Kid Gulliver, Sugar Snow, and Whistlestop Rock have all released new music in recent months. Simone Berk explains how she is involved with all three bands.

Sugar Snow is my solo project, the first music I wrote, sang, and recorded. It is very personal, melancholy, and quiet. Quite the opposite of Kid Gulliver, which is loud, silly fun. Listening to Kid Gulliver should make you smile. Listening to Sugar Snow might make you cry.

WhistleStop rock is an entirely different project. I contacted some women I love who play in bands I love to play shows, and it evolved into a traveling tour, which was unfortunately cut very short by COVID-19. Another group message was the genesis of “Queen of the Drive-In”, reminiscing about summer nights at the drive-in. It is a nostalgic song co-written by me after a few drinks. I sent it to Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s because so many people told us it was very Go-Go’s, and she loved it. And she has excellent taste. 🙂

Everyone around me has survived the past few months by listening to music, watching movies, and reading books. How can it be that it is so difficult to earn money by making “art”?

It is a funny thing that without music, film, art, this quarantine would be unbearable. It seems that it’s hard to make a living being an artist because the people only want to pay those who have already succeeded. People are ok with a $20 movie or a high priced ticket for a big name concert, but for $15 you can see 4 great bands. And even then, there is little money for us. I’m thankful to have a captive audience right now!

Recording music. What’s all the fun about? Playing music in front of a crowd. What’s all the fun about?

Playing shows- We put our everything into every show whether there is a crowd or just 4 people. When the stars align, you have a crowd, your friends there, you are playing well, singing well–nothing can beat it. Our last show before the pandemic was the best show we’d ever played, to an audience of around 250, and I’m so thankful we had the chance to stun a large crowd into submission.

Always proud to answer ‘I am a musician’ to the question ‘what are you doing?’?

I always say I’m a musician but I say I’m a mother first. Both are equally confusing to most people.

You can’t control the way people ‘hear’ your music. But if you could make them aware of certain aspects, you think, set your songs apart. What would they be?

Put on your headphones. Music is a different world with your headphones on.