Singer-songwriter Angela Soffe’s latest album, ‘Second Wind’, is the result of a darkness-into-light narrative, and marks a brave return to music.
The weighty topics here are exquisitely offset by soothing musicality, an amalgam of folk, pop, and bluegrass with touches of new age and classical music. Throughout the album, Angela’s voice exudes a sweet emotional grace at the intersection of defiance, wonderment, longing, and vulnerability. Highlights on this soulful journey of an album include “Rocks,” “Freedom,” and “Second Wind.” The album was produced by Seattle-based producer Andy Park whose credits include Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, among many others. The Yakima Valley-based artist’s album sits nicely alongside works by Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Natalie Merchant, Mat Kearney, and Ben Rector. Look for the award-winning Angela Soffe Band performing this body of work, and other Americana chestnuts, on tour in 2018.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with singer/songwriter Angela about her latest project, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I was raised by American parents in Manila, Philippines where I attended an international school, spent weekends on a sailboat in the South China Sea, studied classical piano (not at sea), and ate plenty of mangoes. I now live in wine country in the Pacific Northwest.
The music I make is under the umbrella of “Americana” music, though I’ve recently begun branching out into electronica. I perform my own music with an Americana band (think: upright bass, mandolin, guitar, fiddle, light percussion) but I also write soulful piano ballads for the more sentimental song expressions. I’m currently working on an electronic record with a focus on creating inspirational music.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
There are many twisting paths and factors that influenced my current career and it’s one I’ve told in podcasts and interviews many times. It involves Mormonism, motherhood, and learning to choose the life you want. For the most recent podcast interview, you can listen on the “Naked Conversations Podcast”.
I began playing in a folk band in college and learned the ins and outs of traditional folk music. I started to write my own songs and continued to play in bands until 2010 when I recorded my first solo record. What happened between 2010 and 2018 is a long story, but in a nutshell, I moved across the country, started a family, and left music behind. It wasn’t until a faith crisis that hit in 2013 that I picked up my guitar and began writing again. The most recent record released in April 2018, “Second Wind”, is the product of my return to music.
I keep creating because music is what pulled me from the darkness. Creating, composing, crafting is what I’m meant to do in this life. Without it, I am expressionless, and without expression, I am unwhole.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
This song was written and recorded to be a part of the “Second Wind” album. However, when I left the studio and heard the song again the context of the record, it just felt like it’s own thing. It didn’t belong with those songs that told a sequential story about my leaving Mormonism. So my producer and I agreed it should stay off the album and become its own single release down the road. This song is about disconnection, which is something that happens to musicians a lot, especially on the road and away from people we care about. It sort of has a vintage folk-rock feel which is not how we perform it, but adds a cool contrast to the folky tunes on the previous record.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Challenges abound! One of the greatest challenges is learning to follow what has been termed, “Essentialism”. I’m a busy mother of 3 young kids, I run a teaching studio, and perform a lot. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the endless list of things a musician “should do” in order to gain traction, stand out, etc. I remind myself daily to focus only on what matters most, and not get sucked into the vortex of social media posting and looking at what others are doing. I concentrate on my craft, improving, practicing, and putting out new content rather than permitting myself to compare or waste time on meaningless tasks. I find it critical to be authentic in my music and I can best do that by cutting out the fluff and focusing on my contribution.
Technology has been incredibly life-changing for me as a partially homebound studio musician living in a rural area. I’ve been able to speak on podcasts, record from home, share files with producers, collaborate with other musicians, and create music from a distance. It’s also enabled me to learn new information faster than ever before.
What was the last song you listened to?
Vanilla Twilight by Owl City
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
MP3s! The only CD player in the house is a tiny scratched up boom box stuffed in a corner of my daughter’s room. It has the “Trolls” soundtrack in it. =)
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I use Spotify. I find the platform easy to use and collaborate via playlists with other musicians I work with.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Our Facebook band page or Instagram is the best place to connect with us! Come over and say hi!
Or my website: www.angelasoffe.com
Anything else before we sign off?
Yes!
1. You can follow the electronic dance music project from our Patreon page here. If you like it, we’d love your support by becoming a patron!
2. We just shot a beautiful new music video featuring the apple-growing countryside I live in as well as my band and kids. The song is “Kitchen Sink” and will be coming out in January. Follow us on Facebook and you’ll get notified when it’s out.
3. Also, you can get a free download of the “Rocks” song by signing up on our email list on the website: www.angelasoffe.com (The song is about the aftermath of leaving Mormonism, you can watch the music video here.)
