Caitlin Mahoney

Thursday’s “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” features interviews with Ice Cube and Ryan Seacrest.

It features a performance by Action Bronson.

It also features the latest edition of “Battle Of The Instant Songwriters.”

For those unfamiliar, the “battle” provides two songwriters with a made-up song title, and they have a brief window to come up with a song.

This edition Caitlin Mahoney against Todd Lewis Kramer.

A video and photo of the segment follow: - Headline Planet

Singer-songwriter Caitlin Mahoney's single, "Burn the Book," inspired a collaboration with HIP Lit to produce original essays by female writers about overcoming rules and social pressures. - The Washington Post

Caitlin Mahoney has a specific role model for her performances. Calling Bruce Springsteen her “spirit animal (although he’s a man),” the songwriter seeks to emulate the essence of The Boss’ concerts.

“His live shows, they’re a party that you just want to keep going back to,” she said on the phone from her home in Brooklyn.

The Orlando native’s music is a little more somber than Springsteen’s, especially on “Story Still Left to Be Told,” her latest album. Fans will be able to experience what she admits is less a party and more a “two-hour hope and dream session” when her tour brings her to The Social in her hometown. (6 p.m. Sunday, $15, thesocial.org)

A former assistant at an Orlando law firm, Mahoney moved to New York in 2011 to take a job with a publisher, where she could use her English degree from Florida State University. Once up North, she began playing at open mics.

“It seemed to be resonating and that was pretty addicting,” she said. “There’s a very soul-filling energy in the New York music scene and you can’t get enough of it.”

Her sophomore LP, “Story” was inspired by her touring and the decision to focus on being a full-time musician. “I spent some good time reflecting on my travels and what I wanted my life to look like,” said Mahoney, 28.

“My goal when writing songs is always to find the universality of this thing that I’m working through and get out of the way of it,” she said. “Generally anyone coming of age, learning that maybe life isn’t going to be exactly what you thought, and that’s progress, that’s life, that’s moving forward.”

She also has worked to call attention to the works of women, such as having female designers for her promotional art and merchandise. Her opening act, solo artist Jeni Magana, took the photos for her album. “Women are amazing,” said Mahoney.

While she has found a supportive home in the music scene of Brooklyn, Mahoney admires what she sees happening in Central Florida. “I’ve gotten a taste of [the Orlando music scene] and I really love it,” she said. “There’s a lot of people hustling and working hard and creating this nurturing scene that reminds me a lot of what I’ve experienced in Brooklyn as well.”

Ultimately, Mahoney believes it comes down to the work people are willing to do to pursue their dreams. Many decry changes in technology and media as making the music industry more difficult, but Mahoney believes “it’s just like any other business. I am an entrepreneur. Yes, it’s hard, but it’s probably the easiest it has ever been to do it.

“This [old] model existed that was based on gatekeepers. Now it’s a matter of working really hard, considering what connects with people, and giving it to them.” - The Orlando Sentinel

Years ago, Caitlin Mahoney began performing at open mics and working her way up to being a musician step by step. When it came time for the biggest step one can think of for a musician–the first album–she took to her loyal audience to fund the project.

The campaign was a resounding success and Mahoney traveled from one end of the country, New York, to the other, Nashville, to record the album. While it’s been years since recording that first album, speaking with Mahoney, it’s obvious that the trust her audience gave her still enlivens her new music. On the new album, story still left to be told, Mahoney’s musicality has quickly matured, and her intimate sound is more defined than ever.

In the mini documentary we’re premiering today here on Rookie, Caitlin and her team give us a look into what happens during the laborious process leading up to the record’s release. While the time in the studio is important, we also get many glimpses of Mahoney in New York City. While Mahoney isn’t originally from New York, it’s the place she calls home to her music–where she first became comfortable showing her music to others, playing in front of audiences, and eventually recording that music, too.



Ahead of the September 22nd release of her new album, we talked to Mahoney about her growth as an artist, being introspective, and crowdfunding.

