Small Decision Leads To Big Lesson

The last few days, I have learned to slow down more. It started Tuesday on a walk, when I had the mentality of just getting it done and getting home. Suddenly, I decided to stop in the middle of the sidewalk and take a few deep breaths.

Now, stopping and taking a few breaths is not something I would normally do during a walk, but for some reason, I did it then. The world did not magically change, but my mindset did. Today on a walk, that mindset continued.

While heading out for a walk which I thought would be short one around the neighborhood, I decided to head straight and continue on to Forest Park. The walk turned out to be 4.5 miles long.

At Forest Park, I slowed the pace a bit and took a look at the different memorials on the benches, seeing who they were dedicated to. I felt the sun and smiled as I thought of my mom and how much she would enjoy walking on the beautiful day. I then noticed a memorial at the ball fields which I had probably seen before but never stopped to read it.

The memorial, which is the featured image of this blog, explains how in 1934, baseball teammates from Springfield rallied around a black player who was denied the right to play simply because he was black. Instead of playing without him, the team decided to go home from North Carolina and not play in the tournament which was for the American Legion national title.

The story reminded me some things are bigger than myself and was inspiring that the true definition of a teammate was shown by each and every one of the players who unanimously voted to not participate in the tournament in support of their teammate. Had I not made the decision to stop and take those few deep breaths a couple days ago, I am not sure I would have read that memorial today.

I have talked about this before, but I am usually someone who is looking for the next big thing or adventure. As someone who over the years has taken a liking to going to New York City with relative frequency, I’ve certainly had a lot of adventures. Yet, sometimes there are adventures to be had or lessons to be learned right in your backyard, as corny as that may sound to some.

So, as I sit here and write this blog after having walked 4.5 miles instead of maybe a couple due to my decision to head to Forest Park, I contemplate the ripple effect one decision could have on your life. Taking a few deep breaths during a walk and slowing not only the pace of your walk, but your mind too, can have positive effects beyond just that day.

Who knows where that decision will lead me next. Stay tuned.

Magz: Ready To Go

I was very excited to sit down with emerging NYC-based artist Magz today for an interview on Zoom after seeing/meeting her briefly a couple weeks ago at her first show ever opening for Jenny Kern at Mercury Lounge in NYC. We talked about that show and other exciting topics like her recent debut EP Night Sweats and what is to come next, including a special holiday song. I’ll let the interview do most of the talking but will say that Magz was very pleasant to chat with and open about everything.

Without furthter ado:

Congratulations on the first show! How does it feel now sinking in after a couple weeks?

It could have gone one or two ways. It went very well other than a couple of minor sound problems. I was very anxious to do it. There was a point where I was thinking I may not be able to do it and then I had to get past that initial hurdle. It is nerve-wracking for the first time to get up there. Specifically, my songs are super vulnerable. I was nervous about how I would feel and if people were going to sing along with me. I invited a bunch of friends and I knew they were going to sing my songs with me. I was thinking, is that going to make me emotional? Is it going to make me excited? And honestly, it made me more excited than emotional which I am really happy about. I didn’t want to get too in my head on stage. Everyone always told me ‘You’re going to black out and not remember it’ and that is how it went.

I rehearsed with Rich, who produced my EP, for a few weeks prior. I asked him to do the show with me and we got everything right. I’m so grateful he was willing to do that with me, he is amazing. I changed the arrangement for a few songs which I was nervous about but everything went swimmingly and everyone had such beautiful things to say. I have friends who would not lie to me if it didn’t hit.

The second I got off stage I was like ‘when’s the next one?’ Now, I am preparing for more shows. I don’t have a booking agent. Jenny who I opened for; we wrote a song together with Rich back in May. We wrote it in one day and she called me the next day and asked if I wanted to open for her in October. I was so confused because we had just met but she told me she thought I was so talented and thought it would be super great. And so, without a booking agent, I was able to book a show which was fun. Right after our show, Jenny was like ‘are you ready for the next one?’ And I was like ‘bless!’ Very grateful to Jenny for having me and potentially having me again. She is a friend and I feel our sets went very well together. I have this sad girl music and she has this upbeat sad girl music. We fit together for sure.

I’ve noticed your monthly listeners on Spotify have been going up recently. Is that something you track much?

I have the Spotify for artists app which updates you on everything all the time. I used to check very often and it was all-consuming which I didn’t love. I try to check every few days and if anything, I look at the monthly stats. I saw the other day “The Memory” hit 80,000 streams and was like ‘what is this?’ I get played on Spotify radio a lot and get a lot of streams from random playlists. It is nice to put faces to whoever is listening. My monthly listeners have gone up a lot since the show which I don’t know if it correlates. Numbers is not the number one thing I am focused on; I could have one person listen and connect with it and that would be good for me.

Do you have an idea of why “The Memory” has the most streams out of your songs?

I think it hits a spot for a lot of people. It is the most relatable on the EP. I love how it is a gender-neutral song and what makes it the most popular is that you can find your experience in it. The other songs on the EP are more specific to my experiences.

I talk about my real-life experiences in “The Memory” but it is all different people. The first verse is about someone and the second verse is about a different person. I feel like if I can do that then everyone can picture someone in their head. It was originally written about one person and now I feel it has changed and is solidly about two separate people. It is about longing for what could have been and what you had.

