Linda Avalinda | Matt Connarton Unleashed

0:00 Speaker 1: What a beautiful voice. Linda, Avelinda, and that is called bridges Burned? And I believe we have Linda with us via the phone.

0:07 Speaker 2: Hello, Linda, Hello, how are you good?

0:11 Speaker 1: Welcome to the show. Uh yeah, we were, Yeah, wonderful, wonderful voice you have. Tell us about Uh well, let's let's start here. So first of all, how do you say your last name? I don't know sure I'm saying it correctly.

0:22 Speaker 3: Oh, you're saying it correctly, Linda?

0:25 Speaker 2: Okay? Was was Avelinda? Or ave Linda? But where are you from? Linda?

0:31 Speaker 3: I am from Long Island? Are you up Nasall County?

0:33 Speaker 2: Okay? Okay, okay, very good, very good.

0:37 Speaker 1: So tell us about that song, because I I strongly suspect a song like that there's usually a story, right you don't You probably didn't just think one day, oh, I'm going to write a song about bridges Burned and the consequences of that, and and you know the rumination that comes with that when you're looking back. Is there a story behind the song?

0:57 Speaker 3: Yes, there's always a story behind all of my songs. Yeah, this is the first one that I'm releasing. So this story came about because somebody who I know, said that he's changed a lot over the years, but nobody believes him. And he didn't say bridges burns, but automatically I thought, you know, he burned a lot of bridges, you know. And so all of my strongs start out with one line, and if I could sing it to a good melody, I just keep singing and singing until the next line comes. The next line comes.

1:31 Speaker 3: So it started out with the first lines of the song, the first line of the song, sorry for the words I said, and then it just kept going from there.

1:39 Speaker 1: Now are you so are the lyrics from your own point of view in dealing with this person? Or are they more from his point of view? Are you writing? Are you writing the song from the point of view of this this this person who is sorry for the thing?

1:53 Speaker 3: Yes, I'm writing the song from the point of view of that person.

1:55 Speaker 2: Gotcha? Gotcha? Now have they heard the song?

2:00 Speaker 3: Yes, and it resonates with them. Okay, And I've played it for you know, my friends and everything. And one other person said that, wow, this person is somebody you know. This song It's just it tells a story about somebody's life who he knows, you know, a woman. So I think, you know, I guess we've all burned bridges big and small in our lives, and I think this song probably resonates with a lot of people.

2:28 Speaker 1: Well that's what I was thinking too, because obviously that's very relatable everybody has. You know, sometimes people will say, oh, you know, I live my life with no regrets, you know, but we all have regrets, and we all have things that we look back on, whether there are family relationships, friendships, romantic relationships, you know, or professional relationships where maybe you you burn a bridge out of out of pride, you know, you don't want to admit that maybe you were wrong about something or you just didn't have the emotional maturity to handle the situation or whatever it is, and then you kind of look back and you go, wow, I really I really pushed some people away or wrecked some relationships that in hindsight.

3:07 Speaker 2: I probably shouldn't have. So I think we can all relate to that, right, definitely.

3:14 Speaker 3: Definitely.

3:15 Speaker 2: Do you have a lot of people who've heard the song?

3:17 Speaker 1: I mean, I know it's it's been out for a short time, but I mean, do you have a lot of people tell you that they can relate to like they can think of specific instances from their own lives that they can kind of connect with the lyrics.

3:29 Speaker 3: Oh, definitely. They don't get into specifics, but they say that they the song resonates with them, and yeah, you can relate to the song.

3:38 Speaker 1: Now, the person who the song is about, who inspired it? So you said they liked the song. Do they do they realize it's about them?

3:47 Speaker 4: Yes?

3:48 Speaker 3: I told that person that it was about them.

3:50 Speaker 4: Okay, they don't want me to share their story specifically, right right.

3:53 Speaker 3: A person knows that that song was inspired by, you know, the person's wife.

3:59 Speaker 1: And what they say, Oh, okay, it's it's good that It's good that you've got a positive reaction, because sometimes that can that can really I can really backfire. Like Jenny, remember we h one of our conversations with Nancy Manet, Uh.

4:15 Speaker 2: She she did a whole basically.

4:16 Speaker 1: You know a lot of one of her albums is about her her experiences with family members. Yes, and when they hear the songs they get angry with her.

4:25 Speaker 2: Yep.

4:26 Speaker 1: So yeah, that one didn't go yeah, yeah, so you never know how that might go. Now, this is so this is the first single that you've released online.

4:35 Speaker 3: Yes, it's the first single that I've released online. I started writing songs and lyrics late in life. I have absolutely I don't play an instrument. I really have kind of no musical background. My musical background was kind of an elementary school raising my hand as highs. I could try and play that triangle and that triangle in school. You know, I never got picked of you know that, or I got the rhythm sticks instead. And then years ago I had a boyfriend and he was a music teacher and he got me into writing lyrics.

