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4 Good Reasons to Tell Your Clients About Travel Loyalty Programs

Loyalty (body) programs, also known as frequent buyer programs, have been around for a long time. But you might be surprised to know that many travelers don’t know about them. Here are five good reasons for travel advisors to spread the word to their customers, both leisure and corporate travelers.

1. Saves money for your clients. Everybody Googles everything these days. And that’s often a good place to start. But it’s up to travel advisors to educate travelers that the best deals come through professionals who understand the intricacies of the travel business, including how to make the most out of customer loyalty programs.

Julie Rhodes, VIP/concierge travel consultant at Corporate Travel Planners, a Travel Leaders affiliate in San Antonio, Texas, said: “Loyalty programs are fantastic for the customer. Saves them money. Also saves travel agents time. It makes everything more efficient.”

She gave this example about a client and their car rental: “One client booked on their own. They went to Walmart to book. The car cost $100 for three days, but they tacked on an additional $200 for insurance - so it ended up costing double. With me, it would’ve cost $145. Consumers don’t understand … With a loyalty program, you’re getting the best deal - and you’re being serviced.”

What’s more, happy customers tell their friends. “If you have a loyalty program in place, you save [clients] lots of money on their car. They’ll tell everyone - it spreads like poison ivy. I won’t book a car without a loyalty number in place. The difference is outrageous. And it doesn’t cost the company [client] anything.”

2. Saves time for your corporate clients. Time is a commodity for business travelers. Anything you can do to help them be more efficient can ultimately help them make more money and have more success.

“When clients call us to book, they’re in a hurry. They want to get the most efficient and the best deal. And they can get it for less with customer loyalty programs,” said Rhodes. “The client is happy. The travel agent is happy. It’s a win-win all around.”

Mike Edic, owner of Pioneer Travel, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, agrees: “You want your clients to have the best experiences they can, and corporate travelers don’t have a lot of time. The general public doesn’t mind standing in line [when they travel], but with corporate travelers, time is money.”

3. Gets all sorts of perks for your clients. We all love getting things for free - and this is one area where loyalty programs shine. Edic explained that: “With cars, you can offer products where the company earns free rental days and the travelers earn free rental days. Travelers can double-dip. The client often doesn’t know.”

To illustrate, Edic had a client that was signed up with a loyalty program for four years and they didn’t know it. The secretary was booking online through Expedia - and both the company and the individual travelers were missing out on a bevy of freebies, in addition to the discounted rates.

When travelers show their loyalty, suppliers return in kind. Other perks include status upgrades, products upgrades, rewards points, VIP programs, and the ability to bypass lines.

Loyalty programs include many extras that travelers “don’t get when they go to the Walmarts of the world,” noted Rhodes. For instance, “If they don’t have the car you want, they downgrade you. But if you have a loyalty program, they upgrade you.”

One caveat about using loyalty programs, from Edic: “Be careful of becoming involved with too many of the same types of companies. Focus on one or two, max, or else you’ll spread yourself too thin.”

4. Offers enhanced reporting to corporate clients. Monitoring T&E and enforcing travel policies are top priorities for corporate clients. In addition to reducing costs, loyalty programs help travel advisors provide more comprehensive reporting to their clients.

“We can monitor the spend and pull reports for the corporation that will have the spend broken down for each location and for the company overall,” said Tammy Hemsath, president of Midwest Managed Travel, in Saint Peters, Missouri. “If you use five different car rental companies, you can’t track and monitor the spend that well.”

5. Provides better service and better client relationships. No one would argue with providing the best customer service as a general rule of engagement, in any industry. When it comes to travel, Rhodes said: “Let’s say there’s a blizzard and the client isn’t going to arrive in time to pick up their car. With a loyalty program, they usually know when the flight is delayed. It’s just easier to get ahold of a car company and get things done in a timely manner. And, it doesn’t cost anything. I can make changes. I can add a navigation system” - all things that clients appreciate.

Joe Lang, owner of Joe Lang Travel, in St. Louis, Missouri, also mentioned one of travel-related credit cards that offers many perks as part of its customer loyalty program, such as access to airport clubs, credits for checking luggage, and onboard credits. As for the benefit for the travel agent: “For me, it’s the relationship I develop with the client for mentioning that. The notice I give the client about benefits forms a really solid relationship. They’re much more likely to come back to me for tipping them off.”

He also recommended against pushing any one travel company because just because “it has a dollar sign attached to it.” It may not be in the best interest of the client. He said he always concentrates on what the client wants and needs.

Rhodes added: “To be really good at this, you have to have a servant’s heart … There are hundreds of travel agencies, Expedia, Google, so what makes me better? My experience and exposure … That’s what has you stand out from the rest: customer service.”

In the long run, loyalty programs can help travel advisors to be more efficient and better at doing their job. The result? Happier clients who are loyal to you.

