Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelley McRae.
Hi Kelley , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in a small town in Mississippi, went to college in Dallas to study acting, but accidentally became a songwriter when I took a guitar class. By the time I graduated, I was deeply in love with writing songs. With an acting degree and a few bad folks songs to my name, I moved to Baltimore, MD where I slept on my parent’s couch and played my first shows at a coffee shop on the harbor. My audience was mainly sailors in their 70’s and they showed up every week and believed in me before I believed in myself.
I moved to New York City in 2003 and was lucky enough to walk into a bar called the Scratcher during my first week there. It was there I met a group of (mainly) Irish songwriters. They would play shows at The Living Room or Arlene’s Grocery and then come back to the Scratcher, sit in a cozy corner and pass the guitar around til 4am. I hung on every note and learned how to craft a song and drink gin. I signed with a small label, got to work with some incredible folks, played shows in the city and worked as a waitress and receptionist to pay the bills.
At some point in this story, a tall handsome bearded fellow named Matt Castelein walked into a bar called Pete’s Candy Store while I was on stage singing my sad songs. He turned out to be a killer guitar player and a beautiful human. We got married, sold everything and bought a VW Van so we could play our music full-time. We toured in that van (and a couple of cars) for another seven years – playing hundreds of shows all over America and Europe.
Those years were profoundly beautiful, but living on the road is tough and eventually, I was ready to make a home and have a steady community. We couldn’t afford Austin, but we loved the town and found our people there, so we moved to Taylor, which turned out to be a wonderful decision. We have two baby girls and a backyard studio. I split my time between writing, recording and performing my own music and teaching songwriting and creativity. In 2018 I founded the Austin-based nonprofit Song Rise Arts. We offer a trauma-informed approach to songwriting and provide free songwriting classes and mentorship to underserved young people and women veterans.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think the biggest struggle of being an independent musician is recommitting yourself to a life that doesn’t make ‘make sense’ every couple years or so. To be an artist means to ignore a lot of what our culture says is important and to build a life where you’re spending a LOT of time doing things that aren’t profitable. It can be a struggle, but it’s also the most beautiful existence. I get to be a grown-up who still ‘plays’ and has time for deep dives into my feelings and curiosities. I get to process the trauma and joy of life in order to turn that experience into a song. It’s really healing work and sharing those songs is so fun, especially when I get to sing and play music with friends. And now I get to share those tools with other folks, too, as a songwriting and creativity teacher and that is so, so beautiful. A huge privilege.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m real good at writing sad songs. I write the kind of songs that help folks feel their feelings and cry a good cry. As a teacher, I’m good at creating a safe space for folks to be who they are and tell the stories of their hearts. I think that being a ‘sensitive person’ (something that is often discouraged in our culture) is a superpower. I’m drawn to folks who make the choice to be soft, to be vulnerable, to be the full messy version of themself and create art from that place.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
– Julia Cameron’s book ‘The Artist Way’ – Anne Lamott’s book ‘Bird by Bird’
– Mary Gauthier’s book ‘Saved By a Song’
– Songwriter Podcast – It connects authors with songwriters who write a new song based on the author’s book. I got to collaborate with Mary Gauthier on the book I mention above and it was such a joy! Ben Arthur, the host, does a beautiful job of facilitating thoughtful conversations. (https://songwriterpodcast.com)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kelleymcrae.com, www.songrisearts.org
- Instagram: @kelleymcrae
- Facebook: facebook.com/kelleymcrae
Image Credits
Photo of classroom: Joachim Westphal
Photo of Backlit Duo: Darin Back
Photo of VW Van: DuckDuck Collective