RACHEL DAVIES: What was the importance of defining your career and your artistic process with the mini documentary?


CAITLIN MAHONEY: That’s a good question! A bunch of my favorite artists have done behind the scenes documentaries. I’m a huge Bruce Springsteen fan and I feel like he’s done a lot of behind the scenes stuff. I thought it would be really special to capture what is my favorite part of the process, which is the recording part. It’s such a special thing and it’s usually not the part that everyone sees. They get the final product, and that’s amazing, but there’s just so much time that goes into it. I thought it would just be a special thing to capture this time around.

So it’s been two years since your first album came out and I was wondering how your process has changed since first releasing that album.

I think the first album you have many more songs to choose from because it’s all of the songs I’ve written over the course of my life. They pile up a lot. [For] the second [album], I wrote all the songs with the intention of putting them on an album. I think they feel more cohesive. They feel like they tell more of a story. A lot of these songs were written on the road. In these two years, I’ve done a lot of touring in the U.S. and Europe, and I find that to be very inspiring, I find that to be a source of inspiration for me. Usually, I’ll have to pull over my car because it always hits me while I’m driving. Like a meditative feeling of driving. I’m writing down what I’m feeling because I can’t not. This is what I want to do, so there’s so much more intention.

Your lyrics are really introspective, and the musicality of the songs reflects this. Since they so well complement each other, I was wondering whether you were drawn to music making by songwriting or playing instruments itself?

Definitely lyrics. I’ve always loved English, I studied English at Florida State, that was what I got my degree in. I think there’s such a musicality to lyrics and words. Another favorite artist of mine is Sara Bareilles, and I feel like she is the master of finding musicality in words and syllables. Definitely, it would be lyrics first, then playing with how I can express those in music.

Your first record was funded on Kickstarter, and I think it’s so amazing that even without one prior record you were able to get that much support. Could you talk a little bit about that experience?

That was really special! It was very scary and very daunting. I had just gotten back from a tour in Europe, and I had read a lot about crowdfunding, it had just started to become a thing, and there were a lot of people speculating that it might be the future of music. I read a lot about it, and I think the part of it that resonated the most in choosing it was the connection that it fostered with fans. I feel like the 200 people that invested in that Kickstarter are still very engaged with me. They feel maybe a sense of pride in what contributing to that has done for my career. It was such a momentum builder for me. I wouldn’t be putting this record out, which is kind of my dream record if I hadn’t had that first experience. I’m still very proud of that record. The recording of that was in Nashville and it was during the last week of the Kickstarter. So just that energy from 200 people that really wanted it, enough that they would pay for it before it was even available, was so fueling.

Your first record was recorded in Nashville, but you’ve been living in New York for years and years. With this record you recorded in New York and chose to show a lot of New York in the documentary. Was it really important to bring this record home for you?

It really was. There was great value in recording it in Nashville, and that was very intentional two years ago because New York was very comfortable. It was where I found permission–whether I found it for myself or received it from other people–that I could do music and perform and write songs in this way. It was what was comfortable, and the first record was going to stand on its own. I had to ask myself if I could go and do it in this other city that’s so musical. So then this one I was posed with the question at the end of my last record cycle, “What would you do if money was an object? What is the record you would make?” That’s how this record came to be. [Jeff] produced it, he’s one of my best friends, he started out as my guitar teacher and we still work together. It just felt like home. Everyone who played on the record felt like family.

Can you talk more about your experience with open mics?

