Rachel Maxann’s Music Odyssey: From Cincinnati to Memphis

Fasten your seatbelts for a melodic adventure with singer-songwriter Rachel Maxann, whose enchanting style is an eclectic blend of genres. It's all about vintage indie rock as we journey from her Cincinnati roots to her present-day groove in Memphis, a city that has left a profound imprint on her music. Get a taste of Rachel's music, that's as intimate as it is versatile, oscillating effortlessly from dance party vibes to deep listening room experiences. 

Delve into the soul of Memphis as we explore the influence of folk music on its vibrant music scene. Sharing her personal experiences, we'll travel through her songwriting process, the artists who've left an indelible mark on the musical journey, and the instrumental choices that have shaped her sound. Discover the allure of the guitar,  go-to instrument, and why it continues to be an integral part of Rachel musical expression. 

Venture into the heart of Rachel's latest album, Black Fae, as she takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of her creative process. Hear the story behind 'Remember the Stars', an environmental anthem inspired by the pristine beaches of Mexico, and immerse yourself in the unique Memphis music scene that has been instrumental in shaping Rachel's artistry. Finally, glean wisdom from Rachel's treasure trove of advice for aspiring artists, underscoring the importance of genre exploration and seizing opportunities in the music industry. It's a captivating journey through Rachel's world of music, don't miss it!

Transcript

Stacey Puryear: 0:01

но RAER DETH.

Stacey Puryear: 0:14

Welcome to Spit 2 da beat podcast.. I'm your host, stacey aka beat unstoppable puryear, and welcome to another great show I have lined up for you. But before we get started, i want to definitely make sure you catch some of these video clips of the show on Facebook live on my page that Stacey be unstoppable prapuryear or Stacey two Da two beat Puryear. Also, you can go on my YouTube channel and catch the full clip episode of this show on Spit to Da Beat YouTube. Don't forget to subscribe, like, share and hit that notification and I really do appreciate it. And we're back. I got a very special guest in the studio with me. I found and track here down and she's has joined me. Now we're going to go ahead and get this thing started and rolling. I'm waiting to just dive into her as far as her background in the music industry. So, without further ado, I want to welcome to the show Miss Rachel Maxanne.

Stacey Puryear: 1:28

Hello, Hey hey, hey, finally got you.

Rachel Maxann: 1:32

Yes, Oh my gosh. I know I'm I'm cut. Sometimes I'm a little hard to track down, but it's worth it.

Stacey Puryear: 1:38

Yes, yes, i was determined. So tell the, tell my audience a little bit about yourself.

Rachel Maxann: 1:45

Okay, so Rachel Maxanne is singer, songwriter, who lives here in Memphis. Eventually you know well, not eventually, but originally from Cincinnati, kind of going here and there before landing in Memphis, and eventually I want to have like I'll let it a place in Mexico too, but that's, that's a little further off.

Stacey Puryear: 2:06

Are you enjoying this heat?

Rachel Maxann: 2:10

You know I prefer the heat over the cold.

Stacey Puryear: 2:13

Really, You being from Cincinnati.

Rachel Maxann: 2:15

Yes, and we had. Well, it's so snowy over there and it's so cold for so much longer, Like, if I have to choose between the two, I'll take the heat. I'll take the heat any day.

Stacey Puryear: 2:27

Wow, wow. So tell us about your music. I mean, kinda touched on some questions about being diverse and stuff like that, so tell us a little bit about that.

Rachel Maxann: 2:37

Yeah, absolutely So. I love a lot of different genres. Growing up I listened to a lot of metal, a lot of email, a lot of rock stuff like that, and then my parents were always into Motown, my mom was into Bluegrass And we got trained in classical, so definitely just have always been interested in every genre. So I feel like it really affects my music that way, because I don't mind putting like email elements, like whatever elements, into my music if like kind of that's where it's leading me. So that's kind of where the genre of ending comes in, with just me liking everything and not, you know, not being exclusive to any type of music.