FROM THE SPONSOR : Founded in 1947, National Car Rental® is a premium, internationally recognized brand serving the daily rental needs of frequent airport travelers throughout the world. National launched the car rental industry’s first comprehensive frequent-renter program – Emerald Club® – to further expedite the rental process. As a premiere global loyalty program, Emerald Club makes travel more efficient by offering members speed, choice and control with counter bypass and a choice of rewards. Members also have access to National’s Emerald Aisle, an exclusive section where they can select any vehicle, as long as they reserve as least a midsize car. St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings, the largest car rental provider in the world, operates the National Car Rental brand through its regional subsidiaries. Encourage your travelers to enroll in Emerald Club for their opportunity to enjoy special privileges reserved for frequent renters every time they rent. Visit  www.nationalcar.com/TMR  to learn more about Emerald Club or enroll.

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Julie Rhodes

Account Executive at Ty

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Julie Rhodes has a strong work experience in various sales and management roles. Julie started their career as a Director of Leisure Travel at a Travel Agency in the Park/Alliance Worldwide where they managed a team of 12 agents and booked leisure travel for major corporate clients. Julie also handled travel arrangements for Ken Lay, Chairman of Enron.

After that, Julie became a Business Travel Sales Manager at InterContinental Hotels Group where they were responsible for sales revenue and developing relationships with clients and travel managers.

Julie then opened their own retail jewelry sales company called Rocky Roads Jewelry and successfully negotiated a contract for retail space in a USAA company store. Julie significantly increased sales within a short period of time.

Most recently, Julie worked as an Account Executive at Ty, Inc, where they consistently achieved 100% or more of their sales goal and achieved a top-ten national rank within six months.

Overall, Julie has proven sales and management skills, and a track record of exceeding goals and driving customer satisfaction.

Julie Rhodes has participated in the following educational programs:

- Eastern Airlines - Travel Sales Training: Julie Rhodes received training in travel sales at Eastern Airlines. The duration and specifics of the program are not mentioned.

- Monticello Jr. College: Julie Rhodes attended Monticello Jr. College. However, the start and end years, as well as the field of study and degree earned, are not provided.

- Pan American World Airways - Sales & Service for Agency Owners: Julie Rhodes received training in sales and service for agency owners at Pan American World Airways. Further details regarding the duration and specific focus of the program are not given.

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Richard Jeffrey

Account Executive

Charlene Lal

Amanda Contreras

National Accounts Team Manager

Keith Mello

January, 2008 - present

JULIE RHODES

Do I Need You

Julie Rhodes - End of the Line (Official Video)

Julie Rhodes - "I'd Rather Go Blind" (Official Video)

Julie Rhodes — Live at Fraser (Full Set)

Julie Rhodes - "In Your Garden"

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"A legacy in the making.”

-  The Huffington Post

Song Premiere: "Collector Man" 

- Paste Magazine

“The arrival of a significant new Americana/blues talent.”

-  Pop Matters

“There aren’t many unknown artists who get to record their debut albums partially at Muscle Shoals’ Fame Studios with legends such as keyboardist Spooner Oldham, guitarist Greg Leisz and fiddler Sara Watkins sitting in. But, there aren’t many new singers as impressive as Julie Rhodes either.”

-  American Songwriter

“Part of 'Bound to Meet the Devil's' charms come from the production and the players, but Rhodes' songwriting completes the spell. Her songs seem to rise from the ghosts of '50s blues and '60s soul greats."      

-  Boston Herald

“On the cusp of a meteoric rise in the songwriter community, Julie Rhodes is a powerhouse vocalist with authentic soul, grounded both in the songwriting traditions of yesterday’s Americana and today’s very present social and political issues.” 

- Howl Magazine

2017 Musician of the Year

-  Improper Bostonian

2017 Female Vocalist of the Year

2017 Americana Artist of the Year

2016 New Artist of the Year

- Boston Music Awards

Song Premiere: "Faith" 

-  The Bluegrass Situation

“There’s not a throwaway in the 10 listed songs and one hidden track. “Collector Man” and “Skyscraper Blues” seem especially mature, both tracks getting airtime on various Sirius/XM channels.

 - Blues Music Magazine

"Sometimes you hear a voice and you immediately sit up and take notice. That’s what happened when I first listened to Julie Rhodes, her vocals big, soulful and growling through the speakers in a dark powerhouse sass that suits her Americana sound perfectly..."

- For the Country Record 

"The ease with which she soulfully sings us through her heartbreak, and subsequent anger, is exceptional. The blend of country, soul, blues, and folk is effortless on this record. Rhodes’ uncompromising vocals, paired along with the sharp lyricism, leave me shattered in the best possible way." 

-  Play Too Much

NICK LOSS-EATON

Europe |, out on the rise, like or follow:  .

© 2018 Julie Rhodes. All rights reserved. 

