F*Yeah, Rachael Yamagata
Rachael Yamagata collects fans as she makes her way
by Jeffrey Lee Pucket
The Courier-Journal
December 15, 2011
Rachael Yamagata sounds awful. Her voice is hoarse, she’s sniffling, and it feels like a coughing fit could break out any second. This is the glamorous life of a touring musician: stuck in North Carolina, hundreds of miles from home, with a nasty cold and seven shows in the next eight nights.
“I think this tour caught up with me,” she said, wheezing. “I can usually sing through it, but lately this congestion has been so weird that it’s hard to get enough breath support. I can almost fake it, but it’s been pretty tough for the last few shows.”
Yamagata has dealt with worse.
Over the last decade or so, she has experienced the highs of being courted by major labels and the lows of going it alone, wondering if she’s doing the right thing. Her first two albums, 2004’s “Happenstance” and 2008’s “Elephants … Teeth Sinking Into Heart” were released by RCA and Warner Bros., respectively. Her latest, “Chesapeake,” was financed by fans and self-released on Frankenfish Records.
And now she’s back on the road, slugging it out in nightclubs and hoping that fans remember her after three years between records and tours. Still, “Chesapeake,” like Yamagata, is optimistic in its outlook. She made it on her own terms with her favorite producer, Louisville native John Alagia, and with musicians she trusted.
“For me, it was like I’ve got nothing to lose,” she said. “There was no one to answer to when making this record, no one but ourselves, and when you’re making music and you’re having fun and you’re inspired, it is joyous and it is optimistic. It’s a high of a sort.”
There’s some irony, too. “Elephants … Teeth Sinking Into Heart” had the support of one of the world’s biggest labels but was a largely dark, inward-looking album. “Chesapeake” was made in a kind of career limbo, yet feels free.
“There’s an energy behind it that only could have happened under these circumstances, and for me it took a lot to get to this place because it certainly hasn’t been an easy nine-, 10-, 11-year cycle,” said Yamagata, a Virginia native now living in New York. “It’s been extremely frustrating between albums and I’ve almost cracked a few times.
“What am I doing wrong? … I had a choice to either sink or swim, and when it finally all came down to it, there was nothing left but to find gratification. It was like finding water after a crazy drought.”
Despite her worries about disappearing for so long between albums, Yamagata hasn’t been playing to empty rooms, She also has enough dedicated fans to pay for the making of “Chesapeake” through PledgeMusic.com, where she scored nearly 1,600 donations that also helped launch her tour.
“My options are I either make this work or I don’t. I certainly have my days where I worry about sustaining a living doing this. I know I have the ability to write songs and lyrics that people are touched by, and I think I’ve learned a lot about needing to take the reins and make certain moves with just my instincts guiding me.
“I’ve played the game in certain ways for years and have not netted the results that I wanted. I’d rather fail big on my own terms than wait and do X,Y and Z like everyone thinks I should do.”
(Source)
"ow.ly/6UXhs here’s what paste is saying… this stuff making me smile.. i’m in my pajamas… smiling…"
— Rachael YamagataRachael Yamagata Discovers Her Inner Animal in 'Even If I Don't' -- Video Premiere
by Theo Spielberg
Spinner.com
September 13, 2011
Rachael Yamagata has spent much of the last couple years collaborating with other artists, but this fall will see the unveiling of ‘Chesapeake,’ her first solo full-length since 2008. In anticipation of the Oct. 11 release, she is sharing the music video for the driving and expansive single, ‘Even If I Don’t.’
“I wanted to stray from the traditional way to tell a relationship story and yet still reference the bittersweet nature of a pair that falls in love, but must split for their very natures are at odds with one another,” Yamagata, who tapped brother Josh Ruben to direct the video, tells Spinner.
“We want so badly to make things work, but sometimes we’ve got to settle for as much a we can get for a time. The lingering feeling always remains … The costumes were insanely hot and we got some odd looks from the neighbors. [It’s the] first wardrobe that I didn’t feel self-conscious in. Ha!”
The video showcases a very unconventional courtship between a lion and a bunny, two species that normally aren’t romantically linked. The lighthearted clip tracks the trajectory of a romance from the innocent beginnings, all set against the spot-on narration of the song.
Watch the video here at Spinner.com!
(Source)
"Love me pledge music!! They’re saying sweet things bout us gals… Check it here: http://bit.ly/pBgNyq"
—Kinda OT, but I didn’t know Meiko was doing PM or working on new material. I love her! And how awesome of PM to highlight these women artists. So proud of all these talented ladies, doing their own thing their own way and refusing to allow the music industry to dictate to them whether or not they can make music. This is not an easy route they’re taking and I really appreciate their passion and perseverance. Now, if we could just get Fiona on board…
Rachael Yamagata announces new album: Chesapeake
By Andrew Rubin
Consequence of Sound
August 22, 2011
It’s been a quiet three years since we last heard from the soulful and sultry-voiced singer/songwriter Rachael Yamagata. That will change with the release of Chesapeake on October 11th via Frakenfish Records. Her first studio album since 2008′s heart-stomping affair, Elephants…Teeth Sinking Into Heart, Yamagata’s upcoming LP will further her shift from the piano-driven, pop-folk of earlier work into the grungier world of alternative rock where the likes of PJ Harvey frequent.
