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Kay Hanley (Letters to Cleo): From Boston Alt-Rock to Disney Soundtracks and Fighting for Songwriters' Rights
“I worked a double shift at my… restaurant job. And then on Thursday night, we’d hop in the van, drive to New York, play at CBGB’s… and then be back on Monday for work.”
Letters to Cleo frontwoman Kay Hanley joins The Aftershow to trace her path from Dorchester to the major-label spotlight and beyond. Kay opens up about the Boston club scene of the early '90s, the Billboard review that changed everything at SXSW, and the surreal experience of recording next to Weezer at Oceanway Studios. She reveals the shocking radio industry practice that limited female-led bands to just one slot in the top 20, shares behind-the-scenes stories from Parks and Rec's Unity Concert (including her starstruck Jeff Tweedy moment), and explains how working with Babyface on Josie and the Pussycats taught her that creating music could actually pay the bills. Plus: her transition from reluctant frontwoman to Disney composer, the "cockamamie schemes" that led to Doc McStuffins, and why she co-founded Songwriters of North America to fight for fair pay in the streaming era—because 70 million YouTube streams shouldn't equal seventeen bucks.
Perfect for fans of Letters to Cleo, '90s alt-rock history, Parks and Rec lore, and anyone curious about the business side of making music actually sustainable.
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Credits:
Letters to Cleo, Kay Hanley, Boston alt-rock, Here & Now, Aurora Gory Alice, Wholesale Meats and Fish, Go!, Giant Records, 90s alternative rock, Parks and Rec, Ben Wyatt, Unity Concert, 10 Things I Hate About You, Josie and the Pussycats, Doc McStuffins, Disney Junior, Kindergarten the Musical, Songwriters of North America, SONA, Michelle Lewis, Babyface, radio discrimination, streaming royalties, T.T. the Bear's, SXSW
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By The Aftershow“I worked a double shift at my… restaurant job. And then on Thursday night, we’d hop in the van, drive to New York, play at CBGB’s… and then be back on Monday for work.”
Letters to Cleo frontwoman Kay Hanley joins The Aftershow to trace her path from Dorchester to the major-label spotlight and beyond. Kay opens up about the Boston club scene of the early '90s, the Billboard review that changed everything at SXSW, and the surreal experience of recording next to Weezer at Oceanway Studios. She reveals the shocking radio industry practice that limited female-led bands to just one slot in the top 20, shares behind-the-scenes stories from Parks and Rec's Unity Concert (including her starstruck Jeff Tweedy moment), and explains how working with Babyface on Josie and the Pussycats taught her that creating music could actually pay the bills. Plus: her transition from reluctant frontwoman to Disney composer, the "cockamamie schemes" that led to Doc McStuffins, and why she co-founded Songwriters of North America to fight for fair pay in the streaming era—because 70 million YouTube streams shouldn't equal seventeen bucks.
Perfect for fans of Letters to Cleo, '90s alt-rock history, Parks and Rec lore, and anyone curious about the business side of making music actually sustainable.
Follow:
Credits:
Letters to Cleo, Kay Hanley, Boston alt-rock, Here & Now, Aurora Gory Alice, Wholesale Meats and Fish, Go!, Giant Records, 90s alternative rock, Parks and Rec, Ben Wyatt, Unity Concert, 10 Things I Hate About You, Josie and the Pussycats, Doc McStuffins, Disney Junior, Kindergarten the Musical, Songwriters of North America, SONA, Michelle Lewis, Babyface, radio discrimination, streaming royalties, T.T. the Bear's, SXSW