#briancarroll

IguanaMusic Fund: Briefly tell us about yourself as an artist/presenter/performer.

Brian Carroll: I am a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist here in New England. I play music with as many people as I can and write sad songs. Aside from that, I am also the creator of the Red Line Roots media outlet where I write about music I think folks need to hear and have taken on a role as a producer of a recording project called “Locals Covering Locals”.

IMF: Tell us about the Iguana-funded project you're working on. What is currently exciting you about the project? What does the project as a whole mean for your career?

BC: This year’s Iguana Fund contribution to Red Line Roots will help to fund volume 3 of the “Locals Covering Locals” project. We have 11 new and different artists from around New England joining us at the fantastic Riverview Studios in Waltham, MA to record songs from some of their favorite local songwriters. Our good pals at Dirt Floor will also be mastering the record as well. It gives us the chance as musicians to pay respect to the local folks that we love and in turn (I hope) helps to foster a community and make it a bit more tight-knit. The project has allowed me to step into a producer role, rather than a contributing musician or just a dude that writes songs. That has been really exciting for me. Being able to give people I care a great deal about and respect the craft of so much, an opportunity to contribute to this project and share music they love has been an absolute blessing.

IMF: What's one piece of advice you would give to others trying to carve out a career in music or art?

BC: Don’t try to be an artist in a vacuum. One of the greatest things about music in the Northeast is the incredibly supportive community that we have here. Don’t dwell on how many people downloaded your new song, or how many stations played it, or who didn’t review it (while it can be tough to avoid when you are trying to make a living at it). Focus on the opinions of your peers and use them as a sounding board for your art. I spend a long time worrying about all that and all it brought to me was grief and negativity surrounding the creation of music. Lift up the folks around you and they will do the same in return. The community I have found myself in the middle of with songwriters, folk/roots musicians, and Club Passim has meant the world to me and I am a better musician and person as a result of it.

IMF: When's your next local show (aside from Iguana Night on 3/30)?

BC: I have another show at Passim on 3/25 to celebrate the release of TWO new EP's. One called ‘Canyon’ that was released to the public in January and recorded at Dirt Floor studio in CT with some amazing friends/musicians. The other is called ‘still’ and was recorded in the ghostly still (that all this snow has caused) of winter at my home. My dear friend and the best songwriter that I know, Ian Fitzgerald, is featured prominently on ‘Canyon’ and we will be heading out for a short Northeast tour starting with the release show at Club Passim.