I was thrilled to finally meet - albeit virtually - a musician I have adored for years. Chelsea Spear, who performs under the moniker Travels with Brindle is a ukelele-wielding poet with a fascinating backstory.
On a Zoom call with Spear, while she relaxed amidst a collection of eclectic and highly distinctive furnishings, we had a fun, light-hearted conversation about her influences, her introduction to the ukulele, along with the all the struggles and successes that have adorned her career. Spear’s talents as a singer/songwriter can be traced back to her parents. The daughter of a sports journalist father and photographer mother, the worlds of art, music, and the power of words surrounded her. Spear always knew in her heart that she wanted to form a band, and music was an integral part of her upbringing. Her first exposure to cursing was the first album from The Roches at an age when she did not even understand the words she was saying. However, swearing along with the Roches made her mother laugh and this may have very well been Chelsea Spear’s introduction to the world of entertaining others.

Growing up in New England, Spear, like so many of us who were within the radius, grew up listening to WBCN, the mammoth rock station out of Boston. Always pulled towards music, Spear did all forms of fringe music industry work, including starting her own ‘zine in high school, taking part in college radio, and even booking shows during a semester. This foray into booking once led to Grant Hart crashing on her floor.

However, while Spear has continuously loved music, finding avenues for her passion was not always easy. Moving to a small town in high school presented limitations for Spear, as her high school featured a very limited choral program and offered only one musical performance per year. Fortunately for everyone who has-or will be-exposed to her music, Spear did not abandon her desires for a musical outlet.

Spear came across a ukelele as a gift at a “Yankee swap” during Christmas but was not immediately smitten. The gift was not the highest quality ukelele, and Spear was disappointed in missing out on the prize for which she truly pined: “I really wanted the Stop and Shop gift card for groceries”, she admitted.

Eventually, Spear picked up the low-ukelele and started strumming. Her other hobby is knitting, but “that became too pricey”, according to the singer, so she became strumming her ukelele, and eventually took lessons with Amy Kucharik, focusing on blues ukulele. 2014-2015 was spent practicing and learning cover songs before unveiling her talent to the world of the hallowed halls of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Receiving a permit to perform live on her birthday, Spear started performing along all fifty-six stops of the MBTA, writing a song a week in preparation for her 2019 release, Greetings from Rocky Point EP. For those of you reading this outside of the New England area, Rocky Point was an immortal amusement park in Rhode Island. Spear selected her six strongest songs for the record, and it was the moment when I became completely smitten with everything Chelsea Spear is, as “Happy Birthday Chicken Boy” and “Summer Stock” among the tracks to which I was instantly drawn.

As her songwriting skills sharpened, the quality of her instruments improved as well, as 2023’s Notes from Undergrad attests. Written during the pandemic, the record is a sterling collection of heartfelt, poignant songs delivered with a combination of vulnerability and daring. “Something’s Wrong”, “Linden Street”, “Switching Tracks”, and my favorite “Another Year” are soaring achievements from a woman who notes that she did not truly find her voice until her mid-forties.

Spear has recently turned her attention to reconstructing songs from bands she adored. Having already meticulously covered R.E.M.’s “Bittersweet Me” and courageously and brilliantly placed her own interpretation of “Jesus Christ” by Big Star, Spear has now committed herself to the works of Sparks. Her latest effort is “Tryouts for the Human Race”, and this is merely an appetizer for the full release of Spear’s take on Sparks’ 1979 release, No. 1 in Heaven. No. 1 in Heaven was a record Spear longed to cover for she “hears something new every time” that she listens, and Sparks became a panacea during a period of burnout. This is not Spear’s first foray into full album covers, as in 2018 she tackled Alex Lahey’s Love You Like a Brother record with the cheekily titled, Love You Like a Cover.

Whether she is crafting her own songs are placing her unique perspective on the work of others, Travels with Brindle is a listening experience that stays with the listener. I began by being intrigued by this gifted singer/songwriter brandishing a ukelele in Boston subway stations, but my admiration has grown exponentially with each subsequent release. We are all living in an era in which bands have to rely on the generosity of others, but I cannot urge people strongly enough to find a few bucks and contribute to Chelsea’s Kickstarter found here. Helping Travels with Brindle continue to make her magic is one of the best investments a person can make.

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