Where to procure Elderberry Wine / Greensboro shiyt

Q: i have been to total wine, bestway, and even called local wineries in the area but to no avail. please please where do i purchase some of that elderberry wine?! my girlfriend and i want to listen to elderberry wine while drinking elderberry wine!!! also i was wondering if you had any tips and tricks for getting yourself into the greensboro music scene specifically, im in a band and we want to play shows! (also i should mention that we did a show at app and did all wednesday covers bc we are your biggest fans ;) anyways, thank you for being epic or whatever :p

A:

This is blasphemy but….. I’ve never had Elderberry Wine………………………….

Xandy’s dad got some somewhere recently but I have no idea where. Maybe Dm him and ask. Xandy, not Xandy’s dad.

For Greensboro music scene I’d send your recordings to Etc, and Flat Iron and be like “hey if you ever need openers were locals”. Also I just met the person who runs house shows at Swag House (@swaghouse_shows) and they seem to be really organized widdit and are throwing all sorts of shows n stuff maybe DM them too!

Idk many more spots other than that cause it’s like UNCG kids throwing most of the shows probably and I would feel like 1,0000,000,,00,00,0,000000 years old/ very creepy tryna connect with those folks

OMGGG also did anyone record the Wednesday cover set??? Send it to me biytch!!

The G in LGBT stands for Greensboro

Q:

Hey Karly,
This is M**** K***(dont wanna dox u lol) from Greensboro/Richmond. First of all, I am really loving Elderberry Wine. It’s my favorite song of yours to date and I’ve had it on loop on this rainy Richmond day.

I was curious about what your opinion on living in Greensboro is after living elsewhere and moving back as an adult. I’ve always had conflicting opinions of my hometown but I am also its biggest cheerleader and have been thinking about it a lot lately.

A:

Honestly, I go back and forth with it. I love living here but sometimes I have to confront old versions of myself unavoidably here.

I know for a fact I never wanna live outside of North Carolina (if I had to for some reason I would not leave the south…. I would be in like eastern TN or Mississippi or Kentucky or something)

Greensboro mostly just rocks rn cause it’s great to be in a place I’m so familiar with when I’m not on tour and I can hang with my parents and my best friend from growing up. A lot of my high school buds are still here too.

Idk how long I’ll stay, I miss Asheville a lot sometimes. I needed to get out of there for a minny though and Greensboro’s been awesome for now!

I LOVE the idea of repping your random ass hometown with a vengeance which is why im so dedicated to being like “GREEENSBOROOOOOOOO woooo” anytime we do something. It made me who I am today or whateva, so I’m so thankful for this place.

Advice for 17 year old self

Q:

Hi Karly! I just wanted to say that as a 17yr old growing up in Asheville, that your art makes a huge huge impact!! My question would be what would you like to tell your 17yr old self? love you :)

A:

Damn,,,,, idk.

I had some p shitty stuff happen to me when I was 17 that I never thought I’d be able to recover from.

I think I would tell myself that everyone who told me that “everything happens for a reason” were wrong.

Some shit is senseless and violent and chaotic for no reason.

BUT I would tell myself that experiencing that loss and pain and healing from it would eventually really inform who I was in adulthood, would help me relate to other people more easily, and would help me channel pain into something that would define my life and help me find my purpose.

I don’t think that shit happened when I was seventeen in order for me to discover that stuff about myself in some divine intervention…. cause I think that centers myself in a pretty selfish way. But…. in a way i’m thankful for the experience looking back.

I guess the short version of this is like: life is gonna be painful and sad sometimes and you’re gonna be like what the fuck is the point???? But then on the other side you’re gonna be thankful that you are capable of feeling a full spectrum of emotions and experiencing love, loss, happiness, sadness, anger, passion, kindness, selfishness, closeness and loneliness at different times in your life. As long as there’s a lil bit of everything that shit is what makes life fucking incredible.

lol idk !!!! damn honestly writing that out was therapeutic af for me… haha thanks for asking ur q

guitar pedals

Q: hellooooo!!! i'm starting to look into getting guitar pedals and ur music is one of my biggest inspirations. I'm not super sure where to start. would love if you could give pedal recs or what pedals you use! :)

also... sick website! inspired me to delete tiktok and start journaling lol. finding there r much better things to do than rot on my iphone all day.