Stacey Puryear: 3:24

Good, good, I was gonna ask you about that because I know the other thing that you like the folklore and vintage type music.

Rachel Maxann: 3:32

What is?

Stacey Puryear: 3:32

that about.

Rachel Maxann: 3:34

So, yeah, so vintage indie rock. I actually coined both those terms because, yeah, cause I was like I was trying to find something that really described that And you know, folk is close and like rock is close. But you know, really, when I say vintage indie rock, like I have a very indie rock feel to my songs, but it has some of those you know, kind of do-wop beats here and there. So it's like kind of the indie music if you imagine it. It was from like the 50s era and kind of mixed in with that like modern indie rock element as well.

Rachel Maxann: 4:14

As far as the post-modern folklore, i feel like pretty much all my songs have some type of storytelling element to them. Okay, and when you think about like folk music, most of the time people have this image of like Bob Dylan or like even like much, even older folk music. But mine's a little more on the modern side, especially since we you know we had access to all these you know one amazing instrumentalists here in Memphis, but also I have a great producer who can pull out, like you know, really cool, almost like digital sounding parts of the song. So it's, yeah, it definitely is heavily based in folk, but it has like a little more in the present as well.

Stacey Puryear: 5:06

Cool. Tell me about your performance as far as when you were out there performing, even here around in the city of Memphis. How has in Memphis, as well as outside of Memphis, your performance and people receive your music?

Rachel Maxann: 5:21

You know it's been a really great reception here in Memphis especially. I think you know a lot of living in Memphis has shaped like almost like a final form, almost like a Pokemon form of my type of music where I'm like, okay, like I want to have more soul and blues in it now. But you know, as far as the performance goes, they tend to be very intimate, especially when I'm playing by myself, because, you know, either I'm playing solo, just me and my guitar, or I'm doing like with maybe a duo, maybe a trio violinist and cello player or I have a full band. So you know guitars and bass and drums and whatnot. So I kind of, you know, depending on the setting, it can go from a very fun, you know dance party vibe to like a listening room, like let me spill out all my feelings to you kind of vibe.

Stacey Puryear: 6:26

I love it. I love it. So you set your own vibe. That's good. You know a lot of artists. I guess when you get on stage you just got to feel the vibe of the crowd and then you got to move into that energy.

Rachel Maxann: 6:37

Exactly.

Stacey Puryear: 6:38

Yeah, i think that will get you flowing real good. So when you came to Memphis, how old were you And what did the Memphis music do to you as far as did it change you a little bit as far as your music ideology or what?

Rachel Maxann: 6:54

So I actually moved to Memphis in 2020, which was a crazy time to move for obvious reasons, but I wanted to try something different.

Rachel Maxann: 7:05

I kind of want to lay low somewhere, a little bit kind of wait, wait out the pandemic, and I feel like the influence on me especially is the idea that there is a lot of black folk artists, and not that I thought I was, per se, the only one, but I just didn't realize that they had big followings and they had actually a lot of people backing them. So it really inspired and encouraged me to explore that more and again, kind of really delve into the folk side of my music Like I've always written folky music, but it definitely pushed another step. And then, of course, there is a blues element and a rock element here in Memphis. That's undeniable. I've seen a lot of great shows since I've been here and it's just a really great music city. So it's hard not to be inspired by the people around me, whether it be my friends or who are a lot of musicians, or just going down Beale Street or just catching a show here in Memphis. It's all very inspirational to me.

Stacey Puryear: 8:25

Great great Hold on for a second Ray. We're going to take a quick PR break and be right back. Okay, and we are back with spit to the beat podcast. Your host. They say AKA be unstoppable pariah, along with my special guest today in the studio with me. Virtually miss, rachel Maxine. How did uh tell me tell my audience a little bit about the music? as far as you, you talked early about how Memphis have shaped you a little bit And your concern as far as your delivery on music and stuff like that. How have folk, folk Lord was something that really we don't hear a lot of impact me Memphis.

