She’s Having a Meltdown – Interview – Thanks for Asking!

She’s Having a Meltdown – Interview – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.

We caught up with Natalie DiCocco from “She’s Having a Meltdown.”

RRX: Like songs, every artist has a unique feeling about their first show. What was your first show like? Was it your best show? If not, what was your best show like?

ND: My first show was at the Rat Den in March 2023. I had the idea of my act and was so desperate to give it a try. At the time the majority of my roommates and friends were in the band Anthill Annihilator, so I pitched them the idea of letting me “cheese their set” and Taran (leader extraordinaire) agreed to let me on stage with them. It was a hoot. I had a completely different griddle set up at the time. It was just a hot plate, a skillet, and a child’s fold up table, which was wildly dangerous! Ben Rowe was running that venue at the time, so after the show I remember talking to him and thanking him for the opportunity. He was just grateful for the grilled cheese sandwich.

RRX: It’s a lot of fun living in the present, but we all collect memories and give birth to dreams. We’re talking dreams here. Where do you see yourself next year? In the next five years?

ND: My goal is to become more self-sufficient. Right now when I’m booked I put a whole band together and orchestrate an improv jam. My dream is to mic up my whole setup and run it through loop pedals. I want to create music out of the sounds my griddle naturally makes. It’s a real work in progress because I don’t have the money to buy the equipment I need. If anyone has anything I could borrow, hit me up on Instagram!! I really want to record some of these sounds and make a noise album. Another goal of mine is to create a full pasta dinner from scratch on stage and have it live scored by my band.

RRX: What was the very first reaction to your music, from the first person to ever hear so much as a practice jam or the demo of your first song?

ND: I think the first reaction was, “What the f*ck was that??” (In a good way). A lot of people come up to me after I perform and are flabbergasted. It’s always been a positive response. I mean think about it, have you ever seen someone just make grilled cheese at a gig before? Most likely not. I love to feed people. I’m just an Italian from Schenectady, so feeding others is part of my DNA. I just want to make people happy with food.

RRX: We have to play somewhere, and sometimes those places have more going for them than a stage and a power outlet. What is a memorable place you played, and bonus points if it’s not a well-known place.

ND: My favorite venue of all time is the Troy Speakeasy. Dan Shapiro (LSDaniel) booked me a lot in my early days. He really gave me the space to be creative and do whatever I want. That open heart helped me get to where I am today. Also one of my favorite shows I’ve ever played was there. It was the first time I performed as a solo artist and everyone cheered and clapped each time I flipped the sandwiches. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole set. It was so wholesome.

RRX: What do you think is the most poorly understood thing about music, or the music you play?

ND: A lot of people will give me “helpful” criticism. Like that I should make different food, or talk to the crowd more, or sing/tell jokes, or use different bread and cheeses. I don’t want that. The act is that I could do anything, but I don’t. I choose to do something so mundane and easy that it’s the joke itself. It’s just the most simplistic thing you can do and yet I see no one but me doing it. If you’ve ever seen a Jackson Pollock painting, you think to yourself, “Well I could do that! It’s just paint splatters!” So then why aren’t you? You didn’t think about pouring paint willy nilly on a canvas and selling it, but I did. My cheese is meant to be so simple, and that simplicity brings joy and curiosity.

RRX: With the exception of singing, everyone has an instrument, an inanimate object that has the distinction of being a lifelong friend. Smooth or temperamental, these objects have a character. So pick someone to answer, can you tell us something special about what you play, your technique, your instrument?

ND: I have never been a musician. I’ve always wanted to be because I love to perform, but I have no rhythm. In fact when people are clapping to a band, when I try to clap along I get out of beat. I look at my partner Gabe Stallman and when he performs in Ampevene I am in total awe. I can’t even imagine how he does odd time signatures and Robert Fripp like shredding. That will never come to me. But what I am talented at is culinary. I grew up in a very Italian home and food was at the center of our day, everyday. I’ve also been working in restaurants since I was 15 years old and I turn 30 this year, so to think that half my life has been in the food industry is wild to me. The culinary arts are my medium. I also teach cooking classes at Sur La Table! That’s my paint brush or my clay. Unfortunately, you never get to see chefs perform their art live. They’re always tucked away in a kitchen behind closed doors. Best you can get is Food Network or YouTube, but still that’s on a screen and never at your local venue. My goal is to bridge that gap. I want you to have a full sensory experience at my shows.

RRX: We do this for the fans. For the blisters also, but mostly for the fans. Who’s one your best fans? Without necessarily giving their name, what are they like?

ND: My biggest fans are Larry and Rachelle Stallman, my partner’s parents. They have never missed a show of mine. I don’t have a family that’s alive or nearby, so to see them in the audience reminds me of my elementary school performances when I’d look out into the crowd and see my own parents. Larry films and records all of my shows and Rachelle dances to them. That’s my family and it heals my inner child when I see them support me. They are truly MY biggest fans.

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