5:09 Speaker 3: I you know, I've always been interested in writing. My major in college was creative writing, but I never envisioned that I would ever write a song. So I started writing the lyrics. He would do some music, and then we broke up, and you know, at the end, he's like, I wanted to just sing your lyrics into the store, into your phone. So I'm like, okay, well these words keep coming. What am I going to do now? So I kept singing my lyrics and my songs into my phone. And then I went and there was a guitar teacher.

5:41 Speaker 3: I'm like, oh, maybe I'll learned how to play guitar late in life, but that's really hard to do. So they kind of turned into me bringing in my lyrics and saying, hey, what do you think, etc.

5:54 Speaker 4: Etc.

5:54 Speaker 3: And then I would just show up for the guitar lessons with no guitar. Oh you're ever going to bring the guitar?

5:59 Speaker 4: I'm like, no, I.

6:00 Speaker 3: Have all this song.

6:01 Speaker 2: Oh interesting.

6:03 Speaker 1: So then so that guitar teacher did they help you? Did they help you develop these songs?

6:09 Speaker 3: Well? I kind of wanted I just wanted to, you know, sometimes not with this song this soe kind of came out just as virtually it is, But like other songs that I just you know, I just wanted to learn the format. I kept changing key when I was I didn't know the.

6:27 Speaker 4: Rules of the songs of what you know, song ran even's about.

6:32 Speaker 3: So I learned a little bit about that. Not that to say that I don't break the rules or anything, sure, because I don't know them well enough, which is a good thing, I think. But this song pretty much came out, you know, the way it was, so it is.

6:45 Speaker 1: So I'm curious how you learn to sing, because, like I said, you have a beautiful voice. I mean, are you self nowhere when you were talking just now nowhere, did you mention any kind of voice lessons.

6:57 Speaker 2: I mean, how did you learn to sing? Are you self taught? Some people?

7:00 Speaker 1: But the voice is like the one instrument where some people are just you know, and it is an instrument, right, it just happens to.

7:06 Speaker 2: Be a part of us physically.

7:08 Speaker 1: But the voice is like the one instrument where some people just seem to be able to to conduct that instrument naturally without any training.

7:16 Speaker 2: Is that the case with you?

7:18 Speaker 3: Well, yes, I can't play an instrument, never had a formal you know, voice lesson or anything. But sing about when you write your own song, you're singing them to what feels good and comfortable to you. You're not singing somebody else's song to the songs that I've written. I'm singing it, you know, to suit my own voice.

7:41 Speaker 1: Yeah, so you so you're naturally able to sing that way.

7:46 Speaker 2: That's like how how did you?

7:49 Speaker 1: I mean, did you realize that about yourself from a young age that you could sing or is that something that kind of came as you were starting to write these songs and bring them to your guitar teacher and say, hey, what do you think I mean?

7:59 Speaker 2: Is that?

8:00 Speaker 1: Is that something you always knew that you had or did you develop that more recently when you started really getting into writing.

8:06 Speaker 3: Yes, I never knew I had, you know, that, you know, would be able to sing. Yeah, so when I started singing my songs into my phone. Initially, when I found out about this producer, it was just wonderful. Voodoo v U d U studios in Port Jefferson and Long Island. I sent him my song which I recorded over the phone. I'm like, well, you know, I like to hire a singer. Yaha, YadA, YadA. He's like, no, you stayed in tea and that's really hard to do with new music. He's like, we could work with you. Oh wow, Okay, I'd rather sing my own songs.

8:44 Speaker 3: Of course, I would rather sing, But I never even dreamed about it. I was all set to hire a singer.

8:50 Speaker 2: How cool is that?

8:51 Speaker 1: Though, Like to get that kind of validation where you're going into a situation where you're like, I have the song, I want to hire someone to sing it, and then the producer says, you know, why don't you sing it? You know you're you're good enough. You know the way you sing it is great. Why don't you do it? I mean that must have been that must have been a pretty affirming moment for you.

9:10 Speaker 4: I would imagine it was a shocking and I'm pleasantly surprised that he thought that.

9:16 Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm like, okay, well, I'll give it a try, and what's doorest that can happen? If it doesn't sound good, I'll hire a singer plan anyway, you know.

9:25 Speaker 2: Yeah, Oh that's fantastic.

9:27 Speaker 1: So that studio they did all the the the what what's the name of the studio again?

9:34 Speaker 3: Voodoo? It's stilled the like Victor, you like Umbrella, d like David, you like Umbrella?

9:40 Speaker 2: Okay?

9:40 Speaker 3: Studios in Port Jefferson.

9:42 Speaker 2: Okay, okay.

9:44 Speaker 1: And then now have you just recorded the one song there or do you do intend to go because obviously because I assume you're going to be recording more singles in the future.

9:53 Speaker 3: Yes, I have about four others that are ready to be mastered.

9:58 Speaker 2: Oh wow, excellent.

10:00 Speaker 3: Yes, And I never know. I'm always thinking, okay, well that might be the last song I'm writing. And then and then a lot of my songs they come from either something from someone has said, like this song, it could be a mishurt lyric. I'll get a line and it's totally mis hurt lyrics, and then I'll set the radio off right away and I'm like, okay, I've been driving the car. That's when you get your best ideas. I'm like, what light, red light? And you want it to last really long? The red life. Of course, when you want it to last long, it just it turns green right away.

