Jetty Rae's Determined Climb

Nov. 1, 2014

Back in 2009, a singer-songwriter from Charlevoix named Jetty Rae released a debut album called Blackberries, written by Rae, recorded in Bellaire and reviewed right here in the Northern Express.

The art design of the album stood out.

The songs did not.

The tracklisting, overloaded with lyrical clichés and bored-sounding vocals, was a disappointment, but that didn’t stop Rae from clinging to her musical goals and pushing forward. And that was a good decision on her part.

Today, she’s leaps and bounds from her early songwriting efforts. While hints of her talent could be faintly heard on a few of the Blackberries songs, since then, she’s heavily expanded on her potential with four additional albums–the newest, 2013’s Climbing Clouds and another (2012’s Drowning in Grain) that made the CMJ Top 200 radio chart.

Several of her tracks have been licensed by Microsoft and Petco, and Rae also sang several jingles for sweetener company Truvia.

ARTIST EVOLUTION

"Looking back [at Blackberries], I really had no idea what I was doing," Rae said.

"That was my first album ever. I borrowed $900 to have it made and I was just a girl with some songs I wanted to share."

Rae has been through a lot over the past five years, good and bad: the sad loss of a child and the birth of another; a new relationship (to now-husband Jason Stewart); and an appearance on stage alongside some of her musical heroes. She’s also learned a lot about the industry since then and she rarely plays any of the songs from that first album, not because they’re "bad," but because she’s grown so much.

"I think the evolution of an artist is inevitable," she explained. "But the earlier songs don’t resonate with me in the same ways. I’ve learned a lot about production, about the art of performing and recording, and hopefully I’ve grown as a songwriter and storyteller. Every year I’ve tried to create a new project and share something with my listeners that’s as genuine and honest and vulnerable as I can be."

The "ugly, broken things in life," she added, have always inspired her. Her ability to share the heavier topics through her tracks has allowed her to reach a more dedicated fanbase, which helped lead to her appearance at the legendary Lilith Fair music fest, a spot she won through OurStage.com.

GLAMOUR GIG

"Lilith Fair was a dream gig," Rae recollected. "I remember kicking off the festival and it was so surreal to think I was playing at such an iconic event for women. They treated me so well and made a way bigger deal out of me than I actually was," she laughed.

Between the "amazing" green rooms, catering, and golf carts driving the artists around, Rae suddenly found herself in a very different world from her usual gigs.

"After doing this for 10 years now, I can tell you that most gigs are not glamorous," she said. "The "˜green room’ is a costume closet or maybe just the back seat of your car.

Sometimes it is a bit more posh, but I’m a blue-collar musician and I have never pursued music for the perks. It’s all about the ability to connect with old souls like me, and maybe feel a little less alone."

Several old souls definitely connected musically with Rae that night. After her set and a subsequent autograph-signing session in the NBC lounge tent, she wound up back on stage singing alongside one of her personal musical heroes,

Sarah McLachlan, as well as with two of the Dixie Chicks and country star Miranda Lambert.

"I will never forget meeting Blake Shelton backstage right before I was about to go on for the last song," Rae said. "I had no idea where I was supposed to stand and asked Miranda. She didn’t know either, but Blake piped up and said, "˜Don’t be nervous, you’ll do great!’"

CHARLEVOIX CHALLENGE

This is heady stuff for a girl from Charlevoix, where Rae recently returned after spending several years away in Hawaii and doing some touring. She was drawn back by her family roots.

"I don’t think Charlevoix, in particular, influenced me at all toward music, but my supportive family who happens to live here are a huge part of the reason I had the guts and faith to step out and go after my dreams," she said.

Moving back made touring a little more of a challenge.

"The drive adds on about five hours extra to anywhere I travel," she explained, but the inspiring views are worth it for Rae, her husband and their son, Beck.

"The beauty that surrounds us in northern Michigan is incomparable to anywhere else I’ve lived, except maybe Hawaii," she said. "I can’t imagine being based out of anywhere else."

Taking advantage of those required trips downstate, she’s started recording again, this time at Ann Arbor’s Bottle Rocket Recorders where she is working on a couple of singles for release this fall/winter. Her new goal is to release a new single every month. She’s also planning to revive her Front Porch Sessions series, a YouTube series in which she performs in an unplugged format.

"I’m taking a little hiatus from touring at the moment," Rae said. "For now, I’m working on releasing and writing more music and loving being a mom."

Jetty Rae’s next show will be Sunday, Nov. 9 at the grand opening of Red Door Coffee House in Lake Ann. To reach Red Door Coffee House call 231-640-0005. For more information on Jetty Rae and her music, visit www.jettyrae.com.