A:

I appreciate the ask but all I use it a 90’s ProCoRAT pedal and a tuner. I miiiight get something new soon but I hate when shit gets complicated gear wise.

Jake and Xandy the tone hounds! I think they did an MJ Lenderman rig run down on Youtube though if u wanna check that out should have all the deets!

typography

Q: what’s ur relationship with font and typography? & do you have any go to fonts to recommend? Ignore if you’ve already answered but I’m into ur designs

A: ooooo I was just looking into type faces to use for the designs on our album art etc etc.

RN I’m having a really strong curly-cue phase.

Ive been into the fonts: Beyond Wonderland, Coraline’s Cat, and Emily’s Candy :)

they ain’t very sophisticated but that’s what I’m at!

beginning guitar

Q: hi karly! your music has been a big inspiration for me wanting to learn guitar. i bought a squier strat a year ago but really never found myself consistently playing. what advice do you have for a newer player? i feel like musicians were just born knowing how to play but the truth is everyone had to start somewhere. how did you learn and what are some tips or guidance you would give to someone new with the experience you have now?

thanks for taking time to answer! excited for new music when it comes :)

A: girrrllllll I still barely know how to play

My advice is watch youtube videos of other people who’s playing you like and try to copy em!

For writing songs: just fuck around with your fingers in different places on the neck until you hear something that sounds like the feeling you’re trying to get across (plus knowing a few basic chords help, you can learn those from the charts on ultimate guitar)

Also try writing in open tunings and just cover all the strings to make chords if you want a realllly basic structure to try your hand at writing.

lessons are always available too if you have the means but I’ve never actually had one myself, I don’t do super well in that kinda learning environment.

idk if this is good advice but its what I got!

Bugz

Q: Hi Karly,
What is your favorite insect??

Thanks =)

A: a billion lightning bugs in the woods at night !!!!

Charlotte

hi Karly! wanted to reach out and say your music and art means a lot to me. i'm born and raised in Charlotte (my mom and grandparents are from Asheville!) and now an undergrad at UNC, and after meeting so many people from so many places I'm really starting to appreciate this state and how special it is. your music really ties together so many elements - the good, bad, and mundane - about growing up here and I'm really thankful for its existence.

anyway, here's my question: thoughts on Charlotte? any fun times/weird memories? complete ambivalence? would love to hear haha

p.s. come to cat's cradle! (or literally anywhere in clt/triangle area) i WILL be there

A: To be quite honest, I struggle with Charlotte. Out of all the cities in NC, I can just not get a fuckin read on it!!!

The crowds there have been so odd…. Snug Harbor crowds i’ve played to often talk over sets to a frankly insane degree. Our shows at Neighborhood Theater have been a mixed bag…. idk. I’m open to changing my opinion but I swear every time I’m there I am reaffirmed in feeling that it is just an odd lil place.

Wish I had more nice things to say…. you know I’m ride or die for NC as a whole but yeah Charlotte… idk something just don’t click for me there. I have a million close friends that were born and raised there tho! That is the one thing I can give it!

Food recs WNC

Hi Karly!

I am very new here, so I don't know if this has been answered already, but as someone that stays in Knoxville, I drive across to WNC all the time. Whenever I'm there, though, I never know where to grab food!!! What are some of your favs?

We miss u at the Pilot Light!!
BYEEEE

A: ooooooo good question!!!

My fave Asheville restaurant is Leo’s House of Thirst in West Asheville! It’s a weee bit fancy but so good for a celebration. I haven’t been to Neng Jr’s (a crime, i need to go!!!!) but I’ve heard that’s also a good spot for a fancier dinner date.

