On Friday, Oct 4, Holly releases Not Just a Standard on Fresh Sound Records, a record she describes as "a very special project for me," choosing to make her debut album one of jazz standards "because that’s how I learned to play and appreciate this music."

Holly plays everything from jazz to pop and rock, citing drummers as diverse as Roy Haynes, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Taylor Hawkins, Jeff Porcaro, and Dave Grohl among her influences.

Get more about Holly and her work here.

Spotlight On: What is your first memory of music?

Holly Channell: Playing drums in my uncle's basement and seeing the Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band.

SO: What instrument(s) can you play?

HC: Drum set is my main instrument, but I am a vocalist, pianist, and guitar player.

SO: What song, album, or artist never gets old for you?

HC: Any jazz album. You could listen to the same jazz song 1,000 times and get something new out of it still.

SO: What was your first concert?

HC: Jonas Brothers when I was 14! But there was a concert before that I can’t remember the name, it was from a rock singing reality show, kind of like American Idol but for only rock music from when I was 9 or 10.

SO: What instrument do you wish you could play?

HC: Trumpet.

SO: There's a band playing in Heaven tonight. Who is in it?

HC: Elvin Jones, Dixie Gillespie, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra.

SO: What is your theme song?

HC: 🤷‍♀️

SO: What is a creative work or artist, outside of music, that you love or admire?

HC: Audrey Lord and Toni Morrison.

The Audre Lorde Project

The Audre Lorde Project is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color community organizing center, focusing on the New York City area.

The Audre Lorde Project

SO: Who is your musical hero?

HC: That changes! Currently living, my musical heroes are Lewis Nash, Allison Miller, and Brian Blade.

SO: What was your first paycheck related to music?

HC: I played marching snare drum at an American Legion when I was 16 years old while they played "Taps" and "The Star Spangled Banner."

SO: When you were 15, your favorite artist, song, or album was:

HC: Jonas Brothers' self-titled album from 2008.

SO: Who is the biggest influence on your musical life?

HC: Right now it’s Danilo Perez.

SO: What music do you and your significant other disagree about?

HC: Queen.

QueenOnline.com - The Official Queen Website

The Official Queen Website

The Official Queen Websitequeen, official, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon

SO: What is the last concert you saw?

HC: I just went to the Earth Wind and Fire and Chicago duo concert in Mansfield, MA, at the Xfinity Center.

SO: What person, dead or alive, would you like to share a meal with (and which meal of the day)?

HC: My grandfather, Pepe!

SO: You want someone to understand you. What song or album do you give them?

HC: I would give them a playlist that has everything from Good Charlotte and Blink-182 to Duke Ellington and Art Blakey to Gnawa and Tamborito music.