JENNY HE
RACHAEL SAGE
Rachael Sage radiates joy and passion at her concerts, and her elegant voice can pierce even the most sober moods. The vibrant hues of the clothes she wears creates a strong visual impact, as do her sensual lyrics. In “Just Enough” she paints a lovely picture as she sings:
Like a bird flying in the breeze, I feel love
Little seeds falling from the trees, I feel love
Butterflies flirting with the bees, I feel love
99 Fahrenheit degrees. I feel love
The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is co-billed with Nashville-based Danni Nicholls at The Fanwood Performance Series at The Kuran Cultural Arts Center/The Carriage House, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Visit fanwoodperformanceseries.org.
Sage and her band The Sequins will also present an album release show for their new album Canopy — whose well-crafted songs celebrate inclusiveness, equality and non-violence, at the Cutting Room in New York, Oct. 23 at 9 p.m. The show will also feature the duo Annalyse & Ryan.
Canopy — which will be released on Oct. 24 on Sage’s label, MPress Records — is the first full band release from Sage and The Sequins. Band members include Trina Hamlin on harmonica, Andy Mac on drums and Dave Eggar on cello.
Sage’s last two albums, 2023’s The Other Side and 2024’s Another Side, represented a unique blend of folk and pop, and showcased her intimate meditations on loss and gratitude.
The gorgeous songs on Canopy remind me to reflect and feel outrage, but also to remain positive. While many of her songs tackle heavy issues, she shares a flower-power sense of wonder in “Just Enough,” featuring labelmate James Mastro on guitar. Its ’60s positivity is infectious (see video below).
The cover of Rachael Sage & the Sequins’ album, “Canopy.”
Sage has performed with an impressive group of musicians over the years, including Judy Collins, Rufus Wainwright, Ani DiFranco and Howard Jones. As a visual artist, she paints and designs album covers; she also studied dance early on, performing with the New York City Ballet.
Always giving back, she has engaged in philanthropic work for a variety of causes, including the Foundation for Women’s Cancer, The Trevor Project, WhyHunger and others.
I spoke with her about her group Poetica in 2021, and recently interviewed her about Canopy and more.
Q: Your press material indicates that your songs “find common ground in themes of living a purposeful and joyful life rooted in inclusiveness and equality and non-violence.” Tell me about how these songs differ from those on your last few albums, or is there a connected current?
A: I think this album is different for a variety of reasons — while of course still containing similar qualities, sonically and musically, to my previous work. In terms of the themes, I would say these songs are more geared toward connection, and gathering together in different ways, as well as the concept of safety and shelter — whereas some of my other recent work such as The Other Side was more focused on resilience, and on essentially “making it through.” This is a record about coming together and acceptance of difference, foremost. In that sense I hope it provides comfort to many who very rightfully feel scared, under attack or otherwise isolated amidst so much cultural and political divisiveness and chaos.
Q: Do you have a favorite song that expresses the value of living a joyful life grounded in inclusiveness?
A: “Canopy” and “Live It Up” are my favorite songs right now to play live … but I also really enjoy performing “Just Enough.” Those are three that seem to fit together really well in my set with the band and each one gives me an opportunity to express similar aspirations in different stylistic settings. The title track is more anthemic with a sing-along chorus and it’s exciting when the audiences start joining in with what really feels like the mission statement of the record.
SHERVIN LAINEZ
RACHAEL SAGE
“Live It Up” is more uptempo but it’s very much about inclusivity, equality and an invitation to be part of a more positive collective outlook of hopeful optimism.
“Just Enough” is literally about us each being enough exactly as we are, and amplifies the joy of all forms of unconditional love — whether romantic, friendship or familial. It’s a trio of songs that really feel like they hang together around these concepts … I can’t just pick one.
Q: “Canopy” feels like a reprieve from the kind of hopelessness that is common these days, with a strong belief that if women ran the world there’d be an “end to war” and “healing from insanity.” What does the song mean to you?
A: Well, let’s just say this is the most direct beginning of a song I think I’ve ever written; I didn’t beat around the proverbial bush, did I? For me the song is less about if women ran the world, than about what could happen if men took a step back, conceded that what’s been “the way” for eons hasn’t exactly been working … and allowed for more women to have their voices and ideas at least equally heard at the highest levels of influence.
While the refrain is ultimately a hopeful invitation to “do better,” the song was initially penned from a place of disheartenment that our leaders rarely appear to be acting from empathy rather than from ego/insecurity, aggression or power-mongering.
To be clear again, this is not a gender-bashing sentiment but a heartfelt, practical one: What if those inclined toward militarism as a first resort were no longer automatically given the keys to the kingdom?
Clearly our country still wasn’t ready for a female President last time around, but this far into our history it is truly staggering that that’s continually been the case.
In a way, the song is a personification of the loving nature of feminism — via the image of a canopy — which most feminists would agree can and should wholeheartedly include anyone who loves and cherishes women, and who believes that women, children and all marginalized people deserve dignity and equality. Extending this concept to the idea of nurturing and protecting our Earth itself, and underlining the direct impact of war upon our planet, seemed imperative.