Best mexican is Munoz! I get it p much everytime I go to Asheville.

hmmmmm… some stuff has closed since I lived there cause of the hurricane and otha reasons… but Chai Pani rocks for indian food! Can be hard to get in there sometimes though. All Souls for pizza <3 Gypsy Queen for mediterranean. ummmmmmmmmm I eat the food from West Village Co-op like a loooot for snacks and lunch wheneva i’m in town. Rowan in West Asheville for coffee !

That’s all I can think of off tha top <3

biiiitch i love the Pilot Light. In my top 10 venues easily… probably top 3 even. We’ll def play there again one day <3

What would I do if I wasn't playing music?

Hey Karly!

I just want to say that I love your music and I feel like you have revived my love of all things DIY.

I wanted to ask what you think you'd be doing if you weren't a full time musician/artist. Perhaps you'd still be doing these things in tandum but just wondering if there is any other career path that ever interested you?

Also, we have a lot of the same taste in video games lol. If you haven't played "Gone Home" yet I highly recommend. Sort of like Edith Finch but shorter and a little spookier.

A:

whooooa tbh it stressed me out so much to think of a world where I’m not doing music full time!!!!!

Luckily I put all of my eggs in that basket and made it my only option. It’s hard to think of a world where I didn’t make it my biggest and only goal.

If I wasn’t playing music full time I’d probably wanna do something that would give me a lot time outside of work to work on music lol. I think I would probably try to be my sister’s secretary (shes a doctor of acupuncture)

Maybe I’d try to run a DIY venue??? Or something else that’s involved in contributing to the local music community. I think DIY spaces are still one of the coolest parts of the music “machine” rn, kinda the only spots that consistently uphold values/integrity (not all, but many!).

There’s a really neat space in Greensboro where I live called Etc. that does shows and community events and social justice organizing and shit… I would probably wanna be contributing to something like that if I wasn’t doing what I’m doin rn.

hmmmm I’d probably also be doing sewing stuff a lot too if I wasn’t touring like I do but tbh the fashion world is a deeply intimidating place to me so I’m glad that’s not my main industry rn.

I have played Gone Home also <3 I love it, but def pales in comparison to Edith Finch imo

viddy game recs

Q:

Hiiiiii,

Hope your spring is going good. U mentioned liking indie games and I was wondering what some of ur favs are/reccs. I got an old DS on eBay and I've been putting stickers on it and I think everyone needs one tbh.

A:

yooooo!! I got some recs in my "faves of all time" tab on my site!

tryna think of other shit i like that’s not on there.... i haven’t had a on of time to play games recently :( Most recently I played and really enjoyed “Detention” by RedCandleGames!

theres this youtuber I watch that makes increddddible recommends like once a month. Usually all indie games too!

some cutie questions

hi Karly! love your website so much and everything you’ve ever created. thank you for being around. i have 2 questions :)

1. what’s your favorite thing about yourself?
2. whats your favorite dessert?

love all your recs thank you for everything
much love from minnesota, you’re my favorite music to listen to heal to jam to

A: Awww these are sweet q’s…. hmmm

Fave thing about myself is that I can express myself exactly the way I want to with words and other art… its taken a long fuckin time to get there. I have been trying to say what I mean for so long… I think I’m finally getting around to truly doing that. Always trying to just communicate something so specific, it gets so much easier the more I learn in life and the more I get to know myself!

Fave dessert is baklava! <3

Life is Strange

Q: I see you have the first Life Is Strange game listed as a fave, it was a big one for me too! Have you played any of the other games in the Life Is Strange series? Or that new one by the original studio "Lost Records: Bloom & Rage"? Any thoughts on any of them? Wednesday rules!

A: Ommgggggg I have such a love for that game. The way those characters dress and talk and act is SOOOO reminiscent of how I was at that age it’s freaky. It’s crazy that they wrote characters that age so fucking accurately. It’s like cringy in the same way that “8th Grade” movie is…. almost too real.

