Chandelier Press Kit

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Press Release

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For Immediate Release
April 14, 2008

MULTI-AWARD WINNING ALT-POP SONGSTRESS
RACHAEL SAGE GLOWS ON NEW ALBUM CHANDELIER
Available June 10 on MPress Records
CD Release Tour To Commence In May

NEW YORK, NY — New York City songstress Rachael Sage is readying her new release Chandelier (available on iTunes May 6 / in-stores June 10) on MPress Records, and has garnered early praise including a glowing review in The Oregonian: "Literate and lush, Sage's folk-pop mines deep emotional veins for rich results."

Her eighth solo disc is a musically eclectic affair that covers a myriad of emotions, but always comes back to one central theme: fragility.

Sage, who attended Manhattan's prestigious School of American Ballet and is a self-taught pianist, creates music Judy Collins calls "a great gift of incredible beauty", while legendary rock producer Tony Visconti has described her as "incredibly talented..."

From the expansive title track "Chandelier" to the frenetic "Vertigo", the dancer-turned-songwriter is adept at illuminating dark subject matter, including codependency, depression and adultery. On the more optimistic "My Word," Sage enlightens us with her thespian past (she received a degree in Drama from Stanford and studied at The Actors Studio).

With a catalog of eight solo albums and an ever-expanding loyal fanbase, what new terrain does Rachael Sage hope to explore with her latest collection of alt-pop gems? "Well for one thing," she laughs, "I've been completely obsessed with chandeliers since I titled this album. So I'd definitely like to visit the last few states I still haven't toured and prove that everyone across America appreciates elegant lighting, in some form or another. I can't help but wonder what kind of chandeliers they have in Alaska..."

Chandelier was recorded by John Shyloski, mixed by Grammy® Winner Kevin Killen (Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel), and contains plenty of Sage's signature baroque piano figures, lush string arrangements and wah-guitar licks, along with a heavy dose of improvisation by her regular touring outfit, The Sequins: Russ Johnson on trumpet (Elvis Costello), Dean Sharp on Drums (Moby), and Dave Eggar on cello (Evanescence). The are also a slew of special guests, including guitarists Jack Petruzelli (Rufus Wainwright), Shane Fontayne (Marc Cohn) and Adam Levy (Norah Jones), as well as drummer Doug Yowell (Suzanne Vega) and bassist Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco). Rachael's DIY peers Gregory Douglass, Rachael Davis and Noe Venable also appear on several cuts.

Rachael Sage will embark on a U.S. tour in support of Chandelier with her band The Sequins on selected dates.

May 10	DEWEY BEACH, DE	Dewey Beach Chickfest
May 12	NASHVILLE, TN	3rd & Lindsley
May 13	DECATUR, GA	Eddie's Attic
May 15	NEW YORK, NY	Joe's Pub (CD Release party)
May 30	DES MOINES, IA	Ritual Café
May 31	MINNEAPOLIS, MN	Collected Sounds
June 1	MINNEAPOLIS, MN	Restaurant Aura
June 4	WASHINGTON, DC	Jewish Music Festival
June 6	INDIANAPOLIS, IN	The Indy Hostel
June 7	MILWAUKEE, WI	Milwaukee Pride Festival
June 8	COLUMBUS, OH	East Village
June 9	ANN ARBOR, MI	The Ark
June 11	PHILADELPHIA, PA	World Cafe Live
June 21	CLEVELAND, OH	Cleveland Pride
July 26	ASHEVILLE, NC	Bele Chere Festival

For further information, please contact THINK PRESS:
Monica Hopman / (818) 291-9513 / monica@thinkpress.net
http://www.thinkpress.net http://www.rachaelsage.com

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Biography

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"What if I woke up tomorrow and I couldn't love / the truth is that is something I am petrified of / but maybe I'd be relieved to find out / that grieving is what love's about" (Rachael Sage, from the song CHANDELIER)

Multi award-winning New York songwriter Rachael Sage has penned quirky, melodic pop songs since she was old enough to reach the piano keys. Over the course of her career, she has steadily built a loyal grassroots fanbase with a rigorous international tour schedule, performing in inventive configurations featuring Wurlitzer, drums, trumpet and string quartet. Like her musical idol Elvis Costello, she's endlessly fascinated with the crafts of songwriting and arrangement, and counts Buddy Holly, The Beatles, David Bowie and perhaps most surprisingly, John Lee Hooker among her biggest inspirations.

