Gal Musette

We’ve called fourteen-year-old artist Gal Musette a lot of things lately – charming, compelling, even prolific – and all of them are true. However, it wasn’t until last week, when I saw her live performance at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, that I realized the truthfulness in those words. The young singer is so much more than our adjectives can express. Her music, her performance, her sheer ambition is inspiring. In fact, it’s just as her name implies: Gal is a little muse.

And trust me I wasn’t alone in my revelations that night. When One Tree Hill star and singer-songwriter Tyler Hilton asked the crowd, “How about that Gal Musette?” he was met with a tidal wave of (well-deserved) enthusiastic cheers. “I’m having a fan moment right now,” Hilton continued. “After my set, you guys can find me at her merch table. I’m gonna get a CD and have her sign it.” The sight was almost comical, one of the evening’s headliners blown away by a piano-playing kid who can’t even drive yet, but not one face in that crowd bore a look of disbelief. We’d all seen the same show, and we knew he was totally right.

Gal’s performance had been tender and sweet, almost by design to knock out socks off that much more. Looking resplendent in a red dress, with one small rose tucked behind an ear, she’d approached the stage without pomp and circumstance and settled behind the piano with her guitar player, Brent Sampson. The two immediately broke into “Moon Song,” a simple melodic tune that laments a lost love. Gal’s voice rang over the hushed crowd, singing, “The day has come to be so long, and the sky has lost its golden hue… for you took it all with you.” As I gazed around the room, you could see on the faces of the audience – no one saw this coming.Musette continued to charm the crowd, offering sweet, modest “thank yous” between songs and breathlessly laughing at Brent’s jokes as they went along. She even brought a special guest on stage, her older sister Luisa who was visiting from Berlin, and as she serenaded her, telling of the “Beautiful sight of [her] beautiful sister,” you could practically feel the hearts in the audience collectively melting. Gal played piano and ukulele during the set, while Brent supported her with guitar and backing vocals, the two of them a truly remarkable pair up on stage.

I was half engrossed in my notes, half stunned that this girl yet again managed to exceed my expectations, when I caught the unexpected sound of my name coming from the stage. It was Brent, asking me to stand up for the people and take my share of applause on MIP’s behalf. Of course, I obliged (because writers secretly like recognition too), but a part of me felt that our roles of the thanker and the thanked should be reversed. After all, what good is my writing without an inspiring artist to prompt it? So thank you, Gal and Brent, for your amazing recordings and even greater live shows. Our world needs more of your simply brilliant songs - Music In Press

We’ve called fourteen-year-old artist Gal Musette a lot of things lately – charming, compelling, even prolific – and all of them are true. However, it wasn’t until last week, when I saw her live performance at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, that I realized the truthfulness in those words. The young singer is so much more than our adjectives can express. Her music, her performance, her sheer ambition is inspiring. In fact, it’s just as her name implies: Gal is a little muse.

And trust me I wasn’t alone in my revelations that night. When One Tree Hill star and singer-songwriter Tyler Hilton asked the crowd, “How about that Gal Musette?” he was met with a tidal wave of (well-deserved) enthusiastic cheers. “I’m having a fan moment right now,” Hilton continued. “After my set, you guys can find me at her merch table. I’m gonna get a CD and have her sign it.” The sight was almost comical, one of the evening’s headliners blown away by a piano-playing kid who can’t even drive yet, but not one face in that crowd bore a look of disbelief. We’d all seen the same show, and we knew he was totally right.

Gal’s performance had been tender and sweet, almost by design to knock out socks off that much more. Looking resplendent in a red dress, with one small rose tucked behind an ear, she’d approached the stage without pomp and circumstance and settled behind the piano with her guitar player, Brent Sampson. The two immediately broke into “Moon Song,” a simple melodic tune that laments a lost love. Gal’s voice rang over the hushed crowd, singing, “The day has come to be so long, and the sky has lost its golden hue… for you took it all with you.” As I gazed around the room, you could see on the faces of the audience – no one saw this coming.Musette continued to charm the crowd, offering sweet, modest “thank yous” between songs and breathlessly laughing at Brent’s jokes as they went along. She even brought a special guest on stage, her older sister Luisa who was visiting from Berlin, and as she serenaded her, telling of the “Beautiful sight of [her] beautiful sister,” you could practically feel the hearts in the audience collectively melting. Gal played piano and ukulele during the set, while Brent supported her with guitar and backing vocals, the two of them a truly remarkable pair up on stage.

