Here at Born & Bred we spend a lot of time combing through social media for new and exciting things happening in the state. We are always excited when we find something that is a little outside of the norm of what we typically cover, but still fits in to the larger musical landscape. This is a tale of two things: being active on social media and engaging other creators on their content.
That is how TaleSpins Journal came across our radar. The creator, Angie Iafrate, was actively liking our posts on instagram which caused us to check out her profile and we were immediately intrigued by what she has created and is working to get into people’s hands. The following is an interview in which we asked Angie about her creation and what she’s digging in WV music.
BB: What inspired TaleSpins?
As many can likely relate, I often will hear a song that takes me very vividly back in time. A few months ago while streaming music in my car, I had two of those songs randomly pop up about an hour apart and they evoked two very distinct and detailed memories. The first was connected to some youthful travel adventures of my early 20s. The second was connected to a day over 20 years later when I said goodbye to my brother who passed away of leukemia complications. Despite the stark contrast in emotion and era, what these stories had in common was being tied vividly to my memory by a song. I’ve always thought about keeping a journal for these special tracks and the life stories that go along with them, but then I get easily overwhelmed by a blank page; I need just a little more direction to focus. That day in April, I looked online for a song journal but couldn’t find precisely what I wanted so decided to make one instead. I shared it with a couple people who thought it was actually a cool idea and encouraged me to print copies and put them into the world.
BB: How would someone use TaleSpins?
I think there are different ways a person could use this journal. One is the way I described above, to take the songs that are part of your “life soundtrack” because they bring back memories of your life’s stories and to tell the stories themselves. These may not necessarily be your favorite songs – maybe you don’t even particularly like them! – but they are tied to a memory, for whatever reason, and you want to record the song and the memory. This was my original intention.
Another cool idea that my sister had when I first showed her the journal was to use it almost as a “written mixtape” of songs that share a meaning to that relationship, whatever that relationship may be, and write about those songs and why you chose them. Then, you can gift your writings to the person. As anyone who grew up in the mixtape era knows, the mixtape was a carefully-curated labor of love tailored to the recipient, and this idea would be the same!
I also think it can just be used as a general “songs I love and why” journal, in a more basic way. My initial inspiration was a little more nuanced than that, but I intentionally tried to word the prompts with generalized language to accommodate this use. Really, the journal is like a song itself – once it’s out in the world, it doesn’t really matter what the creator was thinking when it was made as much as what the user believes it to be.
BB: How has it been being a creative in WV and getting people to understand this idea?
It has been a challenge for me to get this idea out there, to be honest. That is in part because the idea is not one that can be fully captured in a snippet, sound byte or attention-grabbing image! Journaling is sort of an introspective activity that doesn’t necessarily lend itself to flashy promotional content, and the specific use of this journal does take a little explaining! Also, as with many creatives in WV and beyond, this is a side project for me. I otherwise work full time while also raising a teenager, so a lot of the important efforts around promotion fall by the wayside in the daily grind. This is one reason why it’s so important for creative West Virginians to be helping other creative West Virginians get the word out.
BB: Where can people get their copy of TaleSpins?
Currently the journals are selling on Etsy, where my shop handle is TaleSpinsJournals, and I am also in conversation with some independent bookstores around the state to hopefully get them in those small, locally-owned businesses, as well. At the time of this interview, I don’t have any stores confirmed but I encourage readers to follow my Instagram page (@talespinsjournals) for updates. I also would love for any small business owners who might like to carry the journals to reach out to me at talespinsjournals@gmail.com!
BB: What have you been listening to lately that inspires you?
Lately my teenager has been dominating the turntable and the car stereo alike. I barely get a record in edgewise, but that’s okay because he’s choosing the music I listened to when I was his age in the 90s. I think The Cure’s Disintegration is playing in the background right now, actually!
BB: Who are some West Virginia bands you’re listening to?
First, though I am admittedly biased, my super talented younger brother, Andrew, who was born and bred in West Virginia (though lives in Kentucky now) has a band called Elk Hound that’s always in my rotation. Last month I picked up a copy of Santa Ana, a new release from Wheeling singer-songwriter Ananga Martin via Nail City Records. Also, I recently listened to No Options, the new Appalshop release of hip-hop music from across Appalachia (including West Virginia artists like Monstalung), and that was really great. Hello June and The Parachute Brigade have been in my playlist for a while. In fact, I was fortunate to see The Parachute Brigade’s first Mountain Stage appearance when I lived in Charleston several years ago. Though I didn’t know them at the time, that was one of the favorite Mountain Stage sets I’ve seen live because of the audience’s enthusiasm and support. It was a really memorable example of how West Virginians encourage, prop up, and take pride in their homegrown talent.
