Folk-pop singer-songwriter Natalie Gelman says that she has a California heart and an NYC soul, which possibly accounts for her catchy tales of everyday life. She has a gift for both writing and singing that defies her relatively short amount of years on the planet. She plays Boulevard Music this weekend, so we chatted with her to see what all the fuss is about…
CULVER CITY NEWS: WHEN DID YOU START PLAYING AND WRITING MUSIC, AND WHEN DID YOU START TAKING IT SERIOUSLY (PLAYING LIVE, RECORDING, ETC)?
Natalie Gelman: I grew up singing and first studied classical voice, piano and violin. I would write little songs on the piano and some even with lyrics but I really felt called to be a singer and took that seriously. When I started high school at LaGuardia High School of Performing arts in NYC, also known from the movie “FAME” I started singing other genres and by the time I graduated I had picked up a guitar and was writing songs.
As I went off to college in Miami to study opera I to co-write, played open mics and street performed when I would be back home in NYC on breaks. I found songwriting to be a friend and a therapy and it really helped me get through so much as I was homesick and figuring out who I was.
My first co-writer was incredibly encouraging and helped setup my first recording session for a homemade EP and my second release with in-studio demo recordings. Back then I would burn CDR’s and sell them at shows around southern Florida.
My last year of college I recorded my debut album. I released that as part of a rollerblading and charity tour where I rollerbladed back home from Miami to NYC playing concerts along the way and raising money for a child sponsorship charity.
After college and that tour I was burnt out from all the work of making the album, presenting my senior opera recital featuring an hour of memorized classical music and booking and handling the logistics of the rollerblading tour. I street performed for a while and played locally around NYC and the northeast wherever I could get with public transport and realized I would have to learn to drive if I wanted to tour.
It took a few years but I got my license and got comfortable driving and started booking myself all around the US at listening rooms, colleges, coffee shops and wherever I could play. After a few years, I signed a production deal to recorded my last EP, Streetlamp Musician. That was a few years ago and I’ve since toured Europe, and drove myself around and been finishing up a new album. I think both my writing and my “taking things seriously” have reached new levels – I feel less like I have to prove something these days. When I first started, I was more navel-gazing and preachy in my songs whereas now I know that what I do might not be for everyone.
WHO ARE YOUR MAIN INFLUENCES?
I was definitely influenced by Jewel, Sheryl Crow and Carole King when I first started out. Since then I’ve discovered Patty Griffin and Paolo Nutini who are two passionate and stunning voices and lyricists. I am also lucky enough to have friends who inspire me like Rebecca Loebe.
DESCRIBE YOUR OWN STYLE…
It’s folk-pop. I find that a lot of people take issue with one or both of those genres but love what I do. People approach me all the time that connect with my music and call me a rock, country or even a soul singer. There are elements of all of those things in my music but really all I’ve ever tried to do is write a song as best I can and be as honest as I can and then sing the hell out of whatever is so for that moment.
WHERE ARE YOU BASED? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE LOCAL SCENE?
I’m based now in Ojai, CA. There are a lot of artists of all mediums here and quite a few musicians and music venues and places that regularly have live music here. For a small town we are really lucky to have so much wonderful art come through. I love it here but want to let everyone know that it totally sucks so people don’t visit or move here…
In all seriousness though, it’s a good community and I am on the road and gone so much that it’s really nice to come home and have the grounded, local vibe of being in a small down. I do get back to NYC a lot too because a lot of my family is still there and I’m still a NYC soul. I never thought I would leave New York but California is home now.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BEST GIG TO DATE? AND WORST?
I have had some pretty wonderful gigs. I love house concerts and the show coming up at Boulevard Music is intimate like a house concert, which is so nice. I have also had the opportunity to open for artists at the House of Blues, which is hands down my favorite venue. Recently I also had the opportunity to open for Bon Jovi at Golden 1 Arena and performed my own music for a huge audience with some of my favorite musicians on stage with me. It was a surreal experience and I left the stage fixated on working on whatever I had to do to have that kind of experience again. It was so special. I had a few fans in the audience of 17,000 but by the end of my last song they were
singing along to one of mu original songs which was such a special moment.
I’ve had some rough and frustrating gigs too. Once, before the rollerblading tour on my first tour through FL and GA I played a venue in Savannah, GA called Guitar Bar. I was scheduled to be their opening night act but I got there and they weren’t ready to open. They said they had called me but I hadn’t received a single call. I had a drummer I was touring with at the time and they asked if we could play the next night and we were flexible and had the date open so we agreed to it. We got back there the next night and literally helped them peal painter’s tape off the wall and I walked across the freeway/road to get toilet paper for their bathrooms. We ended up packing the house with my drummer’s friends mostly because she was from Savannah. When I went to get paid they didn’t hold up their end of the deal and even though we had a contract they just refused to pay us what they owed us.
I have a pretty strong moral code and ethics and couldn’t believe someone would rip off an artist like that especially after we had been so flexible, accommodating and gone above and beyond to help them. Karma comes around though… their venue was only open for a few years before it closed. I’m sure they burned more bridges locally like they did with my friend and me that night.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ALBUMS / SINGLES AVAILABLE?
I have my debut album, my last EP Streetlamp Musician and a single called Sundance in Your Eyes available everywhere. I also give away an annual live CD to my email list and to everyone that signs up at nataliegelman.com. I am also finishing up a new album slated to be released in 2018.
HAVE YOU PLAYED BOULEVARD MUSIC BEFORE? HOW DID THAT CONNECTION HAPPEN?
I’ve played at Boulevard Music twice before. My friend Nathan McEuen who is co-billing the show with me asked me to sit it with him the first time I played there. It’s such a great environment for acoustic music surrounded by the instruments and playing to a listening audience. Those are the best. Gary, the owner, does a great job of curating artists that are great in that environment and like to connect with their audience.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE SET?
I’ll be playing songs on guitar and ukulele from my previous albums and from the forthcoming 2018 release. Nathan and I sit in on each other’s music a lot too and add instruments and vocals to each other’s songs.
Also, expect stories, laugher and to be asked to sing at my shows. I think singing is so healthy and love to encourage the audience to sing along and teach them my songs. I’m known for calling them out and “getting New York” on them if they don’t too.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED GOING FORWARD, AFTER THIS SHOW?
I have some more touring throughout California before the year is through and I’m in the process of finishing the new album and getting that ready for release in 2018, which is very exciting.
I’ll be touring as usual throughout the US a lot and for the 2nd time in Europe and the UK in August an September of 2018. Folks can keep up with everything I’m doing at nataliegelman.co
Natalie Gelman plays with Nathan McEuen at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 9 at Boulevard Music; 4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City; 310-398-2583; $17.50.
