City Scene Seattle

May 8th, 2021

Interview by Eric Yorkie

An Interview with Bella Swan, owner of Ballard Music and creator of Spare Room Sessions.

When I meet Bella Swan, she's in the middle of fitting a young boy for a violin. She smiles at him and assures the mother that his fingers will callous soon enough, and pressing the strings won't always hurt.

So far today, she's met with an investor, given three guitar lessons and solved a crisis involving some mis-priced CDs.

It's not even noon.

During her break, I follow her through a back storage room and up an ominous set of stairs that leads to the famous Spare Room. While she eats her leftover takeout, she answers my questions about how the 26 year old has managed to create a shop with a devoted customer base and a Youtube channel that averages 25,000 views a video.

Eric Yorkie: So, you've owned Ballard Music for about three years now?

Bella Swan: Not exactly, I started managing it a few years ago, but I didn't officially own the shop until earlier this year. Shelly, the previous owner, gave me a great deal on it. She moved to Florida and I think she just wants to...be free of it. Enjoy her golden years at the beach.

EY: It's not easy to keep a shop like this alive in today's Spotify climate. How do you keep your customers coming back?

BS: We've got a little community here. People still give a shit about small businesses, and people still want to hold a record in their hands. The shop's been around for so long, it's part of this neighborhood in a way that Amazon can't compete with. Plus hipsters love this shit.

EY: I saw a few signed posters for sale downstairs...I bet those move quickly.

BS: [laughs] They do, I mean, so many of my friends are so successful now, I make them sign some when they stop by to say hey. My friend, Jake [from the band Lone Wolves] always says that I'm exploiting him.

EY: You used to play with the Lone Wolves, is that right?

BS: Not exactly. Jake and Leah and I used to jam out and write songs together, but it wasn't in any kind of official capacity.

EY: But you did tour with them, correct?

BS: I was just filling in for Jane when she broke her arm.

EY: You're a really talented musician. Do you ever think about leaving all this behind and performing professionally.

BS: Thank you. I like playing music, but I don't want it to feel like a job, you know? That month on the road was so fun, but I missed this place like crazy.

EY: Understandable. You've built quite the life here for yourself. By the time this article gets published, you'll be married, right?

BS: Almost, in June. But yeah, no one is more surprised than I am by how much everything is working out [laughs]. But Edward, my fiancee, he was my biggest cheerleader that first year. He was actually the one who got Spare Room Sessions off the ground-he wouldn't let me quit.

EY: Speaking of Spare Room Sessions-did you expect for it to be as big as it is?

BS: Oh hell no. I thought it was going to just be some fun, little thing I'd do with my friends. But I've got bands stopping in to record on their way to the Paramount [Theatre] or the Showbox. Bands I'd idolized when I was growing up want to come play music in my little room, it's totally insane.

The room in question, pictured below, is a music lover's paradise. The walls are graffitied by those who've played here and there are polaroids taped to the walls. A couple of worn, but plush sofas are against the walls, reserved for the lucky few who manage to get tickets to a session [see the Ballard Music website for details on how to get one].

EY: You've played a couple of sessions here as well. You've got a new song out, Different Now, available for pay-what-you-want on the store's website. Can you talk about that a little bit?

BS: The sessions I play here are mostly just to test out new equipment [laughs]. And I'm a songwriter, it's just what I love and it's really just for me. But people keep bugging me about sharing the songs, so I've just made them available. All the profits get put towards Spare Room anyway. As for the new song, it's one I'm proud of.

EY: It feels like a ballad to a younger you.

BS: I guess it is, in a way. I spent a lot of time thinking that I was screwing everything up, that I wasn't doing enough to be successful, that everyone was so underwhelmed by everything I did and that just...wasn't the case. I'm hard on myself, you know? Sometime you have to be, but at some point you have to recognize that everything you're doing is a way of working towards something, and sometimes, that's enough.

EY: Like you say in the song, "You'll find in time, all the answers that you seek, have been sitting there just waiting to be seen. Take away your pride and take away your grief, and you'll finally be right where you need to be."

BS: I'm cringing! Stop! [laughs]. But yes just like it says in the song.

EY, City Scene Seattle.

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song: 'different now' by chastity belt

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i can't believe this is over. thanks for joining B on her little journey :')

I've got something else cookin' so i'm sure you'll hear from me again with something new at some point.

all my love.