"I met Johnny Lee while I was a radio DJ at Stanford University. I used to play piano at the happy hour in my dorm, and his organ player delivered the kegs. One day he heard me playing and invited me to a BBQ at Johnny Lee's house. I ended up interviewing him for the station, and after that we just hit it off. He'd invite me over on weekends to play his wurly, and say 'now Rachael, play me some of that Joni Mitchell-classical music!' It was pretty humbling." The song "Blue Light" is about her unlikely friendship with the bluesman, who Sage says, "loved to talk about politics in a very simple, essential way. He seemed to genuinely want to know young people's opinions, and to keep affirming that music was the one great equalizer."

Her latest self-produced disc, CHANDELIER, was recorded by longtime collaborator John Shyloski, mixed by Grammy® Winner Kevin Killen (Elvis Costello, U2), and contains 13 tracks of what Performing Songwriter calls "engaging pop arrangements and gripping melodies." A musically eclectic affair, the album covers a myriad of emotions, but always comes back to one central theme: fragility.

The title track, CHANDELIER, reflects on the reality that "life as you know it could come to a crashing halt at any time - and if it does, will you have done everything possible to relish it along the way?" Sage says she was prompted to write the song after learning that a fellow musician had been diagnosed with severe tendonitis and was advised to take a solid year off the road to heal. "I had pretty bad carpal-tunnel myself at the time, and it really made me think: 'am I just going through the motions here, or am I as conscious and grateful as I can be, every chance I get to do what I enjoy? Performing is a privilege - sometimes it's way too easy to forget that." Layering several tracks to achieve an orchestral effect, cellist Dave Eggar (Coldplay) perfectly captures what Sage describes as "what a glacier melting might sound like, if it could sing."

The song VERTIGO is a frenetic, 6/8 plea for distance from a manipulative adulterer, a scenario she admits "was based on a very unfortunate real-life experience." MY WORD, which Sage composed in her early 20's, is a vibrant folk-pop arrangement featuring violinist Allison Cornell (Cyndi Lauper) and guitarist Ben Butler (Dar Williams). The song was written while she was studying at The Shakespeare Lab at the New York Public Theater, shortly before she decided to focus on music full-time. Sage, who received a degree in Drama from Stanford University and also studied at The Actors Studio M.F.A. Program, reveals: "I had no idea how much I'd use that [drama] training as a singer-songwriter...but I'd definitely say my biggest influence in terms of dynamics - aside from The Beatles - continues to be The Bard."

Another notable cut on the record includes Sage's cover of MEXICO by Jump Little Children, which she heard while performing at a radio station in Atlanta. "That song is about so many of the things I was experiencing during the making of this album, especially the process of trying to let someone go you know is not good for you - someone who's hurting you but you still can't help but be attracted to their passion. Intensity can be intoxicating, even when it's destructive." Heavy guitars and Rachael's first harmonium performance punctuate a Tom Petty-esque arrangement featuring organ playing by fellow New Yorker Rob Curto, who also appeared on Sage's two prior recordings, 2004's Independent Music Award-Winning album BALLADS & BURLESQUE, and 2006's THE BLISTERING SUN.

For all of Rachael's international travels (she toured in the UK this past fall and made her debut in Japan this winter), she insists her favorite musical moments are when "people come up to me at shows and give me their own CDs...I really get a kick out of that, because we're all doing the same thing, just trying to connect and be heard." One such fan approached her at a concert in San Francisco, explained she was a singer-songwriter herself, and then proceeded to ask Rachael if she'd write a song for her commitment ceremony - which became WISHBONE. "I was honored, but I've never written asong like that for such a personal event - so it was definitely a vulnerable situation for me. Thankfully, she and her partner loved it, and now that it's on my record I'm really glad I said yes!"

Sage, a former dancer who performed with The New York City Ballet in her teens, also designed the album artwork for CHANDELIER, which features a drawing by an intern at her label MPress Records. She was photographed in a dress designed by an East Village neighbor, where she’s lived for over a decade. “I really enjoy finding fellow artists in the City who are still in that place where the idea of reaching a new audience for their work – however large or small – is what gets them out of bed in the morning…basically, it’s the reason I still live here and probably always will.”

