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BGS 5+5: Rachel Sumner

Artist: Rachel Sumner
Hometown: Lancaster, California
Latest album: Anything Worth Doing
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): No nicknames, but strangers universally call me “Rebecca” when they can’t remember/don’t know my name.

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

My original background is in classical music and composition. When I started playing guitar it was primarily because of my affection for bluegrass music, which developed after hearing the Smithsonian/Folkways Pioneering Women of Bluegrass album by Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard. Because I was introduced to that music only a handful of years ago, I still find myself being exposed to new artists who influence me in very significant ways.

One artist whose work I consumed and who’s had what I would consider a major influence during the creation of my new album is Anaïs Mitchell; musically, of course, but I also have been inspired by her trajectory through varying genres and projects, everything from reinterpretations of traditional ballads to extended narratives, to writing a successful folk opera turned Broadway show. I still can’t believe that. She’s amazing.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

Paintings and poetry are probably the most informative non-musical mediums to me. One of my favorite places on earth is the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). I used to visit almost every week while I was in college. I had the most incredible art history professor while I was a student at Berklee — his name was Henry Tate and he used to be the curator at the MFA. Henry made it his mission to show his students the parallels between painting and writing music: we learned how artists guide the viewer from the beginning or “entrance” of the painting along a particular path, all by manipulating placement and color.

When I sit down to write, I often think through those terms and techniques and notice similarities between the two mediums — songwriters can also create paths in songs for listeners to take, and they don’t necessarily have to be linear. Poetry activates me in a similar way. Sometimes I find a really good poem that feels like a familiar and forgotten thought; something I thought about once but couldn’t express myself. Jack Gilbert is a current favorite, and in fact his poem “Failing & Flying” inspired my song “Anything Worth Doing.”

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

When we were about to record the first Twisted Pine album, I thought it would be really fun to record the entire thing in my pajamas just so I could listen back and think, “Gee, I made that in my PAJAMAS.” We ended up filming the sessions, so I settled for wearing my slippers. Now I always record in my Studio Slippers.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I’m a Southern California transplant living in New England, and I’ve lived here as long as I’ve been writing songs. Something new to me, that I spend a lot of time either enjoying or warring with, are the seasons. I’d never experienced the full spectrum of seasons before moving east. In Lancaster, California, we essentially just have summer and winter, and winter there is barely comparable to winter in New England. There is nothing like seeing fall in full swing in Western Massachusetts and Vermont. Nothing. There is also nothing like the thawing feeling you get when the first beautiful spring days arrive after harsh, snowy winters. I like the winters, though. I find the theme of seasons comes up a lot in my writing, generally as a reference point for the listener.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

Since I live on the opposite coast from where I grew up, I don’t have the pleasure of indulging in my grandmother’s tamales nearly often enough. And at the top of my list of musicians who I haven’t seen live but would love to is Joanna Newsom. Her music and language are so vibrant and delicious — so are my grandma’s pork tamales. So, I can’t imagine a dreamier paring.


Photo credit: Louise Bichan

STREAM: Twisted Pine, ‘Dreams’

Artist: Twisted Pine
Hometown: Boston, MA
Album: Dreams
Release Date: June 8, 2018

In Their Words: “As a band, we have a diverse range of influences in many genres of music. Dreams is an experiment in stretching our stylistic boundaries, mixing bluegrass instruments with some of our favorite pop music, and represents just a glimpse of the many artists we are inspired by.”

Best of: Folk Alley Sessions

In 2003, Folk Alley began streaming music online to bring the best acoustic, Americana, singer/songwriter, Celtic, traditional, and world music to listeners across the globe. While their website has a whole host of things to check out, from playlists to radio shows and blog posts, we always end up on the sessions tab watching live performances by our favorite artists. Here are five performances you don’t want to miss:

The Secret Sisters — “The Tennessee River Runs Low”

We at the BGS have not been shy about showing our love for the Secret Sisters. In this performance of “The Tennessee River Runs Low,” Lydia and Laura Rogers show off their vocal blend and knack for awe-inspiring harmonies.