Yes, I’m a huge proponent of open mics! Josh Ritter has a great article about making a life in music where he talks about the value of the open mic. There are so many benefits to it. In New York, big cities, really anywhere you can find an open mic, it’s such a good place to start. You get comfortable using a microphone and performing in front of an audience. It’s kind of a safe space because everyone’s doing it. Everyone’s trying to get up and get their two songs in. It’s also just great, some of my closest friends in New York also sing and write songs, and I met them at these events. It’s such a good place to try. The other secret value in performing at open mics is, for me when I was first writing songs, I could tell when something felt good but I wasn’t sure, so I would go and try it out. If I could get a room full of people who were kind of occupied with their performance to tune in to mine–if I could get those people to kind of leave their world and join mine–I knew I’d written a good one. - Rookie Mag

Fri 7/26 @ 6PM

Sat 7/27 @ 6:30PM

Although a majority of the annual Burning River Fest music lineup features elite Northeast Ohio original talent, the bookers found room on the bill for young New York City-based folk-pop singer-songwriter Caitlin Mahoney. She’s got a 6:30 PM Saturday slot there.

But to make it worth her while to travel all that distance, she’s also booked a Friday evening show at the Brothers Lounge wine bar, probably a better environment for those who want to soak in her evocative narrative lyrics, which she says were influenced by those of Bruce Springsteen and her self-assured, surprisingly mature voice, well-schooled by her background in musical theater.

Mahoney left school in Florida after a semester to spend time travelling in Europe, picking up the experiences that fueled her songs. Returning to the U.S. in 2010, she’s been busy playing around her new hometown New York and writing songs. Some of them found their way onto her recently released four-song EP, West for a While, with tracks that range from spare and introspective to those with spirited, full-band arrangements.

The show is free. - Cool Cleveland.com

Caitlin Mahoney west for a whilethe first thing that strikes you about New York-based songwriter Caitlin Mahoney’s EP West For A While is Mahoney’s voice. It’s a gorgeous mixture of plaintive melody and mahogany strength, the type that’s equally equipped for the touching ballad and the empowering singalong. Once your ear becomes accustomed to this most beautiful weapon, though, it’s clear that the music more than backs up her vocal prowess.

The title track suggests a songwriter whose style is fitted perfectly for her time, replete as it as with the sort of pastoral folk that has made recent Glastonbury headliners Mumford & Sons the choice of millions of listeners. Wrong continues the theme of Mumford-esque folk, with enough sentimental romanticism thrown in to suggest that it would make a fitting musical backdrop to a Richard Curtis film.

Devil On The Side has a little more vulnerability and hints at the influence of the outstanding Laura Marling. Closer is the record’s most fragile moment, with its beautiful melody and touching vocal augmented by Keena O’Meara’s rich voice, reminiscent of the criminally underrated Scottish songwriter Rachael Sermanni.

Though Caitlin Mahoney is presently an unknown quantity, the skill, maturity and sense of now that is found on West For A While mean that her songwriting has real potential to reach from New York to London.

Verdict: Folk that is very much of its time – and that time is now - Songwriting Magazine

Artist: Caitlin Mahoney
EP: West for a While
Genre: Pop / Urban Folk
RIYL: Ingrid Michaelson, Laura Cantrell, Norah Jones, Camera Obscura
Caitlin Mahoney West for a While
When Caitlin Mahoney’s submission came through, I felt like I’d already been inundated with a massive pool of self-proclaimed female folkies. How surprised and relieved was I when I went to press play on West for a While? Caitlin’s crystalline voice rings through with clarity, precision and distinction from the first note to the last on this four-track EP.
“West for a While” sets the tone with a catchy, relatable melody that pays homage to country roots without going twangy. Think classic country meets urban folk: Patsy Cline with a modern twist. It’s the type of song you want playing when you hit the open road with the top down. And it offers the perfect introduction to Mahoney’s quirky vocal stylings. “Wrong” is all kinds of right as it picks up where the lead track left off, putting Mahoney’s effortless vocals and delightfully unexpected sense of rhythm and melody front and center. It’s a strong track and shows off a playful personality with just the right amount of sass.
“Devil on the Side” gives listeners a more lush and developed sound, moving right past folk and roots into a sound that breathes life into a blend of neo-soul and pop. This is the track that stuck with me well after repeated listens, a delicious and saucy piece of material that moves with confidence. “You Are a Safe Place” is sparse to start, showcasing Mahoney’s spectacularly assured vocals and adding in atmospheric and well-placed guitar alongside some wonderfully rich vocal harmonies. This is a standout track for sure, building to a crescendo and showing off the vocal shops Mahoney possesses at her very easy disposal.
There is a purity and strength in Mahoney’s vocals, an unfailing precision and confidence that shines through. But there is also great fluidity and an ability to tap into a vulnerable place that allows the emotion in her songwriting to take its place right alongside that incredible gift of vocal range she possesses. To think that this is a debut EP is a bit mindblowing. Caitlin Mahoney makes it look and sound easy; if it were, everyone would sound this good. With West for a While, Mahoney has tapped into something magical and sweet. - www.indie-music.com

