Molina + Clark + Tour

It’s the summertime. I’m sooooo thrilled about it, even though it has rained or threatened to every day for the last two weeks. I had a little recalibration week after getting back from tour with the amazing and delightful Bella White, and her crew of sweet, heavy-hitters, Gina Leslie + Sam Gelband. My dear friend Kami Baergen (painter!) came along with me to help drive, and sell merch, and generally be a pal and I think that might be the best idear I ever did have. She brought her sweet lil doggie Dema and charmed all of yall who visited the merch table.

I first got to meet Bella in 2022? I think? When I was on tour with Lord Huron and she was making her last album with Jonathan Wilson. I flew to LA a day ahead of the guys and got to sing some background vocals on her album, and an EP that followed. I’m so thankful for people asking me to sing BGVs. It has been such a great way to get to know other amazing artists on this journey. I get to be much more familiar with the songs than I would with a passive listen, and they become songs that I dearly love!

Anywho, Bella so kindly asked me to join her for a run of southern dates, mostly cities with some version of “charl”in the name, and we really just hit it off. We had more days off between shows than you normally get on a tour, and we just kept getting together to hang out! Such a dream. Bella’s new album “A Sign In The Weather” is truly stunning and also just so warm with great songs. We each made our last records with the great Jonathan Wilson in Topanga Canyon; more of a lush and cinematic approach to our songs, which I loved, and both approached our new records with a homegrown feel. I recorded the album I’m finishing in my living room, and I think Bella recorded hers at a friend’s house. We love a synchronous moment.

Each time Kami & I left our hangs with them, we just kept saying how nice and cool they are, and how refreshing it was. And! At our Nashville show at Basement East, Bella & her manager made a fuss over me for my birthday. Too sweet.

“Pack up all your dishes
Make note of all good wishes”

Dan had mentioned this project a couple of years ago, and it meant the world to me that he asked me to contribute a song. Last October, once the studio was open, I got to go in and sing with the all-star band. It was amazing.

Thank you, Dannnnnn & The Guy Clark Estate!

LOVERS THE FILM + A Tribute to Jason Molina

In 2019, I had the great fortune of signing to Secretly Canadian’s Publishing company. It was meaningful for so many reasons, one being that I was able to purchase Big Red, which carted me + variations of my band across the country and back, but primarily it carried a lot of weight for me personally as a huge step in my career feeling like a legitimate, viable path. They asked me to record a version of “Whip-poor-will” by Magnolia Electric Co., so I make a simple cover of it in my bedroom and turned it in.

This signing was following the release of Putting On Airs, my second album, and first with a label, and leading up to that I had been waiting tables for several years at M.L. Rose on Charlotte Pike. I had been encouraged in the early years to pay attention to encouragement from the universe, or signs that felt like I was on the right track. One time, a major influence on my singing and songwriting, Kate Campbell, came in when I was the only server on at about 3 in the afternoon. The restaurant was empty and it was just me and her. Got to say my thanks for the songs and talk to her for a moment. Things like that.

Anyway, there was a regular at the bar, also named Jason, who had been roommates with Jason & Darcie Molina some years back. Jason-at-the-bar learned that I was a musician and shared my music with Darcie ahead of my first UK tour. It was really sweet. She listened and sent some incredibly kind words. Jason ATB was very complimentary of my songs, and I don’t think it was just because he wanted to go out with me, haha. I never went, and he stood by it!

Fast forward to last year, director Taylor McFadden was working with Chris at Secretly on the soundtrack for her first feature-length film, LOVERS. She sweetly reached out and asked if she could use it for the film, and I feel like the song just fit perfectly with the story, and I was honored to have my voice alongside the rest of the film’s soundtrack which includes, Nathaniel Rateliff, Sabine McCalla, Hannah Cohen, and features Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso) for her acting debut.

The LA Film premiere of LOVERS took place at Zebulon, and they had me come perform a couple of songs following the showing of the film, and got to hear Nathaniel perform what i feel is the film’s theme song. I am so moved every time I hear him, and I got to work with his sound engineer which was an absolute dream.
Being part of that night, and Taylor’s film was very affirming for me, and sort of helped me get back into center after a bumpy stint with The Lemonheads.

It also fell on the one year anniversary of my mom’s passing, and stars aligned so that my sister was in LA for work on the same day. She attended with me and everyone was so welcoming. Great night.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you find time to check out those recordings in this overwhelming world of amazing recordings.

Talk soon,
Erin Rae