GARDEN CITY, Idaho — Tucked away in Garden City is Surel's Place.
It's a small house that also serves as an art gallery, art studio, and recording space. Surel's Place is also an art residency program.
Each month, the people who run the program invite one artist to live in the house. They are also given a stipend, with the goal of giving up-and-coming artists a place where they can focus on being an artist for the entire month.
The program was started in 2012 and was named after Surel Lee Mitchell, an artist who moved to Boise in the 70s.
Local artist McKenna Esteb is the artist in residence this month. She's a pianist, singer, and songwriter.
Music was always her passion, but when she went to school, she decided to focus on other things. She thought how most people did, that artistry couldn't support her.
“I think I just got it in my head that music wasn’t really a possible job to have," Esteb told Idaho News 6.
She graduated college and got a sales job, but wasn't happy. She missed her passion and wanted to reconnect with it.
Now she has released several singles and projects, with an album on the way later this year.
A single from that album called "Big Fat Crush" will be released October 6.
"Very happy, my life is great. No complaints," Esteb said describing her life now compared to how it was when she wasn't making music.
She says she has always been inspired by the greats of soul music. Aretha Franklin, Erykah Badu, Etta James, and Amy Winehouse to name a few.
You can hear the influences in her music, whether it's through powerful vocals or emotional lyrics.
“What I’ve noticed is the more I’ve grown emotionally and get to learn more about myself, the better my music gets," Esteb said.
This weekend she'll be performing at the Flipside Festival in Garden City.
RELATED | Flipside Fest 2023 tickets on sale now
Esteb's show is on Saturday at 4:00pm at Surel's Place. She is excited for the smaller intimate show.
“I want it to just feel like we’re hanging out, just like at a jam session basically, and if you want to cry {that would be] sick, and if you want to yell - do it," Esteb said.
For more information about Flipside, visit their website.
