You’d probably be surprised to hear that the New York based bombshell of a group, The Shells, weren’t always the red hot trio you see before you today. It started out with Melanie Klaja and Carrie Welling taking their act to the stage as a duo… until they realized what kind of potential lied in adding a third full voice: “When Jess (Jessica Rae Waltz) auditioned, Car and I were in another group as a duo. We wanted a third because it was a fuller sound. She fit ‘like a glove!’ It was unbelievable how well we blended and how organic the chemistry was on stage.  We all stood alone really well as solo vocalists, but together it became an unstoppable machine!”

A machine so potent, that the group was recently nominated by MTV for the Best Breakout NYC Artist award – which is pretty decent timing – their latest release just hit the streets last month, a collection titled “Written Roads”. Jessica talks about the effort, “We took a lot of care to piece the songs together in a way that felt like you were on the path with us as we walked through these songs and stories we are trying to tell…I think there’s something there for everyone & we’ve even tagged ourselves in our own genre, ‘Cosmo Country!’ Its a little bit country, a little bit urban, but we have some real gritty rock tunes in there mixed with a slow ballad or two.”

The Shells are just getting rolling on the path of the success that lies ahead, so jump on the bandwagon now. They’ll be touring outside NYC, so check the schedule and download “Written Roads” next time you’re at your laptop. There’s much more to learn below, so keep reading for the answers to the XXQ’s.

XXQs: The Shells

PensEyeView.com (PEV): What goes through your heads the minute you walk onto stage?

CW:  "Shoot! Did I turn off the iron when I left the house today?" hahaha! No really my head is pretty clear when I go on stage. It doesn't really hit me that we are actually performing for people until about halfway through the set.

JRW:  For me all I’m focused on is getting into character…I guess that means thinking about the first song of the set—what does it mean?  How do I want to portray this today?  By finding something inside to emote your song to the audience, you’re better able to affect a listener and get them hearing what the music is really about.  The sooner you can get into character, the better a show.  That’s something that I’ve been really working on to keep the audience engaged and involved.

MK: I'm like, “Here we go, let's rock this joint!” I'm just ready to have fun and do what I love to do the best. Each song is so different and come from a different emotion. So when I first get on stage, I just prepare myself to be completely open to whatever is about to happen.

PEV: How did the band first come together and was it an instant connection?

CW:  It was just Mel and me singing and harmonizing together first and then all of a sudden there was this really beautiful, tall, skinny girl singing with us, too. We got Jessie off of Craigslist! She was like our new puppy and we all instantly had a sister bond (We fight like sisters too!) It was kinda scary how our voices just totally blended perfectly together!

JRW:  I found an ad on Craigslist for a band seeking a third harmony in a female folk group.  I had just moved to the city and was looking for an outlet to pursue music and a harmony group really appealed to me because I’ve always been a choir buff and I directed an a cappella group in college.  So, I auditioned in front of Mel and Carrie who were like, “Oh, we’re just reading magazines, don’t mind us!”  But obviously that didn’t do much to ease my nerves…being judged is always nerve-wracking!  But I guess I did ok because 4 years later, here we are!

MK: When Jess auditioned, Car and I were in another group as a duo. We wanted a third because it was a fuller sound. She fit "like a glove!" It was unbelievable how well we blended and how organic the chemistry was on stage.  We all stood alone really well as solo vocalists, but together it became an unstoppable machine!

PEV: What is the story behind the name “The Shells”?

JRW: We originally were another incarnation of the group we are now, and as we grew, starting writing our own music and became something totally different, we decided to morph our name as well.  I always think of every being as a shell of who they are on the inside.  Our music is a representation of that idea…our songs are about things that are happening in every day life, but they’re also telling of the human struggle, the will to persevere…our “shells” make up the image of who we are. The Shells represent not just an image, but the human spirit through our stories in our music.

MK: When you go to the ocean, pick up a big conch shell. Listen to the multiple sounds becoming one voice. We try to be the voices of our audience. Three different voices coming together like the sounds of the ocean.  The sounds of the world.