Photo by Roberto Terrones . Site by Julie Rhodes

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Palmer Vacations & Destination Planners

“Celebrating a Century” of professional service as the successor to Canton, Ohio’s original travel company, founded in 1905.

The company, known as Jacob Travel, was founded by William Jacob and was located in downtown Canton at 306 South Cherry Street. The primary business at the time was selling tickets for steamship travel from Europe to Ellis Island, New York and rail travel from New York to Canton, Ohio. The business continued to blossom and the company was relocated to the Landmark Building on the corner of Cherry and Tuscawaras Streets NE. Then in 1934 the travel agency moved once again to 150 Fourth St. NE and again in 1940 the business was relocated to the Courtland Hotel, still in downtown.

With the new airport being built on Lauby Road, business continued to grow and larger accommodations were necessary so the move to 128 Cleveland Avenue South in 1946. Once more a final move in 1969 was made to the new Cleve-Tusc. Building, also known as the William R. Day Building, at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Tuscarawas Street W, where it remained until 1996.

Floyd Breit, an employee of Eastern Airlines, left Eastern Airlines to join Jacob Travel. Some years later, in 1969, Mr. Breit purchased Jacob Travel from the Jacob family and renamed the business Breit Travel. He operated Breit Travel until early 1980 when he sold the business to Donna Palmer.

In 1990, the decision was made to open a second office on Everhard Road to accommodate the rapidly growing travel business. Eventually, the downtown Canton and Everhard Road locations were combined and relocated to 5366 Fulton Drive NW where our office remains today.  Donna Palmer was the owner of Palmer Vacations & Destination Planners from 1980 to 2020 when her daughter Lisa Palmer Shall began serving as owner / president.

In June of 2022, Palmer Vacations was acquired by All-Travel out of Los Angeles.  With the resources of All-Travel, Palmer Vacations will continue to serve the needs of our community for years to come.

Todd Langenek, CTA

Todd has earned the Certified Travel Associate (CTA) designation from the Travel Institute. The CTA designation is conferred by the Travel Institute upon travel professionals who complete a rigorous certification program, demonstrate essential industry travel knowledge and experience, and maintain high standards of professionalism.

He has also earned the designation of Certified Golf Travel Specialist from The Travel Institute.

Being a golfer himself, he is familiar with all of the elements that go into making a great golf travel vacation.  He has experience planning golf travel domestically as well as international destinations in the Caribbean and Europe.

Whether you want a traditional vacation or a golf trip, Todd’s years of experience as a travel advisor will allow him to craft a memorable journey for you.

Michael Hughes

Michael is a senior travel consultant at Palmer Vacations. He began his travel agent career in 1992. Michael has always loved travel and will never forget standing on the beach in Acapulco on his honeymoon, thinking that he wanted to work in the industry.

Whether it is a weekend getaway, luxury cruise or an exotic overseas destination, Michael loves all type of travel, including his favorite US destination – Las Vegas!

Michael loves sharing the excitement of travel with his clients. He cannot wait to help you book your next vacation!

Jordan Baker

Jordan is very enthusiastic and loves everything about travel.

She enjoys planning active/adventure travel and all-inclusive beach vacations.

Jordan has traveled to many destinations around the globe and can’t wait to help you experience some of those same wonderful locations.

Kris Figinsky

I started my love and passion for the travel industry back in 2005.

As a Travel Advisor, I enjoy planning vacations/experiences that are specific to each individual, whether it be a weekend getaway or an extended holiday paying attention to the must have details and suggesting things the client may not have previously thought about or knew was available.

I have been recognized for stellar professional customer relations, always putting the customer first and understanding their needs and concerns.

Julie Vaughan

My love for all things travel has led me to a career as a travel advisor since 2016, booking all types of travel from all-inclusive, cruises, escorted tours and much more.

I am currently a senior travel advisor with Palmer Vacations, a division of All-Travel, and specialize in celebrations such as destination weddings, honeymoons, family reunions, milestone birthdays, Bachelor/bachelorette parties and even corporate incentive trips.

I have always been an explorer at heart and love immersing myself in the culture, people and new exotic destinations. I have traveled all over the US, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and most recently to Greece and Italy.

My advice to clients is to “TRAVEL NOW! Don’t wait, money returns with time, but time doesn’t!”

Mustafa Saraclar

Mustafa spends his days and nights researching, designing, promoting and escorting our group travel product, Upscale Excursions and Discovery Tours. He assists with training the Palmer Vacation staff in leisure travel knowledge as well as professional skills in sales and service.

Lisa Palmer Shall

As of November 2023, Lisa has retired from the travel industry and Palmer Vacations.   Please contact one of the above travel advisors for assistance with your reservation plans. 

