Photo Credit: Jason Campbell
Moved by a natural passion for music and the reality of life, Shonali pushed her skills to new bounds resulting in 2024’s ‘One Machine At a Time.’ Pulling from a few decades, we talked about not only the passing of loved ones guiding her towards making the world better but also the audible time machine she created. Those are just a couple of the things we touched upon as we went back and forth about everything from comedy to what’s next after the album drops on July 26th. All of that and more await below!
Kendra: Usually, the artists I talk to with super supportive parents had parents who were artists themselves, but yours were educators who pushed you toward happiness and music. That, along with growing up in the Nashville area, did you ever have any other game plan in life that wasn’t music-based?
Shonali: Yeah, thanks for appreciating my parents’ support. I certainly do, and even though they were always supportive of me pursuing my passions, I didn’t escape life without going to graduate school. I am actually also a recovering attorney. I call the legal profession my side hustle. I went to law school with the intent of ultimately working for an organization that works with indigent clients. While I was there, my former band received a pretty major record label deal, back when labels would financially support bands touring, living, and recording costs (of course all recoupable and mostly unheard of today) which led to me committing my life to music and supporting myself with part-time jobs such as being a math tutor and waiting tables at a pizza joint.
Kendra: In many ways, they are still pushing you to be your best because in recent years you were encouraged to release ‘One Machine At a Time’ after your father passed. Was it an instance of “if not now, when?”
Shonali: You got it! It was that and also the recognition that my father is a part of me. As I create and share my music with the world, I am also sharing a part of him. My dad was cool, chill, smart, and funny. The more he’s shared with the world, the world becomes a better place. I also was inspired by the loss of others and the state of the world. I lost a friend named Sam Jayne, who was a dynamo musician and songwriter. He is gone too soon and he was such an inspiration for my music. His enthusiasm for live performances and creating art with friends was contagious. I know he would be psyched for what I am doing right now. Actually, my first song on this album is a tribute to him.
Kendra: You’d mentioned that a lot of this record came from old demos you felt the world needed to hear. With that, how many of those demos were 100% ready to go and made the record and how many did you treat as a rough draft and work on?
Shonali: All of the songs were re-recorded BUT honestly I think many of the demos are pretty cool sounding. They have their own charm. A friend of mine suggested releasing them on Soundcloud sort of like PJ Harvey does
Kendra: ‘One Machine At a Time’ could be looked at as a time machine because you pulled from a few decades, but forced to choose out of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s which decade had the best songwriters, which had the most influential albums overall, and which had the music that was the most fun? And you can pick a different one for each, or the same – up to you!
Shonali: Wow, that’s a great question. My influences and likes change regularly depending on what’s going on in my life so I have no absolutes when it comes to declaring “best” or “worst” for anything. I can tell you some of the musicians who have influenced me in my songwriting. The ‘80s sound is so fresh to me right now. Of course, there is quite a span of sounds that come from that decade in music. So many were sounds we never heard before. The Cure is a band that always moves me, but specifically for my own writing of ‘One Machine at A Time,’ Disintegration was an album living within me.
Though The Talking Heads, The Cars, and Blondie originated in the ‘70s, their albums from the ‘80s like ‘Speaking In Tongues,’ ‘Shake It Up,’ and ‘Autoamerican’ are standouts for me. I listen to lots of funk records. Thanks to recently winning a crate of records curated by Questlove at a Christmas Party, I’ve made some new discoveries like Steve Arrington’s ‘Hall of Fame, Vol.1’ came out in 1983. Wowza. That album is the definition of FUN!
As for the ‘70s, there are so many great songwriters. I love Fleetwood Mac. I have been listening (no surprise) to a lot of George Harrison, like ‘All Things Must Pass’ stuff and Paul McCartney’s Wings, and specifically ‘Ram,’ by Linda McCartney and Paul McCartney as of late. But I used to listen to lots of John Lennon stuff. I am guessing most songwriters have listened to these guys. I realize today that my obsession with Duran Duran’s funky pop, electro-new wave sounds has never wavered.
I feel like the ‘90s sounds are making a comeback today which is cool depending on which direction we go with it. I think my influences from that time aren’t as mainstream. New bands that sound like ‘90s bands I love so much such as Sonic Youth and Pavement are being played on college radio today. For me, PJ Harvey is a timeless songwriter and her music will always be relevant no matter what decade we are in. Wow, I could go on and on…we haven’t even gotten into old-school country musicians who have influenced me like George Jones and Dolly Parton.
Kendra: I didn’t ask which had the best music videos because that was an art form that really came about with the birth of MTV in the ‘80s, but you just made a video with Eleanore Pienta in the director’s seat for “Up All Night.” You met in the world of comedy, so with that – what’s harder, making someone sing along to a song or making someone laugh at a joke?
Shonali: Haha, I guess it depends on what day it is and how I’m feeling. But honestly, that’s something I’ve never thought about. I love to sing and I love to laugh. I guess it’s no wonder that both music and comedy organically became a part of my creative life. I basically have a split personality when it comes to my creative life. I am definitely not someone that wants to create comedy music. I use my music to fulfill my need for introspective exploration and to also connect with others in a way that perhaps isn’t so literal as comedy needs to be.
In terms of comedy, you are being directed to laugh by a comedian at a specific point in time. What I love about both comedy and live music is the need for collaboration with an audience. There is an explicable feeling when this exchange happens – the energy transforms us and affects us even after we leave the performance/venue.
Kendra: Time for a side note – With it being summertime, I’d love to know what is your go-to backyard, get-together song that you feel really helps bring everyone together?
Shonali: I’m not one to sing songs very often in my backyard these days, but I do love eating food at summer BBQs. I was in Mexico last year when I heard a band singing the song “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. I stopped in my tracks outside the club on the sidewalk and started to belt out the song along with the band. Random strangers on the street walking by joined me too.
Kendra: Lastly, with ‘One Machine At a Time’ out on July 26th, what else can fans expect as we dive deeper into the summer months?
Shonali: It will be the beginning of lots of exciting things which most excitingly include live performances. I will be rehearsing from now on throughout the summer with my band which will be a 5-piece. I will be in Atlanta, GA on the release date, which is where I recorded my album. I’ll be celebrating that day with an in-store performance at Criminal Records and a listening party that evening at Commune Wine Bar and Listening Room.
I will then be heading out on the road for 12 dates going down the East Coast, starting with a release party in NYC on August 16th at The Bowery Electric. I hope everyone will follow me on all my socials for information regarding an online listening party, pre-ordering info, our tour adventures and also exciting news about my upcoming post-release new singles.
