Rachael Sage-
Interview conducted on April 09, 2020
by Dan Locke
As a 6-time Independent Music Award winner, Rachael has shared stages with artists such as Beth Hart, Indigo Girls, Marc Cohn and Sarah McLachlan. She recently wrapped-up a national tour with Howard Jones to support her current album, Character, of which The Vinyl District wrote, “Fresh, catchy, and relevant…simply breathtaking”. She has also collaborated with many artists, including Judy Collins and Ani DiFranco. A philanthropic advocate who has fundraised for such causes as Homeless Youth (NN4Y), Eating Disorders Awareness (NEDA), Female Empowerment (Girls, Inc.) and World Hunger (WHY Hunger), Sage is currently raising money for God’s Love, We Deliver during her 2x weekly Facebook livestreams (Sundays at 6 EST/Music and Wednesdays at 8 EST/Kibitzing)
What is your upbringing?
I was born in Port Chester, NY to a Southern mother and a Brooklyn-born father, and raised in a Conservative Jewish household. My sister was three years older than me and was a voracious reader and considered “the smartie” in the family, but it was very clear from as long as I can recall that I was “artistic”. Academics were very important to my parents though, so while they encouraged me to be expressive, there was never any question that schoolwork and eventually, college, was the priority. Inevitably, we didn’t always see eye to eye on this!
How did you discover music?
My parents weren’t musical but they absolutely loved music. My Dad was constantly playing doo-wap music as well as The Beatles, and my mom put me in toddler ballet classes when I was two years old. That was pretty much the beginning of me falling in love with music and performing in general. I started playing songs I heard in dance class on our baby grand piano, and then writing my own shortly thereafter. For my Bat Mitzvah, I received a four-track cassette recorder, demoing my songs, and haven’t really looked back since!
Which instruments do you play?
I play piano, Wurlitzer, guitar, harmonium, percussion and whatever else may be on-hand in the studio…but mainly I play piano and guitar.
How did you get your first guitar and do you still have it?
My first guitar is actually the one I still play live, and that you’ll see me with in most of my photos. It’s a red Guild acoustic from the ’70’s, and I got it at a guitar shop in Chelsea (NYC), when I was in my 20’s. I didn’t know how to play it yet – but I was dating a guitarist who was gently encouraging me to get into it because all my favorite music at the time was guitar-based.
Initially, I actually bought a red electric Gretsch at the same shop, but then when I took it somewhere else to get it ‘set up’, I was told it was a mess, not a good instrument at all, and that I should return it immediately! The shop only did exchanges though, so that’s how I ended up with the Guild; I wanted a red guitar, period. I also play a lovely and much smaller Martin in the studio, but it’s from 1966 and has a crack so it’s too fragile to take on the road. My beautiful red Guild has certainly served me well and withstood decades of global travel with barely a scratch!
You studied at the Shakespeare Lab, and The Actor Studio, and Stanford University. Do you think by taking the courses you took makes you a better writer?
I’ve been studying acting since my teens actually. In high school I took classes on Saturdays and then became very active in school productions, performing in everything from Shakespeare to Neil Simon and various musicals. As my passion for acting evolved, my interest in writing more ‘literate’ music did as well. Certainly by the time I was attending these other conservatories in NYC after college, I had a much deeper respect for the written word via the many plays I’d read, but mainly I believe it was the continual challenge to channel the experience and spirit of someone else – their reality, their emotion – that enhanced my writing.
The imaginative muscles you exercise as an actor, including the ability to translate empathy from your mind’s eye to your instrument i.e. your voice and body – are pretty much the same ones you use as a writer. I also think it taught me a great deal about story-telling, and encouraged me to really hone in on the fine details not only of a character, but of a situation or environment.
You also went to the School of American Ballet. Does this make you a better dancer?
I was a professional dancer for a brief time in my teens and took it very seriously until I went to college – appearing in ballets with The New York City Ballet even – but I have not studied or performed ballet now in many years, other than the odd graceful gesture onstage or in videos. There is saying “once a dancer always a dancer”, however, so I’m often told I still carry myself like one, which I always take as a compliment!
