Katie Dobbins is a New Hampshire native who went to college in Maine, then landed in the Boston area. But Friday, she’ll be back in the Lakes Region with a concert at Pitman’s Freight Room. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the music will start at 8 p.m. It’s a bring-your-own drinks and snacks venue. Tickets are $20.
She was recently nominated for three New England Music Awards – best album, video of the year and best in state.
Dobbins answered some Monitor questions about her music. You can also hear one of her songs on the Good Times podcast.
How did you get into the music business?
I have been immersed in music my whole life – playing various instruments, dancing, singing in choirs, and songwriting. However I’ve only been in the “music business” for about two years now.
The making and launching of my first record, She Is Free, was a personal plunge back into my passion for songwriting and performing. At the time I recorded She Is Free, many people did not even know I was a singer-songwriter. I announced the undertaking of that project along with a fundraising campaign and surprised people. Once my record was almost complete, I realized I had no idea what to do with it. Luckily I live in an area saturated with creative and inspiring musicians who are going after what they love in savvy entrepreneurial ways. I was able to connect with some of them, and I actually hired Hailey Magee of Talisman Music Group to consult with me leading up to the album release, and provide me with strategies for success.
I learned so much about the music business during the months leading up to my album release show in May 2017, and I also learned that I really loved the business and marketing side of music. So I keep on learning and pushing myself to try new things! Truly I love being able to do something I’m passionate about and really make it my own. I get to be my own creative director, visionary, and boss.
What is the “let your music set you free” movement all about?
Let The Music Set You Free is about musicians coming together to share stories and songs of personal freedom. It’s about setting yourself free from the things that have held you back. We live in a country where we have so many freedoms afforded to us, and it’s amazing. However I find in my own life that it is often me that gets in my own way – and no one else. Sometimes our thinking is so subtle that we don’t even realize we’re building up walls in our minds that prevent us from being our true selves.
For years I didn’t pursue music because I was focused on other things – school and starting my career. This was true, but at the same time it was an easy out. I was intimidated and fearful of putting myself and my music out there for everyone to hear and form opinions about it. Sometimes I think I was even afraid of what my life would look like if I was actually successful in music. Insecurity and fear of the unknown held me back for a long time, but it was my faith in God that actually helped pull me out of it. I had a moment of awakening, if you will, where I realized that protecting myself from potential failure wasn’t worth all of the fruit that could come out of me living in alignment with my true self, values, and passions.
Since I’ve shed those walls and stepped out in faith and confidence, I have seen the incredible ways that music moves people – both physically and emotionally. I am constantly blown away by its power to inspire and connect people. It’s the universal unifier, and it can be used for so much good. I named my debut album She Is Free because I had finally been set free, and I wanted to declare that and also pay it forward to others. After the release of She Is Free, I launched a six-month tour of live shows themed around personal freedom, self love, and empowerment. In January, I continued the Let The Music Set You Free movement in the form of a podcast. Each month, I release a new episode based around a specific topic. I sit down with a different musician each month and we discuss things like getting free from expectations, competition, and people pleasing – whatever strikes us at the time! The podcast is called Let The Music Set You Free and can be found at letthemusicsetyoufree.podbean.com.
How do you describe the songs you write and perform?
My songs fall within the folk genre and range from love songs to songs about social awareness and personal freedom. I love to take an element from my life or someone else’s and write about it in a metaphorical way that provokes deeper thinking about life and love. I wrote a song a little over a year ago about hiking up a mountain, but it also explores the tension that exists when you deeply yearn for or love something that is also extremely challenging or seemingly unattainable. Personally it speaks to challenges I’ve had pursuing music and also explores the challenging but worthwhile journey of following God.
Another song that speaks to this idea is “Jeep Song,” which tells the romantic story of learning how to drive standard in a Jeep Wrangler. The lyrics speak to the fear of stalling but from a position of power – saying “Don’t stall on me; I’m trying to believe.” When you have good momentum going, there’s always the fear that at any moment it could stop. You may be the best at your job right now, but what if someone new comes along who is better than you? Musically I have been experiencing a positive trajectory forward, but what if it gets too hard and I am tempted to give up? I love singing this song because when I do, I’m really singing to myself – challenging myself to continue the hard work toward what I love, and subsequently toward living the most free life I possibly can. The songs I love to perform most are the ones that inspire me at any given moment. Sometimes you just need a carefree love song, but sometimes I need to sing these metaphorical melodies over myself and the audience because my soul longs to inspire. “Mountain Song” and “Jeep Song” are both available on YouTube right now and will be on my sophomore album, coming out in Spring 2019.
What songs are must-haves on your set list right now?
My personal set list when I play out consists of mostly my own original music, with the occasional cover song interspersed. Generally I love playing my newer songs because those often are the ones I’m feeling most passionate about. However there is something really cool about playing an older song of mine and putting myself back in that place – wherever I was when I wrote it. It’s powerful for a couple reasons – I get to reflect on my growth as a songwriter and relive where some of these songs started, and often times songs I wrote years ago have begun to take on new meaning for me. So it’s cool to realize that one song can speak to you in so many different seasons of your life. In terms of songs I enjoy listening to, I am really engaged with the local music scene. Recently, I’ve been incredibly inspired by the debut Visiting Wine album. They weave beautiful imagery throughout their lyrics, and I find their songs to be uplifting and inspiring. In NH, I’ve been collaborating with Dr. Jack to do some cowriting, and I’m so inspired by how long he’s been in the music business – and how he never runs out of things to write about! I can only hope to protect and grow my passion for songwriting for as long as he has. For people who enjoy discovering new emerging artists, I recommend listening to the radio show Backstage on The Hawk 104.9 on Sundays from 8 to 10 p.m. or Granite State of Mind on WMNH on Fridays at 6 p.m. There are always incredible musicians performing live, and it’s a great way to hear new talent.
What projects are you working on next?
I am currently in studio recording my sophomore album with producer Sean McLaughlin of 37’ Productions, located in Rockland, Mass. I am so excited to release this album because my songwriting has really evolved since She Is Free. A lot of the songs on this record are very new – a couple of them were written just this summer! Woven throughout the record are themes of believing that things will get better despite any present struggles or hardships, and messages that the light will always illuminate the darkness. In this record I’ve taken an honest look at my life and written some very vulnerable pieces that give deeper insight to who I am, but I’ve also maintained my focus on freedom – that no matter what someone is going through there is always a way to love, to hope, to embrace something positive, and to focus on the light in your life. This 10-song record is an earthy, organic, folky representation of my live sound. It’s coming out in Spring of 2019, and I’ll be releasing a couple singles along the way. I’ll also be previewing some of the tracks with a stripped back band at Pitman’s Freight Room this Friday. In addition to this recording project, my Let The Music Set You Free podcast is ongoing. And on Sept. 8, I’ll be attending the 2018 New England Music Awards Show as a nominee in the categories of album of the year (She Is Free), video of the year (Post It Notes), and Best in State of N.H.
For more information, visit katiedobbinsmusic.com or patreon.com/katiedobbinsmusic.