I played the prequel too but I don’t really remember it! I think I liked it tho!

I didn’t play the ones with the different main characters cause the reviews I read were mixed and I didn’t wanna sully the relationship I have with the original games.

I know they just did another part to the LIS story with the original characters right? I still need to play that.

I haven’t heard of the other one you mentioned! I’ll check it out!

(update, it was already on my play list I just haven’t gotten it yet…. but now I am more motivated. Maybe sometime next month I can try it out!)

God

Q: Hi Karly! I'm a huge fan of your music. your storytelling is engaging and beautiful, and it seems like you have a deep awareness of and appreciation for your surroundings (maybe even or especially when the surroundings are rough). I know you've talked about religion and god in your songs ("daughter of god," etc.), and you've mentioned on this webspace that you are jewish. I grew up catholic and am now 27 and have been going through what I've been calling my god-curious phase, though mostly I know it's probably not a phase and will be a forever state of being. you've mentioned Flannery O'Connor on here too, and she's someone I've been revisiting because she was outspoken about believing in god and reading religious existentialists.

i'm wondering, are you god-curious? and if so, have you always been or are you newly so?

I really appreciate you as a writer and artist, thanks for being here <3 and for writing this blog!!!

A: okay first off, incredible question! I love the concept of god-curious.

I don’t think I’ve ever been god-curious truly… it was just never really brought up as a thing to actually believe in when I was growing up. It more just floated around as this amorphous character that showed up in the stories of Judaism. We never discussed God in my house or during holidays… or maybe if we did I was just zoned out.

I think it’s really fascinating to think about what the idea of God motivates people to do though, and I think that’s why it ends up being discussed in so many Wednesday songs. I think people that have a strong belief in God can genuinely be pointed in such a beautiful direction, and have very beautiful intentions. I am jealous of those people and their calm, and their ability to trust something so fully sometimes.

Although I don’t have an explicit commitment to Jewish/Christian/whatever God, I do have a HUGE capacity for belief. There is a place in my heart really desperate for an explanation for the pain and sadnesses of the world. I think my belief the idea of “Fate” has really taken up that space for me instead of a religious entity. Fate in turn has shown up in a bunch of songs as well. It’s a much unsteadier ground to stand on compared to organized religion though… and doesn’t provide the community aspect obviously.

I think some people fill that space with astrology or idk… other philosophies? There are so many options for that now. I think whatever gives ya comfort and makes you strive to be a better person is cool.

Hope you find what you’re looking for!

Art iz kewl

Q:Hi Karly! Hope you're doing well and everything. I've been in a grad program lately that's allowed me to really embrace creative work through my jobs. It's been really cool to be able to experiment and output stuff more in my personal (I actually made something Wednesday themed that I might send over one day) and work life. The one problem is its become too cool and its all I can think about even over my homework. I came here to learn how to do one, highly-technical thing and now can't fathom a future where I'm not creating. My question to you is how did you know that this was the path for you and that you should lean into your art?

A: Your situation sounds very different than anything I have experienced so I’m not sure I have much advice to give….

But I can say in my situation that i have prioritized my art over everything… school, career, social life. It was the only thing I wanted to do and luckily eventually it was my career and became the foundation of much of my current social life (although I still prioritize making shit over seeing people lol)

I have other advise kinda in this vein in the productivity tag on this page if you wanna check it out. Just click “productivity” on the bottom of this post.

Nun

Q: yooo loved the live performance of I got heaven. if you were a catholic nun what would be your nun name (sister Joan, sister Francis Mary etc)?

