You may not be with familiar with her face, but Aisha Cohen has been shaking up the New York music scene day and night for over 10 years. This classical viola student turned bassist has been on both sides of the sound spectrum.

Working for a music label by day and doing Manhattan clubs by night, Aisha knows how far the industry has come, but like many of us, is perplexed by where it’s going. Cohen’s most recent gig is on bass for Juneteenth, a progressive rock and blues quartet based in New York. We pulled her from rehearsals to talk Brooklyn, bass, and Britney Spears.

Tell me a little bit about your musical background.
I started playing music when I was about 10 years old. In school I started out on the acoustic guitar and I continued studying music through college. I play the viola as well – that’s what I went to college to do. After I left college I figured out that I didn’t want to be a classical musician, so I got interested in playing with bands. I started out playing viola in a backing band for Alexis Hightower. After that I joined The Sharp Things which is a 10-piece orchestral pop band that I’ve been in for the past 10 years. Then I learned bass so I was playing with them, I also had my own band for awhile that I fronted.

Well you sound busy. As far as your latest project, Juneteenth, how did you connect with them?
I have known Puge, the lead singer, for a few years. I had seen the band around New York for a long time. I saw them playing at The Bitter End one night and they didn’t have a bass player. After the show I just went up to Puge and I was like “hey, you need a bass player.” So I went down to a rehearsal and that was that.

How would you describe the New York music scene to someone who is new to it?
It’s really clogged. There are so many bands in New York City. Everyone’s playing and doing the same thing that you’re doing. I feel like whenever I play in other cities, people seem a little bit more enthusiastic as opposed to being here where everyone’s seen everything. It’s a tough scene to play for but once you find your niche, it’s great. But also because it’s New York, there’s so much music all around so anything you’re into, you can find. Playing here forces you to step up your game.

How would you sum it up in one word?
It’s a cornucopia.

Do you find that playing in Manhattan is a much different vibe than playing in Brooklyn?
It really depends on the space you’re playing in. Some Brooklyn clubs have that bustling Manhattan feel, and some Manhattan clubs have the down home, Brooklyn chill feel.

In your song ‘Cuts Like a Machete’ your opening verse is: “Tell me what’s the fashion / What’s the factory line creation / Plastic pop candy buy / But hardly worth a dime”. What are you talking about here?
Pop culture. When I wrote the song I think I had Britney Spears on the brain [laughs]. It’s really about the whole pop machine factory line. Not saying that all pop music is bad because there is a lot of good stuff out there. But there was a stretch there for awhile when all I heard was bad music coming out. But people just buy in. And they just crank it out so people can eat it up.

You work in music so I’m sure you’re surrounded by it all the time. What are your thoughts on the industry now?
It’s in a really interesting place. I don’t really know quite what to make of it because it feels like it’s changing every day. The conditions are different now than last year, and who knows what’s going to happen next year. But it’s a really good time if you’re an independent musician because indie musicians have never had options like this before. On the other hand, any band can put a record out and get it on iTunes so you have to work that much harder to promote it and find your audience. It’s a really exciting, scary time for the music industry – exciting for the independent musicians and scary for the labels. You just don’t know what to expect.

Where do you see it going next?
I’m noticing how important it is to use video these days. A lot of bands are breaking out because they have interesting videos to go along with the music. You really have to be a complete package today. All the things that labels used to do, you have to do on your own just to get any kind of attention.

You’ve surely met a ton of artists over time. Is that internal artist’s circle supportive or competitive?
It’s really supportive. I haven’t felt that much competition from other artists. We go to each others’ shows and appreciate what we do. At least that’s how it is with the people that I hang around with!

Well you have to surround yourself with positive people, right?
Exactly. We all support each other because we’re all trying to do the same thing and we love what we do.

-Jackie Berg

Honey Says: Peep Aisha performing with Juneteenth below and cop their album,“The New Outfit” out on iTunes.