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn — “Shotgun Blues”

Husband-and-wife duo Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn truly are the king and queen of the banjo. Washburn puts us in a trance right from the start of “Shotgun Blues” with her haunting vocals and steady beats on the banjo.

Twisted Pine — “Easton”

Between the mandolin chops of Dan Bui, the steady drive of bassist Chris Sartori, and the vocal harmonies of front-women Rachel Sumner and Kathleen Parks, Twisted Pine is bound to take roots music by storm in the years to come. Check out this performance of “Easton” from their debut album, Twisted Pine, to see for yourself!

Charlie Parr — “Delia”

Charlie Parr and his trusty silver resonator guitar are a perfect pair. Add in a slide, and the results are magical. In this video, Parr performs “Delia” from his 2015 album, Stumpjumper, showcasing his forward-moving picking style and beautiful but sad lyrics.

Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards — “California Calling”

Girl Power! String Power! These two phrases come to mind every time we watch a video Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards. Their arrangements and tight harmonies leave us speechless every time.

3×3: Twisted Pine on Watching Movies, Getting Bugs, and Mixing Mayo

Artist: Rachel Sumner (of Twisted Pine)
Hometown: Boston, MA
Latest Album: Twisted Pine
Personal Nicknames: Dan “Fireball” Bui, Chris “Moose” Sartori, KP, Rachel Slumber

 

Order up! Our album comes out in 3 days!!! There’s still time to pre-order — link in the bio!

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What song do you wish you had written?

“Temptation of Adam” by Josh Ritter

Who would be in your dream songwriter round?

Joanna Newsom, Anaïs Mitchell, Shara Nova, and Joni Mitchell. Holy smokes.

If you could only listen to one artist’s discography for the rest of your life, whose would you choose?

This is the toughest question! I’d probably go with the Beatles since their catalogue is so diverse. I’m never not in the mood for the Beatles.

How often do you do laundry?

As often as I can/need (two or three times a month?).

What was the last movie that you really loved?

I just watched the original Blade Runner and then had to watch the director’s cut immediately after. Annie Hall was reigning supreme before that.

If you could re-live one year of your life, which would it be and why?

Maybe summer 2009-2010. That was the summer I graduated high school and discovered Largo at the Cornet. I started going to the Watkins Family Hour every month, saw a bunch of my musical heroes in the flesh, and went to my first-ever festival. Guess you could say that was the year I caught the roots music bug!

 

We  @brooklynbowl and @thelovecanon!!

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What’s your go-to comfort food?

Quesadillas and fideo!

Kombucha — love it or hate it?

Love love love it.

Mustard or mayo?

Possibly unpopular opinion: I think they’re better together.

STREAM: Twisted Pine, ‘Twisted Pine’

Artist: Twisted Pine
Hometown: Boston, MA
Album: Twisted Pine
Release Date: July 14, 2017
Label: Signature Sounds

In Their Words: “With this album, we dove head-first into writing our own original music and, in the process, we learned a lot about ourselves as individual writers and as a band. The four of us come from completely different musical backgrounds, and it was satisfying to hear those personal influences coming out on the record. There’s pop, there’s funk, there are fiddle tunes, and there’s some very personal and heartfelt songwriting.

This band first formed around a shared love of bluegrass and we still love playing bluegrass together. We weren’t consciously trying to move in any particular musical direction; the sound arose organically and feels natural and right to us. It’s fitting and exciting to have our debut record out on Signature Sounds, as in a lot of ways it follows in the footsteps of bands we really admire like Crooked Still and Joy Kills Sorrow.” — Dan Bui

WATCH: Twisted Pine, ‘Willie’s Lady’

Artist: Twisted Pine
Hometown: Boston, MA
Song: "Willie's Lady"
Album: The Woolly Mammonth Sessions
Release Date: April 29

In Their Words: "'Willie's Lady' is a gem of a tune that we discovered while searching for material to perform in Scotland at Celtic Connections last year. Child ballads tend to have a lot of variations, so we plucked what we liked from a couple different versions, added our own bluegrass twist, and the end result was this!" — Rachel Sumner


Photo credit: Zoe Mitchell