Ella Choi discusses the stories behind songs in her discography.

The energy at the Exit/In was magical as the crowd filed in on March 29 for Sisters in Song, a concert presented by River & Row Management. As the pre-show playlist cycled through songs by Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, Brandi Carlile, and other artists in the Americana realm, attendees got progressively more excited. Eloise Rixey performing, photo by Maggie Oradat. Eloise Rixey was the first artist onstage, joined by cellist Ethan Hill and special guest Jael Woolfolk on keyboar

Rocky LeRoe, photo by Lara Blizzard. A desire and drive to build community among listeners isn’t unusual among artists, but it’s rare that their image and life experience align toward this desire as well as Rocky LeRoe’s do. She describes her music as “trying to keep the spirit of the 70s alive in a country city in an indie world” while performing “rock music with full band instruments”, suggesting inspiration from the groupie era of this time period. I first heard Rocky’s mu

The Sisters in Song poster, designed by Annie McNamara On Sunday, March 29, Sisters in Song, presented by River & Row Management, will be taking over the Exit/In. All performers are Belmont University students and alum, and I had the honor of talking to them. Here’s what to expect when you show up this weekend! First and foremost, a unifying sense of community. You’re never going to be bored; all the girls complement each other in terms of music, personality, and of course, h

When I approach Eloise Rixey at a Nashville coffee shop on an early March morning, the first thing I observe about the singer/songwriter is that she looks straight out of an indie-downtown-girl-cottagecore Pinterest board. This impression of her is quickly supported by the revelation that she’s a music business major with a legal studies emphasis and a philosophy minor. “I'm from St Augustine, Florida…. it's got one of the best music scenes, I would argue, in the world,” she

When Americana singer/songwriter Monica James picked up the phone on a spring break afternoon, the first question I asked her was not the typical “How are you?” but rather, “Where are you?” I could hear a soft, incessant noise in the background. As it turned out, she was on a Florida beach. “I figured if I’m going to be on the phone, I might as well be on the beach,” she laughed. This is Monica for you. Her primary goal as an artist, beyond wanting to make people feel seen by

Since starting at Belmont University in August, I’ve kept my eyes peeled for ways women’s voices are being lifted. In December, my friends Emma Harger and Annie McNamara started River & Row Management, an independent DIY-management company run by women. Both Harger and McNamara are extremely driven. Harger has experience managing live music through working with community-oriented nonprofit music groups like Wisconsin’s Stevens Point City Band. McNamara, who, like me, has shif