Maybe April is the uniquely named trio made up of Kristen Castro, Katy DuBoise (Bishop), and Alaina Stacey. Hailing from Simi Valley, CA, Jonesboro, AR, and Chicago, IL, the three met while attending a music industry camp in Nashville during the summer of 2012. While at the camp, they wrote a song that would later take them to Los Angeles to play at a GRAMMY week event with some of music’s bests including Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, Allen Shambling, Gavin DeGraw, J.D. Souther, and Joy Williams from the now split Civil Wars.
The ladies’ amazing 3-part harmony, abilities as instrumentalists and songwriters, and their shared role of “front woman” have opened the door to opportunities such as opening for Brandy Clark and Sarah Jarosz and their recent video “Last Time” premiere on CMT. The Country Note caught up with the trio and asked them a few questions:
CN: Hello Ladies! To start, could you give our readers a little background on yourselves?
MA: Hi! Yes we kind of all have a different background story.
Katy grew up in Arkansas doing dance and musical theater. She realized she loved performing and being on stage. Then, hen she got a little bit older she started writing songs and coming back and forth to Nashville in high school to pursue her career as a solo artist before she met Kristen and Alaina.
Kristen started as a metal head and even was in an Iron Maiden cover band (there are YouTube videos to prove it). She started playing guitar when she was 10 and I used to hop around on stage and head bang. As a result of a Grammy Camp before the one we met at, she got to play onstage with Keith Urban and he inspired her to go in a new musical direction. So thanks to Keith Urban now she’s in a Country Americana group.
Alaina was basically singing before she could talk. Her parents used to be in band together, her older brothers were as well, and her little brother is a hip hop dancer. It was pretty much just in her blood! She did a lot of musical theater and regular theater, but she always wanted to be a songwriter so she moved here (Nashville) as soon as she graduated high school.
CN: Where did you get the name “Maybe April”?
MA: The band name just came from the fact that Katy and Alaina were born in April and we liked the name playing on May and April. Kristen was born December so we say she’s the maybe haha. We think we should just come up with a new story for that every time to make it more interesting.
CN: In 2012, as three individual songwriters you met at an Industry Camp in Nashville and ended up writing a song together. Fast-forward to last year when you released your new album Maybe April – are all the songs on the album written/co-written by you? Have you written/co-written for anyone else?
MA: Yes! All of the songs on the album are written by some form of us. Some are two of us, or one of us, or all three, or us plus another songwriter! We love co-writing with each other because we just know what each of us are trying to say or what we are thinking. We also love co-writing with all the amazing people in this town.
CN: Which do you enjoy more – songwriting or singing?
MA: I think as artists it’s so hard to decide between those. With songwriting you get to get out your emotions and share them with the world, but singing is also a form of expression to convey those emotions. It probably depends on the day, but hopefully we don’t ever have to choose 🙂
CN: As a trio, you each share the role as “front woman” – did that come naturally or was it decided upon?
MA: That pretty much formed on it’s own. We loved that each of us is so different and adds something unique to the band to make it Maybe April.
CN: Which artists are you inspired by the most? Are you drawn more towards solo artists or groups?
MA: Honestly we like both. I think we are drawn to strong women in music who aren’t afraid to be vulnerable. We love Kacey Musgraves, Lori McKenna, Maren Morris, Carly Pearce, and I’m With Her. We also really love Brothers Osborne and Charlie Worsham.
CN: Can you discuss the story behind your latest single “Last Time”?
MA: Alaina was in an off and on relationship all throughout high school (and beyond), and one time she came back to Nashville after seeing him back home in Chicago and was just done. She knew she couldn’t keep going back and forth and had to be strong, so this song was just about telling yourself “I can’t keep doing this. This is the last time.” She played it for him next time she was home and the reaction was interesting…He’s also a musician and is really talented.
CN: You’re supported by Taylor Guitars & Timber Tones Plectrums and are said to be instrumentalists – what instruments do you all play?
Katy: I started in Violin and would love to pick that back up because unfortunately I stopped around age 12. I play a Taylor 814 that I’ve had since I was 15 and it’s gone everywhere with me. I also play some mandolin in the group.
Kristen: In the group I play a custom Taylor guitar that’s made from Tasmanian Blackwood, and a Kentucky KM755 Mandolin. Outside the group I play electric guitar, banjo, bass, and piano.
Alaina: I play a Taylor 326CE – it’s my newest guitar and the one that I play all the time! I also play Kristen’s Kentucky mandolin. I used to play violin and cello and piano, and I wish mom had never let me stop. I want to get back into all of them. I also play the flute!
CN: In the past you have opened for Brandy Clark – what did you learn from that experience and who would you most like to open for?
MA: Yes, that was an awesome experience! She’s such a great artist and it’s always fun to see how each different artist approaches their live performance. We loved her band set-up and story telling throughout the set. We would love to get to open for her again, but as we mentioned earlier we love Charlie Worsham so that would probably be the dream tour!
CN: What advice do you have for aspiring singer/ songwriters wanting to get into the business?
Katy: To stay true to yourself and not let what everyone else is doing make you second guess that. It’s also easy to get discouraged if things don’t move as quickly as you’d like, but just take everything as a learning experience to better yourself and prepare you for when you do get that opportunity you’ve been hoping for.
Kristen: Think outside the box and stay true to who you are as a musician. There are times you may feel uncomfortable in the music industry but always remember that you’re in control of your creativity and artistry.
Alaina: Focus on the stuff you love! The music business is hard and can be incredibly discouraging. The best part about it is the music, so don’t let yourself get too caught up in the business stuff. Stay on top of it, but always remember to go back to the reason you started.
CN: What can your fans expect from you in 2018?
MA: Lots and lots of shows and new songs 🙂
For more information on Maybe April, visit their website: www.maybeapril.com