Summary

Grab a drink and slide into the booth because we're diving deep with Kim Ware, the talented songwriter behind The Good Graces and drummer for the punk band Y'All'Re. This week, we’re peeling back the layers on her musical journey that started with school band and a love for drums, turning into a vibrant career filled with songwriting and live performances across the Carolinas. Kim shares tales from her early days, where she found comfort and expression through music, especially during life’s ups and downs. We’ll also have a laugh or two about the quirks of venue life, reminiscing about iconic spots like Fat City in Charlotte, which painted the backdrop of her indie rock beginnings. So come hang out with us at the Dive Bar Music Club, where the conversations flow as freely as the drinks, and the love for independent music runs deep.

Bio

Chapters

• 00:15 - Introducing Kim Ware: A Dive into Independent Music
• 01:06 - The Journey of Kim Ware: From Drummer to Songwriter
• 03:20 - Nostalgic Venues and Memories in Music
• 06:39 - Transitioning from Corporate Life to Creative Expression
• 07:50 - Embracing Accents in Podcasting

Recommended If You Like

Kim Ware, Dive Bar Music Club, independent music, singer songwriter, punk rock band, Y'All're, Grand Epiphanies EP, music podcast, music venues, Charlotte North Carolina, music nostalgia, songwriting process, female drummers, underground music scene, booking shows, music therapy, music industry insights, Southern musicians, live music experience, music community, music interviews, the good graces

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.160 - 00:00:03.760

Hey, this is Kim Ware, and you're listening to Dive Bar Music Club.

Speaker B

00:00:04.320 - 00:00:06.160

Welcome to Dive Bar Music Club, the.

Speaker C

00:00:06.160 - 00:00:32.710

Low key, high taste happy hour for music nerds. Each week we're joined by a rotating cast of regulars, people who live and breathe independent music.

This week, we'll get to know Kim Ware, songwriter for the Good Graces, drummer for the punk band y' all Are, and former booking agent. Part hang, part deep dive, it's Dive Bar Music Club.

So grab a drink, slide into that booth, and get to know Kim Ware on this week's session of Dive Bar Music Club.

Speaker B

00:00:33.670 - 00:00:40.870

So, Kim Ware, I am so glad you're going to be part of the regulars here on Dive Bar Music Club. What are you doing in the world of music these days?

Speaker A

00:00:41.270 - 00:00:57.600

I'm a singer, songwriter, and I just released a new ep. It's called Grand Epiphanies. And I also play drums in a punk rock band called Y' All Are.

And we've been really busy last play a lot around the Carolinas, so that's primarily what I'm doing these days.

Speaker B

00:00:58.160 - 00:01:06.000

Very cool. We're excited to get to know you a little bit more through the regulars and our fun chats coming up each month on Dive Bar Music Club.

Thanks for being part of what we're doing.

Speaker A

00:01:06.320 - 00:01:06.800

Yeah.

Speaker B

00:01:06.960 - 00:01:14.240

So, Kim, y', all, you're playing in a couple of different kinds of bands right now, and y' all have been busy lately, but how did you end up where you are in music?

Speaker A

00:01:14.880 - 00:02:54.330

Well, I was a big tomboy when I was a kid and when I was in middle school and it came time to choose an instrument for, like, the school band. I think I associated drums, like, as being, like, a boy instrument.

So I knew I wanted to play the drums, and I didn't really have a plan B or another interest. And the prospective drummers had to do, like, a simple rhythm exercise to be chosen.

So I did that, and I guess I, you know, passed that and it sounds cliche, probably, but, like, that became my first love really quickly, and I got my first kit at age 16, and I've been playing ever since.

And when I moved to Atlanta in 2004, I quickly fell in with a few songwriters and joined their band, became their drummer, and that got me interested in, like, the craft of songwriting and was really inspired by them.

And I picked up my first acoustic guitar a few years later around 2006, and found that I was able to just put to words some, like, really complicated feelings.

I had gone through a divorce a few years prior, so I wrote A whole bunch of breakup songs all at once and just saw the therapeutic power of that and knew that it was something that I needed in my life. And I've been doing that since then as well.

And in between those, the drumming and the songwriting, I did a lot of other things like booking shows and helping with PR for people and even had a small record label for a while, but that's basically how I got there. I love it.

Speaker B

00:02:54.330 - 00:03:04.450

I love, I love the route that it takes, but also all the way back to yay big shout out to school music programs. Extremely important and we hope they continue. They're so, so important.

Speaker A

00:03:04.690 - 00:03:07.010

Yes, absolutely.

Speaker B

00:03:07.250 - 00:03:18.720

Well, I'm enjoying this and I'm looking forward to getting to know you more as we all get to chat further with Dive Bar Music Club. Have there been any venues, past or present over the years? Did you just really love either playing or seeing music?

Speaker A

00:03:20.000 - 00:05:02.380

Yeah, you know, I don't know what made me think of this venue the other day, but I guess occasionally I am reminded of a venue that was in Charlotte, North Carolina, because I live near there now and it was in the 90s, it was called Fat City. And that was I guess my introduction to like the Noda neighborhood of Charlotte. Uhhuh, uhhuh.

