Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Walsh, Geena Gangi.
Mike, Geena, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Geena: We attended high school together at Masconomet Regional High School. That’s where our friendship began. By chance, we both committed to colleges in Boston– Mike goes to Berklee College of Music and I go to Emerson College. Mike is currently working towards a major of Music Production and Engineering and I major in Visual Media Arts with a specialization in Writing for Film and TV. Over the summer, we began dating. We had performed together before in high school with Mike accompanying my vocals on guitar. We really wanted to continue this but needed an outlet to do so once we started college. The idea of creating a duo started as a silly light-hearted conversation that we were both too excited about to let go. We picked the name “Soul”– originally thought of by my mom, Tracy– because it was a simple representation of the genre that we are both so passionate about as well as what we hope to embody on the stage or the screen. Soul is our bridge to connect to listeners and their own souls. We wanted a place to express ourselves individually and as a couple where we could also experiment in futures in entertainment. It’s also something we can be proud of as fully produced by ourselves– Mike records and produces the audio and I film and edit the video. It’s really lucky how our majors and interests fit to create a product like that.
Mike: One of the most important aspects of our duo is engaging with our audience the best we can. We’re slowly growing and we want to be able to create a fanbase that can follow us on our journey and feel a more personal connection to our music and art form. We want our listeners and viewers to be able to relate our work to themselves and make them feel like we care about them as individuals, and value their support.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Geena: Right now, we have a YouTube channel @officialsoulduo where we make covers of popular songs. The covers range from impromptu, raw acoustic songs such as our covers of “La Vie En Rose”, “Halo” and “Best Part” to fully arranged and produced cover songs like “If I Ain’t Got You”. In the larger production pieces, Mike plays all of the instruments and adds electronic elements. I like to add b-roll of our environment or process in our videos, though it proves to be a bit difficult when you are also singing on camera! We hope to try making more cinematically aesthetic videos with more fully produced audio this summer. We also have social media accounts for Soul specifically, @soul_duo on Instagram and @officialsoulduo on Facebook and Twitter. There we really try to utilize community engagement from people who listen to us. That’s the main reason why we do this– we both love production, performance and making original content. By using this huge culture of social media, we can exhibit the things we make and enjoy for others to hopefully connect with. It’s like making a constellation, which is the thing I strive for most in my life (I have a thing for stars). We are really passionate about having as close a relationship with our listeners as possible. That’s why we start with the silly clips and have the handwriting motif. Handwriting on its own is something extremely sentimental and valuable to me. I wanted to carry that into Soul because it portrays the authenticity we have and the intimate connection we hope to have with the people watching. I usually write the intros and outros, but our logo is in Mike’s handwriting. It’s real, close to home, and not fake or too flashy, which is a common concern in our current media. People should watch us and expect two students from Boston who love each other, creativity and music so much that they need an outlet to express it all. For us, that outlet is YouTube, busking on the streets, gigs and whatever other opportunities we can make happen.
Mike: So basically, what happens is we decide on a song about a week in advance. Sometimes that entails looking at the top of the charts or the most popular song on the radio, and sometimes we play whatever we feel and pick a song that relates to current events in our lives and the lives of others. After rehearsing for that week, we pick a location and plan out the specifics of how the video is going to look and what it’s going to feature and what instruments we want to use. Geena takes care of the camerawork and lighting and visuals, and I take care of the recording and production process. While G is setting up the camera and making the video look great, I’m booting up pro tools and setting up the session. I set up the mic(s) and make sure our volume levels are all set and when we’re ready to roll, I hit the record button and we start singing. It can take 20 minutes to record, or it can take 4 hours. It all depends on the type of song and how involved we want to be with it. For example, our cover of “If I ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys took about 6 hours to complete. We had multiple camera angles and instruments and I was working on overdubbing and mixing all the tracks. We had multiple harmony parts as well which can take a few tries to really nail. That song was easily our most involved video to date, but It was also one of the most enjoyable ones to make. It’s so great making videos with Geena because she’s really determined and knows exactly how she wants every little clip to look, and she really does an incredible job with it. Overall, it’s a very long and careful process, but it’s something we love to do and love sharing with our audience.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
Geena: I can’t vouch if it’s easier or harder to be an artist today, but it’s definitely different due to the phenomenon of new media. Artists today have this kind of liberating yet terrifying power to represent themselves exactly as they want to through their social media platforms. It’s more pressure in that sense, but if you are willing you could try to grow based solely on who you are and what you stand for. It’s pretty cool. I would definitely encourage young artists to utilize this while trying not to get lost in exploding trends and the influence of others. It’s ironic that the hardest part of having this power is to actually exhibit content that’s authentic. It seems like it would be harder to get off the ground that way, but I believe (and sincerely hope) that once the ball is rolling, viewers will be able to tell that it’s the real you. I would respect that for sure.
Cities like Boston are great for giving a voice to the otherwise unsung singer. Busking, or performing on the street, is totally legal if you follow general guidelines. It’s much harder for a startup performer or band to get gigs, so busking is a perfect way to get some exposure and practice for a crowd. You also learn to be humble very quickly, as most of your listeners are just gonna keep on walking without looking you in the eye, and you need to be okay with that. On the flip side, it’s pretty lucky that you get to see the people who do enjoy it on an equal ground– literally! It’s awesome to be able to look people in the eye and mouth “Thank you” in between lines who genuinely support you. I’m proud of Boston for allowing this, and therefore adding so much art and expression in our streets. The only thing I could say to improve is to think about supporting local artists!
Mike: I feel as though artists today have a lot of pressure when it comes to things like their music and social lives because everything is being monitored by social media now. We [as in artists as a whole] feel as though we need to glorify everything and only share the best of the best or else we’ll lose our followers and our fanbase because who wants to see boring content on their feed? It’s become harder for artists to meet the expectations of their fans because of social media and the bar it sets, and that can take a toll on you mentally and physically. Especially if you’re giving 100% of yourself all the time. Social media is an incredible tool and an incredible platform for music and art and everything in between. It gives you the ability to share a thought with millions of people at the touch of a button, and it fits in your pocket. Pretty wild stuff. Geena and I try to take advantage of that the best we can by sharing all the time and giving updates on how things are going as well as posting our music. If you don’t have a social media presence as an artist in 2018, you can’t expect to get very far. It’s really all about knowing what people like and how to give that to them without burning yourself out. I think Boston is a great place for artists to discover themselves. I’ve always called Boston a big little city. That means you can walk through it in a couple hours, but it’s packed with so much amazing and diverse culture that really shapes the city’s music and art. I think Boston has gotten a lot better at supporting local artists by doing things like dropping a dollar in their tip jar, buying a ten-dollar ticket to a show in a small club, or even just subscribing to a YouTube channel. It’s the little things that add up and really help us out in the long run and every bit of it is greatly appreciated.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Geena: We have a YouTube account @officialsoulduo where we post our cover videos. We also have an Instagram @soul_duo where we post photos of our lifestyles and 60 second covers or a daily vlog. We are hoping to incorporate more vlog and lifestyle content for other students or artists to relate to. We have Facebook and Twitter accounts, both @officialsoulduo as well.
Mike: People can easily support us by following our pages and subscribing to our YouTube channel. It also really helps if our followers tell their friends about us! Any type of support really helps and we really appreciate it.
Contact Info:
- Email: officialsoulduo@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soul_duo/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialsoulduo/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/officialsoulduo
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdyFiCGYphjb6J_vtyRKLvQ
Image Credit:
Sophie Adelman [Personal photo]
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