PEV: What can fans expect from a live Shells show?

CW: its different you know. I think people should expect to see and hear something that they never experienced before. People should expect to cry, laugh, dance, and sing along.

JRW: To be surprised!  We’re always trying to mix it up and make it exciting with new songs, new musicians, new sets…Because we started as a very raw acoustic act and have grown into a full-blown rock band, we can be any version of band we want and it’s always fresh and fun to be able to change it up.  We surprised everyone by having a special guest violinist from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at our CD release…we’re sneaky, so you never know what to expect!  But always expect a great show with all the guts of our emotions coming out to tell our stories…our shows are fun & engaging, but can be intense!

MK: Be prepared to have a crazy, manic experience. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll reminisce, you'll shake your booty. You can expect an emotional journey that I hope leaves you happy and thinking

PEV: Tell us about your first live performance together as a band that we see now. Was it an instant connection?

CW:  I was a little nervous but the first show was just the start of something so cool!

JRW: I definitely think we had instant connection.  We all sort of had that electricity of a feeling when you just know something’s right.  I don’t remember what our first performance together was…there’s a dispute between a holiday party and Blaggard’s Pub.  We’ll have to check the records on that one!

MK: Wow, there have been so many since then that I can't remember the first. I do remember it being a success. There was definitely a connection. Afterwards I remember thinking, "Oh man, watch out, guys. We got something special here!"

PEV: What can fans expect from your recent work, “Written Roads”?

CW:  Like I said before, it's so different! It hits a lot of genres but still sticks to those SHELL roots/harmonies that makes it its own genre. The CD is a big 12-song story of The Shells’ journey thus far and each song brings its own unique twist. Yay, for Ryan Williams (our producer)!

JRW: I was talking to a friend and fellow musician about this the other day who had just listened to our album…Overall he had songs that were his favorites, as most people do and he liked the style and the orchestration, but his most poignant comment was that listening from beginning to end, the album is truly like a journey.  We took a lot of care to piece the songs together in a way that felt like you were on the path with us as we walked through these songs and stories we are trying to tell.  With our producer, Ryan Williams, having done such an amazing job and all that attention to detail, it really does feel like “Written Roads.”  The songs are stories from our diaries, but the album is a collection of those stories told in such a way that we get you to travel with us as we go through those experiences…and we hope to continue to write that way and keep our fans along for the ride because that’s where we get our inspiration!

MK: Yeah, for sure a journey. A journey of the lives of three diverse chicas. We all wrote and arranged the CD with the help of Ryan Williams. But each one of us came to the table with an idea of our own experience. So you get stories from our lives that are very relatable. The CD makes you feel in multiple ways.

PEV: How is this album different from other albums out today?

CW:  Well, it's not just the same old, same old. The music business needs something new and fresh and that's what this album has to offer. We are really taking a chance.

JRW: I think there’s something there for everyone & we’ve even tagged ourselves in our own genre, “Cosmo Country!”  It’s a little bit country, a little bit urban, but we have some real gritty rock tunes in there mixed with a slow ballad or two.  I think we’re really versatile as a band because we’re also three different artists writing from three different perspectives.  We have the advantage of exploring each others’ styles and ways we tell stories, so that adds to the spice & interest of the album as a whole.

MK:  Well, for one, it is organic. Ryan did his best to make the songs full with great instrumentation without taking away from our natural talent. We don't overdo it with vocal fix or reverb or effects. It goes back to the way CDs should sound. We produced it so that it could be marketable for today’s ears but totally easy to duplicate in a live show. Also harmony, harmony, harmony! Doing it classic rock style. People are not doing that today. Especially three women. And Cosmo Country is the new country. It's City Country. Roots and soul mixed with complex jaded lyrics that are smart and make sense!

PEV: Tell us about the creative time behind the making of the album? What was it like creating this?

