01 Jan Looking Back: Our Favorite Rockmommy Interviews of 2018
From monster boogies to mommy love songs and loud concerts galore, 2018 brought us lots of great rockin’ fun. And plenty of wisdom.
Here, we share the best advice from rockmommies and rockdaddies featured over the last 12 months on this blog.
“Don’t lose yourself in being a parent. If you want to be in a band, go for it. Because you need to have some sort of outlet for yourself. If you can have time for yourself, that makes you a better parent.”
— Jodi Jeffers, mom of 3 and lead singer of The Ramoms
“As parents and musicians, we like to think we’re really cool, but kids are kids and have their own taste. Don’t force them to listen to Velvet Underground. Let them listen to Disney.”
— Rafael Atijas, dad and founder of Loog guitars
“I know that sometimes as mothers, we feel guilty and selfish when we take time out for ourselves. Making my music and self-care are musts for me. I have to do both in order to come back and parent more fully, more present, and fulfilled.”
— Renee Stahl, mom, singer and songwriter
“I’m an extreme example of where singing silly songs with your offspring can go … the songs [my daughter and I] created came from everyday activities.”
— Ben Rudnick, dad, singer and songwriter
“I think the best way to write a song for kids is to listen to what they are saying, watch what they’re doing, and think about what they enjoy. Then use those things as inspiration to develop songs that are relevant and interesting to them. And try singing the songs with them while you’re writing them! You’ll see right away what works and what doesn’t.”
— Laurie Berkner, rockmommy extraordinaire
“How do I get through this all? I am into Buddhist meditation … I got the advice from a Buddhist perspective to bring as much humanity as I can into everything I do. People ask how do I do it all, the answer is by chanting and Buddhist meditation. You also need to take the time to refresh, take an occasional nap, get enough sleep, eat properly.”
— Sharissa Reichert, singer, washboard player and MILF of MILF & DILF
“I think having a schedule is important, a set time when you show up for writing, maybe in a specific place. It doesn’t have to be for a long time. Just something to keep you from getting rusty.”
— Shawn Colvin, mom and singer-songwriter
“For a while I would try to squeeze [practice] in, but really nothing was happening. So I really had to say, ‘OK I’m going to get a sitter for a couple of hours a week. This is a real thing and important to me and I’m going to do it.’”
— Cheri Magill, singer, pianist and mom
“Every other year, starting in 2013, I write a song a week (so 2013, 2015, 2017 and next year 2019). This has really helped me to break out of the “only writing when I felt inspired” habit. It’s forced me to sit down and focus on being creative, which was alien to me. Now, regardless of how I am feeling, I can sit down and start the writing process and get myself into that creative space without having to wait for it to appear magically. It’s like a muscle that needs to be exercised. That has really helped with my musical and creative discipline.”
— Zach Parkman, singer, songwriter and dad
“If music is really your passion, find a way to do it. I say, ‘happy mommy happy child.’”
— Dana Fuchs, mom and blues singer
“Obviously as a mom you want to spend as much time with your kids as you can. But motherhood is also about being someone your kid to look up to. It’s not just about the quantity of time, but about you giving an example of being a more authentic version of yourself.”
— Jennifer Deale, mom, singer & keyboardist
Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.
No Comments