Alt-folk-pop singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet, and visual artist Rachael Sage performs March 4 at Chico Feo
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
Rachael Sage wears a lot of hats. She’s a multi-award-winning singer-songwriter, music producer, poet, dancer, and visual artist.
“Guilty as charged! To be very honest, I try not to separate these mediums in a conscious way, as different as they seem on the surface,” says Sage, who will be making a quick stop on Folly Beach this month when she plays Chico Feo’s Songwriter’s Soapbox on Monday, March 4. “For me, music is painting is dancing is writing poetry in the sense that these are all life-affirming creative expressions that reflect our common humanity and circumvent day-to-day language in favor of something transcendent on a good day. So really, it’s one fluid pursuit of storytelling, or at minimum, capturing some kind of snapshot of emotional or self-expression.”
In addition to donning a lot of hats—literally and figuratively—Sage also tends to wear a lot of flowery hairpieces. Her flair for fashion, is an extention of her playful, innovative sense of creativity.
“I love telling stories and improvising, and of course, you can expect some fabulous outfits since I’m addicted to sequins and bright colors.”
A prolific songwriter, Sage has built a long-term career defined by a nose-to-the-grindstone DIY ethos. She has released more than 20 albums and EPs in her career and toured the globe performing for audiences ranging from the dozens to tens of thousands. She has shared stages with seminal musicians such as Sarah McLachlan, Judy Collins, Howard Jones, and Ani DiFranco. Through the years, she has also expanded her boutique label, MPress Records to executive produce releases by Grammy-nominated and Billboard-charting artists such as Seth Glier, Melissa Ferrick, and K’s Choice.
When looking at her current tour schedule, one might wonder how a stop at Folly Beach ended up on her itinerary, sandwiched between stops in Connecticut and Nashville, before hitting up and then on to the UK.
“Well, as it happens, our dear friend and sometime-collaborator Danielle Howle connected us with the Folly Beach venue (Chico Feo), but I do have a longtime connection to Charleston and have performed there several times through the years, along my various Southern tours. I have some cousins in the area too, so hopefully they’ll be able to join the fun when I come through,” says Sage. “My mom is from the South, so I always feel very at home there – but I’ve been told I have a slight New York accent, so don’t hold that against me!”
While her stop in the Lowcountry will be brief, it will hopefully be full of inspiration for an artist who seeks to find the beauty in things and turns them into art. So, who knows, maybe Folly will end up in a future song or poem or painting.
“I draw my inspiration from just about everything! From travel, from novels, films, perfect strangers, fellow artists and friends/family in my life,” says Sage. “I always warn people not to tell me anything too interesting unless they’re ok with it ending up in a song or a poem. Ha!”
Sage will be performing along with violinist Kelly Halloran. She says you can expect to hear songs from her last album The Other Side and her forthcoming acoustic companion album Another Side.
“My goal is always to utilize art as a way to bring people together and to hopefully unite, through some semblance of collective recognition,” says Sage. “I’m always working with various dynamics—whether quiet/loud, melodic/dissonant, serious/witty—to express various themes in a way that will hopefully transport the audience and offer some kind of memorable catharsis,” says Sage. “People may not remember every lyric or joke or anecdote, but I find that they will remember how you make them feel … so my intention is always to uplift and hopefully, inspire.”
Rachael Sage will perform on Monday, March 4 at Chico Feo, located at 122 E Ashley Ave. For more information, visit www.rachaelsage.com.
