Showstopper in the making

Courtesy of Studio V Photography Karissa Hobbs of Siloam Springs has been recording a new Folk/Americana album, “Age of Flowers.”
Courtesy of Studio V Photography Karissa Hobbs of Siloam Springs has been recording a new Folk/Americana album, “Age of Flowers.”

Karissa Hobbs of Siloam Springs has returned to the studio to record a new album, "Age of Flowers." It's one she's been planning for years. She was a teenager the last time she recorded like this.

"I was 14 and wrote a song while on the way to Nashville about a boy I had a crush on. That will not be released," she said laughing. She also had her first experience playing live at the renowned Blue Bird Café in Nashville, Tenn. "It was terrifying but also really cool I had the chance to do that."

"Age of Flowers" will be folk/Americana music. Songs in this style have included ones that tell a story, are deeply emotional and to which people can relate. She said she hopes her music will be a form of therapy for the listener as much as it's been for her.

She's planned this album for several years, but only recently started working on it with producer Jacob Paul, who owns Inside Out Studio in Farmington with his wife, Sarah. "I was introduced to them through a co-worker," Hobbs said. "I couldn't be more grateful to be working with someone of his caliber.

"Jacob has helped me grow as a musician. He's super talented -- very easy to work with. He gets how I write things. He composes music to reflect the symbolism and the emotion behind the words and turns my songs into something even better than I imagined."

"I'm having a blast," Paul said. "I think it's going well, and the feedback has been good. We think we have something pretty good here. I feel good about it."

She described her sound as "The Civil Wars," meets "Tom Petty," meets "Fleetwood Mac." People said her voice and style remind them of Stevie Nicks.

To Hobbs, songwriting has been her journal. Growing up, she didn't listen to the radio, but "my parents had a killer vinyl collection," she said. She listened to mostly classic rock, and a lot of Pink Floyd. She's let her creativity take the lead when she writes. "Oh, I guess I'm going this way," she said.

She's planning four or five more albums. "I've got over 40 songs I need to work on," she said. The current album, 'Age of Flowers,' will have a summertime feeling to it. An extended play release, with three or four songs, should be out this summer. "I want this album to be a showstopper -- to stop people dead." A full-length album with a "darker" feel is projected for the fall.

Hobbs explained the importance of vocal conditioning and how much it's helped sound quality before recording. "If you don't use it, you lose it," she said. Keyla Reed, her vocal instructor at Inside Out Studio, has been very supportive and helpful.

"Keyla helps me get out of my head before recording sessions with Jacob. She is a performer herself and gets the pressure and vocal tension singers face." Hobbs and Reed have been doing vocal warm-ups and exercises to safely stretch the vocal chords.

After lessons, Paul and Hobbs listened to a new song. She wrote it in 2006 about a break-up and thought it would fit the style they are going for with a few improvements. Paul wanted to keep it simple. "People are craving simple," he said. "Things are so over-done."

As they listened a little longer, Paul suggested using a cajon in the song to add light percussion. A cajon, pronounced "ka-hoan," is a box drum often used to accompany acoustic guitar. "I'll record you playing it next week, and then we will build around that," he said.

"Jacob does all of the music for it," Hobbs said. "He plays various instruments, and if there is one he doesn't know, he can learn it."

"I'm not a musician by any means," she said. "I know just enough guitar to get in trouble." She taught herself to play guitar and started on a Fender Squire her mother bought. On her 16th birthday, her father gave her his acoustic guitar. "He traveled all over the world with it while in the Navy," she said. "I still can't believe he gave it to me."

She's surrounded by talent and an excellent support system of people to lean on when she needs constructive criticism. At the end of the day, she's writing music for herself more than anything. It's her therapy, her form of expression.

While her intent isn't to become famous, she said she'd cross that bridge when she got there. She's been taking her music step by step, day by day. And maybe not too long from now, Hobbs will bring a little music therapy to area music halls and coffee shops.

General News on 06/24/2015