12 y/o Cece Erling performs new song live and interviews on Max Ink Radio

You found Wisconsin's local music authority. This is Magsink Radio. We are local music.

CC, that is Dreamer and that is one of her brand new songs. We've heard a couple of

here times here on Magsink Radio. I'm rocker. He was Jane in the control room.

Tonight's guest, CC Earling. She's a young singer and songwriter from right here in Madison.

And she plays ukulele guitar piano with indie pop and country inspiration. And she just released

her first single last December, which I believe is what we just listened to. And the new album coming

out this spring. And when she's not writing and playing music on her own, she can be found

dancing with the Madison Royals or the studio dancer acting with Vact or CTM while a lot of

acronyms there or performing with Madison Youth Choir and the WISO music makers. CC, welcome to

Magsink Radio. Thank you for having me. How are you doing tonight? I'm doing good. And now you're

12 years old, right? Yeah. I think you're officially one of the youngest members we've interviewed

here on Magsink Radio. So I'm very proud of that and I'm very proud of you for being here. CC,

um, tell us a little bit about yourself. I mean, how did you get started playing music? What's

your backstory? Um, well, I've always liked music and I've always liked saying and I used to just like

see other people and I used to always listen like Taylor Swift and Rihanna and like Olivia Rodrigo

and all those people when I was like a little bit younger and like during COVID and stuff. So I

used to always like sing karaoke with my friends like that would be my favorite thing to do. But then

I saw this video of a girl and her sister playing like guitar and piano and I was like, oh, I want

to learn an instrument because I had never even like really thought about it before and this was when

I was like probably seven or eight. Wow. And then like I really wanted to learn guitar but my mom

had heard that it's easier to learn guitar after you already know ukulele. So um, she recommended that

and then at first I didn't really like it but then I kept doing it and I really liked it and um,

I just like kept practicing ukulele and then um, about like a year or two ago I started practicing

guitar again. Wow. That's pretty incredible. So um, usually I ask I guess what's your parents

role in your musical upbringing but we heard that. Did your mom have any records or music they used

to listen to that that you liked or did you kind of just gravitate to your own music?

Um, she liked a lot of the same music as me too but I remember or like a lot of the time we like

to harmonize to songs together in the car like to songs by the indico girls or like a del all those

kind of stuff. That's so awesome. Well, it's so great to have mom support and when when your mom

is the manager, we call that around here the momager. And uh, what other instruments do you play?

So you said ukulele guitar. Do you have any others or do you have any that you aspire to play?

Um, yeah. So I do play ukulele guitar but I also take piano lessons at Y-SIM. Um, and then I got

an electric bass for Christmas for my grandpa. Oh wow. So I've been trying to pick that up and

just like learn basic songs in that. So I hope to get better at that. And then I also, I also play

clarinet in my school band. Oh really? All right. Wow. Thanks. Very talented. That's really good

to hear. It's really great when we see young kids picking up traditional musical instruments

and uh, starting out in rock and roll especially, right? Uh, you are a girls rock can participant

talk about your experience and what you took away from girls rock camp. Yeah, I really liked

doing girls rock camp. I feel like it was just like a really good experience to kind of um,

like feel what it would be like to work in a band and also to feel to get like a good feel for

how songwriting is. Um, and I did girls rock camp for the first time when I was nine. Um, and so

after that, I feel like that just really helped me get more into songwriting. And also,

I got to go to the recording studio for girls rock camp. So that really like, I really started

liking that too. So I wanted to that like inspired me to write songs so I could later record them.

So at girls rock camp, they put you together with other campers who are, excuse me, maybe new

in music and put you together as a band. Now, uh, who did you work with there? Who have been your

instructors? Cause we know a lot of them. They come here on maxing radio often. Um, my first

instructor was Teresa Marie. And she's in the People Brothers band. That's right. Singer. Um,

and then the next year I had Jenna Jonas as my mentor drummer extraordinaire. Yes. And then

I had Teresa Marie again this past year. Oh, wow. And uh, do you think that, you know, I mean,

it really gives a lot of experience and builds confidence in young girls in music.

Did you, did you take that away from that? Yeah, I feel like it really helped me get my star

in songwriting. And it was just like a really good experience when I was starting out.

Now talk about dancing. Uh, you are very involved locally. There were so many organizations

you're dancing for. I can't keep track. Talk about your dancing career. Yeah. I've always like

dancing. I've been, I'm pretty sure it took my first ballet class when I was like three years old.

Um, so it's just really something that I really like to do. And I feel like it really also helps

me express. Um, and also it just is a nice way to like get away. And it's also, um, I make a lot

of friends through dance. So that's really fun. And um, this past year I joined the Madison Royals

Dance team. So I got to try out like new types of dance. What is the Madison Royals Dance team?

