garay, a resident of Laredo Tx, a guitarist for 30 years, decides to compose a couple of songs as a soloist and when he finds himself in the need to record them, he chooses to call his friends from the town (Nuevo Laredo and Laredo Texas) calling him Alex Garay and Friends, Having now 4 songs and a new one to come out, now this year with the need to go out to play the songs live and at the same time play covers, the band Sidelyne is formed.