SHERVIN LAINEZ
RACHAEL SAGE
Q: Your version of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” is moving. Why did you include it on your album during this period of political strife in America?
A: Thank you — I’m so glad you found it moving! I included it for exactly the reason you are wisely suggesting: We are indeed in a period of intense political strife, and the idea of patriotism — of loving one’s country and specifically The United States of America — is so sadly loaded currently.
I wanted each listener to consider what patriotism means for them. Does it mean never questioning the government or continually questioning and even protesting it? Could it simply mean contributing as positively as possible to the betterment of one’s local community or family? Needless to say, the line “home sweet home” does not mean the same thing to those experiencing racism and hate from their neighbors, let alone facing sudden — and often unlawful — arrest and deportation.
Yet as a touring musician I am constantly overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and majesty of our nation’s natural landscape and it is also impossible not to acknowledge the reality that for me personally, my ancestors’ decision to leave the place where they were being religiously persecuted is the reason why I am here today and able to create in the way that I do.
So in that sense, I am by nature going to be patriotic and love this country dearly, even while I can be critical of the direction we’re headed in — precisely because I love it so much.
I also sequenced it directly in front of a song I wrote about mass shootings called “Underneath,” underscoring our nation’s gun addiction, and our need to actually bless and care for all those affected by gun violence. I don’t pretend to have easy answers when I write, but I do believe in the power of being a witness, and that catharsis encourages empathy which can expedite us uniting to find solutions.
Q: “Nexus,” a song about the murder of a non-binary student, is striking and important. Tell me about how this song came together and what it means to you.
A: I was on tour in Nashville when I heard about Nex Benedict, and how they were brutally bullied and senselessly beaten by their school peers. It was such a heartbreaking story on so many levels: the cruelty and subjection to violence just for being different, the lack of accountability of the school and community, and the fact that those whose actions led directly to Nex’s death (which was eventually ruled a suicide a day after their assault) were never held accountable … it was an unbearable tragedy and I felt compelled to compose a song from the perspective of Nex’s family, who I’d read had been entirely accepting of their nonbinary child.
The lyrics that I wrote for the bridge are a kind of rallying cry to the LGBTQ+ and allied community to come together more fervently, more lovingly and with greater internal acceptance.
The lyrics to the bridge, “We can lift each other up with our resolve, instead of giving up,” has become a kind of mantra for me that reflects my natural optimism, to be sure, but also the determination and courage of so many trans and nonbinary people who are facing unprecedented hate and ignorance in our current landscape.
I hope that if Nex’s family hears the song that foremost, they feel seen, but also that the beautiful and precious spirit of their child has been honored meaningfully. In some ways it’s a song that also wrestles with martyrdom itself. I really try to write about these fragile, vulnerable moments with as much sensitivity as I can, while also catalyzing hope.
TOM MOORE
RACHAEL SAGE
Q: “Colorized World,” a beautiful coming-out song about young love, is stirring. Tell me about what inspired that song.
A: I actually wrote this song in my early 20s, when I’d first moved to NYC after college on the West Coast and was figuring myself out. I have a couple early demos of this song being performed with my first group Rachael Sage & the Red Rubber Band … For a variety of reasons — including finding out that the woman who’d loosely inspired it (my violinist/girlfriend at the time, Allison Cornell) had passed away — it just felt like a good time to finally re-approach it. The demo has a very sweet, acoustic quality with lots of harmonies and I tried to stay true to that while also making the grownup version with my band The Sequins. I’m very happy it’s finally on an album!
Q: Tell me about playing with your band and your experiences with some of the guest artists.
A: Most of the players in The Sequins are folks I’ve been collaborating with for many years now, including violinist Kelly Halloran (Noah Cyrus, Lainey Wilson), cellists Dave Eggar (Paul Simon) and Ward Williams (Sara Bareilles), harmonica player Trina Hamlin and drummer Andy Mac. Drummer Doug Yowell, organist Rob Curto and guitarists Jack Petruzzelli and James Mastro appear on the record and have been on so many of my albums they’ve all earned special “guest Sequin” status!
My neighbors and Hudson Valley locals Annalyse & Ryan also sang a bunch of beautiful harmonies, and my good friend and multi-instrumentalist Kevin J. Killen played some guitar and organ on a handful of tracks. I’m also very fortunate that my engineer Mikhail Pivovarov is a fantastic bassist so he played the majority of the bass but my new friend Kerry Brooks (Amy Ray Band) — who I met last year while touring with the brilliant singer-songwriter Danielle Howle — contributed upright bass on several tracks, too.
Q: What’s up next for you, Rachael?
A: I still have a whole bunch of touring lined up for the remainder of 2025 — with some East Coast shows as well as Texas and two trips to The U.K. … but beyond that I’ll be working on another acoustic album and then hopefully having some time over the winter to paint, and write some new songs. Next year is the 30th Anniversary of my label MPress Records, so we’ll be brainstorming some exciting ways to celebrate!
For more information, visit rachaelsage.com or mpressrecords.com.
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