Tag: Music

Sarah & Brad: Married, Musicians, Muses

Sarah Chapman and Bradford Dougherty in front of holiday lights

Sarah Chapman is a local actor, musician, and currently the Education Director of Sweet Tea Shakespeare.  She has been in local productions such as “Evil Dead: The Musical” (Gilbert Theater), “Dogwood” (A Yellow Beanie Project) and “Much Ado About Nothing” (Sweet Tea Shakespeare). Bradford Dougherty, also a local actor, is a solder at Ft Bragg in the 44th Medical Brigade. We both have been musicians and performers since childhood. We married in 2018 and have three children, Tristan, William, and Genevieve.

sarah & brad. photo courtesy A Yellow Beanie Project.

3 Things making your life richer & why

Brad: my family, art, and career; being in a career of service, both by medicine and the army has given me a unique perspective in what I can and should do for the people around me. My art gives me the opportunity to participate intimately with the things I’m passionate about, and my family provides a warm and supportive environment. They inspire me to want to better myself in all aspects of my life.

Sarah: Aside from having wonderful, empathetic children of my own, I love watching appreciation of local artists, and the arts in general, grow exponentially from what it used to be in Fayetteville. I grew up here, and I’m proud to contribute by working with our local youths in theater. I also find wealth in simplicity: occasional peace and quiet is a privilege these days and I don’t take it for granted.

Local artist you admire: We both agree that El’Ja Bowens is an AMAZING artist who has a unique way of delivering profound, impactful performances. We’re huge fans of his work!

What is one of your current artistic experiments? Getting up and performing for the first time was our icebreaker for putting ourselves out there. When Sarah isn’t working on music production for local projects, she’s making original music and when we come together we pick songs we mutually enjoy and practice. We’re also currently recruiting to expand into a full band.

What changed about your practice in 2020? Will you keep this change? Between the two of us, we have picked up more ways to artistically contribute and create within our community. More volume has required more practice, the necessity to find new skills and develop abilities (especially with tech), and it’s allowed us to collectively step outside of our comfort zones. We are happy with where this has led us and hope the trajectory keeps moving forward. 

Where do you practice your art? Describe your work space. We have a “studio” in our home. We recently upgraded it to professional status when we got Sarah top tier recording software and sound equipment. We are also able to house a full five-piece band including 4 mics, plus we have a few classical instruments. Sarah has an old desk in this space where she does her work with pictures of our kids and gifts from friends and past students displayed.  

How do you find your subject (next piece, idea, voice)? It’s different for both of us. For me (Sarah), my brain is on the go at all times, and everything is sensory overload on my worst day. Music and art is my safe space. When it comes to original work or performing live, I peak when I’m feeling everything in the moment and lose myself. Writing a song when I’m anxious, portraying a character in theater; everything is visceral and authentic.

Brad says: I like a good story, so if there’s something I’d like to recreate, if it moves me, then I’ll want to riff off of that. Sometimes it results in me writing work for intended film projects, sometimes it pushes me toward musical collaboration where musicality communicated between me and other musicians in a jam session. That communication can tell it’s own story. 

Advice to newer artists in your genre.

Sarah: Set realistic expectations, practice, and don’t allow criticism to discourage you. I also believe in staying humble because success comes from others’ appreciation and support.

Brad: Find an influence that’s better than you, and steal as much as humanly possible. Everything you learn playing their licks is going to make you a better musician, and developing skills listening to lots of other musicians can help you develop your own musical identity. Also don’t skimp on your hobby; that doesn’t mean you have to drop a ton if money for top of the line gear, but if you are serious about playing, decent gear will give you a chance to hear and feel when you play well, where cheap or bad gear is going to provide a miserable experience and will discourage you, because it isn’t going to sound or feel like you are improving. The cost incentive is going to make you want to make the cost worth your time as well. 

Tony Murnahan Cultivates Creativity to Calm

all photos courtesy of Tony Murnahan

Fayetteville based multi-media talent, Tony Murnahan, has been honing his skills in still and moving images since 2006.  He has worked with many local recording artists and models to create award-winning music videos and short films. He also co-produced “Pieces of Talent”, an independent feature horror film, that won multiple awards on the film circuit including “Best independent horror film – 2014”.

Tony is also a gifted musician himself and has nationally toured with bands showcasing his musical talents on guitar, bass, and drums.  In his spare time away from his visual media work, he enjoys creating soundscapes with his handpan. Tony is a critically acclaimed recording artist on acoustic baritone fingerstyle guitar.

3 Things you can’t live without & why:

My photography equipment – My creative eye never rests. I am always studying lighting and looking for different ways in which to capture images. I enjoy the entire creative process from start to finish. 

My musical instruments – Creating music keeps my blood pressure low and relieves any stress that accumulates throughout my day. I would be miserable without them. I continually play music throughout my day, especially when I feel like I need a little decompression.

My ping pong paddle – When I was 16 years young, I was really into skateboarding. One day that year, it was raining and my friends and I could not go out skating. So, my friends invited me to play ping-pong. We visited the U.S.O. in Jacksonville, NC and there I met a Marine by the name of Joe Billups. Billups was a master table tennis player. He told me I had lots of natural ability, and suggested I continue playing regularly to develop my skills. So, for the next few years, I trained with him several hours a day after school. Today, I am a (USATT – USA Table Tennis) certified state coach and I continue to play for fun and exercise. I’ve competed in over 100 tournaments and have earned dozens of trophies over the years. I challenge anyone in Cumberland County to a game. You can meet me at the Cape Fear Table Tennis Club (http://capefearttc.net)

Local artist (any genre, Cumberland County preferred) you admire: I really admire Raul Rubiera. He is such a loveable guy and a fantastic photographer of course. He has this great way of making you feel like family. His family is very talented and creative and this area is fortunate to have them here.

What is one of your current artistic experiments? Currently, I am cultivating soundscapes from my handpan. I feel like the handpan is my soul instrument, and every time I play I feel a little piece of my soul is repaired. I really wish I would have started playing handpan a decade ago. I have the Covid pandemic to thank for learning handpan. I figured I needed to learn something new if I was going to be spending so much time at home.

What changed about your practice in 2020? Will you keep this change? You know… I do not think much changed about my practice in 2020 aside from avoiding large gatherings. My photo & video endeavors pretty much continued on as normal thankfully. Musically I have been rolling solo for the last few years so nothing much changed there either. I have not been performing live because I mainly focus on recording and creating videos for my social media pages.

Where do you practice your art? Describe your workspace. I practice my music in the peace and quiet of my uncluttered home. I practice my photography & videography everywhere. I’m inspired by life, and by the people and things around me.

How do you find your subject (next piece, idea, voice)? I gave up hunting for my next subject or idea. I usually come up with ideas when I am not absorbed in work or practice. I have found it is more effective and efficient for me to just stay aware throughout my day. There is so much around us to feed off of, and if you stay observant and perceptive ideas will find you.

Advice to newer artists in your genre: My advice to newer artists is to keep your mind open. Spend lots of time with the people you trust and with the people who inspire you. Make your own rules and experiment with different ways when it comes to your art.