Anchorage band Zen Trembles to play at Palmer Alehouse

Living in the 21st century, our lives are full of distractions. Between business, media, and basic necessities like shopping, cooking, and cleaning, many of us hardly have the time or energy for play or rest, not to mention working toward self-actualization. And it’s especially tricky when the things that began as play become intertwined with our business. For artists, it’s a constant balancing act, determining our priorities and why we do what we do. As an artist trying to pursue a career in music, I’m always happily refreshed to speak with someone that works to remember what’s really important.

Becky Kotter, the guitarist and lead singer for the Anchorage-based band Zen Trembles, is very aware of this struggle and is working to remain conscientious with her musical endeavors.

“I’ve been writing since I was thirteen. Whatever I’m going through emotionally tends to come out in the lyrics. So music’s been my savior, definitely, throughout my life,” she told me.

Becky told me about her relationship with one of her original songs, “The Shadows,” which I found particularly compelling.

“I was just feeling really frustrated that I couldn’t get over my depression. No amount of medication, no amount of playing guitar, riding my bike made a difference. It just always sneaks back up. And that’s when I realized that if it’s something hereditary, it’s just always going to be there. That’s why I was frustrated,” she recalled.

Writing the song was healing for Becky, and now she can revisit that sense of calm and emotional release at every performance.

“If I’m having a hard time, it can be hard to go to a gig. You know, you’re a performer. So, you have to put on your smile, which can be hard to do when you’re having a down day. By the time I get to that song in the set, I’m able to relieve all that and have a great time.”

And while making music is healing for her, Becky wants to share the joy with her loved ones too.

“Chad, my husband, he runs all of our sound. He’s completely self-taught, and he does such a great job. We bring in all our own PA and lights, and he runs all our sound. He’s also our band manager, lines up all our gigs and stuff. He does an awesome job with that! He keeps me busy,” she told me.

And the same goes for her bandmates.

“I honestly do like to treat my band like a family.”

But, in a band setting, songwriters are a sort of employer, and not all employees stay at the same job forever. As is natural for any musical group, Zen Trembles has seen some changes in personnel.

“This is our third bassist now, our third drummer now, it’s like, ‘What’s going on?’ In such a short period of time. There’s always some heartbreak involved when somebody leaves,” says Kotter.

But Kotter doesn’t intend to let the speed bumps stop her. After opening for singer Tiffany Darwish, the members of Zen Trembles were invited down to Tennessee to work with Tiffany’s producer. The band recorded four songs at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, one of which features backup vocals from Darwish. They plan to begin releasing them as singles in the next few months.

The invitation to Nashville came as a bit of a surprise for Kotter, but when the time came, she and the band just went for it.

“All in all, I just want to share my music. Wherever that ends up taking us, I’ll just roll with it. You can’t predict the future. Five years ago, or even two years ago, I couldn’t have seen myself where I am right now, and you only get there by rolling with it,” she says.

The Zen Trembles will be playing at the Palmer Alehouse (320 E Dahlia Ave) on Saturday, July 23. The show starts at 7pm.