Julie Rhodes

When Julie Rhodes lets her voice loose, she digs deep into a pocket of soul that persuades audiences to follow her lead. Just a year ago, Rhodes began work on her debut album, Bound to Meet the Devil. The songs speak to a year of travel, passion, and sacrifice, as she matured quickly from playing her first shows to a performer who owns the stage. Rhodes always set her resolve on music and the road. The day she was able, she charged out of her hometown, searching for live performances that tugged on her heart strings. But it wasn’t until she attended the Newport Folk Festival—witnessing a lineup with an infectious spirit for collaboration and a genuine optimism for the vitality of community—that her desire to travel shifted from pursuing other’s voices to discovering her own. Produced by Jonah Tolchin and infused with the sounds that inspired her to roam, Bound to Meet the Devil was recorded in New England and Muscle Shoals, Alabama, capturing the spirit found in dive bars, barns, and the throng of outdoor festivals by the sea. Her songs explore the mounting struggles of a working class woman with few riches beyond a determination to dream.  In this session, recorded in New York City in the Fall, Julie Rhodes is accompanied by Scott Thompson (Tallahassee / INFJ.)

* Art featured in the session by painter Felipe Molina.

ABOUT THE VIDEOS  – All audio and video by the amazing Ehud Lazin , who we have worked with for years now to capture the spirit of The Outlaw Roadshow. The latest sessions recorded in New York October 2015 could be the best we have ever recorded.

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Julie K. Rhodes

Introduction.

You’re a real, actual person. That’s why I write.

Even better: you and me, we’re not alone. And we humans need to grin sometimes, and face uncomfortable possibilities, even if the possibilities are more wonderful than we’ve let ourselves believe.

I Wrote a Book.

We all have thorns or will someday soon. A chronic illness. A difficult relationship. A persistent heartache. In March of 2020, I was a healthy 30-something with a husband, two kids, a pug, and a professional acting career. A month later, I would be fighting an illness that my health team would come to believe was COVID-19. For the next year and a half, the virus would plague me with debilitating symptoms that would be further complicated by a cancer scare and surgery. How was I supposed to pray through these long-term issues? How was I to think about chronic suffering? It turns out, there were people who could help me — but most of them were 500 years old. Chronic Grace: Prayers, Saints, and Thorns That Stay is a memoir for anyone who needs to hear that as chronic and inexplicable as a "thorn" may be, there is an equally chronic, equally inexplicable dynamic keeping up alongside it. That dynamic is grace.

Maybe you’d like to hear from me occasionally? Every six weeks or so, I’ll send a little homing pigeon with a message to your inbox, and maybe you’ll reply. I’d love to know more about you! I’ll plan to keep you in the loop with the latest writing and performing news + freebies/deals. I also have many thoughts about things that might be encouraging to you — or at least mildly amusing — blogs, articles, book reviews, pictures. Pen pals are fun!

For a more extended Bio, check out my Press Kit

A Short Biography

Hi, i’m julie k. rhodes..

I write nonfiction articles and books. I live in Fort Worth, TX with horses and cows and cheese enchiladas and my husband Gordon and my teenagers Drew and Maddie and my ridiculous pug Eloise, aka “The Eyeballs.” I write for blogs and publications. Lately, I’ve been a contributor to MadeWorthy Media’s publication and blog. For a long time, I edited a magazine. My first book releases this fall from Leadership Books, and I couldn’t be happier or more in need of stress-eating Takis.

I talk real good, but I speak even better. Maybe my story would be helpful for your group? I’d love to speak to your people. (Or just talk to them. Or let them talk to me. Or we could sit in silence for one hour.) Topics could include: living with chronic illness, juggling kids and illness, living with Long Covid, prayer practices, performing, or the art of writing. I want to connect with your audience in a way that serves them best.

"Julie Rhodes is the Midge Maisel of evangelicalism: prim, smart, funny, and honest.”

Ryan sanders, commentary editor, the dallas morning news, "julie rhodes’ soul-open memoir transcends the path of description.", - dr. scot mcknight, author of a church called tov, "can i be honest i couldn’t put julie’s story down.", - jodie niznik, host of the so much more podcast, get in touch.

Want to work together? So do I. I’d love to consider appearing on your show, writing for your publication, or speaking to your people. I’m willing to travel beyond the exotic locale of north Texas, depending on the occasional dance and/or theater performances of my talented and beautiful and very expensive children. Contact my publisher/speaker representative here or fill out the form and we’ll be in touch.

Did you know I'm also an actor?

Julie K Rhodes 3000 S. Hulen, STE 124 PMB 190 Fort Worth, TX 76109 214 - 997 - 4683 ‍ [email protected]

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Contact Julie Rhodes if you are in the process of buying, selling or renting a property. Get the help finding the right home, pricing and selling a home, contracts, negotiations and more.

Julie Rhodes with Compass RE Texas, LLC. is a real estate professional in TX. View Julie Rhodes' bio, Listings by Julie Rhodes, Neighborhoods where Julie Rhodes is active and more. You can contact Julie Rhodes by clicking the button below.

