“Vinyl brings me back to my ’80s childhood. It’s visceral—from the dusty smell of an old record jacket, to how it feels to set it on the turntable, and of course the sound! The needle, the static…the fullness of the music. The “oh sh!t, change the record!” moment of panic before the needle drops off.”
“I grew up on Beatles records from my Mom and Iron Butterfly from my Dad. I inherited a diverse collection of records from them. Motown, rock, folk. My favorites are Jefferson Airplane, George Harrison, Simon & Garfunkel, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, and the Hair soundtrack. Every Christmas we listened to Mitch Miller and the Gang’s sing along record.
As a teenager in Calumet City, IL we had Hegewisch Records—the “cool” place for music and music culture. My friends and I would go there on the record release days of our favorite bands. At the time, cassette tapes and CDs were more prevalent than vinyl… but the artwork never held up. When I think of iconic album covers, I think specifically of the vinyl versions such as the Breakfast in America cover by Supertramp and the Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. The visuals are so instant and clear in my mind.
All of the great experiences in my life are linked to music in some way. Music was the first thing I can remember defining myself with. The first time I heard an alternative music station on the radio, it was as if a fuse that had been lit. I devoured everything, becoming obsessed with grunge (naturally, in the ’90s), but also had a great love of Bob Marley, Radiohead, and Fiona Apple.
Lyrics became important to me, especially from female artists. I began writing poetry. I used to be extremely self conscious about it, but I never stopped writing. It was an honest version of myself. After I taught myself to play Nirvana songs on guitar, I eventually put the two together and wrote my first song.
Dave and I met because of music. He was performing with Damiera the first time I saw him. His guitar and vocal style were completely novel to me. I had never met anyone with his fierce work ethic and professionalism! It just never occurred to me to take my writing seriously before that. Within a few weeks of seeing each other we spontaneously collaborated on a song via email. Three years later, Still + Storm was created.
Our new release, “Break Away,” is a 5 song EP produced and mixed by J Hall in Nashville. Included is a cover song—Nirvana’s “Very Ape.” “Break Away” will only be physically released on vinyl. I am beyond thrilled to have an actual record album of my own to hold in my hands—real, tangible, honest, ours.”
—Rachel Raymond
“Break Away,” the EP release from Still + Storm arrives in stores November 4th—on vinyl.
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PHOTO: CORPSE ON PUMPKIN
