Rachel Decker

How did you get your start in music? Did you come from a musical family? 

I have a vague recollection of singing in church when I was a little girl, and I got my first solo in a school musical in the second grade. I sat on a hay bale and sang a country song (was it about brushing my teeth or something? I honestly can't recall) and I think I've had a love for country music ever since. An old elementary school teacher told my mother that he would sing a note to me and I'd sing the octave, so that the other kids could match me. I don't think I've stopped singing ever since!

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Who inspires you and how do they influence your music?

Music influences run the gamut from Patsy Cline, Neko Case, Etta James, and Patti Smith to Shirley Bassey. If you know me, you know I love Patsy Cline. It's not just for her incredible and emotive voice, it's because she was a pioneer in a very male-dominated world and truly could run with the best of them. By all accounts she was an incredibly tough lady, but she would bend over backwards for you if she liked you. I'm inspired by all of these women, though, as they are all unapologetically themselves–absolute badasses who aren't afraid to just bare their souls and go for it. At the end of the day, that's what you have to do, just go for it. I see it in our local music scene, too: absolutely badass women who just go for it. It's an honor to be a part of it. 

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What was one of your biggest obstacles in your music career and how did you overcome it?

Finding my own voice. I sang backups and harmonies and was part of awesome music-making and I loved every second of it, but it's a different thing to try to front a group in a more "solo" type way. I had to explore (and I'm STILL exploring!) how to bend and flex and growl and sweeten and change my voice for different songs. I've had to learn that I'm not a vocal-run girl; I'm not a George Jones or a Mariah or Christina who can fit a whole massive run of notes in a vocal phrase, it's just not me. I had to become comfortable with the idea that I just need to try to be solid and dead-on with my notes and work on my vocal tone–to just be a really good singer. I've also learned so much about playing for hours at a time and still maintaining a level of intensity and vocal health. Big ups to my college vocal teacher for giving me the tools and training to get past head colds and sore throats, etc.

 

If there is one thing you wish you knew before you decided to pursue a music career, what would it be?

That I would need to spend so much dang time on social media. Also, some people aren't going to like you, and you gotta let that go. Also, a business degree might help.

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How do you stay inspired to write music? Have you experienced writer’s block? If so, how did you overcome it?

It's easy to stay inspired when you have so many people around to inspire you! There are incredible songwriters and musicians that I draw energy from and that I'm so grateful to call my friends. My husband, George, (also the lead guitarist in the band) is an incredible musician and a seemingly endless font of creativity. There is occasionally writer's block, but I know it's only temporary. If I sit down with the intention of writing a song, even if it's a bad one, at least there's something flowing. That bad song can maybe be molded into something better, or maybe discarded but at least the brainwaves are going. Overcoming it is simply making yourself write a lyric, even if you know it's just a temporary one until you find something better. Another great way to get past a block is to pass a song onto someone else. A fresh pair of eyes on it can give you a whole different perspective.

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How did your band Oak Hill Drifters form?

I was lucky enough to join the established group years and years ago (through Craigslist!), and I've been fortunate enough to continue to learn and grow every year with it! I'm really proud of the music we're making. It's been a long but good journey and I absolutely love the guys (George Dimitrov, Craig Roy, Tom Pearce) that I get to play with.

 

Being an independent musician can come with many setbacks as one tries to succeed in the industry. What do you do to keep your motivation?

I'm in the fortunate position of having a pretty flexible "day job" of being a flight attendant. I've spent seventeen years flying and have been able to build up enough seniority to have some wiggle room in my schedule to make music a priority. Making money is absolutely important and the day job has allowed me to still mostly view music as primarily a creative and emotional outlet as opposed to it ever becoming a daily grind. I'd still rather just do music all the time (as I think most musicians would), but at this moment, it's an ok balance. Ask again next week, though, and I may have a different answer!

 

How do you think the entertainment industry can improve for women musicians to aid in  flourishing their talent and career? 

From my limited view, I'm seeing a lot of change in big business from even when I was a kid, but there's still work to be done. I'm glad to hear women played far more often on the radio in any genre. For my part, I just hope that I am supportive of the women and girls in our local scene–I love seeing and hearing our local gals shining!!

 

If you could give any advice to an aspiring musician, what would it be? 

Be honest to yourself, and keep going. There's plenty of people who made it that weren't necessarily the best musicians, but they pushed their way through. Have that same kind of stubborn determinedness. If you fail (and you will), just keep trying until you don't. Also, keep working on being a good musician - I personally need to practice every day, and I've got a long way to go.

 

What project or music can we look forward to in the future?

Oak Hill Drifters has a number of great shows coming up and some things percolating creatively that I'm really excited about. George and I have a duo that is a lot of fun and allows us to try out a number of things and slip into some genres that wouldn't necessarily fit the full band. We've also done some recording. Will Walker of Will's Pub has been kind enough to let us take up some space on Wednesday nights from 7-9 at L'il Indies where we work some of that out. Find us at oakhilldrifters.com and rachelandgeorgemusic.com, as well as Spotify, Apple Music, all that stuff. I'm also collaborating with Beth McKee on some tunes that I'm pretty jazzed about. I have a few songs that I'm mapping out slowly and internally that I'm loving. One thing I will say, I'm never bored. And I'm grateful for that.