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From Singing Solo In The Car To Belting Onstage, Julie Rhodes Finds Her Voice

• Amelia Mason

It wasn’t long ago that Julie Rhodes was too self-conscious to sing anywhere but alone in her car. She wouldn’t even let loose in that time-honored site of solitude, the shower. “There were too many people that could be listening,” she says.

Rhodes released her debut album, “Bound to Meet the Devil,” just last year. An unusually self-assured first outing, it features the Woburn native’s soul-soaked voice at its center, and earned her four Boston Music Awards nominations. On Saturday, Jan. 14, Rhodes opens for Girls Guns and Glory at The Sinclair before embarking on tour with her band in March.

Rhodes’ transformation from covert highway belter to local Americana darling began in 2013, at a house concert in Providence featuring the New Jersey singer-songwriter Jonah Tolchin. “Jonah was playing his set and made it a point to call out all of the other musicians the he room,” the 29-year-old recalls. “You never really see that happen, where a musician is playing a set and they are kind of taking the spotlight away from themselves and pointing it onto everybody else.” Tolchin invited a couple of the audience members up to perform. “That was really inspiring to me,” Rhodes says. “I've always wanted to write songs, [and] this particular show made me feel like I could maybe do it."

"I've always wanted to write songs, [and] this particular show made me feel like I could maybe do it." Julie Rhodes

After Tolchin’s set, Rhodes stood chatting with another local musician — the Somerville folksinger Dan Blakeslee — and found herself momentarily moved to sing. “Not on purpose,” she clarifies. “He was trying to remember a song, and I sang a line.” Blakeslee encouraged Rhodes to try her hand at songwriting. Soon after, she emailed her first song to Blakeslee and Tolchin. Within months, he and Rhodes were working on her debut album.

The result, “Bound to Meet the Devil,” chugs confidently through soulful refrains and the occasional 12-bar blues, propelled by Rhodes’ formidable pipes. She sings with effortless power, as apt to purr as to belt, unafraid of the catch in her throat or the husk at the bottom of her range.

Listen to Rhodes singing "Holes" with her band:

The album, with its growly-yet-spacious production and judiciously deployed twang, undoubtedly benefits from Tolchin’s deft hand. But Rhodes’ songwriting carries the day. She possesses a knack for sharp, immediate imagery rooted in the grimy monotony of daily life.

“A lot of the album is about trying to survive,” Rhodes says. “Trying to work enough to make enough money to keep a roof over your head and keep food on your plate.”

She points to the song “Collector Man,” a defiant, bluesy number that was inspired by the years she spent living in Somerville and working overtime at a local ice cream shop, trying to pay off her student loans. “It's basically about being in debt and having to work countless hours to pay back what you owe,” Rhodes says, “for maybe something that you should not even owe in the first place."

It was only later that Rhodes realized her song closely mirrored another: “Collector Man Blues,” which was recorded in the 1930s by the blues singer Sonny Boy Williamson.

The tale is illustrative of Rhodes’ relationship to her musical forebearers — visceral but indirect, filtered through popular music’s decades-long evolution into modern day Top 40. Like many young musicians, Rhodes has done her fair share of crate digging (or YouTube watching, as the case may be), discovering an affinity for soul greats like Etta James and Aretha Franklin and blues legends like Freddie King and Muddy Waters. But her youthful obsessions — pop punk, emo, ska — were utterly ordinary. “We all listened to pop music when we were kids,” Rhodes says. “Very few of us were really jamming out to The Rolling Stones when we were 12. Some people do, but most of us, we dug into roots music [later].”

Rhodes’ favorite band as a teenager was a ska outfit from California called Rx Bandits. More than anything, she loved seeing them perform live. Whenever the band came to New England, she would zigzag the region in her car, following them from gig to gig.

"I didn't know why I was doing it back then, but I look back on it now and I think I was always meant to do that, to travel for music." Julie Rhodes

"I didn't know why I was doing it back then, but I look back on it now and I think I was always meant to do that, to travel for music,” Rhodes says. “I think I was sort of living vicariously through the artists I was seeing. I was enamored by the whole thing. Just being onstage — it was almost like I was watching them watching us.”

In college Rhodes started listening to singer-songwriters like Brandi Carlile and Amos Lee. One of her co-workers at the ice cream shop got her hooked on the Boston string-band Crooked Still, which lead her to Newport Folk Festival — the folk music mothership. The experience, Rhodes says, was life changing.

“It was kind of like I was back in my early pop punk days, when you would feel this beautiful sense of family and community. … It all just came back, just with a new group of people. I felt this feeling of community again, this feeling of togetherness and everybody bonding over music.”

Back at the ice cream shop, “I was working way too many hours, too long, constantly on the clock, constantly on call,” Rhodes says. “I just felt like I was working my life away.”

