It sounds cliché, Crescent Ulmer said, but her songs find inspiration through both positive and negative aspects of life.
Returning to Bloomington tonight at the Blockhouse, Ulmer will offer new songs and a new sound along with Philadelphia touring bands Roof Doctor and Friendship.
The folk singer-songwriter said she has used music as a way to soothe her clinical depression.
“It really dragged me down, but writing has always been an outlet,” she said in an email interview. “And then the performance side of it brought me out of my shell, and I realized there’s a lot of people who connect and maybe need to be reminded to keep fighting the good fight.”
Traditionally performing as a solo act with her acoustic guitar, Ulmer said she hopes tonight’s performance will shake things up.
“For people who don’t follow me on Facebook, let’s just say there will be a very dynamic set and something you can take home with you to remember the show,” she said.
Joining Ulmer will be Roof Doctor, a surf-rock band who released its new EP “My Band” last month.
Friendship, an indie-country band who released its album “You’re Going To Have To Trust Me” last October, is also performing.
Ulmer began her musical career at 15 years old when her neighbor gave her a guitar.
From there, she said her guitar playing developed quickly.
“I didn’t think I had any talents, but it was such a natural progression,” she said. “I started playing everywhere. I got this gig playing at Hot Topics all over Indiana, and I would rally friends to come and drag people into the store, which brought me down to Bloomington.”
Since moving to Bloomington six years ago, Ulmer has performed in many forms as a musician, she said.
Performing mostly as a solo artist, she has also played in a handful of bands, including deadghost with Jake Amrhein of the Indianapolis screamo band WOUNDED KNEE.
After meeting Roof Doctor’s Chet Williams at a show in 2012, Ulmer said the two kept in touch, which led to tonight’s show.
“We just stayed Facebook friends ever since then,” she said. “So when he asked me, I wanted to set something up really nice for them. I love helping touring bands as much as I can. I like facilitating a great night and being hospitable.”
Although she has recently moved to Indianapolis, Ulmer said she is still in town once a week because of her various musical endeavors.
Despite her relocation, she said she has fond feelings for Bloomington’s music community.
“You go to a show, and there’s no disconnect from the people who want to support you,” she said. “They’ll follow you into a basement, a bar, a theater. If the people in this town believe in you, they’ll treat you well.”
Ulmer released her solo EP “Creature Comforts” in March 2014. Since then, she has released a handful of singles.
With it being so long since her last major release, Ulmer said she has been focusing on her personal development and becoming more focused and organized.
She said she has been working hard on new music.
“There’s going to be an overhaul of my music endeavors,” she said. “Taking bigger risks to get closer to what I hear and see in my head.”