A: For those who’re unaware, I recently sang back up on this Mannequin Pussy performance in a nun’s habit

girl, aren’t you just supposed to use your last name? So I’d be like Sister Hartzman…. ? That’s sounding veryyyyy Jewish, I think they’d probably kick me outta there.
If I could pick anything I’d probably be Sister Princess Alexandria the Third

Tattoos vs Mom and Dad

Q: This is a very teen magazine question but I'm really struggling with my parents about my decision to get tattoos. Right now I have around 9 but they're all relatively small and on my ankles. A lot of them are from my later teen years, when my parents and I were fighting a lot. I think they associate my having them with teen rebellion, but I don't think they understand that it's something I intend to keep doing-- I relate a lot to what you said about how they help with disassociation, they also help me feel agency when I want to self-harm.

I'm planning on getting ferns tattooed on my shoulder caps/a little bit on my collarbone within the next two years-ish (saving money/finding artist etc.), but I know my parents would be really disappointed in me. My dad would probably get over it as long as they were covered, but my mom might not be able to look me in the eyes for a while. She's so offended by the idea that she won't even hear me out about it.

I know there's no perfect solution but I was wondering if you had any stories about this kind of thing, and maybe just navigating life as someone with a lot of tattoos?

Thanks for any advice, hope you're doing well <3

A: Okay, imma give you my most honest advice, please take it with a grain of salt since I don’t know your parents and how they’d react.

At the end of the day it’s YOUR body and as an adult you’re allowed to do anything you want with it. That’s the most important thing.

Your parents not wanting you to get tattoos is an act of love for them even though it might not feel that way. They probably just want the best for you and they might be under the impression that tattoos will prevent you from getting a certain job etc etc. You’re their baby, and at the end of the day it is their job to love you unconditionally…. so in my experience if you get tattoos they’ll get over it eventually. I think there is something to say especially for how it helps you and your relationship to your body as you describe above, if they can’t empathize with that in the long run… i’m not sure.

My parents were pretty chill about the tattoo thing and now have some themselves. My grandparents on the other hand are VERY Jewish and were very very very mad about the tattoos cause you technically cant be buried in a Jewish cemetery if you’re tatted. There is also a direct emotional tie with Jews and tattoos because of the Holocaust. They fucking brought it up every time I saw them for YEARS and it was kind of upsetting. BUT even they got over it eventually and they got used to seeing them.

I will say if you still live with them maybe hold up on getting anything really huge, just to save yourself the inescapable hassle. Once you support yourself it’s a little easier to advocate on your own behalf and your decisions.

Also I personally advocate for not getting anything high commitment (large or highly visible) until you’re like at least 20…. my oldest tattoos are my least favorite. I still like having them but I would do a few differently now for sure.

I hope this was helpful! Please don’t show your parents this if you decide to get a big tattoo and sue me or something. I don’t know how that works.

NC music Venues

Q: In the past couple of years, I learned how many cool venues there are in North Carolina, Like the Cats cradle, Orange Peel etc and I wondered if you had a favorite one to go to as a fan?

(Also It feels so cool as a North Carolinian to see how proud y''all are of the state)

A:

I looooove Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill I have a lot of fond mems there. Will always probably be my fave non-DIY venue (other than the Mothlight in Asheville, RIP) to see shows cause I saw a lot of life changing shit there in highschool. Pinhook and Motorco in Durham rock as well. Static Age in Asheville rocks. Kings in Raleigh rox. Orange Peel in Asheville fucking SUCKS to go to as an audience member sometimes, their security is way too fucking serious. I’ve had some incredibly negative experiences there….. Would be awesome if they fixed that. I’ve seen a lot of good shows there too tho. It’s kinda one of the only spaces it makes sense for us to play in AVL atm tho…

My favorite shows to go to though will forever be house shows and DIY venues. There’s energy at those that are incomparable to any “real” venue. There’s a DIY space in Greensboro now called “etc.” and they are fucking awesome. That kinda shit is what makes good NC music possible. Def find out what those spaces are near u and go to some random shows even if you don’t know the bands playing.