Rachel Maxann: 9:35

Hmm, that's a good question.

Stacey Puryear: 9:37

I feel like a reverse thing.

Rachel Maxann: 9:39

Yeah, you reverse. You know it made Um. So you know, when I think about how folk has, um, you know, shaped Memphis or really any city like folk has, you know, this background of being storytelling. It's the music of the people, for the people, um, thus you know the whole name folk music, um. So of course Memphis has a lot of history to it, a lot of stories to be told Um, and I think the way that folk music helps influence Memphis is just being able to tell that story. You know being able to, you know, have those protest songs, have that, uh, you know, kind of almost country ish element, because you know, at the end of the day, much like I know, i think almost any other type of music like folk, is originally from black people.

Rachel Maxann: 10:37

Like we brought over the banjos, you know, we kind of had that country influence. So, um, you know, i think Memphis being able to embrace folk as its own is really a big part of the process, and I think that being able to have that kind of influence as its own is really important because we, you know, as a city I think, tend to be trend setters, like we were a music city for a reason.

Stacey Puryear: 10:58

Is there an artist that you work here in Memphis I mean, since your time being here, since 2020, have you worked with, collaborate with as far as bringing it both of those sounds together?

Rachel Maxann: 11:09

Right. So I have an amazing producer named Doug And I think that the rap is very, really, really cool a very self-made, you know, studio and he has really helped me like bring a lot of my ideas to life, because I might not ever be able to get a whole symphony behind me, but you know his computer thingies can and I'm like, oh, fantastic, you know, luckily I do have a fantastic cellos and the violinists on hand. But yeah, there's definitely been some great collaborations, especially the violinist is also my best friend, alice Hazen. She's absolutely amazing, plays the fiddle like none other and study like folk music and, you know, filling tunes and whatnot. So as we started to play together, i did notice I'm like, okay, like this is getting even more folky because, you know, the violinist adds that element to it, that fiddling, you know.

Rachel Maxann: 12:21

And outside of that, i've been lucky to be inspired by some Memphis based folk artists, valerie June being one of them. I joined her for a portion of her Moon and Stars tour. Was that last year? Wow, like last year. And you know, even though we haven't been able to write songs together yet or anything like that, just being able to, you know, see how people welcome her, to see the types of music she does. That is, you know, so beautiful and so meaningful. It really did inspire me again, you know, and it was, you know, it is without. Really well, she was, you know, from Memphis. I was like, oh yeah, you know you can do this, i can do this, yeah, yeah.

Stacey Puryear: 13:08

Yeah. So let's go right into my next question How's your song writing process? How do they go about? when you get in the studio or at home, you're chilling, you're drinking on some wine maybe, or whatever, feeling the vibe. So how did that process go?

Rachel Maxann: 13:25

That you're pretty much hitting on those. Yeah, most of the time, like I, you know, I do try to take time where I'm just, like you know, sit, write, chill, but more often than not it gets kind of inspired in that moment. Maybe, you know, like I said, I've had a good glass of wine and able to chill out and I'm not thinking something's been on my heart. And then it usually comes out within the day, if not maybe two days, Like in my, you know, song.

Rachel Maxann: 13:55

Writing process is sometimes far and few between, but you know, it happens very quickly because as soon as I get like the pattern of what the you know tuning whatever, the words kind of flow out, because there's usually something always on my heart, Like I'm a very I'm a very sensitive person, So I tend to like have something always in my mind that, like you know, I need to get out, and writing really helps me process things and helps me kind of like lay it out and, you know, make it not seem so bad or too stressful because it's like, well, I can't be too mad about it, It's a song now.

Stacey Puryear: 14:37

And it's a hit. Yeah, that's awesome. So so the good times you'll go to instrument, or is there another instrument that you're able to play?