I was half engrossed in my notes, half stunned that this girl yet again managed to exceed my expectations, when I caught the unexpected sound of my name coming from the stage. It was Brent, asking me to stand up for the people and take my share of applause on MIP’s behalf. Of course, I obliged (because writers secretly like recognition too), but a part of me felt that our roles of the thanker and the thanked should be reversed. After all, what good is my writing without an inspiring artist to prompt it? So thank you, Gal and Brent, for your amazing recordings and even greater live shows. Our world needs more of your simply brilliant songs - Music In Press

Opening act Gal Musette was an unexpected, sweet surprise. Only fourteen years old (meaning she was not yet born when Merritt began writing 69 Love Songs), Musette and cohort Brent Samson played a set of short, guileless songs with a ragtime flair and a certain underlying melancholy. Musette played piano and ukulele and sang in a high, warbly register, while Samson mostly stuck to acoustic guitar and stomped on a box for percussion. The end result resembled Blossom Dearie collaborating with Low or Ida. Samson did not stop smiling throughout the entire set, at one point enthusing about how he nearly quit music before beginning to collaborate with Musette. Between the two of them, their enthusiasm was infectious. Musette returned to the stage during the Magnetic Fields' set to provide background French translation during "Smoke and Mirrors." Should she and Samson return to St. Louis, don't miss them. - Riverfront Times St. Louis

Opening act Gal Musette was an unexpected, sweet surprise. Only fourteen years old (meaning she was not yet born when Merritt began writing 69 Love Songs), Musette and cohort Brent Samson played a set of short, guileless songs with a ragtime flair and a certain underlying melancholy. Musette played piano and ukulele and sang in a high, warbly register, while Samson mostly stuck to acoustic guitar and stomped on a box for percussion. The end result resembled Blossom Dearie collaborating with Low or Ida. Samson did not stop smiling throughout the entire set, at one point enthusing about how he nearly quit music before beginning to collaborate with Musette. Between the two of them, their enthusiasm was infectious. Musette returned to the stage during the Magnetic Fields' set to provide background French translation during "Smoke and Mirrors." Should she and Samson return to St. Louis, don't miss them. - Riverfront Times St. Louis

he plight in Gal Musette‘s Soundcloud page perhaps explains in grander scale what it is to make a commitment to music. “If you like the music, please support me by purchasing this music, so that I can continue to write and record music – as I am only 14 and don’t have a job.”

In Gal’s case, this is a commitment to music and love songs well before she is allowed to work at a Starbucks or to have a driver’s permit. And it is not a small commitment either; she’s set out to make 70 songs to follow up the classic 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields.

And the thing is, she is halfway through it with a collection of songs so rich and beautiful, her age becomes just an anecdote. When you hear the 15 songs she has released as part of her self-titled album, you have to realize you’re witnessing the work of a genius in the making.

While Gal Musette finishes the recording of the 70 songs, she has released a full CD of mastered tracks that you can purchase online. It is a brave set of charming, and often disarming, declarations on love and heartache. Yet, the youthfulness of the singer-songwriter comes beautifully across with an original factor: there is true innocence in her music. Something most singers (or people in general) forget about about as we get older and cynical.

You can listen to all the tracks on her Soundcloud page, but we ask you kindly to support the artist and purchase from iTunes or Amazon.

Check out Gal’s video for “My Heart Won’t Shut Up” below: - Music In Press

he plight in Gal Musette‘s Soundcloud page perhaps explains in grander scale what it is to make a commitment to music. “If you like the music, please support me by purchasing this music, so that I can continue to write and record music – as I am only 14 and don’t have a job.”

In Gal’s case, this is a commitment to music and love songs well before she is allowed to work at a Starbucks or to have a driver’s permit. And it is not a small commitment either; she’s set out to make 70 songs to follow up the classic 69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields.

And the thing is, she is halfway through it with a collection of songs so rich and beautiful, her age becomes just an anecdote. When you hear the 15 songs she has released as part of her self-titled album, you have to realize you’re witnessing the work of a genius in the making.

While Gal Musette finishes the recording of the 70 songs, she has released a full CD of mastered tracks that you can purchase online. It is a brave set of charming, and often disarming, declarations on love and heartache. Yet, the youthfulness of the singer-songwriter comes beautifully across with an original factor: there is true innocence in her music. Something most singers (or people in general) forget about about as we get older and cynical.

You can listen to all the tracks on her Soundcloud page, but we ask you kindly to support the artist and purchase from iTunes or Amazon.

