Welcome to The Truth in This Art, your source for conversations that explore the intersections of arts, culture, and community. I am your host, Rob Lee, and today, I am thrilled to be joined by my next guest, an extraordinary guest who is a musician, recording artist, producer, and an arranger. They are a Baltimore native and a DMV based performer widely known as the trap cellist. Please welcome Chanel Kelly. Welcome to the podcast.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate the introduction.
Rob Lee:Yeah. Very sparse, you know, right to the point because I think I think it's it's important. Right? As I I start off with this sort of first question to, you know, one, how are you?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I'm having a pretty good day so far. I I love that we're able to, honestly, I'm I'm enjoying that this is remote right now. I've been taking a lot of trips recently, so this is this is working out very well.
Rob Lee:I'm sure we're gonna talk about that a little bit as well as we go further into, into the conversation. It's it's good to hear that you're enjoying the, the day thus far. And as we're recording this, the temperatures have gone into the deep freeze in in the Baltimore, the DMV, that sort of region. And this is not raining currently. You know?
Rob Lee:I don't like the rain. Not a big fan of the rain.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. Yeah. Today is really nice outside. We we this is actually, I think it was it's been raining, like, pouring for the past few days. And today, the sun is out.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:The weather is actually kinda nice. So I'm I'm really happy. It's it's a perfect day to to do a podcast.
Rob Lee:You get it? Every well, for me, every day is perfect day to do a podcast. But, in that, I I gave I gave the sparse intro, but I always make it relatively sparse to give the guest the the opportunity to introduce themselves in their own words. So I find, like, there are details that are always omitted, that are always sort of, like, short shrifted at times. Like, you know, you'll find out, hey, man.
Rob Lee:My music is important, but also, you know, I boxed for a little bit and say, oh, this is a detail that's not there. So if you will, could you introduce yourself? And in that, how'd you get started in music?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. Absolutely. I think you did a very good job of introducing me, in the musical capacity that I perform as. I go by TrapCellis, and I perform on acoustic and electric cello. I also do string arrangements, and I produce music.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I compose music. I do studio work. And, yeah. So I I think you you did a great job of touching all those points. And you had another question.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Could you could you remind me
Rob Lee:So and and I guess I'll frame it in this way. Sort of how did you get started in music? Not necessarily in in playing per se, but, you know, is there an experience that sticks out, you know, growing up, an early experience with music or performance that kinda gave you that nudge of maybe I could do this. Maybe I'm interested in this.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. When I was in elementary school, there was, like, this explore tour in music class when I was in 3rd grade. And, basically, in in that grade, I believe we were just learning about all of these different instruments, and I was fascinated by the bass drum. The, the music teacher, she did this she did this presentation where she started banging on the bass drum, and she started very soft. And she had the candle in front of the bass drum, and the it just got heavier and heavier as as she would continue to bang on the bass drum until she, like, hit, like, a forte note, and then the candle blew out.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And I was like, oh, my gosh. I gotta I gotta play the bass drum. And from that point forward, I was like, yeah, it's gonna be drums for me. At the time, I didn't know that that was called, you know, being a percussionist. But, had I ended up playing the bass drum, I would have been a percussionist.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:But, my mom made it clear that that I wasn't gonna be banging drums in the house. So, I had to pick a different instrument. Apparently, I had to be convinced because there was nothing else that I was interested in playing, but, I was introduced to some string instruments. And, from there, I ended up choosing the cello. I thought the violin and viola just weren't my speed.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I thought they were just really tiny. I thought the double bass was absolutely just too big. Like, I couldn't even imagine carrying that thing around. And, I thought the cello was a good fit. It was, you know, it, I I really enjoyed the the c string on the instrument.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I actually have it back here. To my k, that's my favorite note. I've always been in love with the c string on the cello. It's my favorite note on on the instrument, and I think that's kind of what helped me fall in love with cello.
Rob Lee:Thank you. That's, that's that's great because, like, again, like I well, like I said earlier before we got started, when a guest cooks, I get 2 questions knocked out in one. So so you're helping me. You're making me seem like a better interviewer than I am. And I'm I'm thinking as I as I saw you in person a couple months ago, in in Anacostia, and so, you know, when you mentioned the size sort of of the instruments, like, when you think of sort of the violin, you think of the sort of the other extreme of the double bass.
Rob Lee:Like, when I think of double bass, I always think of, like, Charles Mingus. And I like his I'm 6 4, so I'm like, I'll play that. So how how tall are you?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I'm 510.
Rob Lee:Yeah. That makes sense now. That makes sense. That's good.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I'm not particularly tall, but I'm taller than most of the people that I meet. So a lot of people think that I'm tall, but I I don't I I don't need I'm not even the tallest in my family. So
Rob Lee:And, so so having that context, it does it does make sense, like, having something, like, sort of right in the middle in terms of sort of those extremes in that size range. I I wanna move into this next sort of intro question. And this this one is a little bit of a weird one. It almost feels like it fits into my rapid fire questions, but I think it's a good one to insert in the beginning. So I've read that musicians often name their instruments.
