Singer-songwriter Rachael Sage: a new album, DIY music label & love for vinyl

Singer-songwriter Rachael Sage’s music is heartfelt, whimsical and always colorful — just like the artist herself. A folk-rock sensation, Sage built her career DIY-style. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the label she founded, MPress Records. Her latest album is Canopy.“I’ve always been kind of a DIY-er,” Sage told me on the podcast. “My first business that I ever ran was the barrette business that I started in 7th grade with my best friend Jenny. Shout out to Jenny from 7th grade.”Key West Newswire by Gwen Filosa is reader-supported news. To receive updates, become a free or paid subscriber.The independent musician life means she’s traveled an unpredictable path toward success. “One day you’re opening for a festival, and you’re playing in Germany for 10,000 people,” Sage said. “And then the next night, you’re in a little dive bar in the middle of nowhere, playing for, you know, 13 people. And this is the way it’s been for me, up and down for most of my career.” Sage will perform two shows at The Studios of Key West, on Feb. 17 and 18. Tap here for ticket information.Music was her first languageSage can’t remember a time without playing music. “I’ve always been doing music,” the New York-born artist said. “I went to the School of American Ballet from age 11.”But before that, at 2 years old, Sage started playing the family’s piano that was in the living room. She played by ear. “It was my first language in a lot of ways, to play piano by ear,” she said. Growing up, she started writing lyrics. At first, it was a way to deal with being bullied at school.“I quickly discovered that music would give me back whatever amount of energy and devotion that I put into it,” she said. “I’m so so lucky that I found that at a young age, because it’s always been there for me.”Sage is a six-time Independent Music Award winner and a John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize recipientt. She’s toured alongside Rufus Wainwright, Ani DiFranco, Shawn Colvin, and Judy Collins, and she’s performed with the New York City Ballet. A love for vinylWhen Sage comes to Key West, she’ll have her brand new album, Canopy, in tow — on both vinyl and CD. Turntables aren’t required, Sage said. She’s turned the record and CD packages into handheld art books. “These are probably the most ambitious artistic packages I’ve ever designed,” she said. “I also have many of my own paintings in them that I created to accompany the music. So it all really tells a story.”Sage’s humor is matched by her compassion. She matches her struggles with resilience. Share this story by tapping the button beloIn 2018, at age 46, while on tour and ready to release a new album, she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Throughout the hospitals, treatments and pain, she kept the music close. A year later, she said she was recovered enough to start working on a new albu. She released the album Character, a collection of songs centered on gratitude and empowerment.Today, Sage calls herself a “cancer thriver” — not survivor — and has performed to raise awareness and funds for women’s health and youth homelessness programs. Performing live is its own brand of joyful meditation, she said. “I hope that in some way, my concerts can be a kind of meditation for people to just feel human and like they’re in community,” Sage said. “To use music as a way to let go and shed some of the negativity and fear that’s in our midst right now.”Key West Newswire by Gwen Filosa is reader-supported news. Become a free or paid subscriber to receive updates. Get full access to Key West Newswire by Gwen Filosa at gwenfilosa.substack.com/subscribe