Some Fresh Blood Comes to Life at the Fair

Many musical acts that play the Middlesex County Fair are old regulars, performers and bands who have graced that fair’s entertainment guide for several years. But every so often, a newcomer hits the scene.

Someone like Chelsea Carlson.

“This is my first year playing at the fair, and I'm really excited to play!” Carlson, a musician from Mount Olive, said. “Mostly I've been playing in my own area of Morris County, so I'm pumped to take on Middlesex!”

One can forgive Carlson her enthusiasm. For one thing, she’s only 19. For another, she’s anxious to hit the stage after a busy few months.

Not only is Carlson a student at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, the largest and one of the most respected independent college of contemporary music in the world, she’s also just finished recording her first original single.

“Berklee is amazing,” she says. “Unlike most colleges, even other music schools, Berklee is focussed mostly on contemporary music.  You don't have to be studying jazz or classical there - they offer classes on people like Jimmy Page and the Beatles.  In addition to my bass and music theory classes, I've taken courses called "Essentials of Songwriting" and "History of Rock Music." ”

While it may be a college focused on modern music, Carlson notes that it’s still college. “I had to balance schoolwork with a band that had gigs once or twice a week, as well as find time to write music and keep up a social life,” she said. “I must have done a good job, because I was on the Dean’s List my whole freshman year.  In the end, I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Living in a city like Boston and being surrounded by people that are all passionate about the same thing as me is so amazing, it's hard to describe.”

Carlson puts what she’s learned at Berklee and during her time as a cover singer on the line for the world to see this Aug. 6, when she’ll self release her first single, “Used to Be.”

“It’s the first song I ever wrote,” Carlson said. “It's been through a lot of transitions from when I wrote it a year ago to it the final recording I have now.  I'm so happy with the outcome, it's what I envisioned when I wrote the song.  I have some other songs finished and some still in the works, but I had to record "Used to Be" first because it's so close to me. 

“I wrote it as just vocals and acoustic guitar. But now it's a full out rock song with a guitar solo, harmonies, and the works.  I love playing covers because it's fun, but playing original stuff is fantastic, especially when the audience really gets into the song.  The first time I played "Used to Be" with a band, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face.  It was even harder to wipe the grin off my face the first time I saw someone in the audience singing along with my song a few months later. It’s a great feeling to share what you've written with other people.”

Fans may expect Carlson to list a slew of current artists among her influences, given her young age.

They’d be surprised.

“I grew up listening to classic rock because of my parents, but I really got into it myself when I joined the Long Valley School of Rock,” she said. “School of Rock is a performance-based music school where kids get a weekly lesson, but also get a weekly group rehearsal which leads up to a themed show usually dedicated to a band or rock subgenre.  In my three years at School of Rock, I played cover shows of bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen and Janis Joplin.”

It wasn’t long before Carlson was covering the legends she’d grown to love. “The first cover band I performed with was the Long Valley School of Rock in 2008, and the show was called "Corporate Rock."  Some of the songs I performed were 'Don't Stop Believing' (Journey), 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' (Meatloaf), 'Heartbreaker' (Pat Benatar), and 'Crazy on You' (Heart).  I expected the show to be pretty good because we had not only worked on it for so long, but everyone at School of Rock had thrown their hearts and souls into it.  It went really well and is one of my favorite memories of a performance.”

Chelsea Carlson performs at the Middlesex County Fair, at the fairgrounds on Cranbury Road, tonight (Wednesday, Aug. 3), from 8:45 to to 9:15 p.m. For more about Chelsea, visit her web site at http://www.wix.com/chelseacarlson92/chelseacarlsonmusic.