Rob Lee:Like, BB King has, you know, Lucille, and even Yo Yo Mom, the cellist, has, cello named Petunia. Does your cello have a name?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yes. My cello's name is Lady Godiva. I love, I really appreciate the, the morals and values of Lady Godiva. I'm not sure if you're familiar with, her history. But, pretty much, I'll I'll try to keep it short and sweet.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Lady Hadaiva was married to a man who was, he was taxing his people real heavy. And, she felt as though, like, it's ridiculous for you to be taxing. The townspeople like this. The taxes are way too high. They can't afford anything.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And he was just like, I don't care. I'm taxing them. And basically, she was like, well, how about this? How about I ride around the street naked? And then you have to lower the taxes.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Like, that's that's the kind of deal we're gonna we're gonna do here. And, yeah, she she did it. And she was able to lower the taxes for her people. Her husband kept his promise. And he lowered the taxes.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And she was able to, I just really I respect her boldness. Yeah. And I also love that she stands that she has something that she stands for. So I I loved the idea of naming my instrument after Lady Godiva because I resonate with the values that she stands for.
Rob Lee:Okay. I was I was I was waiting for that that connection. That was a boldness, a standing on business ish of it all.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. Absolutely. I appreciate that.
Rob Lee:Thank you. Thank you for that. So I want to talk a bit about, you know, experience and training. Like, I remarked on it. This is year 16 of me being in the podcast space.
Rob Lee:And you've got you. You're trumping me a little bit. You got 2 decades of musical experience. So if you will, could you, you know, talk a bit about that experience and sort of some of the formal training, some of the avant garde techniques? Just talk a bit about, you know, some of the training that you have from a formal standpoint and then some of the reps over the years of just, you know, really realizing who you are as a performer and a musician and arranger and da da da da da because you have so many.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Absolutely. I it's it's they kinda all roll into 1, which which is nice. But, basically, I've been doing music ever since I was a kid. I started playing cello when I was in elementary school. I never received any formal training though until I was 16 years old.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Prior to prior to that, I was just playing in school orchestras. However, I I think I had I had something to me because, I was always a part of, like, honors orchestra and honors soloists and and performing for things that, you know, you gotta kinda stand out for. And, eventually, I got training because, I I never intended on being a musician. I thought I was gonna be like an interpreter or a veterinarian, but, it it turned out that I was gonna go to college for music. And so, I got a private instructor probably about the end of my junior or sophomore year the end of my sophomore year of college.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:That's when I started private instruction and actually had a tutor for cello for the first time. And, from there, I was prepared to pretty much getting prepared to audition for colleges and things like that. And, I was on the fast track from there. That was that was a crazy process, having to learn a whole bunch of classical cello repertoire that most kids start learning when they're children. And I'm just learning them at 16 years old.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:So I'm being thrust into this new environment that I've never been a part of before. Going from elementary school teaching to collegiate level teaching. Right. So, yeah, fortunately, I got into University of Maryland, Baltimore County, UMBC. Shout out to my private instructor, Gita Ladd.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:She's absolutely amazing. And and, her and also my previous private instructor, Fiona Thompson, they were instrumental in me being a part of that music program there. And I'm really grateful that I was able to go to UMBC. It was there that I was able to get private instruction from a professional cellist, Gita Lad, and also get private instruction on avant garde music techniques as well, which was very exciting. There was a program there called, new music ensemble, and it was, completely elective for me to be a part of that.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:But I've I've the classical music is cool and all, but it's not like the end all be all. I need to have I need to be able to expand in whatever it is I'm doing. And so the new music ensemble, it's pretty much an ensemble where you explore, music that normal people wouldn't listen to is the best way I could explain it. It's not contemporary music like R and B and Bruno Mars, Beyonce and stuff like that. It's it's not that.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:New music, represents let's say I start walking down the street with a with some plates in my hand and I start throwing plates on the concrete. No rhythmic pattern to it whatsoever. You could call that new music if you want. If you record it and you can notate it on paper, then it's new music. It's crazy.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:It don't make sense. But that's where I started learning avant garde technique. I learned how to do how to do really incredible techniques on my instrument that no one would ever, like, think to do. And so I learned how to do really exciting things like create bell tones on my instrument by weaving glass rods in between strings. I learned how to do seagulling, which is a technique to make your cello sound like a bird.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I learned all kinds of fun things. And so it really expanded what I could do as a musician and how I can express, my emotions and my feelings on cello. I'm doing my best not to be long winded with with that. But,
Rob Lee:No. It's it's great. That's great. It, again, you know, it it answered the follow-up question. So, again, you know, letting letting folks cook, you know, and I'm hearing, you know, there's a almost a alchemic element to it.