Eager to nurture aspiring musicians and make a positive impact through music, Sage launched her first philanthropic endeavor in 2006 with the NEW ARRIVALS compilation series. Each volume in the series gives a voice to up-andcoming independent songwriters as well as more established guest artists such as Melissa Ferrick and Jill Sobule, while supporting a humanitarian cause; proceeds from Volume 1 (2006) benefited Gulf Coast Relief, Volume 2 (2007) supports World Hunger Year and Volume 3 (due in September 2008 on MPress Records) will raise funds and create awareness for NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association).

CHANDELIER will be available on iTunes May 6, 2008 and in stores nationwide June 10, 2008. For an updated tour schedule and Rachael’s complete discography, visit www.rachaelsage.com.

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Song Notes

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VERTIGO
"I briefly dated someone who neglected to tell me that they were married. It was the kind of thing you see in bad TV movies and you think that it couldn't happen to you. It was so blind-siding and confusing because it made me question my own judgment on every level. Thankfully we only had a few dates. 'Vertigo' was sort of where the album started; I realized that I was still really angry about it and once I got that song out all kinds of new songs came to me."

MY WORD
"I wrote this while I was studying acting at the Shakespeare Lab at the Public Theater. I had been cast, yet again, as a young ingénue and I was a little frustrated with that. I felt like I could've sunk my teeth into a meatier kind of role. So this is a song about that struggle in acting to be honest with what you feel as a person and somehow combine that with the character."

BLUE LIGHT
"'Blue Light' is about my friendship with John Lee Hooker. It's my version of a blues song, but it doesn't sound anything like a blues song. I met John Lee when I was at Stanford through the fellow who used to play organ in his band. He would deliver the kegs to my dorm and every Friday I would play piano at the dorm happy hour; this guy just started chatting me up.

"One day he invited me to go to a barbecue at John Lee's house and he told me I should bring my tape recorder because John Lee had just finished an album and might want to be interviewed for the radio station. It was the kind of scene where they loved having young people around and all different kinds of musicians, and after I went that first time I became very good friends with John Lee Hooker; I'd go there almost every weekend. 'Blue Light' is about that childlike approach to life that he maintained for as long as I knew him."

INVINCIBLE
"I wrote this about meeting someone in an unlikely scenario where you're not supposed to be happy or that social. I met someone at a funeral and connected with them pretty quickly, and the song is about that moment where you're playing out this whole scenario and seeing where it might go. I tend to gravitate toward the most difficult and doomed scenarios in romance. I tried to have a sense of humor about it, recognizing that I leap a little too quickly; there are symbolic or metaphorical signs sometimes that I probably choose not to see."

ANGEL IN MY VIEW
"My dad suggested that I write a song like what was on TV in the black & white talk show days, so I took that image and went with it in a '60s kind of direction and pictured myself with a horn section and perhaps some dancers doing a little movement and chiming in on backgrounds in the chorus only. It's the most upbeat and lyrically positive song on the record. I was prompted to write it after breaking up with someone; we're still incredibly good friends so I think of this as a platonic love song."

WISHBONE
"A young woman asked me if I would be willing to write a song for her wedding. I don't usually write songs on demand, but it kind of felt like, 'Why not? What an honor to be asked.' It's one of the other upbeat songs on the album because it[s not about my own romantic life–it's good to exercise those muscles and not write all your songs about yourself. I performed it at the wedding and I've since played it at several other weddings as well, so it's become my wedding song."

MEXICO [a song by Jump, formerly called Jump, Little Children]
"I heard 'Mexico' on the radio when I was in Atlanta at WZGC. I was about to perform, but I heard this song right before and I came into the control room and I said, 'Who is that?' 'Oh, a local Southern band, Jump.' I never think, 'Oh, I'm going to cover a song,' because it's just not something I'm drawn to do that often, but it stuck in my head, literally every word, after hearing it once.

CORINNE
"I wrote 'Corinne' about a young woman I met in a ladies room before a show I played in San Francisco. She was clearly under all sorts of duress and she just started talking to me, super friendly–that tends to happen to me. I could tell that she was either homeless or possibly a sex worker; she was using the bathroom basically to take a shower. She opened up to me and told me all kinds of things about her life, asking me for advice. Parts of her story are in this song."