Rachel Maxann: 14:48

You know guitar is my go to but I was originally trained on piano and I I play it here and there, like I just played it on my album release show, and every once in a while I'll do a gig at the zebra lounge in midtown. But yeah, i just kind of move from piano to guitar, mostly convenient sake, like it's harder to move around a freaking piano than it is guitar any day. So I was like I'm going to focus more on guitar. That helps me get to places easier.

Stacey Puryear: 15:22

A lot easier, a lot easier to pack up.

Rachel Maxann: 15:25

So much easier to pack up.

Stacey Puryear: 15:27

So much easier to pack up Can you imagine you going out of city with a big old piano in the back of the truck?

Rachel Maxann: 15:32

Right, I don't know how people do it. I have a few pianist friends and I'm like that just seems like that's about a lot of work with having.

Rachel Maxann: 15:41

Yeah, with being like a drummer And I'm like I'm not trying to carry all that stuff. But yeah, besides that, i've been teaching myself banjo. I have a ukulele and you know, i just kind of like if it was I'd just pick up random instruments. I have a harmonica that I'm not particularly good at yet, but you know, those are, i feel, like piano and guitar like my two main and then like I dabble and that's about for me, the instruments.

Stacey Puryear: 16:09

Okay, we talked about your performance and stuff, so do you have any other projects coming up?

Rachel Maxann: 16:17

As far as projects go, actually I have a song that I wrote recently that I plan on recording. I might wait until October, because I'm doing a small like St Louis weekend And part of the time that I'll be there I'll be, you know, in a studio. So I was like, okay, you know, i'll just kind of hold off on that, so that won't really be till October. Until then, you know, i'm still writing. I've been thinking about like a song I might want to cover, just like, as you know, put out as a single. And yeah, then, of course, like I, you know, i mentioned my producer earlier.

Rachel Maxann: 16:59

He also writes songs. So, you know, i told him, like as soon as we get this album done, like we should focus on some of your stuff, and I left the, you know, put lyrics to it, because he writes, yeah, he writes these beautiful, flowing arrangements. And then, just, you know, we'll sit in the studio, like you know, with the wine and hanging out and I'll be like, let me see if I can. You know if I got some words to this. So yeah, so that would probably be mostly what I'm doing as far as new projects, Okay, cool, Hold tight one more time.

Stacey Puryear: 17:30

I'm going to take another PA PR break. Be right back. Good luck. Hey, this is Stacy aka beyond stopper with Peru. Thank you for listening to our show, Spit to the Beat podcast. If you would like to be a sponsor, visit our website at wwwspittothebeatcom and click the support tab and leave a donation. We really will appreciate it. Thank you again for listening. Also, catch every episode Thursday morning at 8am. All right, all right. Look, let's talk about that album you just done produced. What's the songs on there? How many tracks you got on there?

Rachel Maxann: 18:17

So it is 11 tracks which it just kind of worked out that way. I don't know. I wanted to it to be an odd number. Can I ask you why I just wanted to be an odd number?

Stacey Puryear: 18:30

Yeah, normally be like 12 or something like that.

Rachel Maxann: 18:32

So what is it?

Stacey Puryear: 18:33

So normally be like 12 or maybe 10 or 12.

Rachel Maxann: 18:38

There's not too many albums out there that have 11. Not that I know of. Anyways, they tend to run toward even numbers, but I was like I'm gonna make it odd.

Stacey Puryear: 18:51

Some different, Oh wow.

Rachel Maxann: 18:53

So what's the?

Stacey Puryear: 18:56

name of some of the songs.

Rachel Maxann: 18:58

So the album itself is called Black Fae. And then there's a song.

Stacey Puryear: 19:03

It's already released, right.

Rachel Maxann: 19:05

Oh, yeah, yeah, it is.

Rachel Maxann: 19:06

It is out there into the world. I've actually also. I just started a Kickstarter because I really want to put it on vinyl. It'll be my first vinyl And those things cost so much money just for even a few of them. So, yeah, well, you know figures cost them that. But yeah, one of them is called what did I say? Oh, yeah, remember the Stars, which is kind of an environmental song. I wrote it actually. I think it was last year.