Rob Lee:You know, you're kinda like you're messing around. You're figuring out things. You're getting the techniques, but it's an experimental piece that goes along with it. And I wanted to throw a And I wanted to throw a joke out there almost, like, I can see it now. You just to drop in those plates.
Rob Lee:I'm like, yeah. I'm snapping my finger today. Yeah. I'm picking that rhythm up because I don't have any rhythm. I'm rhythmless.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Sorry to hear that.
Rob Lee:It's it's it's it's the height. It's just in the way most of the time. People think it's an advantage. It's just in the way. Sometimes the I wish to be a short king.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:You know, it's it's funny because I feel like I live in this middle place where it's very uncomfortable because things are either too short or they can be too tall. So it's it's an interesting place to be 5 to 10. But if I put my heels on everything, it's fine. It's like it all evens back out.
Rob Lee:I hear you. I hear you. I like I like it. So I'm I'm I'm gonna go back to this this one question because I touched on it a little bit, but I wanna skip ahead to this question I have about practice. And and part of this is my own, like, ignorance, like, in terms of watching certain movies.
Rob Lee:Everything that I a lot of stuff that I talk about has a pop culture reference or connection. And when I think of musicians practicing, I'm always thinking of Gillem from Mobetta Blues. And I think of that as sort of the practicing setup and even how I approach what I do. I'm like, I gotta put the time here to do this regularly. So could you speak a bit about, like, your cadence in in practicing and and arranging and and playing music?
Rob Lee:Like, what does that process look like for you? Are you, you know, picking up the instrument every day? Is it, you know, 4 to 5 hours every day? What does that look like for you?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. Absolutely. Playing cello 4 to 5 hours a day, is absolutely insane. I don't recommend it for anybody. It's, but I'm honestly, I would consider myself a a lazy cellist.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I've never been interested in practicing. I always had to be told to practice my instrument. And even now, I've I've, I do spend time learning music. I learn music. And once I learn it, like, I already I already know in my mind what I want it to sound like.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And because I know how to use my instrument, I know how to get the sound that I'm looking for. So I take time to learn music that I need to learn for the performances and the events that I'm doing. Honestly, I would practice, but I just don't really have the time to do that. Practice is definitely something that I feel is important. Sure.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:However, if if you don't have time to practice and and you can get away with doing what you gotta do as a professional musician, and then I feel like I'm probably not the only musician who's like that. But, yeah, I just do the best that I can. I I carve out time to learn music for whatever events that I'm doing, and and I learn that music. And if I'm blessed with time to practice, I will take the time to practice, but, it it doesn't happen at all.
Rob Lee:I hear you. I hear you. No. No. I I appreciate that.
Rob Lee:That makes sense. And I think as a non musician listening to the I guess being around it, always being around music and learning the music that you're you're playing for a given event or or or given sort of, like, layout of of work, I think inherently that is practice to a to a degree. You know, like, when I do this and I I teach, I'll I'll talk to you about that afterwards. We'll we'll talk a little bit about that after this pod. But, you know, folks ask me, so what do you listen to?
Rob Lee:And I but oftentimes I don't listen to podcasts, let alone interview podcast. I listen to audiobooks. You know, that's not the same. Or I'm listening to sort of these fictionalized things that I have something in my ears. You know what I mean?
Rob Lee:And I'm around it, but I'm not, you know, checking the papers on what's happening in the podcast world today in this industry. I don't really hear about it in that way. I rather be going on towards the next thing or just bringing something that is going to make the conversation richer. You know, I don't need to be the best editor. I don't need to be the best podcaster.
Rob Lee:But what I do need to do is be prepared to interview someone like you that have cogent questions, meaningful questions, and then half assed questions in the rapid fire portion. So yeah. You know? Yeah.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And and it's interesting that you bring that up because the the connotation of practice definitely has different, you know, it's it's it's put into practice differently, by different people and and in the music community practices. It it's really more so kind of like you have practice, you have rehearsal, and and you have learning. And for me, when I think of practicing, I think of running scales and doing things that are gonna make my technique better and going over songs that I've already learned so that I can remember them and do them better.
Rob Lee:Yes.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And so that's what I think of when I think of practice. Not to say that, you know, not to go against anything that you said for for yourself, But it just made me think about the the different connotations of practicing and what that meant for me.
Rob Lee:No. No. Thank you for that that distinction. You know, I I I I make this comparison a lot when I think of sort of the the the reps, the repetitions of it. Like, you know, when someone does, like, a physical activity, hitting the gym or what have you, it's like, I'm gonna curl the same weight or maybe I'll get better at it or I'll be able to do more reps or do it at heavier weight, but the function is sort of the same thing.
Rob Lee:I'm doing these hammer curls. I'm doing this bench press. But my goal is to get better and improve sort of the the technique with it, and I can imagine it gets a little boring at times. So yeah. But so having sort of those those new things, it's like, I'm gonna look at this new stuff right here.