I noticed a theme of night with the Night Sweats EP title and “GoodnightMagz” is your website title/handle on “X”. Are you a night person?

There is a Rod Stewart song called “Maggie May.” My full name is Maggie. I thought it would be funny for “Goodnight Magz” to be the flip side of the line “wake up, Maggie…” When I was born, my grandpa was on the phone with my mom and she said, ‘we are naming her Maggie.’ He started singing that song, so it has stuck with me for my whole life.

I am a night owl and I experience night sweats asleep and awake which is the equivalent of what I go through mentally. Then I have the song “I don’t like you at night” which is about someone who goes out at night and is not such a great person when mixed up with drugs and alcohol. That song is about someone who kind of forced me into staying up all night and dealing with those experiences. The reason I called it Night Sweats is the one thing that has stayed constant in my life over the last 5 years (which the EP sums up) is having night sweats.

The merch section on your website said “Coming Soon.” Are you working on merch or in touch with someone for it?

I do graphic design, so I have been working on some merch. I wanted to put it out around the time of the EP and that didn’t work. Then I wanted to put it out for the show but that wasn’t going to be timely enough to get it. I am working on getting everything printed soon and am going to do a small batch. I am nervous about that thinking about who will want it, but there is one just about “The Memory” and one that encompasses the whole EP. It is crazy to me that people would want it, but I have been asked for it and am happy to say it is coming soon.

What are some goals you have in the next year for music?

I have another song coming out by the end of this year. You can get a sneak peek of it on my TikTok which is @/goodnightmagz. It is coming next month and was supposed to come last year around this time but was put off until now which I think was a good decision. It is a one-off single.

I have a bunch of stuff queued up for next year which I am really excited about. I am not sure if it is going to be an EP or album but I have a great lineup of songs. I’d say not early next year but, in the spring, more songs will come out.

I am ready for a new era. The music coming out next year is different than the EP but the same themes of mental health, relationships. There is a lot more to the songs production-wise. I was really inspired by the album Portals by Melanie Martinez because it is a concept album and I love the idea of a concept album. I am not there yet at all but I would say the last 6 months in the studio I made a few songs really inspired by her. We kept the ethereal vibes for my new sound but with different elements and there is one I am particularly excited about that I think would probably come first. I am really hoping in 2024 I have a bunch of performances on the docket. It’s definitely been time. I think I had to get past the first show and now I am ready to go.

You posted an Instagram story yesterday which said “loading.” Was that a hint of what is to come?

Yes. I did a photoshoot yesterday for the cover of the song coming out soon. It is sent out and ready to go. It’s a lot of people’s favorite song which is interesting. There’s a little snippet of the chorus on TikTok.  It is a holiday song which I had no intention of doing but we were working on the EP last year and I was going into the studio maybe two times a week but now it is a bit more scattered because I am not “in it” as much right now.

I showed up at the studio (last winter) and I think we were working on my song “React.” Rich was just playing with different chords on the piano, not “React,” but I had my computer with me and I had this chord progression. I played that for him and he thought we could make it into a holiday song. The next thing you know, it was 5 hours later and we had a song completely written and done. It was too late to put it out because it was late winter. I questioned whether I had a big enough fanbase to already put out a holiday song but everybody loved it so much so it is coming out. The cover photo for it is a reference to a Christmas movie. It was so silly that we decided to make it during that period of time working on my EP already but I guess I needed a break. A lot of people are saying it is a hit and I really hope people like it.

I wanted to finish with a fun question. If your EP was a type of coffee, what kind would it be?

It would be black coffee. Very bittersweet. Maybe with a bit of sugar.

Note: This interview was condensed and edited slightly for readability.

Mercury Magz

Last night, I journeyed to the Lower East Side of Manhattan to the music venue The Mercury Lounge. There, I took in a show of rising artist Magz opening for Jenny Kern.

Before the show, I was surprised to find Magz in the crowd mingling with concertgoers. “I don’t need to make a grand entrance,” she told me with a smile.

When Magz took her place on the stage with her producer Rich Tuorto who was on guitar and background vocals, her inviting voice and relatable lyrics immediately drew the crowd in. The room seemed to be full of friends who pulled out their phones to record what was a special moment. Magz excitedly told everyone in attendance how appreciative she was for them to come to her first show ever.

Playing songs off her debut EP Night Sweats which just came out a couple months ago and explores themes of love, loss, and self-analysis, Magz had heavy hitting lyrics in songs like “Emotional Trainwreck,” “The Memory,” and “I don’t like you at night.”

At one point, she noticed “I don’t like you at night” appeared to be a crowd favorite, with everyone singing along. “Boy, you’re a stranger at night,” Magz sang, describing what seemed to be a difficult and tumultuous relationship.

In “The Memory,” Magz pined for days gone by, something we can all relate to. “Chase that feeling that you gave to me” is one of my favorite lines where nostalgia seems to run deep. To me, it seemed to be potentially about a younger love that escaped, where dreams to “buy that house with the Willow tree” never panned out.

Along with a Down-To-Earth attitude, Magz brought some humor to the stage, playing a cover of Disney’s Hannah Montana and calling her “the most iconic artist.”

“You’ll know this one if you’re under 35,” Magz informed the audience before playing the cover.

Whether you are under or over 35, Magz is an artist to watch. She is sure to have more impressive performances and heartfelt releases in the years to come.