“The night was an answer and an echo.” 

The refrain of Carmen Canedo’s “Morrow” sets the tone for her reflective album, Know It All. The song, written about Canedo’s adjustment to her new environment in college, is a wistful ode to growth both within oneself and apart from one’s past - a venture into the unknown.

Canedo’s teeth were cut in high school, singing in choirs and playing guitar in her school’s jazz band. Her first project, Jonvie, with Hayden Hubner (of Dancers) only ever played one show... opening for Crumb. The two highschoolers would meet in the band room to record their demos during lunch. 

After graduating high school in 2017, Canedo took a year off to travel, tend to herself, and go on her first tour playing bass for Soccer Mommy. The time off resulted in the writing of Canedo’s first record, Wheels Are Turning. The following year, after enrolling in Smith College, she began touring with Nashville band, Dream Wave.

Following a string of shows, Canedo faced the onset of PTSD while on her first stint at SXSW in March 2019. To heal from her trauma and fears, Canedo decided to set aside pursuing music. Canedo did not play guitar or write music for 8 months following the experience, but after being in a few one-off shows playing guitar with Dream Wave, she wrote “Nothing Less Nothing More” in one sitting, deciding then to finish her second record, Know It All. 

“I started writing the record about two years ago and a lot of it was before I went to college. It’s about being scared about the future, but also excited, and then, you know, I got to college, and realize that actually I miss home. So then it centered around the onset of nostalgia, nervousness, heartbreak, being vulnerable and letting someone know how you feel—experiencing first loves. There’s a lot about caring about people and places; a lot about how we hold on to how much things mean to you even when they’re no longer in your life.” 

Pulling from a wide array of inspiration, Canedo creates a personal style that has a quiet, steady way of embracing the listener—drawing heavily from her upbringing in Nashville’s music scene, education in jazz guitar, and Bolivian music. When asked, Canedo says she was primarily into folk music, nodding to Jackson C. Frank as her greatest guitar influence  “When I was in high school figuring out what I wanted my music to sound like, hearing his guitar parts influenced the direction I went in.” She also grew up looking up to country music icon, Patsy Cline—which can be heard in Canedo’s ability to capture emotion with just the timbre of her voice.  Other influences include Jessica Pratt, Tristen, and above all, Hayley Williams. Though her music steps away from trends within DIY culture, her talent is timeless and undeniable. Canedo is a fearless outlier among countless bedroom pop albums by facing the vulnerability of earnest song craftsmanship.

Know it All was the product of the collective efforts of several Nashville musicians. Co-produced by Canedo and Todd Tidwell—all recorded in a Nashville, TN basement. Tidwell had produced records Canedo had grown up listening to and worked on Wheels Are Turning as well.

While Canedo co-produced her first record with Tidwell, on Know It All, she felt more self-assured and in tune with her production. “I knew what I wanted and knew how to get there. It felt more like I was able to say what I wanted and act on that.”

The record finds Canedo exploring more full-band arrangements. On the first record, Canedo would record the first few tracks alone and then ask collaborators to play on it. But on this record, she asked friends to be collaborative in the recording and production processes.

The record features major contributions from Kelton Young (Dream Wave) and Lily Ewing (Lily Ophelia). “At All” even features Canedo’s younger sister, Anabel, on vocals. When describing working with her friends and sister, Canedo says, “it was such an honor to co-write for the first time with Lily. She had such great ideas for melodies, and her voice can do things my voice just can’t. Kelton brings so much creativity to the table; he always knows the perfect thing to play. And having Anabel take part in the recording process was crazy because she never sings with me!”

In the spring of 2020, Canedo moved to DC to pursue her studies at American University, where she became better friends with Ava Mirzadegan (of Oof Records/Pen Palindrome). Canedo became invested in the DC music scene, playing shows at beloved local DIY spaces, and for the first time ever, performing solo. Canedo was also featured on Oof Records’ first compilation tape, with a demo of her song “Of Home.”

“I never thought I would play alone; I had such an inferiority complex about it. With all the PTSD stuff on top of that, I was worried it would come back, and I wouldn’t have a way of hiding it. Honestly, it made me like the songs and appreciate them more, though. It was so nice to play to people that really listened, and engaging with them helped me feel ready to put my music back out in the world.”

Carmen Canedo’s follow-up album, Know It All, will be released on August 6, 2020 via Oof Records. 100% of digital sales throughout August and 10% of all tapes will go towards the Nashville Community Bail Fund and Drkmttr Collective.