Check out Gal’s video for “My Heart Won’t Shut Up” below: - Music In Press

Most 14-year-olds aren't plotting which songs to include in a set opening for the Magnetic Fields. Yet, this is exactly what San Clemente artist Gal Musette is doing. Inspired by her father, who played the band's music for her in her formative years and the band's 69 Love Songs project, wherein they did create 69 such songs, the young musician decided to one up them by writing 70(!) love songs.

Gimme Noise spoke with Gal before her show Tuesday with the Magnetic Fields at First Avenue to get her thoughts on creating such a ambitious project.

Soft-spoken and extra polite, Gal answers questions in a succinct manner in the same child-like voice -- like Joanna Newsom, but actually young -- that drifts through her songs. She has written 35 songs so far, halfway through the task that she has set for herself. The singer says that her pieces are all about love, because she can't really write about anything else -- although she'll sometimes write little songs about her sister on the side.

The majority of the recorded songs were written over the summer when she had more time off from school to dedicate to the music, but with school in session, it's been a little tougher to squeeze in the practice and songwriting. Drop into this mix some writer's block, and there are times when the commitment is a little slow going. Gal says, "I will sometimes get in a these writing spells where it comes easily, but sometimes I'll be depressed and I can't write anymore. Then, my father will be like, 'Oh, yeah you can write.'"

Her father was also the one who emailed the Magnetic Fields' manager, Claudia Gonson, on a whim, telling her about Gal. Impressed by her drive, Gonson emailed back and subsequently kept up with Gal. When there was two shows available with openings, one in Minneapolis and one in St. Louis, Musette made sure her calendar was clear to share the stage by opening for the band. "It was such a shock; we were jumping up and down, cause they are not only my favorite band, but also my whole family's favorite band."

Of her own songs, Gal says that she doesn't have a favorite, once she's done with the piece, she likes to move on to the next one. "It's not that I don't connect with them anymore, I just prefer to try new things, and it's just the old songs are the old ones." She does have a favorite Magnetic Fields song though, "The Night You Can't Remember." She says, "I find it has clever lyrics and melody. I like the song a lot."



Musette has given herself a time frame of high school graduation to finish the project, backed by the support of her family. Like a lot of musicians, she can't read music, but was instead influenced by her father and grandfather to learn the piano. Her shows and pieces implement her bandmate, Brent Samson, who is going to school for business and helps with the business side of the music, on guitar and Gal on vocals and/or ukelele.



The young songwriter is learning that's it a tough world out there when you are baring your art for the world to see. Building a thick skin is a part of the industry that she says she has learned the hard way. When she first starting getting some press attention, Musette says that she read the blogs, not so much anymore, though. "I try not to read things written about me anymore, because I don't want to get offended. It's hard not to read it, but it did happen where someone wrote some things about my voice that were very hurtful. I try to keep in mind that for every hundred compliments I get, I will get one negative comment. It's helped a lot." On whether she has had anyone look down on her due to her age, Gal confides, "I don't think so, not that I've seen to my face. There are some people open to what I do."
- City Blogs Minnesota

Most 14-year-olds aren't plotting which songs to include in a set opening for the Magnetic Fields. Yet, this is exactly what San Clemente artist Gal Musette is doing. Inspired by her father, who played the band's music for her in her formative years and the band's 69 Love Songs project, wherein they did create 69 such songs, the young musician decided to one up them by writing 70(!) love songs.

Gimme Noise spoke with Gal before her show Tuesday with the Magnetic Fields at First Avenue to get her thoughts on creating such a ambitious project.

Soft-spoken and extra polite, Gal answers questions in a succinct manner in the same child-like voice -- like Joanna Newsom, but actually young -- that drifts through her songs. She has written 35 songs so far, halfway through the task that she has set for herself. The singer says that her pieces are all about love, because she can't really write about anything else -- although she'll sometimes write little songs about her sister on the side.

The majority of the recorded songs were written over the summer when she had more time off from school to dedicate to the music, but with school in session, it's been a little tougher to squeeze in the practice and songwriting. Drop into this mix some writer's block, and there are times when the commitment is a little slow going. Gal says, "I will sometimes get in a these writing spells where it comes easily, but sometimes I'll be depressed and I can't write anymore. Then, my father will be like, 'Oh, yeah you can write.'"

