The Interwoven maker space in downtown New Bedford is proving to be a cozy and intimate setting for listening to singer/songwriters. And this Sunday two local artists will be treating audience members to new songs that are in the process of being recorded for upcoming albums.
From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Hooly J. Chan and Kaiya Hope will be performing a free show as part of the monthly Stove Boat Concert Series at the 634 Pleasant St. location.
Chan and Hope talked about the creative processes that areshaping their latest collections of songs.
“My songwriting is a challenging and cathartic way to capture and portray specific emotions,” Hope says. “Songwriting has gotten me through the most intense feelings I’ve ever felt. The saddest feelings I’ve ever felt have turned into some of the most beautiful things I’ve ever written.”
Hope allows her songs to develop on their own, and many times they become ambiguous for the listener.
“Even if these emotions aren’t understood through all of the metaphors and madness, I don’t want to write something straight forward – I want it to transform into something of its own. Three different people may have different interpretations of the same line and that’s totally cool – take it however you need to hear it. I’ll tell someone what it means, but I like it better if they come up with their own meaning. It’s more exciting if a bunch of people are confused about it.”
Hope is in the process of recording a full-length record, “Hope Street,” with a targeted release of this May. The album will have her performing a variety of instruments, recorded on her computer at her East Freetown home, but on Sunday she will be performing the songs solo on an acoustic guitar.
And for Chan, her next batch of songs has her putting asideher ukulele to write, record and perform on an acoustic guitar.She is recording in the New York City studio of her godfather, William Galison, who is also producing and performing on the album. She is anticipating a fall release.
Chan’s Saturday performance will also be on acoustic guitar and will feature a set of the new unreleased material.
“You can do more with an acoustic guitar than with a ukulele,” Chan says. “The challenge is that you have to get comfortable going up and down the neck. It has a richer, deeper sound than a ukulele because it has bass notes. I sing differently with a guitar which makes my songs sound different.”
Chan’s next album will be her third. Her first two records were written and performed on ukulele.
“On this album I’m wrestling with the self – the thoughts and emotions and difficulties of being human,” Chan says. “But then there’s a break through, a metamorphosis in the middle of the album – a breaking out of societal constrictions and expectations. The second half of the album takes place in the dream world. It goes into past lives and ancestry and history, and then into the future and possibilities – up into outer space and back again.
“It’s pretty imaginative,” Chan says. “More contemplative storytelling – personal, political and emotional.”
Hope has two singles available online, while Chan has two full-length albums.
Chan has performed twice at Interwoven.
“Interwoven is a nice, small and intimate space, it’s a good location for performances by singer/songwriters,” Chan says. “It’s inclusive and always has a captive audience.”
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