CW:  It was really cool to see our acoustic scratch tracks turn into these amazingly produced songs. Everything came very natural through the creative process. We all agreed on the same things.... Which is weird.

JRW:  A long journey!  We traveled to Atlanta to record where our album was produced, so that was definitely a huge part of the time we spent creating.  As a band we have a pretty extensive collection of songs we’ve written, so another part of the process was deciding which songs we thought best represented who we are as a band and how we wanted people to portray ourselves to new listeners.  Then, there was the graphic design, which we wanted to complement the songs and the title of the album and Keegan Luttrell, our graphic designer, and photographers Jason Knobloch, Adam Jason, Danny Chan & Mark Tully did an extraordinary job taking our vision for the design and feel of the album and turning it into visual art.  The creative process is such a huge part of releasing an album and establishing an image, so we wanted it to be perfect!

MK: Four years of songwriting, personal and musical growth. We all came to the table with songs and literally have been arranging, changing, trying out all of them through our live shows. We took the best of the best and had to kind of let Ryan run with it. Being in different cities made it hard sometimes because it became a lengthy process. But in the end, it worked ‘cause we didn't rush it. Everything happened in the time that it should have.

PEV:  What is your take on today’s mainstream music scene? What’s something you are tired of seeing today in some bands?

CW:  The same sound over and over again! Enough already! Let's take a chance and change it up.

JRW: I plead the fifth.  I think the problem is more the record companies looking to make a quick buck and failing to see the importance of giving bands with perspective and potential longevity…not to mention real talent!... A shot at being heard.  The masses are going to generally listen to what’s being pushed at them, so why not give them something that’s meaningful to listen to?  I’m inspired by the musicians from my parents’ and grandparents’ time because some of them went on to be legends and revolutionized the music industry!  Frank Sinatra, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Elvis…now we have pop stars who are more worried about whether they made best-dressed lists in glossy mags and rappers who degrade women and promote materialism.  Is this the stuff from which legends are made??  Yikes.  Don't get me wrong...I love to listen to Beyonce, Britney, Lady Gaga & Jay-Z!!  But, I think there could be a little more variety in the mainstream market...

MK:  I think that there are very talented artists out there for sure that I love to listen to. However I think mainstream lacks diversity. Everything has become very much the same thing stylistically. You don't hear any jam bands on the radio or underground hip hop. there isn't even a country station in NYC I don't think. I think that people have become a little boring with their choices of music to listen to.

PEV: What’s one thing we’d be surprised to hear about the members of the band?

CW:  I grew up in Germany!

JRW:  We all have a cheesy nickname-literally!  Carrie’s cheddar-because she makes everything better.  Mel’s “Swiss” because you can see right through her.  And I’m Brie because I go well with a cracker and a nice glass of Cabernet.

MK: We are all very big kids. People say we are one of the hardest working bands in NYC. I think that led to our nomination for MTV's Best Breakout Artist of NYC. But, we are huge goofballs. We love to let loose and be silly girls. When we went down to Atlanta to finish the CD, we would work hard during the day at the studio with Ryan, then go back and have a slumber party and make our own music videos!

PEV: Was there a certain point in your lives when you knew that music was going to be a career for you and you were determined to make it happen?

CW:  Absolutely! I think I always knew it... Something that really helps me through the day is music, and I have always felt I needed to be a part of that for other people. I really can't see myself doing anything else and that's the truth. So I guess I gotta push for it!

JRW: Pursuing music was always a dream of mine, but it wasn’t until I met these girls and we started writing and performing together that I was really committed to making it my career.  Sometimes it’s really hard to have your passion be your career because when something’s your career you have to think about business and that throws a wrench in the whole doing something because you’re passionate about it--because sometimes you're left to make decisions that force you to sacrifice your creative vision, but I’m devoted to making it work, and making it fun so we can enjoy it!

