Rebecca Pearcy's constellation
The Portland artist talks about her 2nd album
By Megan Holmes
Published: December 23rd, 2002 | 6:24pm
After settling into Portland by way of Olympia, Rebecca Pearcy released her second album, Constellation (Yo-Yo) in the fall of 2002. The 11-song album is at the same time disarming and enchantingly beautiful. Combining subtlety and wit, Constellation tackles love, despair, and longing — reminiscent of something that you might find in a Francois Truffaut film.
Also the queen bee of Queen Bee Creations — best known for its collection of bags made from 7-inch records, belts, wallets, and other cool handmade accessories — Pearcy talks to Venus about her music and the art of balance.
What's your songwriting process like? Do you usually work on the music or lyrics first?
It varies — oftentimes I will have written some words down in my notebook that I end up putting to music later on. Other times, I'll be writing the guitar part, and the words will come out of that.
What influences your music?
Mostly heart matters have influenced my music. That and just the world around me — nature, people. But almost all my songs are very personal and come directly from very emotional places. I'm pretty influenced and turned on to sad music and songs. I love that place they take me, some sort of release.
Have you played music your whole life?
For the most part ... I played classical piano for 10 years, picked up the guitar in high school, and sang throughout high school in musicals and choruses. I've always loved to sing so much.
What do you like more: recording or playing out?
Definitely performing live is where it's at for me. There is a certain excitement and fun that comes with recording, but I feel that my strength is live performance — at least until I gain more recording experience. Playing live I can really go into a song, especially when the listeners are going there with me. I love small, intimate shows. I'm really affected, and I think that the audience is too.
How is Constellation different from your first album, Sea Deep Sky High?
Sea Deep Sky High is much simpler and sparer — there is less instrumentation and fewer guest artists. It's a younger album, which makes sense! Constellation is much more full and lush. I had the honor of including several great musicians on the second record, who play pedal steel guitar, organ and keyboard, drums, violin, acoustic and electric bass, and vocal harmonies.
You also contributed to the Internal/External music project. How does your solo work differ from that project?
Internal/External is very much Paul Schuster's thing, so when I was recording and performing with him, I was really part of his band, which was fun. The music itself is so different from mine — more electronic, danceable, beat-oriented, and I got to sing without playing an instrument at the same time, as well as play other instruments like keyboards and bass. It was a really good experience for me — it pushed me in ways that were challenging, like writing lyrics to someone else's songs, and stepping outside of my comfort zone.
Can we expect another Internal/External CD?
I don't really know. Paul is working a lot and hasn't had much time for I/E, but let's hope so.
There are musicians who write in the first-person voice, and there are those who write in the third-person. I feel like your writing is more in the first-person. Do you find it easier to write about your life and the trials that we go through? Or do you feel it is easier to imagine what things could or should be like and then sing it more from a distance than personal?
I'm definitely a first-person songwriter. I don't find it effective for me to write about other people, at least at this point in my life. My songs happen really organically and aren't forced or planned. They seem to have intentions of their own, of helping me survive, I suppose.
Has music always interested you?
Yes, always. I grew up listening to my parents' vinyl collection and have always loved music. I didn't think about it that much — it was just a part of my life. My first music purchases were Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, Jackson 5, the Smiths, the Cure, the Police, U2.
Will you be opening a Queen Bee shop in Portland?
I don't have any plans to open my own shop at this time — that's a whole different barrel of monkeys. We already have enough to do as it is! The next step (after making it through the holiday season) is to streamline things a bit, introduce new designs, and I'm planning on starting a side line, under a different name, of diaper bags and little items for kids.
How do you manage your time as a musician and running a business?
It's really, really hard, mainly because Queen Bee is so incredibly busy and demanding. Music doesn't have a lot of drive and ambition for me — it's more of a "it happens when it happens" sort of thing. So it can really take a back seat, which is not my desire or intention. That is one of my biggest challenges right now — finding balance in my life, so that I can have a life outside of running a business. It is so amazing and rewarding and very challenging. My goal is to be able to leave for a tour and everything can still be happening without me at the QB hive.
Do you feel that it is easier to be creative when you have a lot going on at once?
That's sort of a trick question for me. I am stimulated by lots of things all of the time, but I also require quiet and solitude for my creativity to flow. If too many things are going on, I simply don't have time to actualize my ideas, and I become scattered and distracted.
It seems that a lot of artists from Olympia are moving to Portland. Do you attribute this to a lack of a growing music scene?
No, not necessarily. The music scene in Olympia has its ups and downs, but there's always something interesting going on. For its size, Oly has an incredible wealth of brilliantly creative folks. In recent years Olympia has been the source of amazing festivals such as YoYo a GoGo, Ladyfest, Homo a GoGo, the rock opera The Transfused, and there are always things going on that nobody else in the world hears about — sweet house shows, benefits, collaborations, etc. I think, though, that inherently there are limitations to a smaller town, just as there are different compromises in living in an urban setting. I think a lot of the migration is due to a really hard job market there, though it's pretty dismal here too!
What are you listening to right now?
Mostly pretty mellow music, since work is crazy and I can only handle certain kinds of sounds. I'm really into Julie Doiron (solo and with the Wooden Stars) — such good, lovely music; Nick Drake; Ida always; Gillian Welch; Dolly Parton. I also love Liar Bird, who are from Olympia.
You can order Rebecca Pearcy's CD and super-cool Queen Bee designs at Buy Olympia.
Issue #35
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