Rachel Maxann: 19:39

I went to Mexico for about a month with my dog and we'd sit by the beach like every day and just have our time And I noticed, within all the beauty and the landscape, there was also so much trash coming up And I'm like, oh, this would be such a serene place if it weren't for the piles of trash. So that kind of inspired that. Yeah, that kind of inspired that song. I have a song on there called Seven Seas, which that one kind of discusses like my traveling more or less, and the feeling of you know, after I was gone from Cincinnati, like I left when I was like 17, and we kind of like come in and out here and there, but you know, the time that I was away probably the longest I'd come back.

Rachel Maxann: 20:32

I thought I'd visit at home for like two or three years at that point And it just it didn't hit the same as home before, because before I'd be like, oh you know, i live in this city but, like you know, hometown Cincinnati, and I was going back but I had the feeling that it really wasn't that anymore And it's such a, it's a jarring feeling because I'm like, well, this is, you know, it'll always be my home, like my family's here I always, and friends like I always, come back and visit. But it no longer felt like my home home. So, yeah, i kind of the song kind of talks about that a little bit.

Stacey Puryear: 21:13

How did Memphis get on your radar then?

Rachel Maxann: 21:17

So I was actually on a tour in 2019. I did a solo tour and Memphis was one of the cities that I picked out because I, you know, i'd never really been there. I knew it was a music city and I was, you know, of course, doing the the Cincinnati to Nashville to Memphis, to I can't even tell you how it stops now Louisville in Atlanta. There was a bunch of places on the tour, but I just really fell in love with Memphis. I fell in love with the people I played with, a band called the Everdeens and a band called Mama Honey And they are just the most wonderful people to have a show with. They just very kind, very talented. And you know, i intentionally had like a day off in Memphis. I went to Midtown and Sun Studio and Stacks and just had like a little mini adventure of just like you know, hanging on Memphis Like this is such an awesome city, so I felt very attracted to it already.

Stacey Puryear: 22:22

You said early that you had sometimes you perform by yourself. Have you ever done a complete performance with all the instruments that you attempt to play besides the guitar?

Rachel Maxann: 22:33

You know, probably the closest I've come lately was the album release where I had I had my full band but I also had my cellist and my violinist I am my producer there to play piano as well as a couple of our guest artist friends of mine are. Marcella Simeon came and she was like singing backbound and playing, and the oh yeah Louise Page came and played a song of piano for me And Bailey Digger came with a second guitar. So yeah, that was probably the most like people and most kind of collaborative show I've had in a while, because if it was all of the instruments I wanted and had in my album it'd be a pretty big band to have every time. Awesome.

Stacey Puryear: 23:30

Look. Before we wrap the show up, i want to ask you one other thing. What would you say to the artists that are coming up in the music industry, not to get trapped in a box of just one genre, as we talked about earlier. But what would you, what word of advice would you give to them as they're coming up, to fight against those doors that may shut in their face?

Rachel Maxann: 23:53

Right. I would say, you know, yes, don't listen to other people when they try to limit you, but, more importantly, don't let you limit yourself, because I think sometimes we feel like we have to fit in a box to make it make sense for ourselves, but at the end of the day, we are very complex. You know beings on this earth And we are capable of having lots of different thoughts and lots of different feelings and lots of different interests. So I would say, you know, don't pigeonhole yourself. Like you can explore anything you want because the world is your oyster. So why not Awesome?

Stacey Puryear: 24:34

Great. I want to thank Miss Rachel Maxe and for being on spit to the beat podcast, taking time out of her day to spend with me and to share with my audience about the music industry and her journey in the music industry. Hold tight for me as we wrap up the show and be right back, ok.

Rachel Maxann: 24:59

Is about it.

Stacey Puryear: 25:17

Thank you, marie, for today.