16. Bess Rogers
BESS ROGERS IS A LITERAL ROCKSTAR.
Bess is one of my favorite musicians, and she has been a great mentor to me in the Brooklyn music scene over the years. I took some awesome guitar lessons from Bess, and we leveled up our bond when she would kindly let our mutual dear bud Hannah Winkler and I test out our new songs for The Buttons album on her adorable son. It was not uncommon for Bess to jump in with a third harmony at our Brooklyn sing-alongs as she bounced sweet baby Orion in her lap! In 2017, I had the chance to participate in a workshop called Thinking Outside the Blocks -- a songwriting course that Bess has created with fellow badass music-maker, Allie Moss. Their tools for unblocking yourself have helped me write some of my favorite songs to date, and I still draw from that workshop often in any songwriting I do. I fan-girled pretty hard while editing this interview reading about all the new music she has coming soon. Bess has also got more workshops and lesson offerings lined up for 2020. Check out her tunes and enjoy reading all the awesome thoughts she shares on music and life below.
Illustration by Dani Alvarez.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
What do you do?
I'm a musician (Singer/Songwriter, guitarist, producer, teacher)
How long have you done it for?
I've been playing music since I was 5 or 6, but I've been doing it professionally for 15 years.
Where did you grow up and how does that influence your work?
I grew up on Long Island, NY. There was a great music community there, and I'm really grateful for the support I got when I started playing open mic nights and coffee shop gigs. I played the open mic every week at a coffee shop called The Cup, where I met a lot of really talented people. I was 16, and some of the older musicians sort of took me under their wing and really encouraged and supported me. I also think growing up so close to NYC and being able to go see live music there regularly was so beneficial to me as I was developing my own sound.
What project are you working on now or will be working on that you are most excited about?
Right now I'm writing and producing an EP of music under a new moniker, Paulette. It's a collaboration with a licensing company I work with and so the music is intended to be licensed in tv and commercials. Because they are for that purpose, the style and lyrical content of the songs is definitely limited, but for the first time, I am producing them almost completely by myself. They are in the electro/songwriter/indie/pop genre and it has been really fun and educational for me to listen to other music in that genre and learn how to create those textures and sounds on my own. Producing is a fresh creative outlet that's really inspiring me. I'm very much enjoying the process of learning and growing, and it's making me feel like production might be a new direction for me!
How did we meet?
We met through our mutual friend, Hannah Winkler!
What is one hope and dream you have for the next year?
I want to record an EP of new originals for my solo project. And I want to produce that myself.
If you could listen to only one song for the rest of the year, what would it be?
‘Remind Me’ by Emily King
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
My family and friends. I have such amazing, loving, positive, supportive people in my life. I am extremely lucky.
Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?
Carl Sagan
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Just being completely at peace in the present moment. I feel that way a lot when I'm playing with my 2-year-old son. Sometimes it's hard to turn down the noise of work, drama, world problems, etc. But when I am able to turn it off, I'm about as happy as I've ever been.
Who is living woman do you most admire, and why?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I think she is brilliant, driven, hard working, tough, and powerful. I think that leaders like her are going to save the world. At least I hope!
What is your greatest fear?
I'm terrified that we won't deal with the climate crisis in time, and that my son and his generation will be doomed on this planet. (Sorry for being so dramatic, but it truly keeps me up at night!)
What is your greatest extravagance?
I have been known to drop way too much money on super fancy dinners and craft cocktails. Food is my weakness.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Wow, what a great question! Maybe humility? Especially in women. I think most men could use a little more of it and women could definitely drop it down a few notches. I would like to see more women own their strengths and power, myself included.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
The F word. If I wasn't a mom I would sound like a sailor. I curb it around my son but in my heart, I'm cursing up a storm. :)
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
It might be fun to come back as a dolphin. I would love to know what it's like to live in the sea and want to learn how to speak dolphinese!
What is your most treasured possession?
My 1947 Gibson LG2
Who is your hero of fiction?
Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird
What is it that you most dislike?
Sorry to get political, but my honest answer is our current President, everything he is doing to our country and all of the GOP politicians who enable him. Yay!
How would you like to die?
Holding the hands of my loved ones at a very, very ripe old age.
What's the first CD you bought? What’s the last CD you bought (or streamed)?
I think the first TAPE I bought was either the Juliana Hatfield Three or No Doubt's Just a Girl single (with Sunday Morning as the b-side). The last record I streamed was the latest by Lana Del Ray.
What is your favorite emoji?
The poop one.
What is your guilty pleasure television show?
I'm not guilty about it, but probably The Great British Baking Show.
If you could fix one thing in the world, what would you fix?
I would magically transition the whole world to green energy.
What is your mantra these days?
Change what you can. Let go of the things you can't. Have hope.
Bess is a Brooklyn & Nashville-based songwriter, singer, guitarist, solo artist, producer and teacher. Over the past decade she's released four solo albums, toured internationally as lead guitarist and back-up vocalist for Ingrid Michelson, as well as with her own female-fronted rock quartet, Secret Someones, (who released their debut record on Cherrytree/Interscope Records). Her solo music has been featured on television shows like Pretty Little Liars and One Tree Hill, as well as in Cheerios, Motts and Hershey’s ad campaigns. In 2018, she joined the first all-female Broadway pit band for Head Over Heels, the musical. In addition to writing and performing, she has taught songwriting, guitar, piano and music theory for over 15 years, and is a co-founder of the songwriting workshop, Thinking Outside the Blocks. She holds a Masters Degree in Music Composition from SUNY Purchase College. Currently, Bess is busy working on several new musical projects, teaching, and enjoying the craziness of being a mom to a toddler!