You were one of the first artists who formed your own label. How did you get the idea of doing this?
I started making demos on a cassette four-track when I was twelve, and profession multitrack recording a few years later. By the time I was in high school I was very eager to sign a publishing deal and begin my career, no only as a performer – which was still very new to me as I had never really sung publicly – but also as a songwriter for other artists. Eventually I was offered a very big publishing deal by a company called “Famous Music”, when I was 15. My parents, however, were dead-set against this as they believed it would discourage me from going or at least staying in college (they were probably right). So, they said no, and frankly, I was heartbroken. It took me a couple years to recover to be honest, and I went off to college a bit bitter and resentful of their unwillingness to let me pursue that particular dream, at a young age.
So, the idea was sort of already floating around: I wanted to share my music and just “get it out there” however I could. My freshman year of college, I pressed up a bunch of demos with fancier artwork and started selling them at my acoustic gigs at The Stanford Coffeehouse. When they sold out, and then I caught on to the idea that I could start my own label and not “wait” to be discovered, it was something that really appealed to me. As soon as I graduated and moved back to NYC, I pretty much focused all my attention on learning how to do this, and my first album “Morbid Romantic” came out in 1996. I had no distribution, but I did send it to everyone I knew who might possibly be able to help me – whether it was a venue, a radio station or a friend of a friend who might know someone in “the biz”. Eventually, the airplay I got on college radio lead to my first offer from a distributor called Big Daddy, and that was the beginning of me actually setting up a legit label with the basics: a bunch of mailers, a postage machine, a fax machine and a dedicated 1.800 number, ha!
What is the hardest part of running your own label?
The hardest part of running my own label is actually having other artists on it, whose needs and expectations must often be prioritized before I can focus on my own creative work. But it’s also one of the most gratifying parts of it – which makes me very fortunate!
How are fans liking your new cd?
I’ve been getting a very positive response to my new album “Character”, and was have a really exciting and uplifting tour with Howard Jones, when this pandemic hit. It has been such a strange and overwhelming month, having been on essentially my “comeback tour” after overcoming cancer (thankfully I am in full remission). Fans were so supportive and appreciative of the new material, and it felt in many ways like that energy was continuing to help me heal. I think now…we are all healing each other. I am continuing to play the new material on my weekly livestreams, and I’m just grateful that folks are tuning in. I hope I am being of service and helping to uplift, in this strange and difficult time!
How is it to tour with Howard Jones?
Touring with Howard has been a huge blessing! He’s ever bit as kind, intelligent, funny and warm as you’d imagine from his lyrics, and I feel like I learn from him every night, just watching him do his thing. Having become not only friends but really, a kind of family after three tours together, it was very sad when this recent tour was cut short. Of course, he was incredibly gracious about it, easily acknowledging that it was the prudent and responsible thing to do, at this time. Hopefully we will have a reunion again before too long!
You did a duet with Judy Collins some 5 years ago. Why haven’t you done another since?
You’d have to ask her that question – ha! My proverbial door has always/will always be open and we are friends and in touch frequently o a more personal level. But in all seriousness: I think Judy is the kind of artist who rarely chooses to repeat herself. Her career – even at 80 years young – is a masterclass in dynamics and creative variety. She did do a duets album with all male singers shortly after we did our duet recording together though, so I like to think in some small way our beautiful experience recording “Helpless” was a catalyst for her doing more duets, in general!
You have toured with the likes of Ani DiFranco, Sarah McLachlan, Judy Collins and Howard Jones. What are some of the things you have learned from them about the music world?
The biggest lesson, without a doubt, that I have learned from all the luminary and accomplished artists with whom I’ve toured is the followed: be your own damn self!! Do your own thing, do it with commitment, dedication, discipline, creativity and generosity. All of the artists you mentioned are extremely dedicated professions who also have a sincere and profound joy that they share openly with their audiences. So, I think another big takeaway from these particular performers is to never take the relationship between the art you create, and the audience who actually shows up to listen to it live, for granted.