One of my favorite tracks of the past few months is "Whim" by Aly Tadros and Ben Balmer. We recently heard from a bandmate of Aly's named Caitlin Mahoney who has some great music of her own. She is an excellent writer with a strong voice that has that classic country feel to it, the one where you can sound so sweet but pack in all kinds of knockout emotion. Her recent EP West For A While is worth checking out. The title track captures that feeling of wanting to put the heartbreak behind and strike out for somewhere new. She plays next week on 6/18 at Rockwood Music Hall as well. - Those Who Dig

Caitlin Mahoney – West For A While EP (Independent)

Based in New York City, Caitlin Mahoney is a young singer-songwriter with plenty of experience under her belt. She grew up listening to Springsteen, has been involved with musical theatre, studied English, Spanish and music at Florida State University, lived in Spain for a semester and played shows everywhere she could, from Tallahassee to Valencia, via Paris and Munich.

It’s understandable that she’s won awards for her stage work and was invited to join the Cappies International Theater for a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. when she was just seventeen, as her voice is her most striking asset. Laura Cantrell provides the most obvious comparison, though it’s a far purer and more powerful instrument that Mahoney has at her disposal, and it works beautifully in tandem with her urban-folk, country-roots material.

Her debut release “West For A While” makes a strong opening statement. All four tracks are melodically strong, played with passion and joy, and Mahoney has a songwriter’s ear for quirky twists and turns. Opening with the title track, its positivity is catching and the vocals impress. “Devil On the Side” slows things down considerably, and the harmonies, coupled with Mahoney’s sultry, measured delivery, gives it wings to soar. - Leicester Bangs

Caitlin Mahoney is a singer-songwriter based in NYC. Raised in Florida, she has been singing as long as she’s been talking and thinks that Bruce Springsteen songs never get old. She is releasing her first EP West for a While in April 2013. Like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter and check her out at caitlinmahoney.com.
As part of our super fun Video Chat Karaoke series, we’d love to see our wonderful readers (that means you!) show us your stuff by sending in clips of you singing along to your favourite tunes.

Here’s Caitlin working it to the Bruce Springsteen track ‘Dancing In The Dark’ – we think she does a great job!

If you like what you see, don’t forget to leave some virtual applause in the comments section below! - HelloGiggles.com

Caitlin Mahoney has a new album. You won’t hear the full array of tracks until May 26, but don’t think the New York City-based singer-songwriter is sitting idle.

“I just get going onto the next thing,” she said. “What I start doing during that time is start thinking about the next one. I kind of compare it to fashion, in that what we’re seeing in stores, everybody in fashion is three seasons ahead of that. It’s a similar thing in that my mind’s already going to the next one and writing the songs. And that’s the nice thing about being a songwriter, is that I can just get started on the next thing. But I’m bored and antsy waiting to share the current one.”

She should be antsy, as the new eight-track album, Spin, promises to be one of those elusive breakout hits, especially if the first single premiering here, “Keep Looking Back” is any indication. Starting with an immediately catchy piano melody, Mahoney enters the frame seven seconds in with a voice that guarantees you will stick around until the final chords are played. Add in great harmonies and hooks, and a song that has been waiting to be unleashed for around a year now is clearly more than worth that wait.

