Issue 26: Rivkah Reyes
Issue 26: Rivkah Reyes
Welcome to The Band Bible! I’m truly glad to have you here. If you’re a new reader, purpose of this newsletter is to address, break down, and shine a light on the business of being in a band. Each issue, we do this by interviewing (and celebrating!) someone who is making waves through their incredible work with or for independent artists. Sometimes, we interview independent artists themselves. Learning the business of being in a band is something that is often inaccessible or shrouded in mystery, and it shouldn’t be, so I hope The Band Bible is able to play even a small role in helping to change that.
It’s an absolute delight to share that this issue’s interviewee is the fabulous Rivkah Reyes.
Reyes is now an actor, singer-songwriter, producer, and writer — but before that, the world first met her as Katie, Horace Green Prep’s bassist extraordinaire in the 2003 Richard Linklater film School of Rock. Katie influenced a generation of girls (and then some) to see a new version of what they could be. At an age where girls so often start to be ushered into ballet classes and lessons where they’re taught to play a delicate instrument, Katie showed them that they could ditch the flute and pirouetting in pink and pick up a bass if they wanted to. Katie also played a role in reshaping the relationship between girls and popular music. The expectation that girls may only be interested in listening to Disney pop stars or the boyband of the moment was shed – they might be listening to The Who or T.Rex instead. In other words, Katie was a breaker of stereotypes.
I feel lucky to count myself as one of those girls. I was seven when School of Rock was released, and Katie always felt like the quintessential cool girl that we all looked up to. The relationship that so many of us formed with Reyes’ work in those early years made seeing her become a dynamic multi-hyphenate feel all the more exciting. Between likes of making an award-winning screenwriting debut and serving as the bassist in Never Sorry, Reyes has now released a new solo single, “sick.”
“sick” beautifully conveys the painful interplay between hope and reality, something Reyes captures with care. The track is about giving your all to something or someone, and knowing that what you give won’t mirror what you get. However, the longing for the tables to someday begin to turn keeps the cycle going, and persistence prevails despite the pain.
We’ve all been there.
“sick” has such a sense of freshness to it because it highlights the gray area that festers between the moment we realize a situation isn’t serving us, and the moment we decide to finally do something about it. There’s no shortage of work that chronicles beginnings and endings, but Reyes has given us a song to help us through the mucky middles. Thank goodness.
The release of “sick” feels like such a celebration for those who grew up admiring Reyes. Reyes has not only become a real-life rockstar, but feels like our rockstar.
Without further ado, here is the one and only Rivkah Reyes. Enjoy the interview.
Photo by Andrew Max Levy
Between moving to New York City and releasing "sick" all within two weeks, this feels like such an exciting new chapter for you. What are you looking forward to?
I’m originally from Chicago but spent the last six winters in Los Angeles, so I’m really excited to experience actual seasons, wear layers, and be humbled by the cold. As far as career goes, I’m looking forward to seeing where it all goes. I have a solid community in New York already, so I’ve been reconnecting with all my artist friends and they’ve been connecting me to new friends and potential future collaborators.
At the time of writing, "sick" dropped last Friday. What was release day like?
Oh, it was an emotional rollercoaster. In the hour before the release I was on a FaceTime call with my friend Paris and had a healthy cry the second the song went out into the world. And I woke up to so much love and praise for the project. Now it’s been a couple of days and I’ve already had a few people singing the hook to me on the street, which feels so surreal and special.
Now that "sick" has been released, folks are going to be eager to hear more solo work from you. Is there anything you're able to share on that front?
My solo project is alive and well, it’s been interesting navigating being a bicoastal girlie the last few months while working on this because most of my production happens in LA. But the stuff we’ve already recorded is so good and I’m very proud of it already. Right now my main focus has been bringing together my team in NYC but I’m excited to keep recording and working on what I hope is going to be an album! Time will tell.
Between music, acting, writing, and more, you've become known for being a successful multi-hyphenate. Do you have any advice for musicians who are trying to balance managing their careers with other jobs and/or passions?
I still get squirrelly when someone asks me “Between acting/filmmaking and music, if you had to choose one, which would you pick?” because it’s like…no one is making me choose one so why would I? Music and acting have always been so interwoven for me. I guess I’d say to the multi-hyphenates out there, don’t feel bad if one of your many cups is a little less full than the rest of them. I know for the last few months while I’ve been mainly focused on my music projects I’ve felt a little guilty that my acting career has taken a backseat but then I got to shoot my music video for ‘sick’ and being on a film set really scratched that itch for me. Finding ways to incorporate my acting into my music and vice versa has been really cool.
Lastly, which "commandment" would you like to leave behind in The Band Bible?
Thou shalt get things in writing when working with friends. Contracts can suck but it’s like a pre nup. It protects all parties involved.
Still from the “sick” music video, directed by Acacia Evans
A huge thank you to Rivkah for taking the time to share such great insights. To watch the music video for “sick,” click here. To keep up with all Rivkah’s up to, click here for Instagram, here for Twitter, and here for TikTok.