04 May Edie Carey Unveils New Record Inspired by Motherhood
by Marisa Torrieri Bloom
It’s not every day that I want to be best friends with the artists I interview, but singer-songwriter Edie Carey and I clicked within five minutes of meeting. The mom of two (ages 9 and 5) creates thoughtful, heartfelt coffeehouse rock songs that take me back to the Lilith Fair days of Summer ’98. And she’s not only vocally and lyrically gifted, but also super-relatable to musician moms like me.
One listen to her new record, ‘The Veil,’ and you’ll want to be her best friend, too.
[SEE RELATED: Shawn Colvin Talks Motherhood, Touring, and New Lullaby Album ‘The Starlighter’ ]
The album is also her first one since she had two kids physically in school — a son who’s now in 4th grade and a daughter in Kindergarten. As such, the dual themes of motherhood and inner strength resonate throughout the record.
The first single, “Rise,” pays homage to the artist’s fertility struggles, with Edie singing about holding onto hope when all seems hopeless. The title track, “The Veil,” is bolstered by resonant effects and deep emotions, as Edie tells the story of a tragedy barely avoided, essentially lifting the “veil” between her and the precarious nature of everyday life. As she sings, “we cannot go back no matter how we wish it,” it’s hard not to feel the weight of the tune.
“When I wrote the title track, ‘The Veil,’ in early 2020 I wrote it without knowing it would end up being the touchstone of this record,” Edie tells Rockmommy. “I wrote it after being in a very serious car accident with my kids, and it was so freaking terrifying. I went from thinking, ‘we’re safe’ to ‘everything is unsafe’ as I felt this veil of security being torn away.”
We recently caught up with Edie to chat about this song, motherhood, and more.
Rockmommy: Hi Edie! You’ve traveled far and wide throughout your music career. What have you been up to lately?
Edie Carey: We now live in Colorado Springs, where we’ve been for six years. I have two kids — Luca is 9 and Emmy is 5. I did manage to play tons of music in the last 10 years of being a mom, but I felt in many ways I was just barely putting out fires on the music front, aside from touring each month. Now that both of my kids are older and I’m on the other side of the baby bubble, I can reclaim a little more emotional and mental real estate. I feel like this record is a comeback, on some level, as a result of that extra creative time. To write songs, I need to do a deep dive, and there’s no deep dive with a 45-minute nap!
Rockmommy: How would you describe your music? When I listen to your songs, it takes me back to the late 1990s, right to the Lilith Fair with Shawn Colvin and Sarah McLachlan.
Edie Carey: You’re totally spot on with the 90s music. I started playing out when the Lilith Fair was first happening. I first heard Shawn Colvin at age 15 and she made me want to write music. I’ve always been considered folk pop, but lot of my records do incorporate Americana production, with banjo and rootsier instrumentation. I sometimes think Americana is the newer, hipper way to say ‘folk rock’ and if a new name draws in listeners who are more wary of the ‘folk’ genre, then I totally embrace it!
Rockmommy: So tell us about ‘The Veil.’ How did the record come together?
Edie Carey: When I wrote the title track, ‘The Veil,’ in early 2020 I wrote it without knowing it would end up being the touchstone of this record. I wrote it after being in a very serious car accident with my kids, and it was so freaking terrifying. I went from thinking, ‘we’re safe’ to ‘everything is unsafe’ as I felt this veil of security being torn away.
The record is also about the ‘veil’ of security that hides us from ourselves and others, and it’s also about lifting a veil to see the underbelly and truth of things. The veil (as in the wedding veil) appears in a song called ‘All that Space’ about the undoing of a marriage, and ‘The Cypress and The Oak’ which I wrote about friends of mine who have a beautiful partnership. The veil theme appears in some form or another in every song on the record.
Rockmommy: Are you playing any shows over the spring and summer?
Edie Carey: Yes, before the official release of The Veil June 3rd, I am touring with some of my closest music buddies in a group called Live From New York in mid-May (CT, NY, MA, IL). After that I have two theater album release concerts in my adopted hometown of Colorado Springs (6/2) and Denver (6/4), a Pacific NW release tour in early July (TBA very soon), and then in the fall I’ll start touring around the US in earnest with the new record. All tour dates can be found at http://www.ediecarey.com/tour
Rockmommy: What are your work-life balance hacks?
Edie Carey: In all caps — if you’re an artist mom and you’re not one already, BECOME A MORNING PERSON and GET UP EARLY. Make yourself go to bed early and get up early to enjoy the quiet / think / write / breathe / sing / meditate / do-whatever-makes-you-sane before you get into the chaos of the day.
Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.
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