“It’s a test of patience, but it’s also very exciting,” Mahoney said. “I’ve been sitting on this (Spin) since I recorded it in a really short period of time. It was about two weeks and the first song (“Keep Looking Back”) was recorded exactly a year ago. I went to Nashville to meet with Chris Grainger and Jonathan Trebing, and just tried this out and it ended up propelling into the record. It’s been a really fun, unfolding event, and I’m excited for everybody to hear this.”

It could also be a career-altering one, the dream of any artist in those heady days before a new release. Is this the one? Mahoney is ready for it if it is.

“I feel really lucky to have the opportunity to put music out and connect with people through it,” she said. “I think that’s a really special thing, so the more I can do that, the better. I hope it does get received well because that means I can tour more and connect with more people. That’s a really special thing. I’ve been able to tour a lot in the past year in the United States, and I got to do a couple European tours and I’m getting ready for another one in the Fall, and I’m having a great time doing that, so if I can do more of it, that would be great.”

So is it safe to say a career using her Creative Writing degree from Florida State University is not in the cards?

“Oh, to the contrary,” she laughs. “The heart of a Caitlin Mahoney song is playing with words. So it’s all about the way you look at it. I had a lot of great professors who taught me to say something without having to use very many words, and that’s pretty much what a pop song is, right? I think somewhere in the back of my mind I always wanted to pursue music. I’ve always been connected to music. When I was in school, I was doing open mics and really starting to play around with songwriting and the idea of what the Caitlin Mahoney voice was. I’m a huge fan of books, but my purpose in studying English was that I knew it would serve me well in articulating my thoughts effectively.”

Mahoney believes she’s hit that mark on Spin, her second release after 2013’s EP West for A While, with the right mix of being personal and universal a key goal throughout the songwriting process.

“The heart of the songs were pretty immediate, just things that I had to get out and had to say,” she said. “But my goal when I write a song is to keep it very personal for me and what I know, but also make it something that someone else can listen to and have it mean what they need it to me.”

And in the meantime, she’ll just keep living up to the title track.

“I’m kind of like a tornado,” she laughs. “I’m going, going, going all the time; it’s my mode of operation and it has been my whole life. That song is reflecting on that, and also finding the places where I can rest and be at peace and take a little sanctuary. So my goal is for someone to listen to that song and say ‘what makes me spin and what makes me stop?’”

Listen to “Keep Looking Back” by clicking here

Caitlin Mahoney plays Kings County Saloon in Brooklyn on Monday, April 6. For tickets, click here. - The Examiner

Fridays exist to unwind. It's been a long week. I'm ready for a weekend of not leaving my bedroom and watching too much Netflix and playing too many video games -- I'm all about Bloodborne at the moment. And our latest premiere, the video for "Keep Looking Back" from New York via Orlando singer-songwriter Caitlin Mahoney, is the perfect way to start unwinding for the weekend.

Caitlin Mahoney's voice is powerful and soulful -- a mix of Adele and Fiona Apple -- and she wraps her emotionally naked voice around an elegant melody and a gorgeous piano piece. Her voice channels the drama of the track without becoming melodramatic or sacrificing control, and that's a rare feat. The video itself follows Caitlin on a recent tour in the Pacific Northwest. She's going to be playing on our coast soon, and you should check it out. - Baeblemusic

EXCLUSIVES - PREMIERES

Caitlin Mahoney Embraces Whirlwind NYC Experience On Title Track For New Album 'Spin' [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE]
by Taylor Napoli Apr 30, 2015 11:25 AM EDTShare on FacebookShare on Twitter

Caitlin Mahoney (Photo : Courtesy of HMG Public Relations, Inc.)

Orlando-based singer-songwriter Caitlin Mahoney is releasing her second album Spin on May 26, but we are premiering the effort's title track early exclusively here on Music Times.