Rob Lee:Let's see who's breaking plates this week. Oh, they're breaking glass now? Yo. This is amazing. Man, next week is mugs.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. I've I've done some really interesting music. There and and maybe you are familiar with this, but there's a piece called 4 minutes and 33 seconds by John Cage.
Rob Lee:Okay.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:So, yeah. I could describe it to
Rob Lee:you. Please.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:But, I think it is best experience when you just listen to it. So I don't I don't wanna give it away, but it's popular in the music community. But, it maybe it's infamous. Maybe it's not. I don't know how people view it these days, but, but, yeah, I would definitely recommend checking out 4 Minutes and 33 Seconds by John Cage, if you're interested in just kind of getting, another piece of what new music or avant garde music is.
Rob Lee:I I will dive in, to that. And this is almost a segue. It's not it's not as good as I was hoping it would would be, but it's almost a segue. So when I think of new music, I think of, you know, the the way to spend to describe and I'm still building out my, understanding of it. But I think of sort of the DIY thing we have here because you're originally a Baltimore.
Rob Lee:You're based in, like, the DMV, but you're Baltimore. You know what I mean?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yes. Yes. I'm from Baltimore.
Rob Lee:I was about to side eye you a little bit. I was like, you're out here faking the phone? So could you speak on the the significance of, you know, being an artist in this region, being in this region, being a musician in this region. Again, you know, as I, you know, said earlier, I saw you, like, getting it in, you know, in DC, like, performing, like, outside plein air style, which was really cool. And, you know, it struck me to take the note and then subsequently reach out.
Rob Lee:And, you know, I always am curious as to what it's like being a artist, being a creative individual in this region. We're we're not a Philly. We're not New York. We're not LA, but we have our own sort of specialness here. And you being in that DMV area and being from here, we have a lot of talent in Baltimore as you know that we don't usually get that, you know, sort of notoriety for it until we've moved elsewhere.
Rob Lee:So I just wanna hear your your thoughts about being a creative in this region.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I really enjoy it. I get a lot of love here in Baltimore. I get a lot of love, and I I I'll put that I'm DMV based, although, clearly, I'm from Baltimore. I get I get so much love from the DMV area. You know?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And and that's where I'm always in, you know, like the DC, Virginia, the Baltimore. I'm I'm always taking in these spots. So, although I do claim Baltimore, there's just, there's just so much love around the whole DMV, that I I get as a musician. And, I I think it's been a really awesome experience, getting to be a musician in both Baltimore and DC because the music styles are different, especially, you know, going into DC, you get to be a part of that go go scene as well. So I've had the opportunity to just be a part of different music scenes and, pretty much cater my musical abilities to different types of music and subcultures that exist here in the DMV area.
Rob Lee:And stop and stop. And, yeah, those those distinctions are are there. And doing interviews in DC and spending time in DC Radio, sort of Howard affiliate and being a Baltimorean, even though my accent betrays me, I am from here. People don't think it. And noticing those those differences.
Rob Lee:And then I always look for sort of the the similarities, and that's why I'd like to ask that question. You're at a good spot as a very qualified individual to be able to answer that question. And in that vein of being in, you know, being able to work in this this region, I'm I'm curious, about this this idea. You know, you have this vast range. You have, you know, a background in you know, obviously, you said acoustic and electric cello and, you know, blending genres.
Rob Lee:So speak a bit on the importance of being, and I quote, a musical chameleon.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I love being a musical chameleon because, I I can't just just do one thing. I need to be able to expand in whatever it is I'm doing. I've never been the type of person to just stick to one thing and just do that one thing forever. If I'm gonna do music, I have to do it my way. And my way consists of me being able to really see what the limits are, you know, see what I can get into.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And I don't limit myself to any genre. And there are musicians out here, who, you know, feel more comfortable in a particular genre. I don't really care to feel comfortable in a genre. If somebody wants me to play, you know, something that you can you can do bachata too or somebody wants me to play some Bollywood or, you know, jazz or I'll figure it out. Like, it's just music at the end of the day.
Rob Lee:You
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:know, it's it's like I I approach it kind of like I approach cooking. There's a recipe for anything. Find a good recipe. Follow the instructions. The meal's gonna turn out fine.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:So, you know, like, it's it's kinda like that with music. I have a very logical and practical approach to everything that I do, everything that I apply myself to. And, but I also I also want to be able to enjoy doing what I'm doing. So that's why it's important for me to be able to expand and figure out how creative I can be with it. What else can I do with it?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:There's gotta be more to it. So, that you know? And and even on the business side, you know, arranging music, arranging sheet music and and having my own studio where I can record for other artists and me composing music and stuff like that. It's like, if if I'm gonna be be a musician, I might as well milk it. So, you know, here I am.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Like, I'll just get a piece of everything. Why not?
Rob Lee:Now now I'm hearing more of that Baltimore flow flowing out of you. It's
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:like, now,
Rob Lee:you're without mess. It's just like cooking. You know? Ain't ain't nothing. You know?