Making music changed all that. After Rhodes started gigging, the ice cream shop let her go. “It was the biggest blessing,” she says. Even though she still has to work part-time to pay the bills, things are different now — better. “Admittedly, I didn't escape [the grind] as much as I just shifted my focus to things that mattered more to me,” she says. “When I started making music, that was my priority, and that came first.”

With music a priority, touring is, too. Recently, Rhodes purchased a 1998 Dodge Ram conversion van for the band to take on the road — a big, boxy thing that still feels claustrophobic with the whole group and their gear squeezed inside. But Rhodes is stoked to hit the road. She knows that freedom isn’t always glamorous. Sometimes it’s just four wheels, a radio and a voice you’re not afraid to use.

Amelia Mason Senior Arts & Culture Reporter Amelia Mason is an arts and culture reporter and critic for WBUR.

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Bound to Meet the Devil: An Interview With Soul Singer Extraordinaire Julie Rhodes

Just two years ago, Julie Rhodes was working at an ice cream parlor, spending 50 to 60 hours a week at the beck and call of anyone craving a sundae or a banana split. Now, she is on the verge of releasing her debut album Bound to Meet the Devil , an 11-track opus of powerhouse Americana and blues. Early critical press has compared the New England-based singer to world-renowned vocalists such as Etta James, Janis Joplin, and Aretha Franklin.

Indeed, Rhodes’ musical ascent has been meteoric and, in her words, “insane”. Yet, she remains firmly rooted. In fact, much of her record references her time spent working at the ice cream parlor.

However, Rhodes transforms the potentially twee image of a musician working at an ice cream parlor by using the metaphor of digging to get at issues of real working class struggle, giving the record grit and political edge. Throughout the record, Rhodes expresses her idiosyncratic experiences in a relatable manner, fostering forms of community through and beyond her music. Recently, Rhodes sat down with PopMatters to discuss how her past informed the making of Bound to Meet the Devil , as well as the social issues undergirding its composition.

Although writing and performing music is still relatively new for Rhodes, she has always been an impassioned fan. As a self-defined “lifelong supporter of the music community”, Rhodes would attend concerts at every opportunity when she was growing up. She would drive at times for five or six hours by herself to attend shows in the states neighboring her home of Massachusetts, always hoping to arrive early to lay claim to the prime real estate of the pit. “Following bands on tour, I felt like was on the road, too,” she says. She describes it as the first time she felt part of something bigger.

During this time, the bands Rhodes would travel to see seem unusual given her current Americana and roots-based sound — bands like RX Bandits, Hopeland, and New Found Glory. Rhodes laughs a little at her early interest in pop-punk: “This is something that always haunts me when doing interviews. Everyone expects you to be into roots music since birth.”

At these shows and on the road to them were the seeds for her own musical growth. Having seen the progressive ska band RX Bandits “probably 40 times”, Rhodes cites the unique texture of singer Matt Embree’s voice as a primary influence for her. “I think I found my voice singing along to RX Bandits, the soul vocals of RX Bandits.” She remembers them covering songs by Sam Cooke and Bill Withers, marking some of her first encounters with music by such illustrious soul and R&B songwriters.

Eventually, Rhodes delved deeper into roots music, becoming a regular attendee of the legendary Newport Folk Festival. The crossover between roots music and the bands she previously listened to clicked for her. At places like Newport, she found the “community that helped [her] transition from being a fan to being a musician”.

One particular member of this community was Jonah Tolchin, a blues and folk singer-songwriter from New Jersey. She met Tolchin after one of his performances at Newport, but little did she know that he would quickly become the galvanizing force and the main collaborative energy for her own songwriting. At the time, she paid him a compliment on his set and grabbed a quick photo with him. A few months later, she saw him play at an intimate house show with the folk troubadour Dan Blakeslee.

Rhodes remembers this show as particularly inspiring because of the way Tolchin generated a participatory environment. Tolchin was “opening up the stage for other people. ‘This is my show, but I want you to play, too,’ he’d say.” While Rhodes was too nervous to join him on stage that night, Tolchin and Blakeslee overheard her expressive croon when she was singing along during the set, as well as when she was singing “Green, Green Rocky Road” to herself afterward. Impressed by Rhodes’ ability, they recommended she try her hand at songwriting.

On the drive home from that show, like so many times before, Rhodes found herself singing. Only this time, she recorded it on her phone. Upon arriving home, she strummed a few chords on her guitar, and quickly sent the recording to Tolchin and Blakeslee, telling them, “Thanks for the inspiration.” Within seconds, Tolchin thumbed back a response: “You have to keep going. Keep writing, keep writing, keep writing.”

