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Jessica Rhaye
MOTE Magazine Nov 24, 2006 By Stephen Clare Saint John, New Brunswick, is a rough and tumble, old-school shipyard town whose days of glory and prosperity are long behind her. Emerging from the post-industrial edge, like a flower breaking through the pavement, Jessica Rhaye has just released her sophomore recording "Short Stories". Mote's Stephen Clare recently spoke with her. Stephen: What were some of the highlights of recording Short Stories? Jessica: The overall recording process was a highlight for me. Just finally having the opportunity to record some of the songs that I had been writing and co-writing over the years leading up to my time in the studio. I think every singer songwriter would say listening to their songs, which for me are written on acoustic guitar, take shape and grow in the studio, with other instrumentation, is definitely a highlight. What were some of the challenges? I think the biggest challenge was making sure the songs were strong enough to record a very solid record. Songs that meshed well together to make a strong record and that would be a true representation of who I am as a singer/songwriter. Of course the other challenge which every independent artist encounters, and is non-musical related, is getting the finances together in order to make a recording properly. What are some of the main themes involved with this work? Each song is a little story on its own, which is why I called the album "Short Stories". Some of the themes are about quirky relationship perspectives like "Running for the Door" and "Holding Out", while "Wild Flowers" is about getting away from the city for some peace and quiet. There are some dark songs as well like "Crazy Jayne" and "Where it All Begins". It isn't a concept album with a common running theme, each song kind of has its own identity. What have you learned from the process? I guess I really just learned and understood from the start that I wanted to make a record that was a true representation of who I am both as singer/songwriter and as a visual artist (I'm a graphic design artist as well and prepared the album layout/design and website). I really tried to concentrate on the songwriting process to make the writing on the album as solid as possible. I wanted the songs to be well produced but to also transpose well when broken down and played solo acoustic, which I've learned is when a song is really a great song. What has initial response been like from family, friends, media, and the general public? The feedback from the album has been extremely positive. I think the album has really surprised people, including the media. I've received great feedback on the song writing on the record, which of course was what I was aiming to achieve. The feedback from the over all sound and production has been great as well, which I have to give credit to my producer Ed Woodsworth and Jamie Foulds, the engineer. Positive media and industry recognition is nice, but to be honest I really want people that buy or hear the record to enjoy listening to it. I hope people appreciate the time and effort that was put into making the album. I don't write songs that will change the world, I just try to write songs that I hope people enjoy and maybe connect with while they listen. That being said industry and media recognition helps any artist move forward, so I do hope the album gets some positive recognition. Is the creative process more one of inspiration or perspiration? I would say my creative process is drawn from inspiration, which comes from life experiences, from reading books and sometimes from just watching and listening to other people's lives and stories. I'm not the type of artist who can just throw myself in a room with the idea of creating a song, I usually have to wait for some type of inspiration lyrically or a cool melody to inspire me before I sit down and write. On this album I did some co-writing, which was very interesting because I would have to throw myself into a situation to create with another artist. We didn't really start any songs from scratch so much as we would continue to build upon a song that I had already started when I was originally inspired, so we continued to build on I guess my initial inspiration. What are your thoughts on the Canadian music industry? I think right now the Canadian Music Industry is extremely healthy. There are tons and tons of bands from all over the country that are touring, have strong followings and are producing some great music. What are your thoughts on Canadian music? I really enjoy Canadian Music, especially the singer-songwriter stuff like Jim Cuddy, Matt Mays, Sarah Harmer, Jann Arden, etc. Most of the music in my collection is Canadian and I think it is some of the most real and heartfelt music being produced. What are your thoughts on the Maritime music scene? I think the Maritime music scene, especially over the last year, has been extremely vibrant and some its artists are really making a big splash for themselves. George Canyon just finished his first headline national tour with Dave Gunning. Fellow New Brunswick artist Matt Anderson opened up a series of dates for ‘America' in California, Jill Barber is touring across Canada with Ron Sexsmith, Wintersleep & Matt Mays have been back and forth across the country numerous times with great followings, Gordie Sampson is writing in Nashville for some A-List Artists, so overall I would say that there are some artists that reside in the Maritimes that are really making a solid living in the music scene. In your opinion, has the internet helped or hurt the music industry, and in what ways? I would say the internet has helped independent artists because it has allowed them to get their music out to people who otherwise wouldn't hear it, unfortunately for free. Giving away free music of course, in my opinion, has hurt most labels because they haven't been able to generate the revenue they once were able to generate from CD sales. This lack of sales and revenue of course hasn't allowed labels to invest in developing new artists, so independent artists can control, for the most part, what songs they make available for free and hopefully receive a greater percentage of money from the sale of their music then they would if they were with a label. One could say the internet helps independent artists but is also the reason there are so many independent artists without labels, if that makes any sense? However, I know personally that if I listen to something for free on the internet and I really enjoy it I want to purchase the hard product, which I think most true music fans try to do. Have you been writing new material? I've been writing on and off since finishing "Short Stories". I've probably got about 4 or 5 new songs since we finished the recording process and demos of a bunch of tunes that we didn't use on this record. I would say overall I've got enough songs for another recording. What's in the works for you over the coming months? I am really just looking at getting the recording out there. We plan to release a single to radio in the New Year, we are working on a video in December and then showcase opportunities in some new territories and we are working on a tour to support the release in the New Year and hoping to play in some festivals and listening rooms along the way. To be honest I like to sing. I hope that I can continue to perform live in new and exciting venues, record and write more songs, co-write with different artists and continue to create music and art. |