Rob Lee:You know? It's music. AI. No. But but but you're right.
Rob Lee:And that's why I had to I had to tilt my head and bring the glasses down. It's my anime look because, I I feel the same way in that I, you know, I've been told in doing this, over, you know, 5 years of doing this podcast, man, you should only talk to these types of artists. You should do this. You should do that. I'm like, I do what I want.
Rob Lee:I talk to who I want to, and I talk to as many people as I as I want to. And it might go from I'm talking to a super talented musician such as yourself at one moment, and then I'm talking to, like, a chef later, and I'm gonna start referencing, like, yeah. So, chef, talk about when you cook and how it's, like, playing the cello. And I'm like, that's what? But I like to look for those sort of unique connections.
Rob Lee:And it's out of it's purely out of, like, interest and finding sort of the similarities that are there. But at the root of all of it, it's being curious and not getting bored and being able to I like the way you said it. It's like, being a musician, I might as well milk it. If I'm going to have people's attention, I might as well get all of the goofy questions out that I can. I mean, there's one before I move into this this next question, this next part of this question, where I interviewed a, you know, classical music director.
Rob Lee:And I was just like, you know, so a conductor is like, you know, Bugs Bunny. And I just really wanted to ask him that. And he had, like, a smile on his face. And I was like, those ever asked you that? He's like, no.
Rob Lee:He's like, but I have an answer for it. So it's something that's enriching, and it's not the typical conversation. So I was satisfied, and he was also satisfied. And I did ask a question about musician hair as well because some some of the musicians with the fine arts backgrounds, the hair is a little it's so crazy, so wild.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. Musicians are very quirky people. You know, I think a lot of times musicians can come off as buttoned up, but, well, maybe the violin section is really like that. But But smoke there. Shout out to my violin ones.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:But but, no, for real, though, like, musicians are we're we're really quirky, fun people, and we express ourself through music. And, we're very creative people. And and although, you know, in an orchestra setting, you can't really get that sense when everybody is on stage wearing all black and got serious face going on. You know, it's just like but in real life, you know, we're we're entertainers, so, you know, you gotta have fun with it.
Rob Lee:There's one more thing, one more side I wanna say. I I like I like genre blending. Right. And your point around sort of like musicians. There's one guitarist that I really like in a milestone and maelstrom.
Rob Lee:And he did a he plays electric guitar, just shreds on it, and he's playing in front of, like, the Japan Philharmonic. So they're backing him with his stuff. And I'm like, I've heard this song before, right? And the original version, but with the orchestra and with the drums and the sort of technique, I'm losing my I work out to that. I'm like, this is amazing.
Rob Lee:It's like, I'm literally working out to classical music that's blended with the sort of Norwegian shred metal. I it is a wild, like and it was a almost, like, in a sense, the technique is there. Right? But it's almost like high art, low art coming together and intersecting in a way that's just magical. I I don't know.
Rob Lee:I just thought of that a second ago.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:That's really interesting.
Rob Lee:Yeah. I'll I'll I'll send you a link. It's it's great. You know, you can add that to your playlist of Yeah. Things.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I I would definitely enjoy listening to that. I I love all music. So
Rob Lee:Okay. Then that's gonna be screaming to a beat later. Here's my newest thing on Spotify. It's gonna be great. DIY Rob.
Rob Lee:So you I also I absolutely I saw this too. I listen to, like, healing soundscapes. You know, I have insomnia. It's it comes in different times, but, literally, when I know that I'm having a sort of period where I can't get the sleep that I'm looking for, working off of, like, 3 to 4 hours of sleep, If I put on something with those, certain BPMs or those certain hertz, I'm able to get rest. And I I saw that in your background.
Rob Lee:Could you talk a bit about sort of the soundscapes? I may have received an email with the one in there, but could you tell me a bit about some of the soundscapes and that that that pursuit?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. Spirituality is, a huge part of my life, and, I enjoy be like I said, you know, I'm gonna do the music thing. You know, I'm gonna get into everything. So I enjoy being able to connect music with the parts that I I practice spiritually. So, like, you know, just being able to create healing frequencies.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And and it's not with the intentional. I'm I'm not intentional with the healing part. It's it's really I think that's just kinda how it comes out. I I enjoy creating beautiful things. And for other people, they receive it as healing, and that's that's what I feel like it's considered a healing soundscape.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:It's how people receive it. And when I'm creating it, I I think it didn't start as me creating, like like, a healing frequency, quote unquote. It's just me wanting to express something really beautiful and in nature. And now I'm more intentional about having it actually be a healing frequency. And the soundscapes.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And, you know, I I enjoy, like, whenever I'm going out on hikes or walks or I go to different places and things like that, I like to take out my phone, and I might record the sounds of bells tolling or or, a river or or cicadas or birds chirping or people talking, and I like to take that and throw it in my recordings and make something with it. So not only am I adding in the cello, I'm adding in sounds that I've gotten out from wherever I've been. I have, my little singing bowl back here as well. And I take my singing bowl, and I'll add that into the recording as well. And I just really enjoy making stuff like that.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:It's very peaceful, very, intentional nowadays. It's it's very intentional, very peaceful. And, I like creating something that makes people feel good. What I sent you in the email, it's not tuned down to a particular Hertz at
Rob Lee:this
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:time. Right now, these are just recordings that I've created, but I may tune I may retune them at some point.
