Things were very different for Monica Wright back in 2019, the year her last EP of original music was released. She was on the road regularly, pursuing music as a career, and playing under a different name.
“I was a different person,” she said of the band she formed in high school. After moving to Chattanooga for college, she recorded two EPs. But that seems like a lifetime ago.
“The music I perform now feels very different from that. It feels a lot less serious,” she laughed. “If you come to my shows or see my live performances, some people don’t think it’s the happiest music, but in comparison to what it used to be it’s a lot more joyful.”
Like a lot of touring musicians, the pandemic forced her to take a time out and reflect on her work and goals. “I was on tour in Florida when the state shut down. I had to cancel the rest of the shows for that tour, and I didn’t play another show for a year and half.”
Since then she’s written new songs, including her last release ‘Hearts A Bustin.’ It was inspired by a period of change in her brother’s life and the distance that had grown between them over the years.
The process of recording the song helped bring them closer again. “It’s now very sweet to look back on because I got to record it with him, and he got to help me produce it, and it was a connective piece that brought us closer together.”
These days she’s performing under the name Toothless Hags. While the lineup changes from time to time, the vocal harmonies of Lynn Welden have become a huge part of the band’s sound.
Monica (aka Toothless Hags) will perform this Thursday May 9th at the Woodshop along with Dixon Blake Callahan and Alex the Band. Doors open at 7, music starts at 8, and there is no cover charge.
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