Interview with Singer-Songwriter Carley Baer

Photograph by Kelly Avenson


            Carley Baer's original blend of 'folk/pop with a ukulele twist' turns heads everywhere she goes.  Currently based in Milwaukee, WI, she entertains audiences on guitar, ukulele, and accordion, dazzling the masses with her crystal-clear voice, high-energy performance, and coyly confident stage demeanor. Her latest release, Life Goes On After All, came about in the dark of night. The album features a combination of live and MIDI instruments, resulting in new and exciting sounds not often heard from this acoustic folksinger. Carley’s true power lies in her live performances, where she's been described as 'captivating' and 'charismatic', with one attendee proclaiming, 'It's impossible to walk away from one of her performances without a smile on your face.' 


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?

It's been an adventure, that's for sure. I started embarking on my musical journey right around the time that the internet was becoming a prominent tool for independent musicians, and the phrase "changing landscape" has been a constant in my life ever since. In some ways, it has been difficult to navigate; I find myself occasionally envious of my friends who are on a more traditional, laid-out career path. In other ways, it's been hugely liberating to be able to make my own rules and find my own way forward. I've learned how to roll with just about anything that comes my way, and that skill is invaluable to a career in music but also to life in general. 


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 a musical household. My dad is a folk musician, my mom is an avid consumer of music (you should see her vinyl collection). Many of my parents' friends are also musicians, and they'd regularly get together and jam while us kids would run around and play. So I was always around music growing up. Things like the Beatles, Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, Led Zeppelin, were all part of the soundtrack to my formative years. 


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 do remember, and so does my whole family-- they'll never let me forget. It was called "Moonbeams," and I was maybe five years old, and I wrote it on a little Casio SK-1 sampling keyboard. I don't remember having a dawning moment of like, "Oh, this is how songs get made, I could be a songwriter!" I think my attitude back then was that music was just another form of play, like dolls or tag. 

AHC: Which musicians have you learned the most from? Or writers, artists, filmmakers etc?

I've definitely borrowed a few pages from Ani Difranco's playbook. She was my first real inspiration; I'd watch her Render documentary on repeat any time I was feeling unsure about my chosen path. I've also learned volumes from hanging out with pat mAcdonald in Sturgeon Bay, WI, where the Holiday Music Motel hosts weeklong songwriting festivals three times a year  (http://holidaymusicmotel.com). I like to listen to all aspects of a song but if the lyrics are really clever, I'm sold. Pat's one of the cleverest lyricists I've ever had the pleasure to know, and his influence has definitely left an impact on me. An extension of that is learning from all the other songwriters who attend those festivals. Each of them brings their own brand of magic to the table, and they've each taught me something that I've been able to incorporate into my own process. It's hard to put into words just how much I've learned from everyone there.

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?

Well on the one hand, there's that phrase about when something "rings true." When something rings, it resonates, and when I sense that resonance, I know I'm on an inspired track. On the other hand, I write a lot of songs on deadlines, and inspiration doesn't always see fit to join the party, so I'm left to slog through what can be a very laborious process. And sometimes those songs, the ones that were about as enjoyable to extract as an impacted molar might be, are the ones that get the best response from an audience, so I guess the answer to your question is, I have no idea. I feel like I know a good song when I come across one, but mostly I just write and hope people like it. 

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?

Oh, absolutely. I know many musicians, myself included, who treat music as a cheaper alternative to therapy. You can address so much with music, and get an effect that you can't really duplicate with speech or prose writing. Pain, endurance, hope in the midst of despair, it all becomes more palatable when it's set to a melody. You have a bad day, you put on some music that helps you work through those emotions. Someone upsets you, you write a song about it and give those feelings somewhere to go that's a little more productive and creatively fulfilling than telling that person off. Music is magic. It's like the sugar that makes the medicine go down. 

AHC: What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town? On-tour, on-the-road?

There are so many. I remember my dad teaching me how to sing harmonies when I was very young, and I remember my mom singing Paul Simon's "Under African Skies" to my then-baby sister. More recently, I've been traveling a lot: France, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, all as part of these subscription-based songwriting projects I've been doing. When I was in Paris, my friend Eric McFadden just happened to be playing a show nearby, so I went to see him; he had no idea I was in town. That was a really fun moment. Another songwriter friend of mine, Elke Robitaille, joined me in Paris and from there we went to Munich for my first time. Music has allowed me to go to some really cool places and make amazing memories with great people. I'll always remember that.

AHC: 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?

Well, first I must admit that I have never set out to write an album of songs. My albums so far have been collections of already-written songs that were in need of a home, songs that I felt deserved an audience but were not necessarily part of an overarching commentary on the current state of the world. Of the songs I've written that have ended up on albums, I think the state of the world seeps into the material in subtle ways. It shapes the way I see things. It colors my moods. I try to dress it up in allegory and metaphor, because there's always the danger of getting "preachy" which I try to avoid at all costs. But it's in there, if you look at it right.

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?

There's that "changing landscape" thing again. I'm personally not really bothered by that, although I do appreciate that musicians who approach things more thematically might be. I feel like as long as people are listening and enjoying themselves, however they choose to experience the music is fine with 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 world? What are the kinds of things that you tell yourself when you begin to have doubts or are struggling with the creative process?

Your inner critic is a very important ally in the quest for the perfect song. However, one of the best things you can learn to do is silence that critic and take chances that you might not be comfortable taking. Sometimes it will lead to disappointment, but I've found that it more often leads to strange and exciting new places that allow you to grow as a writer, as a musician, and as a human being. Set deadlines and stick to them-- oh, how many millions of times have we all heard that advice, but it's really true. When you don't give yourself time to over-criticize your work, when you trust your skills and instincts, you might be surprised by what you can create. And always remember, it's only a song. 

AHC: Do you have any new projects you'd like to mention?

I am up to my ears in new projects. I'm currently doing a boutique song commission project for the holidays, called Notes From The Heart, where people can order songs to be written for their loved ones. Information on that is at http://www.carleybear.com/notes-from-the-heart/. My upcoming album, Travelogue, is a compilation of songs I've written on my two songwriting adventures, the Paris Project and the Budapest Project. I'm aiming to release Travelogue in early 2017. I'm also organizing a project in response to the emotional turmoil unearthed by this most recent U.S. election, although I can't say much on that just yet. Anyone who's interested in learning more about everything I'm up to can follow along at www.carleybaer.com.



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