Rob Lee:Okay. Look. I'm I'm here. You know? Got me right and calm, you know, before going into this with some healing, early healing.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. The I'm not sure if you did you have I I don't know if you already listened to it. I wasn't sure if you wanted to share it here or if you just wanted to listen to it on your own time. No pressure. So Oh,
Rob Lee:I I I listened to it, and I will, you know, always wanna get get permission from folks or what have you with their creative work. But, I can, insert it into the show notes as well if that's, if that's cool with you.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I think that's okay.
Rob Lee:Okay. And one thing before I move into this last real question, you know, sort of being able to take into account the environment. I love what you were were saying of I might, you know, wanna hike and get a get a sound or the birds chirping or the cicadas. We we don't like the cicadas, but the cicadas for sake of argument.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Oh, and I have a really good one with cicadas in it.
Rob Lee:It's not like you're trolling a little bit. I feel like you're
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I almost sent you the one with the cicadas in it, actually.
Rob Lee:They're the bane of my existence. But I I think of interviews, especially some of the the old interviews, recirculating from from Timberland, the producer. And, you know, he would talk about just where did this effect come from. Like, what is it? Are you that somebody has, like, a baby cooing in it?
Rob Lee:You know, the Aaliyah song. And it's just like, this is not a sound you would expect in there, but it's a weird sound. It still sticks out 20 plus years later, but it's something that's unique and is something that is almost a signature in a lot of his production, which sets it aside in that crowded sort of production market. And no one's really, like, ate that style since. And it's something about being able to grab and take from the environment that you're in and apply that to, you know, one's creative work.
Rob Lee:So I I do that when I lift questions or make observations when I when I travel. It might be something as simple as looking at a bumper sticker or making it a point to walk wherever I go, you know, go to any, you know, sort of different community. And I'm just taking a walk, got the notepad on me, and I'm jotting down, like, sort of observations. How do they do stuff here? If I see some street art, I'm going to get inspiration from that.
Rob Lee:And it eventually finds itself into questions, into insights. So here's the last real question. You know, I've seen you you mean, I've been heating up the social media, you know, with this sort of recent, feature on HBO Max and Magnolia Networks, 2nd Chance Stage. Could you describe that experience? And as it is often with with television, you know, something that took place a little while ago before the public gets to see it.
Rob Lee:So could you, you know, take us back a little bit?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. 2nd Chance Stage. I got an inquiry, about the show in late February. I believe there was an assistant producer who had found my, found me on TikTok or something like that, TikTok or Instagram, and they felt that I might be a good a good fit for the show. And so we talked, and, you know, they were just like, yeah.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:We'd love to have you on the show, so let's get started. And everything was a whirlwind process because filming started just a few weeks later. So they got me in just before the deadline, you know, to to, be a part of the show, and I'm really glad that the opportunity, was presented to me because I never would have thought something like that would happen. Somebody be like, see me on social media and be like, hey. I need to see you on this show.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:So that was a very interesting experience. And, being a part of the show was really interesting. It was fun. It was exciting. It was absolutely insane.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Being in the world of TV production is some next level stuff. Okay? And I was just like, oh, so this is what it's like. But it was like I said, it was it was just, it was kind of like one of those once in a lifetime experiences, you know, for somebody to reach out to you to to be a part of something like that. And on HBO Max, of of all places, you know?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I'm really grateful that I had the opportunity to showcase my talent on such a platform and, with such amazing people. I met so many amazing people on that journey to be on on the show. And, it was it was interesting just kinda getting to the whole performance part of it. I'm not sure if you've had the opportunity to check out my performance on the show, but I performed, hiss by Megan Stallion.
Rob Lee:Nice.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And, producers actually told me that, like, she personally approved and allowed me to play the song on the show. However, there was there was there was some challenges to to getting to me actually performing, a song in the show because of the way in which I perform. I use, like, backing tracks, and then I create over that backing track. And so, we had to get a song cleared. The first 2, 3 songs that I had put out were not cleared, and it takes time for a song to get cleared.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:So we didn't get this song cleared until about about 4 days before I actually had to go on stage and perform.
