Rachael Sage

This record is an acoustic reimagining of my album “Canopy” that was released exactly a year ago, so the songs were not brand new but the arrangements and musical performances are totally new, and feature the more stripped-down, acoustic instrumentation that listeners are apt to hear me do live on tour, plus of course using the studio to layer in more ambitious harmonies, add various special guests from the indie folk community, and generally reapproach the material with the added emotional perspective of having played these song hundred of times live now, in the UK and the U.S.! The goal is to have the listener feel like they’re closer to me, to the band performances…like we’re in your living room – so the lyric and melody is the focus and with the warmth of an earthier acoustic vibe.

 

 

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

I self-produced it with my longtime engineer Mikhail Pivovarov at Carriage House Studios in Connecticut, and The Creek in the Hudson Valley, NY.

 

 

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

Well, anytime Mikhail or any and all members of my band The Sequins get together it’s pretty much a party – however lowkey – and we all make each other laugh constantly so it’s hard to pinpoint one moment – but recording the djembe for “Nexus (Acoustic)” was definitely a highlight. It’s a very serious song by I just absolutely love playing percussion and I think I could’ve just kept doing take after take…I love how you can’t really think about it versus get into a kind of zone where the groove takes over and you’re in a pure flow state. I envy great drummers for the freedom they have physically but I do my best as a hand drummer and whatever the case – I am always in joyful heaven playing percussion so I was glad I got to do it in the video as well!

 

 

 

We always record into Protools and mix with a combination of analog and digital gear. I use various mics on different songs and we really try to give each vocal its own unique character including sometimes using a “bullet mic” which sounds kind of like a transistor radio effect. You can hear that sort of darker, crunchy sound on a lot of my background vocals and it’s always a fun effect that feels very retro to me. As far as instruments I leaned more into acoustic guitar and have a beautiful red Guild that o mostly play but also I have an older Martin parlor guitar from 1966 with a hole in it that nonetheless sounds great! I always play the Steinway at The Carriage House and we have a very special bond; I’ve been playing that instrument since my teens and she’s a lot of what keeps me coming back to the studio!

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Live If Up (Acoustic) is the most upbeat track on the record – it celebrates equality and pokes fun at doomscrolling culture and social media toxicity but ultimately it’s an uptempo piano and guitar based number that feels very happy and hopeful. I don’t have a lot of outright angry energy in general but there are moments of intense disappointment and frustration in the title track Canopy as well as Underneath, lamenting the state of our planet, the seemingly inescapable violence of war and perpetual challenges to women’s and children’s rights and human rights at large. I would say that the most reflective song is Nexus – a true story about Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teen who tragically passed after being severely bullied by peers. It’s a song meant to honor their life and family but I also hope it can be an uplifting rallying cry to stand up for one another and against hate and bigotry in all forms.

 

 

Was it a difficult album to write?

No – it was already written! The songs came out last year on the more electric, full band version Canopy. But for that record I think it was somewhere in the middle – some songs took longer than others and as is often the case I had to wrestle a few demons to complete them to my liking!

 

 

 

 

I designed it with my collaborator Chris Kornmann. We’ve worked together for years now. He’s great at text and layout and I generally curate the photos and paintings and guide the overall aesthetic in a very hands-way as I’ve been a graphic designer for decades and love me some photoshop!! Basically at this point we complete each others sentences and are one creative brain when we do these designs. He’s very patient with my obsessive eye for detail and helps me pull together the text and layout and add cool effects that elevate the design to another level. Anna Azarov did the photography, and she’s just amazingly talented and creative! (The painted guitar on the cover is one I play often onstage and it was fun to incorporate an instrument I’d decorated into the shoot.)

Underneath (Acoustic) laments the current state of gun violence in American including our endless string of mass shootings in schools and other public places. It doesn’t mince words and essentially asks the question “If not now, when?” when it comes to sensible gun control laws and taking stock of this horrific part of American culture that desperately needs to change. Cassandra Kubinski is a guest vocalist and we met because we both had songs in Dance Moms. She’s wonderful and it felt especially powerful to sing this song with a fellow empowered, grounded and empathetic female artist.

 

 

Do you have any visualisers to accompany the album?

Yes! My first video for the single Nexus (Acoustic) has been out a while, and clips for Le Rêve, Colorized World and Underneath are all in the works!

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2026/2027? 

Yes – I’ll be touring all over the UK with Emma Stevens in October (dates at rachaelsage.com/shows)  I can never stay away from the UK too long – it truly is my home away from home!