Her father was also the one who emailed the Magnetic Fields' manager, Claudia Gonson, on a whim, telling her about Gal. Impressed by her drive, Gonson emailed back and subsequently kept up with Gal. When there was two shows available with openings, one in Minneapolis and one in St. Louis, Musette made sure her calendar was clear to share the stage by opening for the band. "It was such a shock; we were jumping up and down, cause they are not only my favorite band, but also my whole family's favorite band."

Of her own songs, Gal says that she doesn't have a favorite, once she's done with the piece, she likes to move on to the next one. "It's not that I don't connect with them anymore, I just prefer to try new things, and it's just the old songs are the old ones." She does have a favorite Magnetic Fields song though, "The Night You Can't Remember." She says, "I find it has clever lyrics and melody. I like the song a lot."



Musette has given herself a time frame of high school graduation to finish the project, backed by the support of her family. Like a lot of musicians, she can't read music, but was instead influenced by her father and grandfather to learn the piano. Her shows and pieces implement her bandmate, Brent Samson, who is going to school for business and helps with the business side of the music, on guitar and Gal on vocals and/or ukelele.



The young songwriter is learning that's it a tough world out there when you are baring your art for the world to see. Building a thick skin is a part of the industry that she says she has learned the hard way. When she first starting getting some press attention, Musette says that she read the blogs, not so much anymore, though. "I try not to read things written about me anymore, because I don't want to get offended. It's hard not to read it, but it did happen where someone wrote some things about my voice that were very hurtful. I try to keep in mind that for every hundred compliments I get, I will get one negative comment. It's helped a lot." On whether she has had anyone look down on her due to her age, Gal confides, "I don't think so, not that I've seen to my face. There are some people open to what I do."
- City Blogs Minnesota

Hearing a track by Gal Musette is like seeing that glint of gold on the beach. You know the one – that shimmer just beneath the sand. It could easily be mistaken for a shell or a broken piece of rock from the jetty. Folks might even miss it as they walk, their gaze transfixed on the waves or the sunset. But even surrounded by renown, immutable beauty, it still manages to catch your eye, shining uniquely and compelling you to investigate.

Thankfully for me, I did investigate, and I came upon the treasure trove that is 70 Love Songs. Gal began the project about a year ago, seeking to pay homage to The Magnetic Fields and their 1999 album 69 Love Songs. The songs are charming and sweet, vaguely European in their style, and usually no longer than three minutes, but that’s more than enough time for the fourteen-year-old Gal to win your heart.

Oh yeah, did I mention she’s fourteen? Gal began playing the piano at the age of nine, and began writing shortly thereafter. “I wrote my first song when I was maybe eleven years old,” she says, “But it wasn’t a very good one. It had an awkward lyric.” An awkward lyric. Singular. Even this girl’s modestly is charming.

When I asked about her affinity for The Magnetic Fields, and why she began this ambitious project to emulate them (and even do them one better, adding an extra song), her answer was at once innocent, reverent, and wise:

“My father always played their songs in his car stereo when I was a child and then a young teenager, and I grew to love the music… I love “Love Songs” best, and I am in love with everything about Stephin Merritt and all the Magnetic Fields’ work on the album. The melodies and lyrics make me feel very much emotion, maybe because I have heard them all my life, but also because they’re genius. It’s funny though, my favorite album of the Magnetic Fields is actually I.”

Gal and her guitar player Brent Sampson write and record frequently, releasing a new track every week or so – barring, as she explains on her website, “minor delays related to Middle School and High School.”

Moon Songby Gal Musette
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Moon Song

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“Writing my songs sometimes takes 2 minutes and sometimes a week,” she explains. “It takes about 3 hours to record each song.” She records at Stage One Studios with a support team comprised of Brent, her father, and producer Robert El Faizy, which is an experience that has become a journey of growth all by itself:

“At first I had a very hard time with singing for recording because I was a bit afraid of singing in front of others, but it is not so troublesome for me anymore because I have grown used to singing for Robert, my father, and Brent by now, of course. Brent is always very supportive, too. I consider Brent and I recording artists primarily, mostly because it’s one of my favorite parts.”

“Brent likes playing live best, I think,” she adds.

And Gal’s ambition and talent have not gone unnoticed; tomorrow and Wednesday she’ll be out in middle America, opening for The Magnetic Fields in Minneapolis and S. Louis. “It makes happier every day to know I’m opening for the Magnetic Fields, my favorite band since so long of a time,” Gal says of the upcoming shows. “I most look forward to meeting Claudia Gonson and Stephin Merrit, two people I admire so much.”