The lead single, “Starlight,” stands as a continuation of the unrestrained, head-on rock style Yamagata dabbled with on the second disc of Elephants. Amidst a thumping bass-line and pounding drums, the always earnest Yamagata questions if love is really, in fact, all a game. It is only fitting, then, that the video for the moody “Starlight” features her pouring her heart out at the carnival, and crooning in front of a carousel and other attractions, in a series of shots that are about as well-lit as select scenes from Barry Lyndon. Antiquated home-video footage of circus performers, airplanes and weddings are interwoven into the dark and vintage video. Much like past collaborators Ryan Adams and Ray LaMontagne, Yamagata has always been one to wear her heart on her sleeve. It’s no wonder that she has zero trouble expressing through her smoky vocals that she would, “jump from a moving train, just to keep you.” It is too bad that just like the assorted attractions and booths at the carnival, this game of love is most likely rigged. Check it out below.
Thirteen days after the release of Chesapeake, Yamagata will embark on an extensive tour throughout the United States beginning on October 24th in Portland, ME and coming to a close with a two-night stand at the City Winery in New York, NY on December 21st and 22nd.[…]
(Source)
50 Musicians And Their Childhood Dream Jobs
Rachael featured in Paste’s 50 Musicians And Their Childhood Dream Jobs.
First dream job: Spy/Sociologist
Why that job? From as far back as I can remember, I wanted to figure out why people did what they did… [I] was always the fly on the wall taking notes. My favorite class in college was the ‘Sociology of the Criminal Mind’ and the best assignment we had was to present our ever elusive professor with facts we’d found out about him. After sneaking into his office and passing him back his personal details, I knew I had a knack for delving into the story of a person beyond what they normally show. Somehow I’ve made it legal by turning it into song.
Age when she wanted to be that profession: From age 5, I was always digging in dirt and I guess I still am…
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News Roundup
Rachael Yamagata Releases ‘Chesapeake’ Oct. 11, Announces Fall Tour
“Yamagata is releasing Chesapeake on her own, having collected pledges, donations, and support from her fan base through PledgeMusic, an approach being tried by more and more independent artists because the major labels have increasingly become corrupt distributors of mindless rubbish.” (via Blinded By Sound)
Rachael Yamagata to Release “Chesapeake” on October 11th
“Twelve days following the release of Chesapeake, Yamagata will hit the road on an extensive tour of the United States starting on October 24th in Portland, Maine at the Port City Music Hall and wind down on December 22nd in New York City at City Winery. We love an independent woman who will conquer the world with her talent and drive, like Yamagata.” (via Artist Direct)
Rachael Yamagata Previews Upcoming LP & Tour with New Song (MP3)
“There’s something intriguing about Rachael Yamagata. On one level, with lyrics that are at turns cryptic and starkly confessional, she reflects qualities consistent with that of an archetypical singer/songwriter. On another, she’s got a bold streak, and in her songs she increasingly challenges herself to find new ways to broaden the scope of her musical expression.” (via seattlepi.com)
Rachael Yamagata Shares ‘Starlight’ Off Of Upcoming LP ‘Chesapeake’
“Chesapeake…finds the singer-songwriter slightly departing from her earlier dark piano ballads and delving into the brighter, poppier side.” (via eBurban)
Exclusive Listen: Rachael Yamagata Shifts Into Brighter Gear on 'Starlight'
‘Before, I really gravitated to these darker songs and ballads’
By Steve Baltin
Rolling Stone Music
August 1, 2011
On her first two albums, singer/songwriter Rachael Yamagata proved she could write a piano ballad with the best of them. If you wanted atmospheric, moody and haunting Yamagata was right up there with the likes of Tori Amos and Fiona Apple on their most somber days. “Before I really gravitated to these darker songs and ballads and a lot of self-introspection,” she tells Rolling Stone.
Hew new album, produced by John Alagia (Mandy Moore, John Mayer, Yamagata’s Happenstance) and due this fall, finds a more relaxed Yamagata. “I lightened up in a way that gives this record more tempo and there’s almost a positivity to some of these songs, which I’ve never been able to do,” she says. “There’s still some darker ballads, but, on the whole, it’s a lighter record.”
What was the secret to finally freeing herself up musically? Finding her independence. “It was really gratifying in that sense because I don’t have the pressures of a major label anymore,” she says. “In a funny way I think this might be a more commercial record for me in terms of reaching a broader audience because there was no attempt or requirement to be anything but what we felt like doing in the room.”
That’s evident in “Starlight,” a song that has a bit of a PJ Harvey edge. “‘Starlight,’ to me, feels like it should be in some European dance club,” she says. “That song just evolved in the process of making the record. It came into something that is kind of sexy and cool. I’m stoked about it.”
Visit the Rolling Stone website to listen to Rachael’s new song ‘Starlight’!
(Source)