Motivated by Tolchin’s urgings, Rhodes quickly wrote another song called “Hey Stranger”. Blown away by the song, Tolchin began clamoring to make a record with Rhodes. What followed was a sudden flurry of intense songwriting. What’s incredible about this period is that nearly all of the songs on the record, including “Hey Stranger”, came from this unexpected burst of creativity. She workshopped the songs with Tolchin, who helped with structures and arrangements, and soon they found themselves in the studio with the foundation of Bound to Meet the Devil .

The songwriting itself didn’t take on a particular style at first, existing in the realm of the singer-songwriter with only vocals and an acoustic guitar. However, the collaborative band arrangements done at Dirt Floor Studios in Connecticut allowed the songs to evolve, radiating genres from Americana, blues, R&B, gospel, and even reggae from each song’s original core. Rhodes recalls the “beauty of getting a band together that had never heard the songs before”, the way they got “to interpret them the way they were hearing them in the moment”. Like the participatory collectivity fostered at Tolchin’s house show, the record came into its own sound as the group worked together.

Rhodes chronicles one particular “happy accident” that occurred during the collaboration on “Hey Stranger”: “We were playing a jazz groove. Or trying to anyway. And it just wasn’t feeling right. We were trying to shake it out. And Michael, the drummer, was playing between takes, and he did this reggae thing. We were like, ‘Let’s try it.’ And we were able to keep the blues influence and to still have it feel a little bit on the reggae side.” Rhodes refers to this as a “happy accident” precisely because of how much it combines her experiences of belonging to different music communities — both the roots music realm of the collaborative and the ska pits of RX Bandits shows.

The time spent at Dirt Floor in cultivating this organic space of collaboration also owes much to its actual recording space. Interestingly, much of the record was actually recorded outdoors in the Connecticut woods. “We set up outside,” Rhodes says. “The studio was literally in the middle of the forest. There were endless trees. After mixing and mastering, you can’t really hear the natural sounds anymore, but before, you could hear birds chirping every now and then.”

While recording in a forest provided a unique earthy experience in the making of the record, working at the celebrated FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama was an “otherworldly experience” for Rhodes and her bandmates. She compares coming into FAME to a kind of time travel: “You could imagine it was exactly how it looked like in the ’60s.”

There, Rhodes was able to work with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Spooner Oldham. From the studio control room, Rhodes had the unimaginably surreal experience of watching Oldham chart out her song “See the Sun,” a blues dirge with a distinct country twang. In addition to Oldham, Rhodes met and worked with illustrious backing vocalists who had worked previously with singers like Etta James. These backing vocalists accompany Rhodes with harmonies on the groovy “Collector Man”, the gospel anthem “Faith”, and “See the Sun”.

After completing work at Dirt Floor and FAME, Rhodes travelled to Los Angeles, where Grammy-award-winning producer Sheldon Gomberg mixed and mastered the record. Gomberg had the Americana supergroup, Watkins Family Hour, in the studio the day before Rhodes was scheduled to be in. As a result, Sara Watkins added violin and Greg Leisz added some pedal steel to the skittering textures of Rhodes’ “Skyscraper Blues”.

Much like Rhodes in her youthful concert-going enthusiasm, Bound to Meet the Devil “has been everywhere. It has travelled the country”. What makes the composition of the record even more amazing is the fact that Rhodes had to carve out time outside of her hectic employment schedule at the ice cream parlor, a job, “which probably should have been more fun than it was”. Rhodes describes that time as one of intense financial struggle: “I was barely scraping by, just trying to keep a roof over my head.”

Rhodes’ time at the ice cream parlor planted the seeds for the “general theme of the record”. She indicates that Bound to Meet the Devil is essentially about “the division of the rich and the poor” and the struggles of the working class. It’s about people “just trying to survive, trying to keep your head above water, but feeling like you’re working yourself to death.”

Rhodes developed a “playful metaphor” for scooping ice cream by writing about the labor of digging in “Collector Man” and “Holes”. She quickly realized that her “cute anecdote” for working at an ice cream parlor was applicable to general working class conditions. “This is bigger than me working at my ice cream shop,” she says. “It’s bigger than that. [The digging and shovel metaphors] encompass everybody who is punching the clock everyday, working these long hours, and not getting the money they deserve from it, not being able to afford a roof over their heads in some cases.” Rhodes’ ability to locate her own particular story within histories of labor and capital even manifests itself on the cover of the album, which depicts her carrying a shovel.

Rhodes’ lyrical interest in representing working class struggle is very much in part of the traditions of folk music. Rhodes wants the album to communicate a “relatable message” that might “open up eyes about real social issues”. She seizes the radical potential of roots music, both in its lyrical content and in its collaborative construction: “The very nature of folk music is that it’s made by people. It’s inclusive. It’s about community. That’s what it’s all about.”

