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Mia Celeste Talks New Album and Why ‘Love Is Universal’

Indie Maryland-based artist Mia Celeste poses in front of microphone smiling slightly.

Frederick, Maryland-based artist Mia Celeste has a voice that will stop you in your tracks. Drawing from her Latino roots, classical, and jazz, the 17-year-old pianist, singer-songwriter, and producer creates an enchanting world with her music that rises effortlessly above the surrounding landscape.

Read to learn more about Mia Celeste’s early influences, including the role of her father Jaime Paredes, an established poet, her vision for the future of women in music, and the most important message that she wants audiences to take away from her new EP, The Songs That I Wrote Just For You.

Marilyn Hucek Contemplates ‘Love and Loss’ with New EP

Marilyn Hucek poses for a promo photo in an edgy but delicate black tulle dress and goth boots.

More to Watch On Nov. 24, rising D.C.-based singer-songwriter Marilyn Hucek released her latest EP, “Love and Loss.” The collection may be Hucek’s most personal yet, and she explains that listening to the songs is like reading from the pages of her diary.    Marilyn Hucek – Photo Courtesy of Elisabeth Donaldson – Styling by […]

Witch Weather: ‘People Are Missing Close Connection’

Pennsylvania queer duo Witch Weather pose for a promo photo outside on the street.

Queer duo Witch Weather discuss new album and the influence of the DMV on their sound.

Philadelphia-based queer punks Witch Weather have a message for anyone who feels hopeless and worthless: you are not alone. With an irresistible sound that draws from 80’s goth and lo-fi grunge, the indie duo wears their heart on their sleeve, giving voice to complex emotions that many would opt to suppress in the recesses of their minds.

Join Alchemical Records as they connect with Witch Weather to discuss the band’s new self-titled album, their search for a sense of belonging as members of the queer community, the important element that keeps the duo’s creative bond strong, and the influence of the DMV on their sound.

Velu O — Career, Motherhood, New Podcast Empowering Latinas

Velu O looks up to the sky in a pink shirt with sunglasses against a clear blue background.

Colombian American artist Velu O manages an ever-growing list of roles within the DMV, including vocalist for WAMMIE award-winning band DeSanguashington; vocalist for all-women cumbia collective, La Marvela; booking agent for SOROCHE; host of podcast Latinas Be Like Us, and Board member of Dia De Los Muertos Benefit Fest.

Read to learn about Velu O’s latest projects that involve launching a solo artist career and founding Latinas Be Like Us, a podcast created to “empower everyday Latina superheroes,” as well as the reason she believes that motherhood may have ushered in her best season yet.

Elijah Cruise Embraces His Shadow Self with ‘Vampire U’

Alternative pop artist Elijah Cruise poses dramatically in promo photo for new single, Vampire U

Recent Articles On Oct. 27, Nashville-based alternative pop artist Elijah Cruise, a favorite at Alchemical Records, released his latest single, “Vampire U,” just in time for Halloween. Elijah Cruise – Photo Courtesy of Olivia Perdomo (@ifitisnt.olivia). In contrast with a society that pressures individuals to distance themselves from their shadow self, Cruise’s moody, seductive track […]

Hardcore Quintet Detachment Release Visceral Debut Album

Hardcore band Detachment poses for a seated promo photo.

Long Island hardcore quintet Detachment discuss their debut album, what it takes to make it as an independent artist, and memories of the D.C. area.
On Oct. 13, Long Island hardcore band Detachment released their debut album, Lack. The 10-track project, which features standout singles “Slug” and “BackBreaker,” delivers an immediate adrenaline rush from the very first blistering note to the last, creating a piercing lens under which to examine issues ranging from mental health to the search for meaning.

Join Alchemical Records as they connect with Detachment to discuss how Lack differs from the band’s previous work, the most important message behind the project, strategies the band uses to make their shows an experience that feels “worth it” for fans, and Detachment’s most memorable moments the D.C. area (one of which involves a guy falling off of a speaker at a festival).

aSanTIS: ‘You Are a Part of the Highest Form of Creation’

aSanTIS posing for the camera with headphones on (for accessibility)

Flow-bending artist aSanTIS discusses art, culture, and whether sound can solve the world’s problems in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
My interview with Amy Santis aka aSanTIS began in the most unexpected way. The Maryland-based flow-bending artist and lyrical storyteller came prepared to engage in conversation around questions I had posed – and she also brought one or two of her own thoughtful prompts based on her curiosities around my view of learning.

This practice of taking in her surroundings deeply through observation and inquiry has come naturally to aSanTIS ever since she was a young child. In terms of her early starts in music, she notes that she began as a discerning listener. “Just listening to music from my mom, on the radio, just being a consumer in the world of sound. But I think mainly, my mom has always loved dancing and listening to music, so that was sort of like second nature. We play music at gatherings, we play music in the car, and these songs are sort of like diaries that take us into a specific place.”

Mustard Service On New Album: ‘Art Should Speak for Itself’

Mustard Service pose around a urinal in a vintage bathroom for a press photo shoot.

Mustard Service discuss their new album, Variety Pack, and upcoming DMV show.
It all began with an ambitious college dropout.

As a teenager, Marco Rivero, lead vocalist and guitarist of Miami-based zest pop five-piece Mustard Service, found himself on a journey of self-discovery, and initially, his quest led him down unfruitful and potentially destructive paths.

“When I was 18, I was kind of fucking up my life,” Rivero explained. “I hadn’t done my best in high school, didn’t care much for college, and I was doing too many drugs for an 18-year-old, so my parents decided to ship me off to another country not as a punishment, but as a way to try to give me new perspectives through  which I would hopefully find a purpose or path in my life that didn’t end in rehab or jail.”

Juliet Lloyd Processes Change through ‘Letters’

Press photo of Juliet Lloyd sitting in a field while wearing a dress

Recent Articles Award-winning roots-folk artist releases her latest single On August 23, acclaimed Maryland-based roots-folk artist Juliet Lloyd released her latest single, “Letters.” Juliet Lloyd – Press Photo – Courtesy of Nancy Anderson Cordell The poignant, skillfully crafted track, which may be Lloyd’s most personal yet, explores the change that inevitably comes with time through […]

Asa Weeks: ‘Do the Work to Make Your Dreams Happen’

Asa Weeks performing live

Maryland-based rapper Asa Weeks is on a mission. With wisdom beyond his years, the rising talent journeys deep into the heart of his music in a conversation with Alchemical Records, sharing truths that will compel you to listen to his songs in a whole new light and leave you empowered in the process.

Learn about Asa Weeks’ early starts as a pastor’s kid, how a difficult season of mental health challenges propelled his music career forward, his unexpected encounter with a child that made him realize he is a role model, and the most important lesson he has learned about what it takes to be successful.
Music has been a constant for Asa Weeks. Growing up as a pastor’s kid, Weeks was surrounded by his family, many of whom performed with the University of Liberia Alumni Chorus, an ensemble whose music Weeks describes as “moving and gripping.”
It was there that Weeks first felt “goosebumps” and found himself “tear up” in direct response to music. “I realized that my relationship with God, the purest form of when I feel connected to the Source is when music is involved,” said Weeks.