Image provided by Palefire
“I felt like I produced something that came from my heart, it was well received, and I got to celebrate that time in my life with my best friends,”
said Jacqui of Palefire, on touring in support of her recent debut album, full heart, big empty eyes.
On stage, Palefire is a hazy twee-tinged four-piece. On their recordings, Palefire is the bedroom recording project of Denton TX based songwriter, producer, and cellist Jacqui. Her debut album is charmingly handcrafted, weaving together bits of sparse folk and buzzy jangle-pop.
There’s evidently something magical in bringing music as intimate as Palefires out on the road into the wider world. most recently, the band spent August exploring the west coast with fellow Denton group Paperjam. Shortly after the band got home, death of a rabbit caught up with Jacqui to ask about her writing influences, and recent tour experience.
DEATH OF A RABBIT: Tell us a little about your musical origins.
JACQUI: I started playing cello at 10 years old! I voluntarily signed up for it not knowing it would be a really intense career lol.
DOAR: When did you first start writing your own songs, and when did you first start sharing them with people?
JACQUI: Ever since I was very young I was constantly hearing melodies and songs in my head. I started writing the lyrics to these songs when I was 8, and then writing with vocals and cello when I was 16, and then shared my first song on soundcloud in 2022 at 18. I produced it on garage band and released it under palefire all in the same day.
DOAR: What art and music was inspiring you as you first started writing for Palefire?
JACQUI: I loveddddd listening to Wednesday’s first album when I started writing for Palefire. I learned almost every song on IWTTDYTS by ear because that album just truly resonated with me so much. Artists like Sundots, Wisp, and Panchiko were very early influences as well.. Now it’s more Elliot Smith, PJ Harvey, & Laura Watling.
DOAR: Your new album full heart, big empty eyes was entirely self produced. Have you always been interested in the technical side of production? How did you teach yourself those skills?
JACQUI: I have a lot to say about this lol-
I still feel like a noob, honestly. I wasn’t originally interested in the technical side of production when I started. I learned about music production through my partner Echo, Youtube, and just working on it everyday. I think traditional music education makes this look so difficult and technical when really it’s so easy to make sure your mic/gain/volume set up is straight and press record.
Most of my takes are far from perfect, especially because I work with broken gear, animals that like to play in the background, and loud ac units in a creaky old apartment, but I make it work and I make it part of my sound. I try to minimize the diy when need be but if its adding to the music then i let it do its thing.
So all this to say, I’m not very technical and I’m still learning. I believe in doing what you can with the resources you have while still being open to new techniques and making space for imperfection when it comes to recording/producing.
DOAR: I love the visuals associated with Palefire, do you make those yourself or do you work with another artist?
JACQUI: I make all of them myself!
DOAR: You’re currently based in Denton, TX, do you find a sense of place influences your writing much?
JACQUI: Yes absolutely! The people I’ve met in Denton, and the apartment I live in have made a feature in my songs a few times (ms. home, sweet as a yankee, softer side of yourself, hello world).
DOAR: You’re about to go on a run of shows to the Pacific Northwest, what is it like translating your songs from a bedroom to the stage?
JACQUI: It’s been a really fun process. A couple of the songs on the record have cello and piano on them, however I don’t have either instrument in our full band, so we try our best to add those elements into the 4 piece configuration. My bandmates right now (Natalie, Jon, and Echo) are incredible musicians and have made this process comfortable and playful, so it’s been a really fulfilling process and I’m grateful to share this with them! < 3
DOAR: You were also touring this spring in support of the recent release, do you have a favorite story or experience from that run?
JACQUI: For me, one of the most memorable days on that run was on my birthday. We spent a leisurely day together between St Louis and Indy. I remember feeling beyond grateful because the record was very fresh and I received a lot of support online. I felt like I produced something that came from my heart, it was well received, and I got to celebrate that time in my life with my best friends/ bandmates.
BTS Info On Title Track “full heart, big empty eyes”
“I forget everything that- im sorry I dissociate through everything with my full heart and big empty eyes” was like a chant trapped in my head that just kept repeating over and over. It got so annoying I just had to write it down, but that’s usually how my songwriting process starts lol. I heard the chords in my head, figured them out on my guitar, and then got on GarageBand and started recording my guitar and vocals. I took a few seconds to meditate on how this song would start, how the beginning could do the ending some justice, and how it would develop in between then. I just started playing and singing and writing and recording every couple of verses. I think I kinda just entered a flow state, the garage band demo ended up having 6 guitars, 8 vocals, and no drums or bass.
I remember picking up my guitar and being a little upset with one of my friends. She kind of had a tendency to self sabotage (but don’t we all at some point..) and I just felt bad because I couldn’t help, just listen. She wasn’t being too understanding about a situation I was going through either, so my first lyric was my initial response. All I wanted was compromise, and for her to see a light at the end of the tunnel. At the end of the day, the only advice I wanted to give her was “sing your songs, trust your heart, you know you’ve waited so long.”
Listen to full heart, big empty eyes by clicking the image below!
Leave a comment