Vintage/Food/Shopping etc Recs for Japan

Q:

Hey Karly!! I’m going to Japan mid may and have been trying to think of places to go for shopping, thrifting, bars, food, figurines, tchotchkes, etc. and was wondering if you have any recs for places that are a must see I will be spending about a week in Tokyo and then a few days in Kyoto!

A:

Boy do I got a list!!!!!

https://maps.app.goo.gl/MAThPn8LGBJapte89

this is for the whole world but theres stuff in japan too

my faves of all time shops there are:

Nubian, Pin Nap, Funktique, GR8, Pat Market, Now2, The Four Eyed, Closet Child (the shinjuku location), Hitochigai and DC Bank. I suggest going to Koenji or Shimokitazawa neighborhoods for thrifting/shopping over Harajuku

Here’s food:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/SvD8ZUYS5E93X5nm9

Literally though there is amazing food EVERYWHERE

I suggest BOOKOFF or flea markets (The Oi raceway flea happens every week I believe) for tchotchkes, I actually feel kinda weird buying too much new shit in Japan that vein cause there is sooooo much around already, I try my best to thrift it. The lil coin machines will have fun stuff like that too though.

For bars def walk through Golden Gai for the experience but my fave bar in Tokyo Bar 45 or Beat Cafe. Any listening bars will rock your world. Galaxie 500 is an awesome one in Kyoto.

structurin' time

Q: Hey karly,

Wanted 2 start off and say that the way you live n rock is an inspo to me (from ur website to ur art to ur knack for decor) makes me want to lifemaxx. That being said, i do a lot of different stuff like you (guitar, sewing, reading/writing and drawing mainly) but it's really hard to find the time to do all of that especially now that I work full time :( When i play guitar i think about my sewing projects, when i draw i think about the book im reading, la di da the list goes on. I find it hard to stay present in my hobbies and a lot of stuff remains unfinished. How do u go about splitting up your time and interests and staying present in one interest long enough to make something that you're proud of or feel like its accurately expressing yourself? Thanx :) <3

A: Okay, well to be honest I’ve never had a commitment like full time job other than school. When I did work outside of music I only worked part-time in retail or food service. So it’s a little hard for me to relate to ur specific experience!! But I’ll try my best to answer your question regardless.

With writing I used to structure that time very regimented…. no matter what, at some point in the day I sit and dedicate how ever long to writing 20 lines of potential lyrics. Sometimes it doesn’t create anything good enough to use in the song but what matters is you worked that muscle for the day.

The rest of my shit i just do when I feel the call. I sew when I wanna zone out and listen to music or watch TV while I do it. It’s my “multitasking” thing that helps me feel like I’m still being productive even when I wanna veg out. It’s nice to have at least one hobby that you can do to get in a flow state without having to think about it. Knitting or sewing accomplishes this real easy. Drawing or something might work for you too. Coding or adding to my website has accomplished this as well for me recently!

But yeah, basically since I have free time any time i’m not on tour now I wake up and if I feel like writing, I write, if I feel like sewing I sew etc. I can tell pretty immediately what I wanna do based on the weather. Extreme cold, hot or rainy I’m more inclined to stay inside and work on visual art or mess around on guitar. I like to write outside on nice days, or go out to write. And if you’re in the mood for none of those things, it’s good to be around friends or go on a walk or read. As little time as I can spend vegging out without any sort of supplementary thing I usually avoid. It’s gotten 17 bajillion times easier since getting off socials. But I know not everyone can really do that.

Now how to do this with a full time job…? No idea sry. I wish I had better advice for that.

As far as your problem with being unable to devote your attention to one thing at a time, I think thats not always a bad thing. Transitioning between one thing and another when you feel like it is something you’re allowed to do! It always helps to not be so hard on yourself, or not going in already comparing your work to other peoples work. Maybe pick one thing rn to really dedicate yourself to a little bit everyday, the thing you most want finished pieces for, and try to do that everyday. Then do the others when you try to work on that thing but needed a break.

Hope this is helpful!