10:30 Speaker 3: And so I either put the recording, you know, my phone on and start singing it, or I have a pad and paper next to me and start writing it. So my best ideas come when i'm driving, and you know, it's hard to write things down, and when i'm doing dishes. I'm doing dishes, very bad days that like i'm starting to do the dishes, something will come to me and I have plans and literally I'll have to sit down until the words stop, you know, because if you put it off until later, they're gone.

10:59 Speaker 2: Yeah.

11:00 Speaker 1: That's a good a good problem to have though, that you've got all these ideas and so you've got so you've got four more that you're planning to record, and then so do you intend.

11:09 Speaker 3: To Uh they recorded, they're just ready to be mastered.

11:11 Speaker 2: Oh they're oh, they're already Oh, they're already recorded.

11:14 Speaker 1: They're ready to be mastered. Oh that's fantastic. And will these will these be? Will these be released as singles? Or do you intend to put out an EP or an album or what's what's kind of the long term plan?

11:24 Speaker 3: Well, I come, I'm just winging it because I don't know what I'm doing.

11:29 Speaker 4: But uh sure, sometimes.

11:31 Speaker 3: Like going to keep taking that next step and you figure out as I go along. I guess I'll release them as singles.

11:39 Speaker 1: I guess, yeah, yeah, No, that's that's fantastic. You know, we live in a time when you have so many different options in terms of how you release music. If you want to do an album, if you want to do an EP, if you just want to do singles. You know, some artists now they'll release a series of singles that eventually coalesce into an EP or an album, which is kind of the inverse of how it used to be. You know, when I was growing up, it was you know, the album and it would have a series of singles. Now some artists are doing the inversion of that.

12:08 Speaker 1: But you can you know, there are no you know, you were talking about rules and breaking the rules of songwriting, and you know, there's really no rules to how you release music anymore either in terms of I mean, there are things that you can do promotionally, that you should do promotionally, but as far as but as far as some sort of a schedule, uh, in terms of how you release the music and in what format.

12:29 Speaker 2: You know, there's you've got.

12:30 Speaker 1: You've got a lot of freedom now in the industry, uh, in terms of how you do that. So uh, we will be uh, we will be watching with great interest to see how your your career progresses. Do you do you have any kind of do you have any kind of an idea of when the next single is going to be out after the mastering's done, I assume it'll be ready to go right.

12:48 Speaker 4: Oh, I'll give this.

12:49 Speaker 3: A couple of monthly things and before months.

12:51 Speaker 2: And I know, yeah, yeah, fantastic, fantastic.

12:57 Speaker 4: Yeah.

12:57 Speaker 2: Did you grow up in New York?

13:00 Speaker 3: I grew up in Brooklyn for thirteen years, and then I moved to Queens, which is another borough in New York City, Brooklyn and Queens, and then I moved out to Long Island and just you know, a little more trees, more parks and stuff like that. I really like Long Island.

13:18 Speaker 1: Yeah, no, but it sounds like you're a real New Yorker. You've you've been there, You've been there most of your if not your whole life, right.

13:26 Speaker 3: Yes, the whole life. Yeah, definitely a real New.

13:29 Speaker 1: New York excellent. Well, there's a lot of great music that comes out of that area. So you're in a You're in a good place, that's for sure. That's for sure. Well, Linda, let let me ask you this and again, congratulations on the single Bridges Burned.

13:41 Speaker 2: And where should you know?

13:44 Speaker 1: Because you are going to be releasing new music in the future in addition to this, So where should people go online? Where's the best place for people to go online to keep up with everything that you're doing? Uh so that, uh so that they know when when new new music is coming out.

13:58 Speaker 3: Okay, Well I am on Graham at Linda Avalanda. I guess because I literally just start Instagram three weeks ago. Okay, I had no online presence before releasing this.

14:09 Speaker 4: Oh wow, I do have a I do have a YouTube video.

14:12 Speaker 3: Yes, you have to put in probably my name first, Linda Avalanza, then bridges Burned.

14:18 Speaker 4: Ye.

14:18 Speaker 3: If you do it the other way, the things will come up. And my song is out on all of the streaming services. Yep, so people can access my song there, yep.

14:30 Speaker 1: Excellent, excellent. Well you're off to a great start. And when the next single is ready to be released, I hope that you'll send it to us, and you know we'd love to give it a spin here and have you back on to talk some more.

14:42 Speaker 3: Oh, definitely, thank you so much.

14:44 Speaker 1: All right, Linda Avelinda, congratulations again on the single and we'll let you go, but thank you for joining us today.

14:51 Speaker 2: Thank you, all right, you got it, Bye bye, take care you too.

14:54 Speaker 4: Hi.

14:55 Speaker 1: All right, that is Linda Avelinda again if you missed it. We played her new single Old Bridges Burned and I look forward to hearing more from her in the future.

15:07 Speaker 1: M