Rachael Kilgour’s Tribute to her Extraordinary Ordinary Dad

Rachael Kilgour unravels the layers of her late father on the album, My Father Loved Me. Recorded in the cold of Toronto and produced by Rose Cousins (who also joins us for this conversation), this album carries the essence of Canadian roots and is a profound exploration of family heritage through the lens of an ordinary, hard working, and humble man who died in 2017. Duluth-born Rachael, and Rose, based in Halifax, reflect on their cold weather experiences, infusing the recording process with warmth despite the chilly Canadian setting.

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The core of our discussion revolves around Rachael’s deep emotional connection to the album, particularly her poignant exploration of the father-daughter relationship amidst the challenges of dementia. We navigate the themes of grief, death, and identity while learning about Rachael’s father, his impact, and how he continues to live on through Rachael’s personality and idiosyncrasies. They shared the struggle of anxiety and self-doubt, which the songwriter addresses on the album. We also get a look into Rose’s perspective on Rachael’s growth and the impact the vulnerable creative process has had on her songwriting. And then, we wrap it all up with a very fun Dad-themed lightning round.


Photo Credit: Sara Pajunen

WATCH: Rachael Kilgour, “Dad Worked Hard”

Artist: Rachael Kilgour
Hometown: Duluth, Minnesota
Song: “Dad Worked Hard”
Album: My Father Loved Me (produced by Rose Cousins)
Release Date: September 22, 2023

In Their Words: “My dad was an ordinary working man: trustworthy and stubborn with calloused hands and an unwieldy appetite. Work as a builder left him exhausted at the end of each day — he fell asleep reading bedtime stories, watching the hockey game, and even eating his own dinner. Thanks to his work ethic and my mother’s careful spending, I had a happy and safe childhood; one purposefully focused on relationships and cooperation in lieu of material success.

“In the final years of his life, dementia forced my dad to rely on others the way we had relied on him, even as he struggled to the end to maintain his independence. His last chapter left me thinking a lot about how we value life and labor. No one could look at my dad’s life and say he didn’t try hard enough, could they? And yet there we were making choices about his care from a place of financial limitation.

“I want to live in a world where every father, every human, can be afforded the very best of care in times of need, no matter who they are or where they went to school or what their particular talents were. Surely we are each worthy.” – Rachael Kilgour


Photo Credit: Sara Pajunen

WATCH: Rachael Kilgour, “Game Changer”

Artist: Rachael Kilgour
Hometown: Duluth, Minnesota
Song: “Game Changer”
Album: Game Changer
Release Date: Feb 1, 2019
Label: NewSong Recordings

In Their Words: “After my divorce I took a long time to think about what kind of person I wanted to be and how best to share that self with another human. I obsessively deconstructed our ideas of romance and relationship and tried to pinpoint what exactly made a connection a healthy one. I met my current partner after a few years of living a fulfilling single life and was heartened to find someone who shared my sense of cynicism. With equal portions of self-awareness, hope and caution, we forged a relationship I have grown very fond of.” — Rachael Kilgour


Photo credit: Darin Kamnetz

3×3: Rachael Kilgour on Unread Emails, Snow Boots, and Sunrise Lies

Artist: Rachael Kilgour
Hometown: Duluth, MN
Latest Album: Rabbit in the Road
Personal Nicknames: Pretty much none. Although folks often forget my first name, so maybe it’s time to get one.

If your life were a movie, which songs would be on the soundtrack?

Being a solidly confessional songwriter, I suppose my own work would be most fitting. But Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen” and Greg Brown’s “The Poet Game” can certainly make the cut, too.

How many unread emails or texts currently fill your inbox?

An impressively minimal 16 emails. That doesn’t mean I’ve attended to them all — it’s a dangerous thing to open an email without responding immediately.

How many pillows do you sleep with?

Just one.

 

Big city life.

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How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Six, I think. Not including my climate-appropriate snow boots.

Which mountains are your favorite — Smoky, Blue Ridge, Rocky, Appalachian, or Catskill?

I’m more of a lake girl. Seriously, growing up in the Midwest on the edge of Lake Superior, I don’t think I’m willing to declare an educated opinion on this one.

If you were a liquor, what would you be?

Can I be Kombucha instead? I think it contains something like .5 percent alcohol. Good enough.

 

Hello, Duluth. See you at 7:30pm tonight at Teatro Zuccone (@zeitgeistduluth ) #rabbitintheroad

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Fate or free will?

I think the belief in free will is a beautiful, human thing and I think most outcomes are completely out of our hands.

Sweet or sour?

Sweet.

Sunrise or sunset?

Sunrise and the lie I tell myself that I will wake in time to see it.


Photo credit: Graham Tolbert