Rob Lee:Oh, wow.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:So once the song got cleared and mind you, I was already practicing another song to perform, but that song didn't get cleared. Once this song got cleared, I immediately had to come up with an entirely new set. I wrote this song in a day, and then I had 3 days to memorize it and perform it in front of a live studio audience and celebrity judges. So I was stressed, to to write a song in a day and then only have time to practice and memorize that song that you just wrote, like, with within days and into performing live was just I I was just like like my brain was just all over the place, and I was just doing the best that I could. And and the only time I had to practice was, like, at midnight.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:So I was just like and the thing about practice is you have to get sleep so that your brain can make those neural connections so that you'll remember the next day. And if I I knew I had to get sleep because I knew if I was practicing this song and then I did not get sleep, I would not remember it, anymore the next day.
Rob Lee:Right. So
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:it was important for me to make sure that I was getting sleep so that I could remember. And my I could make those neuro connections, and I will be able to have the song more memorized the next day. And, yeah, so this is just over a span of just a few days. And then then I'm gonna go perform the song. So it was a very interesting experience, being on the show, and it it taught me a lot about, you know, just kind of where I wanna be as a musician.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And it just kind of opened my eyes to what I can do and where I can take this.
Rob Lee:Thank you. Thank you for taking us back. That's that's great. I have, I have it queued up actually on HBO Max. I'm playing catch up right now on a lot of different things.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Mhmm.
Rob Lee:I I love being able to get the sort of behind the scene context, and then sort of, like, it's gonna enrich watching the performance. I I will send you some notes afterwards. Like, yo, so this is wild. What were you thinking in this moment? It's almost like a whole another podcast to come just specifically on the performance.
Rob Lee:But yeah. So so I wanna I wanna rock, a few rapid fire questions with you before we wrap up here in these final moments. So if you're cool with them, I got 4 of them for you.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:First thing?
Rob Lee:I guess, tell everyone, you don't wanna overthink these. Okay. Like, whatever the first thing that pops your mind is.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I'll try to filter myself.
Rob Lee:What is your the you you've you've made some travel in the last year, I would imagine. What is the what what place is your favorite place did you travel this year?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:This year? Probably can't say. Yeah. I really enjoyed being in Kansas City. I I enjoyed the the city.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:It was different from from where I'm from. And, you know, the the people were cool. I had a great experience when I was there. I I got to be there with my parents because I I traveled there for the show.
Rob Lee:So I
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:would say, yeah, my favorite place that I've traveled this year would definitely be Kansas City.
Rob Lee:Nice. This is this is gonna be an odd one, but I think you got an answer for it as you you touched on musicians or quirky people. What do you think about when you perform?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:That's a good question.
Rob Lee:Don't mess up. Don't mess up. Don't mess up.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I I wanna say I I don't really think. I just feel, unless I if I'm in a stressful situation, sometimes I'll have to think about, okay. So I recently did this gig and I was performing at this holiday party, about 600, 700 people. And I'm standing on a rather small stage. And, I'm standing there, I'm in heels and I'm playing my electric cello and I'm moving to the music.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And, there's a moment where I lose balance and I lean on my speaker because I was about to, like I might have fell off that little platform they had me on.
Rob Lee:Tenuous.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And, so in that moment, I just had to I just I I was just like, Chanel, you do feel like it's a plate off. You just gotta laugh it off. As terrifying as it was to almost fall off this stage. You know, because, yeah, it was just crazy. I would say usually I'm not thinking when I play music, usually I'm feeling.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:But in the moments where I'm thinking, it's something has just happened, and I need to remind myself to get back on track, never allow your audience to see you sweat ever.
Rob Lee:1000%. That's a that's a gym right there too. I had to learn this in a in a in some sort of, it was a class in high school, and it stuck with me. I used to really get bent out of shape if I, like, flubbed something. And I'm like, they don't know.
Rob Lee:They don't know I made a mistake. Are they sitting there literally reading the script that I wrote poorly and saying, Rob, you didn't say that line. It's like, alright. Cool. So just, you know, front of eye just front of it, but also stages.
Rob Lee:You know, I've been on a few stages. I don't wanna become a viral moment. Like, yo, we got this TikTok of this giant bald black man falling off a stage and have that.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. And and, you know, I actually use the moment to my advantage because every time I thought about almost fall because it it made me, like, laugh every time I thought about it. So every time I thought about it, I I smiled just a little bit more on stage, which is great stage presence, you know? The the audience wants to see me smile, of course. So I use it to my advantage.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I was like, if I felt like I wasn't smiling enough, then I would just think about when I almost fell off stage, and then I'd be like, ah, that's crazy. But, yo,
Rob Lee:remember that time you almost trap doored yourself? Like Yeah. Yeah. I do, actually.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Oh, sometimes you just gotta trick yourself into giving a better performance.
Rob Lee:Love it. So here here's the last 2. Well, it's the first of the last 2, I guess. When you you you mentioned a few, folks that helped you along the the way in terms of individual, personalized sort of coaching. Do you have a hero in music?
Rob Lee:It doesn't have to be specifically of cello, but in music overall that it may not be their music per se, but it may be how they carried themselves, sort of what their contribution was to canon. But is there a hero that or a couple of heroes that come to mind when it comes to music and performance?