It's a palm team in Madison. And so it's junior. Um, so we get to go to like all these fun camps

and competitions, which I was new to competitions this year. And I really liked it. Wow. So you do

ballet. You do palms. What other types of dancing do you do? Um, also with the Madison Royals,

we got to do like jazz and kick. Um, so we would get in like kick lines and do all these fun

themed routines. And I really loved it. Wow. That's pretty cool. Um, so you see,

you have a new EP coming out soon. Um, talk about your upcoming record. Where did you, uh,

where are you recording? I'm recording at paradigm productions. Okay. Um, so I've been working on it

since, um, like before even dreamer was released. So it's been a long time that I've been working

on it. And I'm finally near the end. So that should release, um, sometime in May or late April.

And I'm really excited. Wow. Are we going to be able to find that on Spotify and Apple Music and

all that good stuff? Yeah. You can find it pretty much on every streaming service. And, um,

it's going to have four songs. Four songs. And what artists, uh, well, like what guests are playing

on like we just heard dreamer. Who who's playing with you on that song? Anybody we know?

Um, my producer, um, who works at paradigm productions, Jake Johnson. Oh, yeah. He's playing, um,

he's playing based on that. And then I'm playing the piano and the ukulele. And then a friend of mine,

um, Chase is playing the drums on that. And he's really good at that. Yeah. That was pretty cool.

Um, let's see, C, C, C, you, you will be performing coming up at the Cargo Coffee East on East

Washington Avenue in Madison on Saturday. Make second. Are you excited to have kind of a full

show coming up here? Yeah. I'm really excited. I've performed at like festivals and things like

that, but those, um, were with, with my friends and like shorter sets. Um, so this is going to be

the longest one I've done. It's going to be 45 minutes long. Wow. And you were telling me that you've

played up at people fast. Yeah, I have. Tell us about playing in the driftless gardens. I mean,

that's like an amazing venue to play, isn't it? Yeah. It was a really fun experience. And it was

like, um, we got a decent size audience and it was really fun. I played with my friends. And, um,

Theresa Marie invited me to play there, um, because that's like, I feel like she really helped me

after Girls' Rock Camp as well. Wow. That's pretty incredible. Did you get to actually play

with the people, brother band? Um, I didn't play with them, but I played on a stage and like,

that was like smaller and it was like really fun. I really liked it. And what other festivals have

you played at that we might know of? Um, I played at the McPike Park Festival. Oh, yeah.

Well, that's a lot of fun. And, uh, CC, you brought a guitar tonight and you're going to play

one of your songs for us tonight. The song is called Trust Fall. Um, before you play that for us,

why don't you tell us about that song? Yeah. Um, so I wrote Trust Fall, um, like in the

plot, while I was in the process of recording dreamers, so probably like, um, late November,

slash, like December, um, so around that time. And, um, I was just like messing around with that.

So I like got the idea of, um, a song called Trust Fall, like a long time ago, but I just never

finished it. I never like actually started writing. I just thought it'd be cool, like song idea.

And then I just, that was like when I was getting, starting to feel more confident with my guitar.

So I just played around with random chords. And then I thought of like some lyrics that I thought

would be fun. And I really like it because it's more like, um, powerful. So what do you think comes

first for you? Like concept, lyric, or riff? Um, it really depends for this song. Like I said,

it was just like the concept that came first, but for a lot of my songs, like Dreamer, um,

it's just like melodies a lot of the time. Or, um, sometimes I'll have like lyrics and melodies that

I'm just like randomly thinking of. And then I'll go to my guitar and find chords. Or sometimes

it's chords first. And then I will just think of words that along the way that go with the chords.

Wow. Very insightful. Well, why don't you get your guitar on here? And we'll have you play one

song here. Uh, let's sort of like, uh, mini live from the mad city. Maybe we'll even have, uh, time

for two. Let's see if we can get that, uh, uh, you're listening to live, um, live from the mad city

on Maxine Gritio. Right now we have a mini one with CC. And she's going to play your song,

Trustful. Go ahead.

I don't know, just how life is going to turn out.

Oh,

had a dream, but I can't speak up loud enough.

Oh,

and I don't know if I am on the right track. Like need flesh and then you're gone.

Because life is stressful. And you let me go.

And I don't know how to move around.

And I don't know if I am on the right track.

And I don't know if I am on the right track.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

My eyes don't let fall on me now.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Heart and free, ball, whisper, ring, please catch me somehow.

Something's ever changed.

City lights still like the same.

My river flows this way.

My brain is wandering.

Tables turn and things don't change.

When you first, you're still the same.

Cause why's the dress falling to let me go?

And I don't know how to hold.

And I don't know if I am on the right track.

And I don't know where my umbrella is.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Tables turn and I have changed.

Lightning flash, you're still the same.

Wow, CC, early right here.

A little bit of life in the mad city.

Maxing radio.

CC, we will tell everybody you're playing again.

Let me look where's the May 2nd coming up.

That's Saturday night at the cargo coffee East on East Washington Avenue.

We look forward to seeing you.

We thank you so much for coming in to play for us tonight.

Yeah, thank you for having me shop local, eat local, listen local.

This is Maxing Radio.

We are local music.