Conversations with Angel Bond

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Bond.

Hi Angel, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story…
Music consistently filled both of the homes that I grew up in.  My dad’s house was always rocking with his own band of rock & roll and blues. My mom’s house had vinyl spinning Motown, Patsy Cline, and classical.  I fell in love with music at a very young age, especially with brass instruments and singing. I started to play alto sax around 9 years old in the school band. I realized then that music could move me and ease me in the same moment in ways that I truly needed.

Writing was where I went to release all of my emotions. I secretly wrote poems that I had hoped to become songs one day. But I had crippling stage fright and believing in myself was a struggle. One of my biggest fears was singing in front of people. But something I enjoyed so much, usually by myself where no one could hear me. Feeling that freedom, when you let go of your emotions, was intriguing and comforting.

I would later host shows and open mics weekly in coffee shops and find ways to be around live music but did not have the courage to join in myself. It took many years and the help of a few friends to help push me to step onto a stage. But after sitting in and singing for tips with some folks in New Orleans I was able to write and record a little soul EP in Nola. To this day I think only a handful of people have heard those songs lol!

As an artist or musician, some of us have to have many side hustles to keep us going and work toward whatever our dreams entail. I found myself soon after working with the art department at the WB studio in LA and realized I had a love for set dressing and helping a production come to life. I was hooked and have been lucky enough to find work in the film & tv business on and off since.

A few years later my boyfriend convinced me to sing with him in a rock band with his college buddy. It took on a life of its own and for the first time, I fronted a band full-time that we called CUSSES. Yes, I can imagine what is going through your mind but to me, it meant…a little cuss, a little rascal, someone we all have inside of us dying to get out and express ourselves in some form.

After years of growing the band in Savannah, GA, and touring we turned our art studio that we lived in into an all-ages venue called No Control. There I fell in love again with hosting shows and bringing all walks of life together. It ignited my passion again in curating events and music festivals. Savannah’s community definitely helped me grow as an artist. The support I felt there reminded me a lot of NOLA where the comradery was so prevalent and contagious. I will be eternally grateful for what my Savannah family did for my heart and soul.

Years later we moved to Nashville to be closer to family and see what the music scene had in store. I had to move every year of my childhood. I think there is a part of me that enjoys the challenge of moving and trying new cities. We kicked off our stay with a tour and then started getting settled into our new home and neighborhood. We had no idea what was in store for us… ie.. a tornado, a pandemic, and a rollercoaster of some health issues.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

During the beginning of our musical journey together, my two bandmates and I all experienced unexpected loss within our families as well as our beloved A&R guy. It was a rocky start but our love for music and each other helped us continue. Later in our years of touring, I noticed I was struggling with my voice and my thyroid kept swelling up. I was soon after diagnosed with a couple of autoimmune diseases. I’ll be honest here, I decided to ignore it for quite some time. I had been drinking most of my young and adult life to get through the pain in my body and my heart and soul. Even with these diagnoses I did not stop right away.

It took the pandemic for me, like many others, to finally listen to my body. I started to take alcohol out of my daily life and noticed more of what my body was actually feeling and battling. With most of us not being able to work or have distractions I realized that there was something more serious going on inside and was in fact losing my voice. After a few months of digging my doctors found a large tumor on my very diseased thyroid and had no choice but to take the whole lot of it out.

Not knowing if I would ever get my voice back 100% definitely took my head and heart for a spin. I was brokenhearted and realized that singing was one of the few things that really felt like therapy and helped me with having peace with my past.

I knew I had to start to look at other creative ideas that I could possibly do that could help with my livelihood. I started growing things in my garden, drying them out, and painting them in different colors. I wanted to find ways to bring nature indoors and started putting these beautiful found and manipulated colorful pieces together. Hoping to preserve and honor nature in my own way. I also took that time to pour my heart into our home. I wanted to brainstorm ways we could use our home creatively and ensure we wouldn’t lose it. So we opened our home to music and film productions. I went wild with decorating and tried a variety of painting textures and techniques that I had not tried before and let the house be the canvas. I found sites like Avvay and Peerspace which are great resources for clients to discover a variety of spaces for their production dreams. I also wanted to occasionally host an overnight stay too for touring musicians! We have had so many generous people host us while we toured and I really wanted to be able to return the favor and create comfort for them as well while on the road. Serendipitously my first booking for a production led to my latest job in set design.

I also wanted to learn how to make grand hanging mixed medium dried flower pieces. Similar to the ones I had someone make for our wedding that I now have hanging in my home. I love having large flower clouds hanging from the ceilings and bringing nature indoors like that on a large scale was so beautiful to me and a challenge. I’ve now made a few for clients and have very much enjoyed the evolution of the pieces.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve been known as a singer for the past 15 years. But my current job has been working as an art director on a documentary series. I have very much enjoyed this latest adventure! It has given me another lease on life and helped build back my confidence after a couple years of struggling to know what was next in life. We have since then filmed a plethora of fun productions since our first one. I’ve also been fortunate enough to help others with interior design recently and make a little art on the side too. But I’m happy to share that I am currently working on getting my voice back and hopefully my full voice is right around the corner. I’ve spent the last couple years writing music hoping to be able to sing it myself. I am definitely looking forward to singing again in a live setting!

I’d like to allow myself to say that I am a creator, a singer, an art director, a set designer, and hopefully a hospitality queen. I love the challenge of all of the moving pieces of a production. I’m a lover of nature, humankind and animals too.  I hope that I can contribute to helping preserve the pureness of all species and this planet. I know this sounds super cheesy but it really does come from my heart.:)

What are you proud of?
I am proud of how hard our band worked and the certain things we were able to accomplish in that time. I’m proud that I was able to finally get up on stage and let go completely, of course still after getting sick. Haha

I’m proud that our last two homes have evolved into something bigger than us, connecting artists and hopefully bringing those creative joy.

I am proud of finally working on my health and mental wellness and not being afraid to share my vulnerability…. like my voice, music, art, and my own personal stories that I’ve kept deep below the surface. Usually, it is the voices in our heads telling us the very things that can hold us back from the very things that we truly desire to do. I have to force myself to say that I am proud of facing my heart and body and what my health obstacles have brought up closer for me to see. I am proud to start treating myself better and not numbing myself to every feeling that I have had before.

What sets me apart?
It is very hard to determine what sets me apart from others! That’s a tough one.:) I just try to listen to my own personal instinct on what something feels like, sounds like to me, the melodies in my head, and the art that I see forming in front of me.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I would love our readers to fearlessly believe in yourself even when you feel like no one else does. We can convince ourselves that we are alone and that no one understands what we have been through. After many life-changing challenges, I believe now more than ever that we are all connected and that there is someone out there behind you rooting for your success. It is how we perceive our life and react to it that creates our daily reality and outcome.

I love the quote…”forgiveness is letting go of the hope of a better past.” I try to see my own life hurdles now not in vain and turn them into something positive.

I think we all need hope and love in our hearts to move forward each day. If we can let all of the noise of the past and present not derail us then I think we have a fighting chance to create more love and unity with each other. If we can hold love and respect for humankind and this planet there will be joy in the days ahead. Which hopefully means more music, art, and community to create and cultivate together!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://angelbondartist.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bondangelbond/ https://www.instagram.com/nashvillerivalden/
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/musicofcusses
• SoundCloud: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5IwV9JLFajC33VzVl4jQiW
• Other: http://cussesmusic.com/ https://www.rivalden.com

Image Credits
Cedric Smith