That said, Rhodes still has issues with folk music’s claim to radical inclusivity. While she admits that the roots music community is more accepting of females in music than other communities, “it’s still a boys club”. Time and time again, she hears concert-goers remark that they simply “don’t like female vocalists”. She also laments the inherent sexism in the fact that women most often function only in vocal capacities. Growing up as a woman, she says, “it just wasn’t instilled in you to go pick up a guitar.” Grateful for her many male musician allies, Rhodes stresses the importance of continuing to support women in the music industry, remarking upon the need for intersectional thinking when it comes to music production and consumption.

Taking on social issues regarding the working class and gender, Rhodes hopes that her album can “inspire people” to get involved. “If anything comes out of this record,” she says, “I hope that musicians who want to do it but might be a little too scared or who might not think they’re good enough, just go for it.”

While the title of Bound to Meet the Devil pays homage to the legend about Robert Johnson exchanging his soul for the ability to become a successful blues musician, it’s clear that Rhodes has not lost any bit of her soul during her writing and recording process. Witnessing her steadfast dedication to the collaborative workings of community and hearing the soulful grit of her voice, I can say with confidence that she is certainly bound for success. Bound to Meet the Devil is released on February 26th.

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I know this is an exhaustive topic, but I can't seem to find the answer in a forum search. I apologize if this has ben previously covered and I missed it.

It depends on you, not on your itinerary. Anyone able to search, read and understand written text, fill a form can DIY. If the mere idea of searching, reading and filling makes you shudder, hire a helper by all means.

Of all the things you mention, the only thing you may well need some “extra help” with is getting a reasonable set of invite docs (as you correctly state, if you are not staying at a larger, regular hotel, you will be charged maybe $20), you can do this for maybe $20 on ANY reputable site...e-mailed in PDF form back within 24 hours. no need to pay a visa agency likely at least $100 extra per visa. Once you go on the site you are directed to, you will be given all details, and then a link to a web based app completion...one you can save, come back to...if you hit questions, often we can answer here...more often, the answer is here already, just need to do a quick query in the box above...

I'm in the current visa black hole that others are in after doing it myself with ILS which suddenly ceased operations, turning them over to VFS. Read some of the threads like "Another Russia Visa via Washington DC question " below in the forum. I'd pay the extra $100 in a heartbeat for the peace of mind and speed compared to what's going on (or rather NOT going on) with our applications and passports. But that's just my humble opinion.

i believe at this point both DC and NY are fully moved over to being submitted thru VFS...I would agree that indeed back when you did this, had you used an agency, they - with the fact that the larger ones are handling maybe 10s- 100 at any point in time - might have been able to intercede. BUT, if the site now points folks to VFS, less to be gained...

As always, IMHO of course

I ended up speaking to a man with ILS today, who recommended I call World Visit Center in DC to have them handle everything. Now I'm really confused, because if ILS closed, whom did I speak with???

*Edited to say I now see the disclosure on the website about VFS. Yet, the website is the same name. It's confusing!

I spent 2 hours today just trying to get an answer to the question "Do I file for a tourist or a private visa" and even the gentleman on the phone had a few questions before he could give me a final answer. The government consulate websites are incorrect, saying that the Seattle Visa Support office is still open, despite the closure of the consulate....I think I just might spring for the extra $ to save the time and headache.

I am confused...did you end up here? https://www.vfsglobal.com/Russia/USA/

IF you did, then you can simply follow the info as to which type of visa, etc.

I got there by going to the OFFICIAL site...

https://washington.mid.ru/en/consular-services/

https://washington.mid.ru/en/consular-services/citizens-usa/

https://washington.mid.ru/en/consular-services/citizens-usa/visa-to-russia/

After this last one, I chose the FIRST option...”About Russian Visa Center” (this gets you to the first link I posted above...

As for them saying Seattle and San Fran offices are open, I did not fully check, but while the CONSULATES are closed, VFS may still have local presence and office to accept apps...

Also, as to whether tourist or private, unless you have REALLY good friends or close relatives there, you should choose tourist as, which you will find by reading further on the first site, the PRIVATE route involves quite a bit more hassle, not the least of which being you will need to get a PHYSICAL copy of the invitation documents required...what BTW is the main purpose for visiting?

Your links are so much better than what I found today! Google led me on a wild goose chase, and I ended up here, https://seattle.mid.ru/web/seattle-en/russian-visa-centers and https://ils-usa.com/news/175?domain=5&language=10 telling me that Seattle is still open, but then not being able to get through on the phone or via email. I don't even know where else I looked! Like I said, it was a 2 hour affair that just left me frustrated.

I admit it can be confusing especially with a TON of sites saying they are “Russian Consulate”. I have found as the links show IF you get to the real one, you are in pretty good shape. So, in summary, ILS is no longer in play, when in doubt, call or e-mail VFS...and, also, is Bellingham in Washington (state]...if so, then as I wrote, THEY have a physical presence, office...and presumably if you submit app and paperwork thru them (in person or via mail), then they, as the fully authorized AGENT (not simply a “visa agency”) for pretty much all Russian Consulates in the US, will handle the rest!

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