If fans should take away anything from Rebekah Todd’s new album, Crooked Lines, it should be the powerhouse vocalist’s hustle and newfound confidence. When she was told that she couldn’t raise enough money for the album, Todd proved everyone wrong and surpassed her own goals with a successful Kickstarter campaign, even offering her own paintings as a reward for donating. Each step of the way, the singer-songwriter has worked hard to meet and beat her goals, all while following her heart and doing exactly what she wanted to do along the way. The result is a very confident, powerful follow-up to 2014’s Roots Bury Deep.
Read about Crooked Lines and Rebekah Todd’s journey to create the album below, and pick up your copy on February 17th!
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for anyone who might not be familiar?
I’m an independent female artist with a blues/soul sound and a full band called Rebekah Todd & The Odyssey, based out of Wilmington, NC. I’ve been on the scene full time for 5 years and have been playing and touring for almost ten! Two full length albums and one EP under my belt. Looking forward to the release of ‘Crooked Lines‘ on 2/17/17.
You’re getting ready to release your new album, Crooked Lines in February! What are you most excited for listeners to hear on it?
Crooked Lines was a great experience for me and really allows my voice to shine. I reached a little further on this album in so many ways. Bigger notes, better writing, better band etc. My personal favorite is “Streets of Santiago.” It has a really raw rock sound with some delta blues on the slide guitar. I think the crowds will really like hearing “Let Me Prove My Love”.
Going into your second full-length album, did you have any major goals in mind?
I want to tour a lot on this album. Now that I finally have a backing band that I’m comfortable with and a fanbase to support it, the road is in our close future!
With the help of your fans, you were able to crowdfund over $32K for the album, which is amazing! What initially drew you to the crowdfunding route? Did you ever imagine it would be as successful as it was?
I have the best fans ever. I asked people publicly if they thought we could do it as a team effort and people assured me that we could. A lot of people have asked me if I got a huge lump sum from family or if I even took a loan out to pay off the Kickstarter! The answer is no. My fans raised the money. We had 450 people donate with the largest donation coming from Mother Earth Brewery who now has their logo on the back of the album. All the donations were given directly through Kickstarter in exchange for a Kickstarter reward!
One thing that really set your Kickstarter apart from other musicians was the inclusion of your own artwork as a reward for donating. Where did this idea come from?
I studied painting at ECU and graduated with my BFA in 2012. Painting has always been a part of my creative process and I knew it was something I would have to offer. I had no idea so many people would order a painting! (Almost 30) was a great problem to have and really pushed me to dive into my art!
You just released “Hustle” from the album. Can you tell us a little bit about the track?
“Hustle” came from dating a guy who had four jobs at one time. “Dating” was far from reality as he was working morning, noon and night to making minimum wage at his kitchen jobs to try and make rent. I realized through him that we all have some sort of hustle that we do on the daily and was inspired one morning to write the song. It started in my living room on an acoustic guitar. It’s amazing how much it has grown. I still play the acoustic version at some of my solo gigs!
What would you like listeners to be able to take away from Crooked Lines?
Crooked Lines took so much effort and it is all starting to pay off. I had to push so hard and listen to no one but myself. I had so much opposition. I had people telling me I was crazy to believe that I could raise the money. I had band members quit midway through. I had people tell me to lose weight. I had people tell me to show more cleavage. After the album was done, I had managers making me believe that it wasn’t good enough. I hope people can look at what I did and realize that they can do whatever they put their minds too. Don’t listen to anyone but yourself. Follow your heart and your dreams. Don’t listen to ANY of the negative.
In the two years between Roots Bury Deep and Crooked Lines, how do you feel you’ve grown as an artist?
Every possible way. My confidence grew. My voice matured. I began to reach for things that I had never reached for before. I became much more expressive and free on stage. I stopped caring what others thought about me and it’s been the best change ever. Turns out, people like it when you are a REAL artist, rather than a fake, rehearsed artist.
With the album dropping soon, do you have any plans to hit the road this year?
Yes, we will begin touring more heavily late spring/summer and plan to hit several festivals including the main stage at Floyd Fest this summer!
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for including me! Readers can pre-order the album on Itunes in preparation for its release on 2/17/17!
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