Can you believe it has been over two weeks since Imagine Music Festival 2023? It feels like just yesterday as time has been flying by, and one set from Imagine has been stuck in my head since that wonderful weekend in Kingston Downs, Georgia — Leah Culver rocking out Saturday on the mainstage!
After starting the set behind the decks and treating the crowd to heavy bass mixes, Culver took to the mic and brought out a live band to back her up — including Sum 41’s Frank Zummo on the drums to close out the set. There is something special about getting to see a live band set at an EDM festival, so I spoke to this Atlanta native and Imagine veteran about the 2023 festival.
Sam Wolloch: Nice work at Imagine last weekend! So being from Atlanta, tell me more about your home festival, Imagine.
Leah Culver: Thank you so much! I love Imagine Festival! I’ve played every year since the very beginning and it’s always my favorite thing to come home from LA and see it grow bigger and bigger every year! So proud of [owners] Maddy and Glenn, who have been family to me since I started! It’s so cool to see it all become what it is!
SW: Seeing you perform with a live band made your set stand out! Talk about your band members who played with you.
LC: I love the members of my band. James Tiernan played violin and electric guitar, Lance Mapp played electric guitar, Zach Deloach played drums on half the set, and Frank Zummo on the other half. I also had mmmCherry out to sing as well.
I implore anybody reading this to take the time to check out their projects. James Tiernan goes by Jet and is an incredible instrumentalist and producer. Lance Mapp goes by Tavis and makes really great pop and country music! I always love the way Zach Deloach plays drums and he’s always been such a fun and incredible energy to have around. Zach is also an incredible photographer.
SW: So how did you line up Frank Zummo to play with you at Imagine?
LC: Chelsea Shear is a great and wonderful supporter of mine at Monstercat. She connected Frank and me because she knew our sounds are so similar with our influences coming from a lot of alternative and pop punk music, as well as electronic. We immediately knew that we were going to have such a great time making music together!
SW: He brought some great energy to close out the set! Now I’m curious how you balance your desire for a live performance with being behind the decks for a DJ set.
LC: When I’m planning a big set with a lot of moving parts like this one, I like to divide up my original songs that all have my vocals on them and other fun songs I like to DJ. I have so much love for producing music, playing drums and guitar, singing, songwriting, and performing! I’m always working on new music and that’s where I’m happiest! Getting to perform it is a whole other love and passion and I couldn’t be more grateful to get to do what I love every day!
SW: That passion definitely shows in your sets. Your visual production was stunning too. Can you share your inspiration for the visuals and the white outfit you wore on stage?
LC: My inspiration for my white outfit was angels and light. I love making new visuals each year and this past year I decided that I wanted to make my visuals about getting through darkness while holding on to our light.
My visuals had a lot to do with angels and fighting through our demons. I was crawling through the grass, moving through a white veil, and wore both white and black angel wings to represent some of my life experiences and pushing through the darker times to spread and push my own light. We all have light and I wanted to push the idea that we can always get through anything and keep shining our light that we all have in each of us.
Michael Shapiro does an incredible job teaming up with me to make my visions come to life for my visuals. He is an incredible videographer and did such a great job making the vision happen this year!
SW: Some of us Imaginers were lucky to catch you play a second set at an afterparty on Sunday. Was that planned?
LC: The renegade was so fun! This was a spontaneous decision brought to me by Hunter and Abel who run the renegade! It reminded me of earlier shows in Atlanta when I was first coming up and throwing down! I love how intimate a surprise popup set can feel! I had a blast!
SW: It was a nice way to end the weekend! Looking to the rest of 2023, what new music do you have in store?
LC: I had a release with Funtcase that came out September 22 on Circus Records! I have a Lights remix with Synymata coming out on Insomniac in December and I’m also looking at some of my favorite unreleased songs with Insomniac, Create Music Group, and Monstercat.
SW: How different is it producing your own songs compared to collaborating on songs with other artists as a vocalist/singer?
LC: They’re both so different and fun! My flow states for singing and writing are different from my flow states while producing and mixing. I get a high from each part of the process in different ways.
Singing and songwriting, because it’s the human element of the song people connect with the most can be both an opportunity to heal and feel cathartic. You can also very actively be writing to help others have words they can belt in their car or with friends that they may need in their lives.
Production is fun because it feels more quiet and inward to me. I can be alone and get in a flow state without exerting any physical part of me like singing does. It works a different part of my brain that feels really safe and personal to me. It’s always fun for me also to learn new tricks on YouTube and I get a lot of serotonin from that.
SW: Which artists would you like to collaborate with and why? And who are some artists that you look to for inspiration?
LC: I’d love to collaborate with Finneas. I love his production style. Hayley Williams of Paramore is a huge inspiration for me and I would be so happy to have her on a track! I’d love to collaborate with Rezz because I’ve always loved mid-tempo and I love her sound! Her use of downsampling inspired a lot for me.
I’m inspired by Pink Slip, Finneas, Hayley Williams, Harry Styles’ past two albums, and all of my talented friends like AARBORNE, Chandler Leighton, MmmCherry, Brennan Loney, Randy Urbanski, my band James Tiernan, Lance Mapp, Zach Deloach, and my friends in the band Orgy, Jay and Ilia!
SW: What about some festivals you are looking to play at in 2024?
LC: I can’t wait to play Coachella, EDC, Lost Lands, and Lightning in a Bottle!
SW: That is a solid list of fests! Anything else you would like to share with us and your fans?
LC: If somebody else can do it, so can you, and I hope that you find all that makes you happy in this life! Go get it!
Thanks again to Leah Culver for taking the time to speak with us at Moon Lvnding and sharing her unique perspective of Imagine Music Festival. To keep up with all the latest about her newest releases and announcements, use Leah’s links below.