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. Absolutely. Apocalyptica and Zoe Keating are the artists that come to mind when I think of musical heroes. So Apocalyptica, I'm not sure if you've heard of them before, but they're like this Finnish, metal metal cello band. So, like, it's cellist playing metal music.
Rob Lee:And
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And I grew, I listened to a lot of rock and metal growing up. I listened to a lot of everything, but, I also really enjoyed and appreciated a lot of rock and a lot of metal. And I found Apocalyptica somehow. And, listening to these 4 cellos do, like, you know, enter Sandman, just just playing playing music by Nirvana and other, other amazing, groups and bands. And, like, hearing that on cello, I was like, yo, this is so sick.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Like, hearing, Smells Like Teen Spirit and Enter Sandman and Fade to the Black were some of my favorite ones. And, it I was like, oh, I could do some other stuff on cello. Like, I started listening to this stuff probably in my preteen years, I think, maybe around the age of 13 or 14 or something like that. And then listen to listening to cellos do rock music, First of all, I feel like cello was built for that. Like, I feel like cello is built for playing rock and heavy metal.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And every chance I I need to do more content where I'm doing rock and heavy metal because I could do that all day on cello. It's it's so spicy. I love it. Mhmm. Yeah.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:I I started doing it myself. I would, like, play along with it sometimes, and it was just so much fun. And I think it just kinda opened my mind up to being able to do other things on cello that were not classical music. But also Zoe Keating, she's a loop based cellist and composer. And hearing her create music, on her cello using a loop pedal and, you know, using her her laptop and whatever doll she was using on her laptop, It was really amazing seeing her create using loops and creating entire soundscapes and then entire pieces.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:And I was just like, yo. That is so amazing. I saw Zoe Keating doing doing what she was doing on loop pedals, and I was like, I need to get me a loop pedal. So sometimes I do loop based performances. Actually, a lot of the music that I create, is even though I may not use a loop pedal to do it, it's it's loop based in nature because that's my favorite way to create music, is by using roots.
Rob Lee:That's great. Thank you. Thank you. Got one more. And this one goes into sort of the we had a little social media thing about, a certain dish.
Rob Lee:So I'm curious about your your food preferences. Oh. What is, you know, let's say you you know, you have one of those things. You have, you know, you have some travel coming up for a big show. And, you know, what is a meal that comes to mind that you know, you traveled somewhere, you had a really good meal.
Rob Lee:What was the meal? What what comes to mind? Name the city in the meal, if you will.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Traveled somewhere and I had a good meal. LA, Roscoe's.
Rob Lee:I would be
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Yeah. Yeah. When I went to Roscoe's and I had I had the chicken and I think I had the chicken and waffles and and some mac and cheese or was it chicken and waffles? I think it was. Yeah.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:The the chicken tastes different over in California. I don't know. I think it's because if they they be in the sun or something like that, the chicken tastes different. You know what I mean? We got some good chicken.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:But it's like, you know, everything is like, it's like, you know, we got Popeyes. We got we got ROFO. We got Louisiana. I mean, that's not the one that make KFC and all that. But I never been to a Roscoe's.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:You know? And I was just like, this it just hit different. So I really enjoyed the the food that I had from Roscoe's when I was in LA. That was that was lovely.
Rob Lee:That's a wonderful answer. I love Roscoe's as well. Yeah. I was out there probably 6 years ago for a wrestling show, and Nice. Like, yo, I need to get all of the food possible while we're here, and I'm not gonna eat any food at the wrestling shows because I can't be a big dude with 2 hot dogs.
Rob Lee:Just testing. It looks wild. It looks like a stereotype. So,
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:let's be glad to hear this.
Rob Lee:So, yeah, hitting hitting the Ross goes up and just, even, I think one of the other things I had out there at Wes was, what is the the In N Out Burger? I had that as well. Animal style had to get loose with it. Yeah. So, yeah, Kelly is pretty dope.
Rob Lee:So that's kind of it for the podcast. So there are 2 things I want to do as we close out here. One, I wanna thank you for for spending some time with me. You've been on for, like, an hour. So thank you for that.
Rob Lee:And, and 2, I wanna invite and encourage you to share with the listeners where they can follow you, check you out, website, social media, all of that good stuff. The floor is yours.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:Thank you so much for having me. I I appreciate your time and your energy. I and I enjoyed this interview. And you can find me everywhere as trapcellist. It is all one word spelled trapcelist.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:There is no h in cello. Yeah. You can find me everywhere as trapcellist. I have a website. You can go to trapcellist.com, On Instagram at trapcellist everywhere.
Chanel Kelly - TrapCellist:If you type in trap cellist, I will pop up.
Rob Lee:And there you have it, folks. I wanna again thank the trap cellist, Chanel Kelly, for coming on to the podcast and sharing a bit of her story and some of her insights. And for Janelle Kelly, I am Rob Lee saying that there's art, culture, and community in and around your neck of the woods. You've just gotta look for it.