But the work is hardly over for Gal and Brent – after realizing her dream (and every musician’s dream, really) of playing with her favorite band, she’s heading right back to the studio to continue her album. She says she plans to release an album version of 70 Love Songs, citing the release date as, “However long it takes for me to write 40 more songs and record them… I hope to release it before I am 18 years old.” At the time of this post, she’s already written five more, and each song resonates with a joie de vivre that I imagine will become this rising artist’s trademark.

Negative Nancyby Gal Musette
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Negative Nancy

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The first 15 tracks of 70 Love Songs are available for a limited release this month (you can only pick up your copy at shows), but all thirty-five tracks are streaming on her Soundcloud page. Also, you can catch Gal playing with Tyler Hilton, and Ryan Cabrera, at the Coach House on January 20, 2013. - Music In Press

Hearing a track by Gal Musette is like seeing that glint of gold on the beach. You know the one – that shimmer just beneath the sand. It could easily be mistaken for a shell or a broken piece of rock from the jetty. Folks might even miss it as they walk, their gaze transfixed on the waves or the sunset. But even surrounded by renown, immutable beauty, it still manages to catch your eye, shining uniquely and compelling you to investigate.

Thankfully for me, I did investigate, and I came upon the treasure trove that is 70 Love Songs. Gal began the project about a year ago, seeking to pay homage to The Magnetic Fields and their 1999 album 69 Love Songs. The songs are charming and sweet, vaguely European in their style, and usually no longer than three minutes, but that’s more than enough time for the fourteen-year-old Gal to win your heart.

Oh yeah, did I mention she’s fourteen? Gal began playing the piano at the age of nine, and began writing shortly thereafter. “I wrote my first song when I was maybe eleven years old,” she says, “But it wasn’t a very good one. It had an awkward lyric.” An awkward lyric. Singular. Even this girl’s modestly is charming.

When I asked about her affinity for The Magnetic Fields, and why she began this ambitious project to emulate them (and even do them one better, adding an extra song), her answer was at once innocent, reverent, and wise:

“My father always played their songs in his car stereo when I was a child and then a young teenager, and I grew to love the music… I love “Love Songs” best, and I am in love with everything about Stephin Merritt and all the Magnetic Fields’ work on the album. The melodies and lyrics make me feel very much emotion, maybe because I have heard them all my life, but also because they’re genius. It’s funny though, my favorite album of the Magnetic Fields is actually I.”

Gal and her guitar player Brent Sampson write and record frequently, releasing a new track every week or so – barring, as she explains on her website, “minor delays related to Middle School and High School.”

Moon Songby Gal Musette
no Description

X
Play
Moon Song

0.00 | 2.03
“Writing my songs sometimes takes 2 minutes and sometimes a week,” she explains. “It takes about 3 hours to record each song.” She records at Stage One Studios with a support team comprised of Brent, her father, and producer Robert El Faizy, which is an experience that has become a journey of growth all by itself:

“At first I had a very hard time with singing for recording because I was a bit afraid of singing in front of others, but it is not so troublesome for me anymore because I have grown used to singing for Robert, my father, and Brent by now, of course. Brent is always very supportive, too. I consider Brent and I recording artists primarily, mostly because it’s one of my favorite parts.”

“Brent likes playing live best, I think,” she adds.

And Gal’s ambition and talent have not gone unnoticed; tomorrow and Wednesday she’ll be out in middle America, opening for The Magnetic Fields in Minneapolis and S. Louis. “It makes happier every day to know I’m opening for the Magnetic Fields, my favorite band since so long of a time,” Gal says of the upcoming shows. “I most look forward to meeting Claudia Gonson and Stephin Merrit, two people I admire so much.”

But the work is hardly over for Gal and Brent – after realizing her dream (and every musician’s dream, really) of playing with her favorite band, she’s heading right back to the studio to continue her album. She says she plans to release an album version of 70 Love Songs, citing the release date as, “However long it takes for me to write 40 more songs and record them… I hope to release it before I am 18 years old.” At the time of this post, she’s already written five more, and each song resonates with a joie de vivre that I imagine will become this rising artist’s trademark.

Negative Nancyby Gal Musette
no Description

X
Play
Negative Nancy

0.00 | 0.35
The first 15 tracks of 70 Love Songs are available for a limited release this month (you can only pick up your copy at shows), but all thirty-five tracks are streaming on her Soundcloud page. Also, you can catch Gal playing with Tyler Hilton, and Ryan Cabrera, at the Coach House on January 20, 2013. - Music In Press