And which I would, I would liken that neighborhood to like Little Five Points in Atlanta where I spent some time later, you know. Yeah, just super cool, right?

And in the 90s I played in like kind of an indie rock band and I lived in Wilmington at the time and we played at Fat City just a few times. But I just have really fond memories of it. I don't have the best memory, but for whatever reason, this venue stands out. Like I can still see it.

I can still see, see what it looked like, you know, from the stage. I can still see where the stage was. And I just remember the staff always being really, really nice, very unpretentious and it was just cool.

They had really good sandwiches as well, if I remember correctly.

And it was just, to me, it was that perfect, like neighborhoody, small to mid sized room that it really like defines the neighborhood when you have something like that, when you're fortunate enough, you know, to be near something like that.

And even though I only went probably a handful of times, like played there a few times, and then went to shows there a few other times, but there's just something about that venue that's ingrained in my memory.

Speaker B

00:05:03.320 - 00:05:15.760

I love that I'm super familiar with the Noda area these days, but the 90s I was up in the Kentucky area. And then you touched on the area. That is my reason for being a music fan, which was, for me, the 80s of little five points. So fun.

Speaker C

00:05:15.760 - 00:05:16.120

Fun.

Speaker B

00:05:16.200 - 00:05:19.000

I didn't realize there was so much overlap. This will be fun to get to explore.

Speaker A

00:05:19.160 - 00:05:32.120

Very cool. Yeah. Awesome. I have just such fond memories. I'm very nostalgic about both Atlanta and Charlotte, but yeah, in the 90s, gosh. In general. So.

Speaker B

00:05:34.810 - 00:05:40.970

I love it when people are trying to find out what you're doing creatively these days. Where do you want people to find you?

Speaker A

00:05:41.370 - 00:06:20.160

The goodgraces.org it's like my home base for. For my music, for my singer songwriter stuff and my band that I play drums in. I say I'm a Gemini. So I think it's like those two things are two.

They're almost polar opposite really, but they make sense for me. It's like the two sides of me. So I would love for people to check out the punk band also. It's. It's called Y' All Are Like. Y' all are.

Y' all are Pretty good. Y, apostrophe A, L, L, apostrophe R, E. Gosh, it's not that easy to Google.

Speaker B

00:06:20.160 - 00:06:21.240

It makes perfect sense.

Speaker A

00:06:21.240 - 00:07:04.190

Getting. I'm saying it. But yeah, I think it. It makes sense to us too. And we're. We're on, you know, all the social sites and all the streaming sites as well.

We don't really have a. Like a proper website, but we're on all of those things also. I mean, you can probably tell from my accent, I'm super Southern. And I used to, like.

I worked in the corporate world for a long time, and I kind of. I don't know, I tried to get away from that, I think, because I thought that I needed to. And eventually, finally I was like, you know what?

That's B.S. that's me, and I should just embrace it. So now I do hear ya.

Speaker B

00:07:04.510 - 00:07:13.430

I appreciate that. I went through the era of being a stage actor in the early 80s, where we had to take classes on things like let's lose that Southern drawl, y'.

Speaker C

00:07:13.430 - 00:07:13.630

All.

Speaker B

00:07:14.430 - 00:07:25.710

So for me, it comes back more like if I'm tired or. But the more comfortable I get, the more I slip back into it, which I'm not ashamed of at all. I wish I still had more of the accent that I used to.

Speaker A

00:07:26.640 - 00:07:48.640

Yeah, it definitely comes out for me. Well, now it's just out all the time. But, yeah, I definitely can relate to, like, when I was.

When I didn't live in the area I live in now, and I would come to visit, you know, it wouldn't take long at all. My husband would, wow. He'd be like, man, I can tell that you've been out of town this weekend. I'm like, yeah.

Speaker B

00:07:50.080 - 00:08:02.520

And honestly, for podcasting, you know, specifically audio only podcasting, it really helps to have people with different accents. And that was something that was important to me so that listeners can get used to who we are and what we sound like.

Speaker A

00:08:02.920 - 00:08:07.720

That makes sense. Yeah. And it seems like that would be more interesting to listen to, right?

Hey, this is Kim Weyer, and you're listening to Dive Bar Music Club.

Welcome to Dive Bar Music Club, the.

Low key, high taste happy hour for music nerds.

Each week we're joined by a rotating cast of regulars, people who live and breathe independent music.

This week, we'll get to know Kim Ware, songwriter for the Good Graces, drummer for the punk band y' all Are, and former booking agent.

Part hang, part deep dive, it's Dive Bar Music Club.

So grab a drink, slide into that booth, and get to know Kim Ware on this week's session of Dive Bar Music Club.

So, Kim Ware, I am so glad you're going to be part of the regulars here on Dive Bar Music Club.

What are you doing in the world of music these days?

I'm a singer, songwriter, and I just released a new ep.

It's called Grand Epiphanies.

And I also play drums in a punk rock band called Y' All Are.

And we've been really busy last play a lot around the Carolinas, so that's primarily what I'm doing these days.

Very cool.

We're excited to get to know you a little bit more through the regulars and our fun chats coming up each month on Dive Bar Music Club.

