In this interview spotlight, I chat with singer/songwriter Roxy Rawson about her latest project, motivations, challenges and much more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below. Her album Quenching The Kill is now available!
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 am currently residing in the San Francisco Bay. It is very hard for artists and musicians to live here, but I think because of how uniquely hard and difficult financially it is, and that it is near to nigh impossible to get signed here, there is something magical happening. The music people are creating is from a very pure desire to experiment and create rather than kowtow to the music industry’s definition of what makes a ‘hit song’. A musician recently told me that even though it’s harder to live here, she came to live in the bay because she was feeling creatively starved in LA.
In my own words I would say I create feral freak folk, though this may change on the next album as we are adding some dirty distorted guitar and more drums and bass:-) Along with some orchestral arrangements…that sounds lile a strange combination…still working out how to arrange and mix in a way that will help the record have an identity…it’s calling for one, but I’m not sure what it is yet!
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
Well…the desire for music seemed to come from nowhere! When I was small, no one was musical in my family and yet I begged my dad for piano lessons when I was 5 I think. I remember hearing a flute ensemble at school when I was maybe 4 or 5 and being completely astounded and mesmerized. It’s always been a privilege and kind of magical to be involved with music, to study and play it, to be part of big string orchestras or vocal ensembles, to make chamber music or be in a band. Experiencing being part of music fills me up. And it feels like a secret language through which I can process and alchemize and express things that cannot be expressed to people through language. For me this is vital. As Joni Mitchell said ‘if I cannot create, I do not feel alive’. That is how I feel.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
It is different in style to my 2009 EP (thought that was professionally recorded and released), because it is bigger in sound and musically a bit more sophisticated. I really wanted to make something with beautiful arrangements, recorded beautifully…to make something that stretched what I could imagine musically and expressed what I was aiming for- and create something I and the people involved in the process of making it could be proud of.
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)?
Oversaturated is such an apt description. I personally find it hard to wade through and find the quality in the music I want to hear, without going by recommendations from friends, otherwise I just get lost in the massive musical soup of spotify and soundcloud.
As an artist, I think it’s very easy to get lost in that soup…I am making music of a certain sub-genre…and I feel that it is of good quality, but it’s hard for people to know about it because of the big giant soup.
Yes social media may help to an extent, but it also worsens things somehow…I feel icky about it. I much prefer the experience of being at a concert, the interaction with people in the real world. And I like physical merch that I can touch and hold onto, to extend the experience. I think other people want and like that too, and we’ve put on shows recently that were quality curated shows under the theme of #femmefreakfolk and the people who came out, came for the experience, loved being part of it, seemed to feel the magic in the experience and also wanted to extend it.
Our merch table was very busy! And we had so many lovely moments chatting with people, connecting and enjoying each other’s music, dancing, elation…all the good feelings of connection in the REAL world.
We still need this in the digital age!
What was the last song you listened to?
Mmm, swordfish trombones by Tom Waits, late last night. Was just in the mood for it:-)
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Something physical is always preferred, but MP3s if it’s the only way to hear someone!
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I think I prefer bandcamp because it feels more personal, curated by the artist themselves, which helps you as a user feel more connected, a bit like myspace used to be. I so wish that had continued, it was wonderful until it wasn’t.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
I am on all the dreaded streaming platforms, bandcamp and spotify. I also have a website www.roxyrawson.com where new performance videos will be added soon. I also hope to press and distribute vinyl, so if you hear of any vinyl shops that would stock my LP, please let me know! 🙂
Anything else before we sign off?
Just a big thank you for agreeing to interview me, my band, it’s so helpful to us independent artists- and helps people to navigate the big soup! 🙂