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The album, produced by Chris Grainger, is a "tell-all album." The indie-rock artist wanted to focus on life's everyday chaos, along with the challenges and experiences she's faced. Spin comes out two years after Mahoney's debut EP, West for a While, whose success allowed her to tour internationally, both in the United States and Europe over the past year.

The music video for the title track "Spin" features New York City dancer Crimson Roe. Roe dances through the cold, rainy streets of New York City, seemingly lost and alone, before finding a little slice of happiness when the sun finally peaks out from the clouds. The song shows us the warm, happy moments that can be found in the coldest days, when you least expect them.

"'Spin' is a little piece of my soul. I wrote it shortly after I moved to NYC and felt like I was literally spinning around the city, working a lot of jobs, writing and singing and playing shows. I felt like I never stopped moving," Mahoney said. "The heart of the song is the bridge, where the instrumentation becomes sparse and highlights my refuge from 'the spin' -- music.

"Four years later, that sentiment rings just as true, but I have embraced the spin. My hope is that the listener gets lost in the song and reflects on what makes them 'spin' and where they find peace in all the craziness. The video was a labor of love, a collaboration with three incredibly talented ladies, Carolyn Meers, Sydnie Keeter (videographer) and Crimson Roe.

"The people Crimson interacts with are all friends of ours, and these people ran around in freezing NYC with me for three days shooting this thing. I couldn't be more proud of this video. It is a window into my heart, and a celebration of talent that inspires me to continue writing songs like this. Happy spinning!" - Music Times

New York folk/pop singer-songwriter Caitlin Mahoney is doing things the hard but satisfying way. She’s building her fan base bit by bit through shoehorning gigs in between her day job, even working in a working trip to Europe last year. And she funded her new album Spin through a successful Kickstarter campaign.

It’s the second album for the engagingly low-key performer, whose songs are gentle but passionate. She describes Spin as a confessional type of album but with pop hooks.

“The songs were written over a two year period, significantly filled with challenges and growth experiences,” she says in her press release for the new album. “So I thought a good way to frame that was to change up the scenery, go to Nashville, and work with some people I’d never met before — really having to stand on my own two feet as a musician. I wanted to move in a more pop direction but still remain grounded in the heart of the Caitlin Mahoney song — thoughtful lyrics, catchy chorus lines and weird harmonies.”

She’ll share her new work with Cleveland fans at a CD release show at the Music Box Supper Club. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. - Cool Cleveland

HOMETOWN: Orlando, Florida

CURRENT LOCATION: New York, New York

AMBITIONS: I want to write songs that connect with people, to make a great life in music, to be able to meaningfully contribute to causes I believe in, and to give and receive a lot of love over the course of my life.

TURN-OFFS: Badmouthing. Not into it.

TURN-ONS: When people talk about what books they are reading, or even better, recommend books that I should read. I LOVE that.

DREAM GIG: How about one of Mumford & Son’s Gentleman of the Road stopovers? The one this summer has Jenny Lewis and Dawes on it – can I just jump on that one? That’s a dream gig.

FAVORITE LYRIC: “Morgan says, maybe love won’t let you down. All of your failures are training grounds, and just as your back’s turned, you’ll be surprised, she says, as your solitude subsides.” – Rilo Kiley

SONG I WISH I WROTE: “How I Love” by Casey Black or “Be there if I have to Swim” by Niall Connolly.

5 PEOPLE I’D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Sara Bareilles, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bruce Springsteen, Lorelai Gilmore, and Jane Austen. All at once would be cool, too.

MY FAVORITE CONCERT EXPERIENCE: Bruce Springsteen sold out MSG show in 2009. I went with my parents, and watching them was literally like going back in time to what they were like in their 20s at Springsteen shows then. It was THE BEST. Also, he played “The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle” in sequence, and it was one of the best nights of my life.

I WROTE THIS SONG: Out of frustration with mediocrity. It’s about not letting yourself be held back by people who don’t want to work hard or be their best selves. - American Songwriter