Folk Roots Radio Episode 557: feat. Terra Spencer – Chasing Rabbits & More Songs About Winter

Nova Scotian funeral director turned songwriter Terra Spencer joins us on Episode 557 of Folk Roots Radio for a very engaging conversation about her wonderful wintery themed second album “Chasing Rabbits”, that reflects on many aspects of life – relationships, travel, going away to college, and, above all, the joy of getting to come home again. It’s a great interview – and settling into an album that reflects on the important things in life is just what we need after the year we’ve all experienced. We continue the winter theme throughout the rest of the episode, and feature music from Ian Gill, Colleen Kattau, Reid Jamieson, Stephan Moccio, Kathleen Healy and Grant-Lee Phillips. Check out the full playlist below.

Interview

Terra Spencer had built a life as a funeral director in Nova Scotia before she ever thought about a parallel life in music. That all started after she met singer-songwriter and country crooner Ryan Cook at the Kempt Shore Music Festival and was invited to audition as a backing singer for an upcoming tour. That led to some touring and recording with Ryan before the release of her debut album, 2019’s “Other People’s Lives”.

“Terra Spencer’s songs are crafted from autobiographical details woven with gentle instrumentation on piano and guitar. Her debut album, Other People’s Lives, is a collection of complicated relationships, told with a warm wistful voice.”

Terra Spencer actually started work on the follow-up “Chasing Rabbits” before her debut was released, when she recorded the fabulous cinematic song “In the City” at The Sonic Temple in Halifax with the Bela String Quartet in 2018. After that wonderful recording experience, Terra was determined to return to The Sonic Temple again to play their wonderful grand piano on her next album.

Chasing Rabbits was recorded during the early part of the coronavirus pandemic at The Sonic Temple, with production duties shared with studio engineer and owner Lil Thomas; with support from musicians who followed strict Covid-19 protocols. Joining Terra Spencer (guitar, piano) on the new recording are The Bombadils Sarah Frank (harmony vocals & fiddle), Luke Fraser (harmony vocals & mandolin), Adam Fine (double bass, electric bass), Lil Thomas (electric guitar), David Campbell (pedal steel), Jordi Comstock (drums), Scott Ferguson (djembe), Kimm Kent (deer spirit drum) and The Kasprzaks (home choir).

Chasing Rabbits drew inspiration from ’70s singer-songwriters Carole King, Jackson Browne, and Joni Mitchell, as well as East Coast songwriters Jennah Barry and Rose Cousins.

“Chasing Rabbits follows the tracks of ten stories about the people (and in one case, a dog) that are close to her heart. It tells the stories of emotions when there is distance in between; distance between yourself and someone who has taken your heart, the distance between you and a wild animal in the woods, leaving to go to college, or crossing the ocean on tour. This album is about what it means to come back home.”

For more information about the music of Terra Spencer visit terraspencer.ca.

That’s all we have time for. Thanks to all the artists who share their music with us, and thank you for listening. We have lots of great music and interviews to bring you on future episodes.

If you enjoy the music we play on this show and want to support the artists – many of whom aren’t able to play live at the moment because of the Covid-19 pandemic, don’t just stream their music – that earns them much less than a penny per play. Instead, buy their music – and really make a difference to their income. They’ll love you for it!

Listen

You can listen to this episode again on Soundcloud by following the link below. You can also listen to episodes of Folk Roots Radio, on demand, via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Tune-in Radio. (Click on the highlighted link to reach your chosen platform.)

Playlist

Nicolas & The Iceni (Theme)
Lucy She Rises
Roll Right (2019, self)

Ian Gill
Winter Comes Again
Morning Embers (2020, Self) CDN

Colleen Kattau
Winter Guardians
Besos Kisses (2020, Windlight Studio)

Reid Jamieson
Winter
Songs For A Winter’s Night (2012, Self) CDN

Stephan Moccio
Winter Waltz
Winter Poems (2020, Universal Music Canada) CDN

Terra Spencer
In The City
Chasing Rabbits (2020, Self) CDN

Interview: Terra Spencer discussing her sophomore album “Chasing Rabbits”.

Terra Spencer
Lunenburg Moon
Chasing Rabbits (2020, Self) CDN

Terra Spencer
Melt
Chasing Rabbits (2020, Self) CDN

Kathleen Healy
Old Man Winter
Embracing The Journey (2020, Self)

Grant-Lee Phillips
Winterglow
Yuletide (2020, Yep Roc)