Through the years, I’ve been lucky enough to meet some really amazing artists of all genres that I’m proud to call my friends here in the Quad Cities. We compare notes & bounce ideas off of each other, sharing the highs and lows of this crazy music business. Ariel McReynolds and I would certainly be friends regardless of our professions and our age gap (I call her my biological granddaughter & she calls me “Mema” to honor the 7 years between us), but I’m beyond lucky to have her as a fellow country artist. I met Ariel at an open mic night I was hosting in Moline when she was only 17. Her talent and tenacity floored me even in that first meeting, and she’s only gotten better. To say I’m proud of this girl is the understatement of the year and I’m so grateful today to be interviewing her at our favorite lunch spot, La Herradura in LeClaire, IA.
We are quick to mention how ready we are for patio gigs along the Mississippi River. We breeze over the week’s lineup of gigs and sit down and order our usual- Enchiladas Verdes and a couple of margaritas to celebrate a much needed day off for both of us. Ariel orders her usual blended strawberry, but I’m more of a lime on the rocks kind of gal. Our margarita orders are much like our taste in the music we play- similar, but with a twist. Ariel is a powerhouse vocalist who calls the music she plays, “country/folk”, while I identify more into the country/western vein of music. Typically, Ariel McReynolds is billed as a solo act at places all over the Quad Cities (including her favorite spot- KilKenny’s), but occasionally plays with a band as well.
ANGELA:
What was your first paid gig?
ARIEL:
My Place the pub- I remember a fight broke out during “Zombie” and I just kept playing all the way through the cops coming.
ANGELA:
If you didn’t become a musician, what would you be doing right now?
ARIEL:
Well, I worked at a daycare… so, just doing something for money. I thought about going to hair school, but music is what I always wanted to do.
ANGELA:
How did you get started playing music in the Quad Cities?
ARIEL:
I started out as a duo and reached out to people I knew to start booking, went to open mics to gain experience and gather more contacts. I started just playing once a month and now it’s grown to 4-7 gigs a week. I definitely play more in the summer with patio spaces, morning gigs, and larger events like Tug Fest in Port Byron and opening at Bass Street.
ANGELA:
What can people expect when they go to one of your shows?
ARIEL:
The first time you come out to one of my shows you can expect a mix of country with other genres including artists like Fleetwood Mac mixed in with my original songs, a lot of Miranda Lambert.
People will be singing along and will be eating and drinking between singing.
ANGELA:
So, you just had a new album release on March 20th, “Don’t Break Mine”, what can we expect from the new album?
ARIEL:
This album is entirely acoustic. I sequenced the songs in the order that I wrote them so it’s a story of relationships, being in love, falling out of love, and the self-discovery that happens through that.
ANGELA:
Describe your creative process for making new music.
ARIEL:
Typically, I write the lyrics first. Sometimes it all comes together within 5 minutes, other times it’s a chorus written down in my phone that waits a while to find its home. I share them with my friends and family first and then start playing them at my shows to see how the audience responds to them. Once I knew what songs I wanted for this album, I reached out to Justin Farley with Skylark Recording in Rock Island, IL. We set up a few dates to record the album and did each song as a one take- vocal and guitar all the way through. If I messed up I would start over until we got the right take.
ANGELA:
What is your favorite song you’ve ever written and why?
ARIEL:
This is something that switches a lot, but right now it’s a song called “Naive” off my new album. It has a lot of emotion in it and you can hear that through the melody.
ANGELA:
How do you define success, & what has been the key to finding your success in the Quad City music scene?
ARIEL:
For me, it’s being happy and reaching your goals. I think it’s important to be an individual with your goals and defining what makes you happy- your goals should look different than other people’s goals. Honestly, last night this girl came to my show for her 10th birthday and I thought that was pretty cool that she chose to spend her birthday with me and remembered seeing me two years ago.
ANGELA:
What do you think makes the Quad Cities unique in our music scene?
ARIEL:
There’s SO MANY opportunities here- so many bars and restaurants support live music
and pay us well. SO many of us are able to have full time jobs as musicians.
ANGELA:
Are there any reasons you don’t like playing in the Quad Cities music scene?
ARIEL:
I think it’s a great place for people starting their careers- and a good place to grow your career. But I think you don’t have to stay here forever, there are a lot of other opportunities in different cities as far as the connections with other professionals/studios/guidance towards bigger steps.
ANGELA:
What is one piece of advice you have for someone wanting to do music as their job?
ARIEL:
Be persistent and be confident in yourself enough to not let anyone else’s opinion dictate who you are.
ANGELA:
What is something you learned about yourself while playing music?
ARIEL:
Honestly, how much I care about what other people think and when you’re on stage all you see is
what other people think. Whether they’re clapping or saying something about me- I didn’t realize
how much I paid attention to that. Same as places wanting to book me or not. Obviously I still
care a little bit about what other people think about me, but it’s not as consuming any more.
ANGELA:
How to you care for yourself to make sure you are at the top of your game when performing?
ARIEL:
Making sure that one day of the week is a day off- I’m not currently doing that but I need to. Taking time away from my phone and not feeling the need to respond to messages right away. Thinking of work as a scheduled thing and not that I’m accessible at all times. I spend one day a week trying to book things and keep everything updated.
ANGELA:
WHAT IS THE EXPECTATION OF HOW AN AUDIENCE SHOULD TREAT A MUSICIAN?
ARIEL:
I would say, just be kind and if you value music let the musicians know, if you appreciate them, let them know. And if you don’t- go home. If there’s a sports game on- clap for the musician too. They can hear you and the sportsball players can’t.
ANGELA:
GIRL PREACHHHH. Okay so, how can people find your music?
ARIEL:
Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube, iTunes- any streaming platform! My social media is ariel.mcreynolds24 on Facebook & ariel.mcreynolds on Instagram, and on TikTok @arielmcreynolds- my full live music schedule is on Facebook as well.
