On this past Saturday’s show, by popular demand, my guest was Portland, Oregon-based singer/songwriter/pianist Rachel Taylor Brown. And mean that popular demand part quite literally.
I’ve been playing Rachel’s music for about a year and a half, since her Run Tiny Human album was released. At the time, I interviewed her on Twirl Radio, and we had a fun, lively conversation. You know, the kind where you just click, and go off on tangents. However–that interview was constrained by station breaks and the like.
Fast forward to now, and my new Saturday show on Woody Radio. Imagine me getting to have the conversations I want–not interrupted by anything. That’s the blank palette we were given.
And recently, it seems that nearly every time I play Rachel’s music on Woody Radio, folks in the chat room start talking about it. At least a couple of people bought it, based on whatever song I was playing at the time. So I realized that there’s some new folks here who don’t know Rachel yet, and so I decided to ask her to join me for another radio visit.
I just checked back in my archives, and here’s how I described Run Tiny Human back in October, 2018. I still think it holds true:
It’s really good, but hard to classify. My Windows Media Player software helpfully describes it as “Contemporary Pop”. Well, I don’t know about all that. She doesn’t sound anything like Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, or Ed Sheeran (that I’m aware of). So how can I describe “Run Tiny Human” to you? Well, imagine Danielle Dax driving a getaway car with Tori Amos riding shotgun, and they accidentally collide into another getaway car, this one being driven by Ben Folds. And then Lou Reed rides up on a motorcycle and takes down the police report.
Did that help? No? Well how about this: Rachel’s music is mostly piano based, somewhat quirky and experimental. Some of it is gritty and in your face, some of the messages lurk below the surface, sometimes it just plain rocks, and some of it is lovely and melodic. She captures all kinds of emotions and feelings. As far as subject matter goes, one of the themes of this album is an examination of her hometown of Portland, and how it’s been taken over by people moving there from other places, and making it into a sort of big city hipster haven–more “cool” than it used to be, but also, unrecognizable. That’s a bit of a cautionary tale for a lot of American cities these days. She takes a hard look at the world around us. It’s a very artistic album. Accept the challenge and listen to this record–you’ll grow a bit in the process.
So this past Saturday, we had another fun, lively conversation. This time, we talked longer, and went off on more tangents. All in all, the conversation I was hoping for! Check out Rachel’s extensive, diverse catalog at https://racheltaylorbrown.bandcamp.com.
Enjoy the show!
Artist | Title | Album
Elton John | All The Young Girls Love Alice | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Dolph Chaney | The President Of The United States Is The Breitbart Bimbo | Rebuilding Permit
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop | Christmas Sale | The Underground Garden
Migrant Pickers | Rossetti | Beat This Town
Lisa Mychols | I Go Wild | Single release
Heiskell | The Great Opaque | Songs In The Key Of H
The Living Dolls | Everything That Happened | Everything That Happened (Big Stir Digital Single No. 18)
The Clash | Police On My Back | Sandinista!
Sunshine Boys | I Was Already Gone | Work and Love
Dana Countryman | Take A Little Chance | Come Into My Studio
Anton Barbeau | Beautiful Bacon Dream | Kenny Vs. Thrust
Karen Haglof | Palomino Steady Rocking | Palomino Steady Rocking
B.J. Thomas | I Just Can’t Help Beleving | The Complete Scepter Singles
L.E.S. Douze | 10 Gone Daddy Gone | Le String Noise
The Jangle Band | So Long | The Metro Hotel E.P.
Bill Lloyd | Sorry, But I Gotta Take This | Don’t Kill The Messenger
Elvis Costello | Crimes Of Paris | Blood & Chocolate
Jimmy Catlett | Falling Up | The Big Beat
R.E.M. | Pilgrimage | Murmur
Chris Church | Kiss It Goodnight | Backwards Compatible
Squirrel Nut Zippers | Hell | Single release
Walker Brigade | DIsEASE | Therapy Animal
Lannie Flowers | Just Go To Sleep | Home
New York Dolls | Personality Crisis | Wrong Voltage
In Deed | Don’t Need, Don’t Care | Everest (Extended CD Version)
Krista D | Steady | Single release
Rachel Taylor Brown interview
Rachel Taylor Brown | Little Gyre | Run Tiny Human
Rachel Taylor Brown | Stagg Field | Half Hours With the Lower Creatures
Rachel Taylor Brown | Mt. Athos | Falimy
The Bobbleheads | Feel This Way | Myths And Fables
Johnathan Pushkar | We Could Be Together | Straighten Up
Julian Cope | Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line | Peggy Suicide
Kaz Murphy | Hardly Think About That | Home For Misfits
Yung Wu | Aspiration | Shore Leave
Jet Electro | For Sale By Owner | Jet Electro
Elk City | No Depth | Everybody’s Insecure
The Corner Laughers | Changeling | Temescal Telegraph
Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands | Mistakes | Mistakes
A Band Called Mithras | Walk Away Renee | Single release
Natalie Cortez & the Ultra Violets | She’s Better | Stupid Fresh Or Stupid Bad
The Armoires | Anemone! | Side Three
Trip Wire | Easy Exit | Once & Always
Nick Piunti & The Complicated Men | Upper Hand | Down Time
Byron Isaacs | Disappearing Man | Disappearing Man
The Whiskey Saints | Every Little Thing | 24 Hours
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