"It's no secret that I reek of the old world." Such poetic lyricism runs deep through the songs of Rae Fitzgerald. The Columbia, Missouri singer-songwriter's latest release "Popular Songs for Wholesome Families" is a tapestry both rich in sound and brave in scope, a flourish of originality and earnestness, resolute, determined, exploratory. "What does it mean to quit the machine" one of the many questions asked on this unique and vibrant album. Here Rae talks musical memories, DIY spaces, the healing potential of songs to free us up and help us move on, and the common threads that make all of our stories and experiences ones worth telling. AHC: What has this journey in music, so far, been like for you, the highs and the lows, and what sort of life lessons do you feel you've picked up along the way? Performing music was always emotionally rewarding, from the first time I ever played an open mic at 17. It's still really rewarding, but in a different way. It used to feel like an expulsion of feeling, and now (whether because of the material or just the life stage I'm in) it's more like a recounting/analysis of events that have transpired. Sometimes when I'm on stage, I feel like I'm trying to explain to the audience how I got to this place in my life, what made me the person I am. The highs are the creation part--when I'm sitting on the floor in front of a keyboard or showing my bandmates a song for the first time. It's also a "high" to really connect with a crowd from the stage and feel like I'm injecting them with a particularly emotional experience. Any musical lows I've experienced revolve around trying to get the music out there more. These days, there's a lot of freedom for DIY musicians. And there are also a sobering amount of difficulties when it comes to trying to make a living off of art. The two could work perfectly together, but there's not always a way to keep them balanced. AHC: What first drew you to music and what was your early musical environment like growing up? Were there pivotal songs for you then that just floored you the moment you heard them? I grew up in an extremely Christian household, and I was only allowed to listen to Christian music as a child. I always thought the hymn "Rock of Ages" was pretty epic and heavy. I liked the imagery of the death scene in juxtaposition with the narrator's hope for redemption. But I didn't have any eye-opening musical moments until I lost my religion at about 17. At 17, I started attending my first public, non-Christian school, and thanks to a hip group of friends, I was exposed to music that still ranks among my favorite. I started delving into Cat Power, Elliott Smith, Sufjan Stevens and Bright Eyes. I got a hold of the Bright Eyes album "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning," and it blew my mind. I listened to "Old Soul Song (For the New World Order) about a thousand times. It was so sad, so of-the-times, so perfect. AHC: Do you remember the first song that you ever wrote? Or that first moment when you picked up a pen and realized that you could create whole worlds just by putting it to paper? I've written poetry as long as I can remember. But I didn't put it to song until 17. I'd had an acoustic guitar for years, but I'd never picked it up. I had absolutely no interest in learning covers. The first song I learned was the first one I wrote. I was surprised how easily it happened. It wasn't a struggle; it just poured out. The biggest struggle was training my fingers to make the chords. I've written so much since then, entire albums of demos and full songs that have never seen light. AHC: Which musicians have you learned the most from? Or writers, artists, filmmakers etc? As far as lyric writers, which is what I am before anything else, I guess, Conor Oberst had a profound effect on me. I know he's a divisive character in the indie world, and most people either hate him or love him. But most people have to admit that every word he sings adds to a sequence that fits together perfectly. He's really wordy, of course. My earlier work was extremely wordy. Since then, I've been trying to pare down my lyrics so that each word is forced to be more intentional. I think Sharon van Etten is really great at that. As far as musicians whose composition style has inspired me, Cat Power's minimalistic orchestration is right up my alley. Even the simplest of her songs is packed with emotion. AHC: What do you think makes for a good song, as you're writing and composing, is there a sudden moment when you know you've found the right mix, that perfect angle of light, so to speak? I don't think I've ever recorded a song exactly the way I first heard it in my head. Bits get lost in translation; they get lost when other instruments are added; they get drowned out with other ideas of production. As long as the idea can still be seen after it's been dressed up, I think it's honest. The perfect angle for me is that intersection between familiarity, a pleasurable aesthetic and a universal realization. AHC: Do you consider music to be a type of healing art, the perfect vehicle through which to translate a feeling, a state of rupture, hope lost and regained? Does the writing and creating of the song save you in the kinds of ways that it saves us, the listener? It definitely does. Every time I can put an emotional trauma or an ecstatic realization or a moment of pure joy into a song and on a record, it frees me up to move on. It's like it almost allows me to clear up space on my mental hard drive. I can delete it, because it's always on the document (the record) for me to revisit if need be. It sort of frees me up to forget a lot of things and maybe contributes to some airhead-ed-ness. AHC: What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town? On-tour, on-the-road? Some of my best musical memories are actually in the studio. I love recording. I'm a procrastinator, and I get some of my best ideas at the last minute. I've played some larger shows with nationally touring acts, but they're never my favorite. I love DIY spaces and living room shows where everything is bare and everyone is there just to have an experience. AHC: Your album titles are all very unique and they also have a sort of common thread, in the sense that they each seem to carry a kind of critical political weight, Of War & Water, Quitting The Machine and Popular Songs for Wholesome Families, was this intentional, having each of these album titles bare down on certain themes up front? When you set out to write an album of songs, how much does 'where the world is' in its current moment, culturally, politically, otherwise, influence the kinds of stories you set out to tell? Up to this point, I haven't intentionally written about the social and political climate as much as they've just been captured by the songs. I've always thought of my songs as time capsules, and the political climate really affects me, so it inevitably ends up being illustrated in my work. However, I'm currently working on an EP that's shaping up to be more politically motivated than the others. I don't have a name for it yet, but it will be out this winter. AHC: With the traditional ways that we listen to music rapidly changing, does it affect how you write and put together an album? Too often people are downloading and engaging with singular songs rather than albums as on ordered and thematic canvas, do you regret that your work may not be received in the way it was intended or created? I definitely do. I wish our listening culture was interested in hearing the whole album, front to back, before skipping to tracks two and three. But I'm aware of it, and I planned my last album accordingly. I know that people rarely dig into my work as deeply as the lyrics intend for them to, but it makes the avid, deep-cuts listener even more precious to me. AHC: Do you have any words of advice for other musicians and singer-songwriters or anyone who is struggling to create something of value out there, who are just starting out and trying to find their voice and their way in this wold? What are the kinds of things that you tell yourself when you begin to have doubts or are struggling with the creative process? Anyone can be an artist. Whether she becomes one or not rests in whether or not she discovers how to present it. With so many experiences in the world, the only ones we're really adept at describing are our own. I think a good way to begin is to describe an event, memory or image with as much detail as possible and then attempt to extend it to a universal truth. Though our day-to-day experiences vary greatly, they each contain threads of the human experience. That's what I think is worth capturing. AHC: Do you have any new projects you'd like to mention? Yes! I'm working on a five-song EP with my four bandmates, and it's really pushing the boundaries of "singer-songwriter." The sound palate is a lot different than my previous work; it's weirder, more full-band-centric, and very political. It doesn't have a name yet, and there's no official release date, but anyone interested should look for it this winter on Bandcamp.com. For more visit raefitzgerald.bandcamp.com/
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