MK:  Um...birth. Ha yeah I don't remember ever wanting to do anything  else with my life.    I can't think of other things I'm better at than this. I guess I never tried anything else though. It has been an on going learning process of mine the past 28 years and music has been at the core of it throughout in one way or another. But I guess it was in college when I started writing music and believed I could do it on my own that way. That I didn't have to always sing someone else's music. That was a turning point for sure in what direction I was gonna take my career. Then when I met two other girls that could write as well and shared the exact same amount of drive and desire to have this as thier career, I knew it was extremely possible.

PEV: What one word best describes The Shells?

CW:  Cosmo Country.... Sorry that's two.

JRW: Cheesy.  Haha, that describes us as individuals for sure!  I’d say affecting.  Our music is emotional, thought provoking, and it really moves people because we’re honest about what we’re singing and it moves us, too!  That’s a huge part of being an artist...being able to live your own words each time you’re performing for an audience.

MK: One word? Yikes. Emotional. It is generic but when you think of all your emotion s, it is and endless melting pot. I think we are very expressive with our emotions individually and as a group. We are honest with our emotions and yeah, express a whole bunch

PEV: Traveling is now a large part of your life now. How is life on the road for you? Best and worst parts? Any fun stories?

CW:  Well, I am from a traveling family so I really love it. I love going different places and sharing our music with completely different people. It's cool to see how different parts of the country react to our music. We always have tons of fun on the road and we always end up having some crazy stories to tell... But we should probably save some of those stories until later in our career. I will tell you one thing though, none of us know how to drive!

JRW:  Again, the 5th :)  All I can say is that all the stories you’ve heard are probably true about antics, debauchery & fun times on the road.  Traveling inspires us to write and we love meeting new people along the way.  We just went to the Dewey Beach Music Conference and met some awesome bands who we ended up having a 3am jam session on the beach with.  The road is full of good times…I think everyone should be required to take a year and travel the country in a van with a bunch of musicians—that would change the world!

MK: Oh so much fun! I can't wait to tour.  So many people and just good vibes. Music in other cities is so different but always a blast. It's nice to embrace a different audience’s energy and play off of that. I think the three of us really bond outside the city where we can just leave our worries there and enjoy making music. And when we bring our band mates with us, oh man they see a different side. But man I know those guys have fun with us.

PEV: How have all your friends and family reacted to your musical careers? What’s it like when you get to play at your hometown?

CW:  I think it is excited for our friends and family for sure. I think it was really cool for them to see us evolve into what we are now. They are definitely the ones that help us through our hard times. We haven't actually played my hometown yet but I am sure I will be really nervous and excited when I do.

JRW:  They were surprised!  Music’s always been a big part of my life, but it was never what I vocally set out to do as a career.  So, it’s been a process of getting family and friends on board and seeing that I’m actually dedicated to this and this band and it’s not just a side track to what I was doing before.  For the most part friends and family just want me to be happy, so if I’m doing what I love, then that’s all that matters.  I'm from Nashville by way of Pittsburgh and we're still waiting to perform there, so I'm looking forward to bringing the shells to my hometowns!!

MK: Oooooh, it's so great. I am really fortunate to have a great support system. We all really do. To see the pride in our family is the greatest gift. They motivate us. They are our rocks. So to be able to share the experience we have when they are not here is like, I told you I would do it, here is my gift to you. It's a way to show how the people that have been there all along are deep with our music.

PEV: What can we find each of you doing in your spare time, aside from performing?

CW:  playing board games with friends and running! Random I know!

JRW:  I’m a nanny, but we all also do a lot for The Shells outside of just the artistic parts of performing and writing!  Because we’re independently run, we manage, book, advertise, and publicize ourselves!  We recently hired a PR firm, Absolute Pitch, to help us out with our PR so that’s been a big help!  Otherwise, I do so many things it’s crazy…I do calligraphy for special events, I’m a personal assistant, I’m a cook…you name it, I’ve probably dabbled—I wear many hats!  But, my favorite past time is curling up with a cup of tea and my puppy and watching a good movie.  Netflix is my friend!

