Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby Vice.
Hi Abby, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been drawn to the piano since I was a little kid. I never truly latched on to reading music or lessons – I hated being told what to play. My mom let me quit lessons, and that’s when I really started jammin’. In high school, I would skip lunch almost every day (because I didn’t really know who to sit with), and sneak into a little closet across from the band room that had an upright piano in it. I’d figure out how to play songs by Dr. Dre, Weezer, Bone Thugs, N Harmony, The Righteous Brothers- the list goes on. One day, I was feeling sad, and so began the never-ending writing of My Classical Song.
In 2011, I started taking my little Yamaha keyboard to my friend’s studio near Fountain Square (Evolve Entertainment). I didn’t know what I was setting out to do, I just wanted to record music, and didn’t yet know how to produce on my own. The studio clientele consisted mostly of local hip hop artists (shoutout Speed Walton). As a lover of hip hop and influenced by the artists around me, the music I started recording aligned mostly with melodic “beats”, taking sections from My Classical Song and putting rap beats to it. I also gained a lot of guidance and recorded songs through Blazewright Studios, run by local producer/DJ John Blaze, who helped me develop my sound into more of a trip-hop vibe versus semi-empty sounding rap beats. My friend Chris Applegate (Poe Cotet) helped me build my confidence and see myself as a producer as we worked on our song “Dreamcatcher”.
One night, my friend Devin Brooks was hosting an open mic at Mad Frog. On a whim, I decided to go out and play a song or two – running my backing track with an actual CD (lol), and playing keys on top of it. This show is actually where I met my future indie bandmate Aaron Disney, who I am still friends with to this day.
I continued periodically recording songs, eventually learning how to produce in Ableton, but didn’t really hone into my solo project until around 2017. At the time, playing mostly local shows in Northside and OTR, I met a lot of local artists who sort of pushed me to play out more. Jess Lamb and Warren Harrison would periodically just tell me “you’re playing”, and I could not say no to them, though I never truly felt ready. (Side note- I am starstruck by Jess Lamb to this day, though we’ve been friends for about 8 years. Shout out to her label City Queen Sounds).
Anyways, back to the story. People started seeing that I was playing shows, and more people started asking me to jump on their bills. I frequently played at Radio Artifact (run by Devin Brooks and Andrew Tetrick), and tested out live band dynamics with Ben Porter, Nick Heffron, Vusive, Danbient, Sarah Gorak, and more. We would also feature local rappers (Devin Burgess, Deuces II, and Siri Imani, just to name a few).
I never truly knew where my place was in the scene, or how to define my genre until I met Sally McGruber, a promoter from Cincinnati. She started bringing dubstep acts into the city. and I couldn’t help but notice most of the artists that were playing were men. On a whim, I asked her to let me know if she ever needed an opener for one of her shows.
The next week, she booked me to open for Ill.Gates. I was a little intimidated, seeing as my music was more “chill” and featured live instruments. But I wasn’t about to say no. Ben Porter joined me on violin, and although everything went wrong sound-wise and we could not hear ourselves, the crowd didn’t really seem to notice (thank god). Backstage, I was introduced to Justin Fields of Kentucky EDM Family, who down the line ended up booking me a couple times a year to play in Lexington and Louisville, opening for bass/dubstep producers.
Now that I finally felt like I fit into a certain demographic, and as a long-time lover of music festivals, I shot my shot and asked Casey Schneider (of Essential Productions) if the full band (Vice Ensemble) could play Resonance Music & Arts Festival. Luckily, he said yes. I ended up playing that festival for the next couple of years – along with other Midwest festivals such as Geek Out, BLINK Cincinnati, and even got to play a TEDx event.
Then COVID happened. All shows were cancelled. Accompanied by Ben Porter and Vusive, I was able to play a string of outdoor, socially distant shows across Ohio and Michigan with Dixon’s Violin, sometimes even in people’s backyards. All the while this is happening, livestreams started to emerge. Two streams that stick out in my mind include Stand Your Vote (alongside Luminyst, Ravenscoon, Soul Clap, and more), and Wormhole Wednesday + The Gradient Perspective (alongside Josh Teed and MINDWALKER).
Although lockdown was bittersweet and full of darkness and isolation, these livestreams helped artists and fans connect and continue creating. They also provided a HUGE amount of exposure to promoters all across the country, versus just our local venue shows. I think largely due to this, once things “opened up again”, I started getting asked to play out of town more, simultaneously saying no to certain local gigs that didn’t really make sense for my genre (for example, people trying to book me as a pop artist or singer/songwriter, when I’ve never been either).
These days, I’ve been super fortunate to have met such wonderful people in the scene. After playing Big Fam Music & Arts Festival in Michigan this past fall, I got more familiar with the scene up there, and have been super inspired by the Detroit community. I love seeing people hone in not only to their art, but to making the world a better place. The Boredom Fighters Foundation and Further Frequencies often curate events with intention – to party with a purpose, and do something positive for the world. This is the vibe that I’m sort of gravitating towards, as I move forward in my career and grow within the Midwest community.
Now, as I prepare to play farther away than ever this weekend (Austin, TX), and embark on the largest festival I’ve ever played (Secret Dreams), I am trying hard to finish a bunch of collaborations, an EP, and figure out the “business” side of things. It’s a constant journey, and there is ALWAYS so much to learn! Sometimes it gets overwhelming, but music is the only thing that makes sense to me. And looking back, it is wild to me how one little interaction, one little open mic, can change your entire life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Parts of the road are smooth, but the bumps are more like hills. It’s been extremely difficult to find my place in the world with work/life balance. This past October, I actually quit my corporate job of four years because it was mentally exhausting, and draining my creativity. Another challenge that I’m currently facing is how to value myself as an artist – How to grow financially, monetize and publish music professionally, negotiate with promoters, and pitch releases to labels. Art is obviously not about the money, but to take this to the next level, it is essential to figure out little ways to fund the journey and keep it growing.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I produce downtempo electronic music and play piano, specializing in livetronica performances at venues and music festivals. What I am most proud of is the community I’ve somehow managed to surround myself with over the years. In my earlier 20’s, things were looking iffy, and I didn’t feel like I had real friends. It takes one or just a couple people to show you a better side of life, and I try to be that person to others as well throughout my journey. As far as “what sets me apart”, I suppose would be staying true to my music although it wasn’t always a popular genre (as it’s purely instrumental and often times a more chill-type beat). Authenticity speaks to people more than just trying to play what is hot at the time, and if you’re able to connect with or touch even just one person in the crowd, you’ve done your job.
What are your plans for the future?
As I move forward in figuring out how to treat my music as a passion as well as a business, I eventually would like to look into finding management and a booking agent. This would be a huge step for me, however, I feel like I have LITTLE BIT more learning to do before I explore that journey. Knowledge is power, and knowing how to do everything yourself on the front-end is not only empowering, but helps prevent people from taking advantage of you. It’s a daunting task, but exciting to try and make sense of what goes on behind the scenes of the music industry. Within the next couple of years, I would like to do a full-scale tour.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/abby_vice
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abby_vice/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbyvicemusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/abbyvicemusic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/abby-vice?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
- Other: abbymvice@gmail.com
