Rylie Interview
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: I’ve been singing all my life and writing songs since I was 15. I fell in love with Billie Holiday records early on, and there was always music playing in my parents’ house growing up, like Jeff Buckley’s “Grace” which was and is forever on repeat. I grew up entrenched in the Seattle music scene and those grungy rock roots are steeped into the music I write on guitar, as the sustained melancholy of grey, drizzly Pacific Northwest landscapes informed the songs I wrote on piano a few years ago.
Q: On your new release Perigee there is some very inventive production. Can you talk about your creative process?
A: Perigee is a portfolio that captures some pretty spontaneous moments I was fortunate to be a part of. Shannon Forrest produced nine songs from all corners of my songwriting, and the journey from a simple vision in my mind to a fully realized production has been a wild experience for me. Craig Young plays bass on a handful of the songs and I couldn’t have asked for a more intuitive, agile musician to dig up the colors and textures that belong in the song and contribute deeply to the feeling. Dave Levita got some of the coolest sounds with his guitar just by the most creative approaches to his instrument; I love his imagination and willingness to listen for what the song needs and then manifest it.
Q: What are some of the themes and topics you sing about on Perigee?
A: Travel, heartbreak, heartache, my relationship with home, ownership, and the struggle between conforming to other’s expectations and finding one's own way.
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: I’ve been singing all my life and writing songs since I was 15. I fell in love with Billie Holiday records early on, and there was always music playing in my parents’ house growing up, like Jeff Buckley’s “Grace” which was and is forever on repeat. I grew up entrenched in the Seattle music scene and those grungy rock roots are steeped into the music I write on guitar, as the sustained melancholy of grey, drizzly Pacific Northwest landscapes informed the songs I wrote on piano a few years ago.
Q: On your new release Perigee there is some very inventive production. Can you talk about your creative process?
A: Perigee is a portfolio that captures some pretty spontaneous moments I was fortunate to be a part of. Shannon Forrest produced nine songs from all corners of my songwriting, and the journey from a simple vision in my mind to a fully realized production has been a wild experience for me. Craig Young plays bass on a handful of the songs and I couldn’t have asked for a more intuitive, agile musician to dig up the colors and textures that belong in the song and contribute deeply to the feeling. Dave Levita got some of the coolest sounds with his guitar just by the most creative approaches to his instrument; I love his imagination and willingness to listen for what the song needs and then manifest it.
Q: What are some of the themes and topics you sing about on Perigee?
A: Travel, heartbreak, heartache, my relationship with home, ownership, and the struggle between conforming to other’s expectations and finding one's own way.
Q: Your music truly melds a lot of genres. I even heard jazz on the track "Forever, For Good" Is that a conscious decision?
A: Thank you for the thoughtful comment. I don’t pay much attention to genre because I have been influenced by a really wide range of music and feel boundless in terms of what I want to re-interpret in music. I've sung jazz for years and am so moved by the way Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan sang.
Q: Considering how many different elements there are from organic to electronic is it a challenge bringing the music to the stage?
A: Such a good question! At this stage I'm relying on my voice to be the common denominator between what I create in collaborative studio environments and what I make on my own with a guitar, my voice and whatever’s around.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: You can find the Perigee project on www.ryliemusic.com. I’m playing a release show in Nashville, TN, at the Douglas Corner on Jan 31.
A: Thank you for the thoughtful comment. I don’t pay much attention to genre because I have been influenced by a really wide range of music and feel boundless in terms of what I want to re-interpret in music. I've sung jazz for years and am so moved by the way Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan sang.
Q: Considering how many different elements there are from organic to electronic is it a challenge bringing the music to the stage?
A: Such a good question! At this stage I'm relying on my voice to be the common denominator between what I create in collaborative studio environments and what I make on my own with a guitar, my voice and whatever’s around.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: You can find the Perigee project on www.ryliemusic.com. I’m playing a release show in Nashville, TN, at the Douglas Corner on Jan 31.