Thanks for being part of what we're doing.

Yeah.

So, Kim, y', all, you're playing in a couple of different kinds of bands right now, and y' all have been busy lately, but how did you end up where you are in music?

Well, I was a big tomboy when I was a kid and when I was in middle school and it came time to choose an instrument for, like, the school band.

I think I associated drums, like, as being, like, a boy instrument.

So I knew I wanted to play the drums, and I didn't really have a plan B or another interest.

And the prospective drummers had to do, like, a simple rhythm exercise to be chosen.

So I did that, and I guess I, you know, passed that and it sounds cliche, probably, but, like, that became my first love really quickly, and I got my first kit at age 16, and I've been playing ever since.

I had gone through a divorce a few years prior, so I wrote A whole bunch of breakup songs all at once and just saw the therapeutic power of that and knew that it was something that I needed in my life.

And I've been doing that since then as well.

And in between those, the drumming and the songwriting, I did a lot of other things like booking shows and helping with PR for people and even had a small record label for a while, but that's basically how I got there.

I love it.

I love, I love the route that it takes, but also all the way back to yay big shout out to school music programs.

Extremely important and we hope they continue.

They're so, so important.

Yes, absolutely.

Well, I'm enjoying this and I'm looking forward to getting to know you more as we all get to chat further with Dive Bar Music Club.

Have there been any venues, past or present over the years?

Did you just really love either playing or seeing music?

Yeah, you know, I don't know what made me think of this venue the other day, but I guess occasionally I am reminded of a venue that was in Charlotte, North Carolina, because I live near there now and it was in the 90s, it was called Fat City.

And that was I guess my introduction to like the Noda neighborhood of Charlotte.

Uhhuh, uhhuh.

And which I would, I would liken that neighborhood to like Little Five Points in Atlanta where I spent some time later, you know.

Yeah, just super cool, right?

And in the 90s I played in like kind of an indie rock band and I lived in Wilmington at the time and we played at Fat City just a few times.

But I just have really fond memories of it.

I don't have the best memory, but for whatever reason, this venue stands out.

Like I can still see it.

I can still see, see what it looked like, you know, from the stage.

I can still see where the stage was.

And I just remember the staff always being really, really nice, very unpretentious and it was just cool.

They had really good sandwiches as well, if I remember correctly.

And it was just, to me, it was that perfect, like neighborhoody, small to mid sized room that it really like defines the neighborhood when you have something like that, when you're fortunate enough, you know, to be near something like that.

And even though I only went probably a handful of times, like played there a few times, and then went to shows there a few other times, but there's just something about that venue that's ingrained in my memory.

I love that I'm super familiar with the Noda area these days, but the 90s I was up in the Kentucky area.

And then you touched on the area.

That is my reason for being a music fan, which was, for me, the 80s of little five points.

So fun.

Fun.

I didn't realize there was so much overlap.

This will be fun to get to explore.

Very cool.

Yeah.

Awesome.

I have just such fond memories.

I'm very nostalgic about both Atlanta and Charlotte, but yeah, in the 90s, gosh.

In general.

So.

I love it when people are trying to find out what you're doing creatively these days.

Where do you want people to find you?

The goodgraces.org it's like my home base for.

For my music, for my singer songwriter stuff and my band that I play drums in.

I say I'm a Gemini.

So I think it's like those two things are two.

They're almost polar opposite really, but they make sense for me.

It's like the two sides of me.

So I would love for people to check out the punk band also.

It's.

It's called Y' All Are Like.

Y' all are.

Y' all are Pretty good.

Y, apostrophe A, L, L, apostrophe R, E. Gosh, it's not that easy to Google.

It makes perfect sense.

Getting.

I'm saying it.

But yeah, I think it.

It makes sense to us too.

And we're.

We're on, you know, all the social sites and all the streaming sites as well.

We don't really have a.

Like a proper website, but we're on all of those things also.

I mean, you can probably tell from my accent, I'm super Southern.

And I used to, like.

I worked in the corporate world for a long time, and I kind of.

I don't know, I tried to get away from that, I think, because I thought that I needed to.

And eventually, finally I was like, you know what?

That's B.S.

that's me, and I should just embrace it.

So now I do hear ya.

I appreciate that.

I went through the era of being a stage actor in the early 80s, where we had to take classes on things like let's lose that Southern drawl, y'.

All.

So for me, it comes back more like if I'm tired or.

But the more comfortable I get, the more I slip back into it, which I'm not ashamed of at all.

I wish I still had more of the accent that I used to.

Yeah, it definitely comes out for me.

Well, now it's just out all the time.

But, yeah, I definitely can relate to, like, when I was.

When I didn't live in the area I live in now, and I would come to visit, you know, it wouldn't take long at all.

My husband would, wow.

He'd be like, man, I can tell that you've been out of town this weekend.

I'm like, yeah.

And honestly, for podcasting, you know, specifically audio only podcasting, it really helps to have people with different accents.

And that was something that was important to me so that listeners can get used to who we are and what we sound like.

That makes sense.

Yeah.

And it seems like that would be more interesting to listen to, right?