Rachael Sage to take the stage

Rachael Sage's new CD, "Public Record," follows her trademark dark-folk sound that dabbles in the pop scene.

"My goal from the onset was to make a record that relied more on spirit and poetry than on vocal or piano technique," said Sage of her new album.

The perky, piano-dominated songs blend a rich mix of folk, jazz, blues and pop, with lyrics reflecting on enchanting dreamscapes of love and desperation.

"When you were a child, did you think about monsters? When you were a child did you think about things you thought in your mind would be only bad dreams? Nightmares...truth-dares," sang Sage on the song "Child."

Sage has accomplished many things that she can be proud of, like winning the 2001 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, the 2002 Billboard Songwriting Contest, as well as virtually countless other contests that span over 12 years of her career.

She also has been able to do it without the help of the corporate umbrella by starting her own record label in New York City called, MPress records.

Much of the record has a meticulous approach to it, the songs carefully crafted, and the vocals clean and pure. Out of nowhere, the song "Back to Freedom" showcases a more raw, spontaneous style semi-live track with a jazzy backdrop and Doors-influenced poetry, done in a solid one-take.

Growing up, Sage commuted to New York City by day to attend The School of American Ballet and performed in classics like "The Nutcracker" and "Coppélia." It was the music that she heard in class that held her attention more than the steps, and by the age of five she was teaching herself to play piano while developing a style all her own.

She fondly remembers a renegade accompanist who played Beatles songs with classical arrangements, which Sage would pound out by ear after class "until the kicked me out of the building," Sage said.

Her early absorption with classical composers shifted toward master-lyricists in her teens, with her discovery of songwriters like Elvis Costello, John Prine, Carole King, Laura Nyro and Cat Stevens.

After graduating with a degree in Drama from Stanford University, Sage decided to roll up her sleeves and take on the New York music scene. By the end of her fist year in the city, she had dropped out of grad school at the Actors Studio MFA Program and landed steady work in national commercial and voiceover campaigns. At the age of 24, she started her own label, MPress records.

Sage has toured with Ani DiFranco, The Lilith Fair and Eric Burdon and the New Animals, as well as shared stages with Melissa Ferrick, Sarah McLachlan and Suzanne Vega.

It is very apparent that Sage has a little more edge to her than Tori Amos, who she is all-to-often compared to. "We're going to dress in black and wear fishnet stockings and put our instruments through distortion boxes!" said Sage, speaking of her unusual live shows, where much of the time she plays either as a duo or trio with her on piano and vocals with a drummer and a cellist.

Sage's previous release "Illusion's Carnival" is musically sophisticated, and you can see her begin to venture into the improvisational aspect of playing a little more. But with "Public Record" she learns the trade well, and is also unable to hide that fact that she is a bisexual, but that doesn't matter here. Here, it's about the music.

Sage can be found playing Keene State on Oct. 3, and will certainly put on a great blend of folk, jazz, and pop melodies with her.

Patrick Crowley is a sophomore majoring in journalism who plans to break into the New York Music scene, just like Rachael Sage did.