More about: Valley Maker

The lovely, South Carolina-based Valley Maker first caught our ear with this year's delicate 'Instrument', but he's been on the block since 2015, crafting fragile, emotive folk music.

Today, Valley Maker - real name Austin Crane - releases his newest album When The Day Leaves and it's a fresh, breezy experiment in echoing acoustics and the frank prettiness of that voice. 

We met with Mr. Valley Maker himself to talk big house moves and rennovations, the American nature reserves that inspire him, and getting through the pandemic, one day at a time:

Gigwise: What inspired the writing process for the new record? 

Valley Maker: I wrote most of the songs on this record in the months before I moved away from Seattle, where I had lived for over six years, back to the state of South Carolina where I grew up. Then a couple of the final songs were written right after the move. So, while there isn’t one particular thematic inspiration for the record, writing these songs was definitely a way of processing that transition and sitting with different questions I had surrounding the move. The move felt like stepping into a new season of life, both in beautiful and challenging ways, and writing this record was an opportunity to reflect on ideas like home and community, change, uncertainty, time, ageing and  movement in light of that moment. 

GW: How would you say When The Day Leaves compares to your previous work? 

VM: I’d say this record feels like an amalgam of my previous recordings. When The Day Leaves is  very much a songwriting-centric record, in the spirt of my earlier records. I see it as being a slightly less of a “band-centric” record than my previous album, Rhododendron. But, as with Rhododendron, Trevor Spencer (producer) and I wanted to build on the songwriting foundation to make something that felt richly-textured and dynamic. In this way, I’m really grateful to all the musicians involved, and proud of what we made together. Amy Godwin, who is a dear friend and long-time collaborator with me on this project, adds so much to this record with her vocal parts – which definitely provide a connection point to previous Valley Maker recordings.  

The last thing I’d say here is that, to my ear, When The Day Leaves feels like the most sonically cohesive record I’ve made. I imagine this has everything to do with how the large majority of the album was made in one continuous session over several weeks in Trevor’s studio in Woodinville, WA. The recording process was a really fun and immersive experience. 

GW: What inspired you to choose 'Instrument' as one of the singles? 

VM: Even though I wrote Instrument before the pandemic, the song felt especially relevant to this moment in how it is essentially about carrying on amidst personal and planetary uncertainty. It also has a chorus, which is somewhat of a rarity for my songs! 

GW: In what way did the COVID-19 pandemic affect your writing process? 

VM: When we moved to SC, my wife Megan and I bought an old house that we really love, and it was quite affordable because it was in a state of relative disrepair. So we spent the majority of  2020 undertaking a fairly large-scale renovation project. Because I was home, unable to tour, I was able to oversee the process and do some of the work myself. So, even aside from the pandemic’s upheaval, it’s been challenging to have a regular writing flow while living amidst an active construction site!  

But thankfully all that work is done now, and I’ve got a dedicated music zone in the basement. So I’m looking forward to getting back into my usual writing process. My process pretty much  boils down to carving out a regular, dedicated space and time for guitar playing, and then, once  I’ve written a guitar part that feels promising, iteratively developing the song’s melody and  writing lyrics in relation to the guitar part. I have been inspired to play a bit more piano during  the pandemic – I’m not very good at it, but I’m enjoying learning songs and would like to further incorporate that into my songwriting process in the future.  

GW: How did moving back to Columbia, SC inspire the general aesthetic of When The Day Leaves? 

VM: I recorded this album about a month after moving, such that Megan and I drove across the  ountry and then had a few weeks to get settled in Columbia before I flew back out to Seattle to make the record. So, on one level, I see the record’s production and general aesthetic as having more of a Pacific Northwest quality – because that’s where I wrote most of the songs, and where I recorded the album with a group of Seattle and Portland-based musicians. Under the circumstances of having just moved away, making this record at Trevor’s studio with the people involved felt like a beautiful and fitting goodbye moment to Seattle and the PNW. 

But there are a few songs on the record, like 'Mockingbird' and 'On a Revelation', that I wrote in those initial weeks in SC before recording started. And, just in general, because I grew up in this area and was easing back into living here again, I’d say the environment of the Carolinas was certainly a present influence on my songwriting and production choices. It’s been fun to have several of the videos on this record cycle reflect places in this region that I love, like Edisto Island in SC and the mountains around Asheville in NC.  

Ultimately, I think I’ll always see this record as a timestamp and reflection of a season in my life between the Pacific Northwest and Southeast, holding a lot of affection for both places.  

GW: What is your outlook on the future of touring? 

VM: I really wish I had a way to see into the future here, but it just feels impossible to know right now, with so many mediating factors. Playing shows is one of my very favorite parts of being  alive, and it’s a big part of how I understand music as a vocation. So it feels sad to be putting this record out not knowing when it’ll be possible to play the songs live.

I worry about how all the small-midsize venues and independent promoters that I love are going to ride this out. I’m hopeful that multiple vaccines coming online might offer some kind of horizon here, but we’ll have to see. For now, I’m trying to remain in the present as much as possible, and enjoy the fact that this record is entering the world. I’ve got plans to do a ticketed virtual show on March 20th,  which will be a nice chance to play the new songs live. 

GW: If you could connect your musical output to a singular place, where would it be? 

VM: It’s hard to pick just one, but I would probably say the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state.  I’ve been out there to camp, hike and wander many times. It’s an environment that always feels contemplatively beautiful and inspiring to me. In making the past few records, I’ve often thought about the forests, beaches and mountains there and have tried to channel the elemental spirit of that place in my recordings.  

GW: Do you think artists have a responsibility to deliver a progressive message to their audience? 

VM: Well I do very much believe that the act of making music is political, because it involves a choice to put something that you believe is meaningful and true out into the world. Looking at the past few years alone, struggles over racial justice, immigrant rights, and responses to climate change (just to name a few) are playing out in ways that deeply affect people’s present and future lives – and I think artists do have a unique opportunity to both stand in solidarity and create work that is honest and real in reflecting the world around us.  

I think change often happens through relationships, and through certain encounters that foster empathy and new ways of seeing others. It’s here that I believe music, along with other forms of  art, present an opportunity to encounter the world, and other people, in new ways outside of language alone. In a moment where, sadly, many people regard their neighbors with contempt, I want music to be a place we can meet one another – I hope that’s true. 

GW: Who would be your dream artist to go on tour with? 

VM: It’s tough to choose just one, but I’d probably say Hailu Mergia. I listen to his albums all the time; they’re so full of life. I was really looking forward to seeing him play a couple years ago at Le Guess Who festival in Utrecht, NL – but sadly our sets were scheduled at the exact same time. Hopefully one day!  

GW: Upon listening to When The Day Leaves, how would you hope your fans or a general audience will respond to the album? 

VM: We’re living through a strange and often-isolating season right now with the pandemic and social distancing. I hope the record brings people some joy and companionship. Maybe some people will be able to connect their past/present realities with the songs and feel a little less alone with their thoughts, questions and experiences. Music has meant a lot to me during the pandemic in that way. Even though live music is on hold, now does feel like a meaningful time to release this  record, and I hope it can be a companion for those who find and connect with it. 

When The Day Leaves is out now via Frenchkiss Records.

More about: Valley Maker