rage rhythms
Brooke
Waggoner
The ComposiTional
GraCe of
Go Easy LiTTLE DovEs
by bill biss
If you enjoy intricate piano music swirled around a voice that is vividly alluring, Brooke
Waggoner is the musical artist to pick. Her classical training combined with her intuitive skill
at the piano, a wonderful blend of instruments and lyrical talent create many soothing, powerful and structurally beauti-
ful moments on Go Easy Little Doves. If that wasn’t enough…Waggoner also produced the entire CD. The Rage Monthly
spoke with Brooke while she was touring across the United States to present her new release.
Rage: In your liner notes, you mention that the creation of this CD goes hand-in-hand with be married. I don’t care what it looks like. But, because of that, it was definitely
your engagement to be married and your wedding as well. on my brain. There are some pretty interesting stories within my family of really
Brooke Waggoner: It was. It was some strange timing with a lot of things. I sad marriages or really strange altar stories. “Find Her Floods” is actually a mesh of
started recording the album…the very beginning process two or three days what happened to them. One was actually physically left at the altar and another
before I got engaged. A lot of the songs, the older ones are just from a really, really married a man who ended up dying. Some tragedy, but out of it came some really
long time ago. So, when I started compiling everything and got into the studio beautiful things…they both have families and are wonderful now.
that first day, the rest of the process was working on this record and mixing it two Rage: Many times your music reminded me of a film score. Would writing a film score be
weeks before I actually got married. something you would ever consider delving into?
Rage: Tell me about the imagery on your CD cover. BW: Yes. It’s interesting you bring that up. That is a huge part of what I get into
BW: The photos on the cover came from this impromptu bridal portrait picture and that was very much a big part of my upbringing. I actually went to school to
that I was taking with a friend. I wasn’t planning on using that for anything musi- eventually pursue that avenue. That’s a huge part of how I approach writing and I
cally related. I just thought it showed the different sides of getting ready for a would leap at the chance to do something like that. I’m all about it.
pretty big life change and all the emotions you go through with that. Rage: You have the ability to capture strong emotions in your music and it’s just in the intrica-
Rage: It almost looks like an antique photo from the early days of photography. cies of the notes…
BW: It does! That was my favorite part about it. Heidi, my friend pieced those BW: Honestly, that was kind of in the back of my brain. This was really the album
three images together as kind of a joke. She said, “I saw these and it kind of looked I wanted to make and to go a little more classical. I was picturing that this could
like a bird in flight.” be a great catalyst to dive into that [film scoring] world more. So, I love that you
Rage: How many instruments are played on this? It’s so nicely textured. caught that.
BW: Thank you. We have harp, horn, clarinet, oboe, a string section, upright Rage: Not only do you write, play piano and sing…you also produced this. What was one of
bass, electric bass, glockenspiel, plus the guitars and piano. the challenges of putting on that hat?
Rage: The song “Find Her Floods” is really an opus on this CD. Does this song call to mind your BW: I think just not really having that person to act as a sounding board. There
own wedding or is this just an imaginary scenario? are pros and cons. It felt very alone in making this in a way that I love and yet, I
BW: It’s actually a mesh of two stories within my family. I never really felt like would have nights of coming home and just second-guessing everything. That
the average bride and I never really imagined my wedding. I pretty much was not was probably the hardest part. To do something that was risky for me and to try to
heavily involved in the planning of my own wedding (laughter). I just wanted to do the best that I could do…just really actively pushing myself.
18 RAGE monthly | november 2009
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