MK: Yeah, we are busy monsters. I am a bartender for a Soho Lounge called LUSSO. A mix-ologist of sorts. I also babysit on the Upper East Side, and perform for kid's birthdays and events with Focus on Fun Entertainers. It's tough balancing money making for your personal life while running a business with your band. But somehow, we do it, it's crazy.  But that's the City. The first song on our album, “All I need is Time”, talks about just that. It's a good beginning to the CD, because it prepares you for the craziness of a journey that lies ahead.

PEV: The band was recently nominated by MTV for the Best Breakout NYC Artist award. This is a huge compliment. How did it feel when you heard the news?

CW:  I actually didn't believe it at first! We will just say I started freaking out!

JRW:  It was sort of surreal!  It still is!  We were so honored to be able to be a part of that competition among so many other talented artists here in the city.  It was a really exciting opportunity and we look forward to the many opportunities ahead!  Being finalists really got us to put our noses to the grindstone and realize that all the hard work is finally paying off and we really stepped up our game for that performance!  I feel really blessed to have been a part of that.

MK: Amazing. We never felt that sort of success, that level of exposure. But it felt well earned and pretty comfortable if I do say so myself. And it's nice that our genre, not being the most popular with MTV viewers today, is getting attention.

PEV:  Is there an up and coming band or artist you think we should all be looking out for now? Why?

CW: Dynasty Electric! Super fun and talented! They will go far.

JRW:  They’re sort of already there, but definitely The Avett Brothers.  They just have such a unique style and their sound is really fresh and interesting.

MK: For sure - The Avett Brothers. I heart them! We should totally open for them one day, it's kind of a dream!

PEV: If playing/writing music was not your career goal, what would each of you most likely be doing?

CW:  I think I would be a vocal coach or maybe a physiologist!

JRW:  I’d most likely be in medical school pounding the books & living in the library.  Ugh the thought of that…

MK:  Eeek, well some kind of performer for sure. I have my degree in theater so I still want to be apart of the world one day. And eventually I'd like to open a theater/music school. It is so important for kids to have that outlet. I don't know what I would have done without that opportunity to try it out. But I am a little old fashioned and still believe in having a family one day. little music monsters.

PEV: If we were to walk into your practice studio/space right now, what would we find?

CW:  The Shells doing fifty million things at one time. Our rehearsals are usually really fun but super busy...but that doesn't mean we don't get sidetracked and start making our piano player Scott Stein play theme songs on his keyboard! Hehehe!

JRW:  Nothing because we’re not there :) Haha, well my apartment is turned into a practice studio a lot, so when that happens, it’s usually all of us jammed into the living room talking about what we want to do with a new song, running different parts with all our band members, and I’m usually pulling a Martha Stewart and cooking something up in the kitchen to be a hostess with the mostess…Our rehearsals are LOUD and not always because we’re playing.  We’re all very opinionated & so it’s always a flurry of people talking and figuring stuff out, but when we do get down to business and start rehearsing, we’re all about the music & that hard work/discussion is evident in our performances.  We’re really lucky to work with the musicians we do to make our music come to life.

MK: A bunch of really talented and cute dudes playing keys, guitar, bass and drums for us. Then usually a hot girl violinist, us three with two bags each, pizza, beer, my dog -- Jackie O. Yeah that's pretty accurate.

PEV: So, what is next for The Shells?

CW:  Up, up, and away! We wanna reach the top!

JRW:  Touring!  We’re working on moving away from the city by swapping one gig a month with bands we know in surrounding cities.  We’re also going to be in Nashville and hopefully Texas in the next few months testing the waters of the southeast region where fans always seem to think we’d really fit.  So, we’re continuing to work hard and look forward to the next big thing! 

Buy our album online at www.cdbaby.com/artist/theshells Check us out at our website, www.theshellsonline.com and follow us on twitter: theshellstrio, facebook and myspace!!

MK: Getting our music on TV and Film to make the money to back our tour. If we can spread the love independently then we can really profit from doing what we love most. Check us out, friend us or tweet us! Is that how you say it?