MOONLIGHT & FIREFLIES
"I wrote this in the beginning stages of a relationship, and it was one of those songs that just come all at once. I was at a festival in Michigan and I think I was even staying in a tent. I guess it reflects that big, expansive sense of life and overwhelm that comes from being outdoors. My friend Rachael Davis sang the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' in the choruses. She's a small woman with a big voice, and she definitely sounds like a Gospel singer when she does her own stuff."

SITE-SEEING
"This is a piece that I have been doing live for a couple of years and it's about being far away from people who miss you. When you're a touring artist you can call someone your good friend, your best friend even, but you're not physically there to help when they need you. That distance can create a huge conflict. When you're that close to someone you reverse the situation and imagine what it would be like to feel alone or isolated in that way from someone...it’s kind of a perennial touring musician problem."

HUNGER IN JOHN
"This is a composite parody of several of the guys that I've dated who lived downtown and were Bohemian artists, and ended up going to LA and making it big. So it's sort of a sketch of a few people, and more than anything I think it pokes fun at myself and some of the patterns in terms of the type of qualities I'm drawn to that I should know better by now. To me it’s a satirical folk song."

BELOVED [her first recorded instrumental]
"I've written a lot of music like this for theater and dance, but never something specifically for an album. Sometimes when I play melodies on the piano I do hear lyrics, but they're not necessarily the lyrics I'm going to keep, and one of the lyrics that I heard in that opening melody was the word 'beloved.' I never finished the lyric and it just seemed to want to be an instrumental."

CHANDELIER
"I started writing this song when I heard that a fellow indie artist had injured her hand and wasn't going to be able to tour. The song isn't about that, but it made me start to ask myself whether I was really appreciating every chance that I got to play live for people. Literally that opening line is the conversation that I was having with myself: 'What if I woke up tomorrow and I couldn't sing?' I also had pretty bad carpal tunnel in my hand at the time from all the work I do on the computer, so it was kind of that struggle between balancing the work I do with the label and having that impact my process as an artist. By the time I sang it many months later it started to become more about that urge to want to uplift the people in our lives and sort of be everything to everyone we love."

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Quotes

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"Genuine talent...Sage has a knack for writing melodies that will break your heart without makingyou feel manipulated in the process... Where there's poignancy there's also subtlety, unforced passion and knowing observation" RollingStone.com

"...rich vocals, sparkling piano and yearning poetry" Time Out New York

"Smart, piano-driven songs that forge a resonant mixture of pop, folk and jazz, with a vocal delivery that conveys stark and yearning emotion." CMJ

"Sexy, self possessed and impressive. This piano-playing artist's songs are both personal and socio-political... Sage has earned a place as a performer to be taken seriously, a force to be reckoned with." Performing Songwriter

"New York based singer, songwriter and pianist Rachel Sage edges ever more strongly away from the folk tag and toward piano pop. Her songs are a-whirl with light and emotions tinged with reality's frosty bite. Even when Sage's mellifluous voice reveals deeper and darker hues, (it) has vibrancy and beauty." Boston Herald

"a muscular and hugely talented pop songwriter" Uncut (UK)

"Inspired by…Elvis Costello, and backed by brilliant East Village friends of Rufus, Antony and such, Sage hits somewhere between the bed-sit and the cellarful of noise and it does you good." MOJO (UK)

"Rachael Sage, the self taught pianist (who) specializes in moody folk pop" L.A. Times

"Sage (is) the Jewish Norah Jones" Washington Jewish Week

"Dexterous and haunting work, scored with dark emotional hues, rich chromatic chordings and surprising, adventurous changes. Musically sophisticated and accomplished work...standing tall next to any and all contemporary competition" Philadelphia Daily News

Rachael Sage is a veritable one-woman unstoppable force...and she puts her heart and mind into all facets of her work from recording to touring" Amplifier

"lovely and literate...folk-pop-rock, socially aware and eclectic" The Village Voice

"a deeply talented artist...with a uniquely rebellious style as quirky as it is passionate" Keyboard

"haunting, passionate...This is Sage the storyteller in her prime - and folk at its finest. Like Sage, The Blistering Sun is a Renaissance work of music and poetry" Venus

"Pop music isn’t crafted as expertly as this anymore and Sage is the stitch between the great rock and pop traditions of the past and what those traditions have wrought – albeit almost invisibly – in the hypermodern world of the present." Billboard.com

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