There is a magic that can happen at a live show that is even bigger than you as an individual artist; nurturing and appreciating the live show format to the point where that next-level magic is allowed to “show up” is that is something I am continually exploring. Experimentation is part of discovering more parts of yourself that you can share – so I also try to cue into other artists who are particularly adept at reinventing themselves, in whatever small but exciting ways.
You were at SXSW in 2018.Which helps many artists. With the current 2020 SXSW cancelled how will that effect the music world?
SXSW being cancelled was a huge blow to the local Austin economy, and certainly a tragedy. But it was also a signpost as to the absolute seriousness of this pandemic, and in that sense, I think it must have been the only decision possible. I don’t think we have a clear sense yet as to how this situation will affect the music business at large, but it has certainly made it very very difficult for most musicians I know to meet their basic needs, without the option of touring. It’s a very rough time, and that’s an understatement!
You new album “Character” is out. It is a personal retrospective of your current life. What is the message you would like people to take with them, once they hear your album?
Because I wrote the album while recovering from cancer, inevitably it reflects both my vulnerability and my strength during what was unquestionably the biggest crisis I’ve ever faced. There are a variety of messages in the album – I’m sure in some way each of the 12 songs has a unique message – but ultimately I hope that it inspires a question more than an answer, and that is: “what kind of human being do I want to be, and what changes can I make, to get there?” For me, making the record was a journey marked by resilience, gratitude, meditation, joy and loss. But I got through it, and hopefully that is some kind of testament to my own character and can serve to inspire others in some small way.
How did you find your backup band The Sequins?
I met my drummer Andy Mac years ago, when he appeared on an MPress Records charity compilation called “New Arrivals”. But I didn’t hear him play drums until he posted a clip of him performing with another project, on Facebook. I reached out to him right away because his groove blew me away, and I could just tell he would “get” my music. I met my violinist (Kelly Halloran) and cellist (Ward Williams) through the NYC live scene, at the local venues Rockwood Music Hall and Joe’s Pub. It was love at first listen, and thankfully they were both happy to join my project! Recently I’ve been reunited with another cellist who has mostly played on my recordings named Dave Eggar, and we met many years ago when he played on my album “The Blistering Sun”.
What is you’re feeling about streaming music?
My feeling about it is that it’s here to stay, so I’m doing my best to adapt and embrace it as a platform! A few years ago, I might’ve had a bit more to say about it, but at this point its sort of like asking if water is wet. It just is – and so the artists’ job is to continue to create music that is authentic and connects with their audience, however they want to consume it in this current culture.
Any plans to do a headline tour?
Before this virus shifted everything for everyone, I was supposed to be on a full tour all Spring and Summer behind “Character”. So, so as soon as it is deemed safe to rebook everything, that’s what we very much hoping to do! I am still hoping to make it over to the UK before the end of the year, but all my summer shows there have been necessarily cancelled, so we’ll just have to wait and see. If it has to be early 2021, so be it. Safety first!
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
What’s that saying? “The best laid plans…” I have been an intense planner and extremely goal-oriented my entire life. Right now, my most definitive plan is to finish a volume of poetry I’m working on, and to show up every Wednesday and Sunday for my “Stay In With Sage” Facebook Live events. Beyond that, I’ll just be happy when I get to hug my family and friends again and walk my beloved NYC streets without a mask on!!
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future? Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Are you planning to do something like that?
The only thing we can be sure of right now is that a lot of people re suffering, and artists – as they always do – are doing their best to channel these hardships into beauty and hope. It is the artists who always chronicle our collective human experience, and while I am unsure how the music business itself will recover, there is no denying the importance of music now more than ever.
I already began doing 2x weekly Livestreams on my Facebook Page called “Stay In With Sage”, and you can read all about it HERE & check out my website for my full “virtual” tour schedule
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