Musician returns for hometown concert
Caitlin Mahoney has a specific role model for her performances. Calling Bruce Springsteen her “spirit animal (although he’s a man),” the songwriter seeks to emulate the essence of The Boss’ concerts.
“His live shows, they’re a party that you just want to keep going back to,” she said on the phone from her home in Brooklyn.
The Orlando native’s music is a little more somber than Springsteen’ s, especially on “Story Still Left to Be Told,” her latest album. Fans will be able to experience what she admits is less a party and more a “two -hour hope and dream session” when her tour brings her to The Social in her hometown. (6 p.m. Sunday, $15, thesocial.org)
A former assistant at an Orlando law firm, Mahoney moved to New York in 2011 to take a job with a publisher, where she could use her English degree from Florida State University. Once up North, she began playing at open mics.
“It seemed to be resonating and that was pretty addicting ,” she said. “There’s a very soul-filling energy in the New York music scene and you can’t get enough of it.”
Her sophomore LP, “Story” was inspired by her touring and the decision to focus on being a full-time musician. “I spent some good time reflecting on my travels and what I wanted my life to look like,” said Mahoney, 28.
“My goal when writing songs is always to find the universality of this thing that I’m working through and get out of the way of it,” she said. “Generally anyone coming of age, learning that maybe life isn’t going to be exactly what you thought, and that’s progress, that’s life, that’s moving forward.”
She also has worked to call attention to the works of women, such as having female designers for her promotional art and merchandise. Her opening act, solo artist Jeni Magana, took the photos for her album.
“Women are amazing,” said Mahoney.
While she has found a supportive home in the music scene of Brooklyn, Mahoney admires what she sees happening in Central Florida. “I’ve gotten a taste of [the Orlando music scene] and I really love it,” she said. “There’s a lot of people hustling and working hard and creating this nurturing scene that reminds me a lot of what I’ve experienced in Brooklyn as well.”
Ultimately, Mahoney believes it comes down to the work people are willing to do to pursue their dreams. Many decry changes in technology and media as making the music industry more difficult, but Mahoney believes “it’s just like any other business. I am an entrepreneur. Yes, it ’s hard, but it’s probably the easiest it has ever been to do it.
“This [old] model existed that was based on gatekeepers. Now it’s a matter of working really hard, considering what connects with people, and giving it to them.”