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MONICA HOOPER NWA Democrat-Gazette A lyssa Galvan has a voice of someone twice her age — and the guitar chops to go with it. The Joplin, Mo., teen was kind enough to sit down with What's Up! to talk about her start in music, her experience at the International Blues Festival and more. Q. What drew you to start making music? A. I actually had always grown up in the car, listening to music and things like that. And then I started playing guitar before I really started singing. And I got really big into Nirvana. So I was listening to tons of Nirvana albums. And I actually started to play them on guitar. And then I started to sing with them. And then I ended up showing my mom … and she was like, 'Well, that's not too bad.' And so we went to an open mic night. And ever since then, I just kind of started playing music around and met great musicians, and it's grown so much since then. Q. Are you a self-taught guitar player? A. I actually had lessons for a little while at Ernie Williamson Music in Joplin. And I kind of learned the basics, but my dad says I don't like to be told what to do. So I didn't take it too serious. But right after I stopped lessons, I started to learn more in my room. And that's when it really started to grow a lot is when I really started to focus on it. Q. You got to participate in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Tell us a little bit about that experience. A. That was a crazy experience. I was truly honored. I was sponsored to go by the Springfield (Mo.) Blues Society of the Ozarks. They sponsored me to be [in the] youth showcase. So basically, that helped raise money for me to go for the week. And I also got to perform a 30-minute set on Sunday of that week at King Lawler's. But there were youth musicians everywhere. And it was a very, very cool experience. I met tons of incredible musicians. And I had never really done anything like that before. So that was new for me, too — music all day, all night, every single day. And everybody's just so good and talented. And because of that I was also invited to be a part of Pinetop Perkins Foundation, which is highly encouraging youth to continue blues music and keep it alive. So that takes place in Clarksdale, Miss., actually in like two weeks. And it's a bunch of little workshops where you can learn different skills and music like guitar, harmonica, bass and things like that. And then on Friday, everybody gets to perform at Ground Zero Blues Club, which is actually Morgan Freeman's blues club. So it's kind of a cool deal that all these young musicians are able to work together and perform there on Friday night. So that's something that I did get out of the IBC, which was a great time. Q. So what are so what are you working on now? A. I've been writing a lot of music. I have tons and tons of new songs. And I'm trying to continue to write tons and tons of new songs. So, hopefully 12 WHAT'S UP! JUNE 12-18, 2022 LISTEN HERE Alyssa Galvan sat down for an interview and podcast with Monica Hooper, music editor of What's Up! Listen to the interview at: nwaonline.com/63galvan/ And see a video of her perfor mance of "Withering," here: nwaon line.com/63 galvanvideo/ Five Minutes, Five Questions Alyssa Galvan 5X5 Alyssa Galvan is a 16-year-old musician from Joplin, Mo. She plays with the skills and ferocity rarely afforded to one so young. Check out our podcast with Galvan at nwaonline.com/63galvan/. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Spencer Tirey) FAQ Alyssa Galvan On The Road Catch Alyssa Galvan at the following shows: June 25 — Hometown Scoop, Berryville, 5 p.m. June 30 — Art Shop, Nevada, Mo., 5 p.m. July 1 — Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs, 7 p.m. July 2 — Chaos Brewing, Joplin, Mo., 6 p.m. July 9 — Wanderoo Lodge and Gravel Bar, Eureka Springs, 7 p.m. July 14 — Jolly Fox Brewery, Pittsburg, Kan., 6 p.m. July 22 — Ebb and Flow Fermen- tations, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 6 p.m. July 29 — Hold Fast Brewing, Springfield, Mo., 7 p.m. July 30 — Rock Island Grill, Bran- son, Mo., 8 p.m. See Galvan Page 38