Rachael Yamagata became known to Chicago music fans after joining the high energy funk/soul/hip hop band "Bumpus" as a harmony vocalist. Self taught as a pianist, Rachael started writing her own songs, which didn't quite fit with what Bumpus was doing. To test out her songs, Rachael sat in on an open mic night and the next day she ran into an artist who gave her the business card of a talent scout that led to her first showcase at the Viper Room in 2001. It didn't take long until Rachael moved to bigger rooms as she soon found her self in front of a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden opening for David Gray.

She eventually signed with the RCA Victor Group and in the winter of 2003, began working on an EP with producer Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan). Rachael describes her initiation into solo recording as similar to her initiation to solo performance: fast and intense. Her EP garnered some great reviews in the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer etc. and earned a place on MTV's "You Hear It First," and CNN's "The Music Room."

Racheal is now on tour promoting her first full length solo reecording -"Happenstance." Produced by John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews), Racheal says the disc is a collection of songs inspired by her obsessions, often love related. The comparisons to Fionna Apple's sultry delivery are plentiful. I make the comparison favorably, but note that Racheal has a style all her own. The folks over at Pop Matters have a worthy review of the cd.

Just back from Japan, Racheal gave us a little insight into her career, musical influences and approach to songwriting.

JD: How did your time playing/singing with Bumpus prepare you for where you are now in your career?

RY: Bumpus gave me tremendous experience as a live performer. We played everything from tiny clubs to outdoor festivals to huge stadiums. As a three person fronted band mixing various influences in music such as soul, funk, and hip hop - Bumpus taught me a great deal about creating diverse set lists that kept the audience thoroughly engaged and which made sense in a cohesive way as well. For me now, it allows me to know how to work a crowd through a piano ballad, but also mix in passionate, raw rock songs in the same show. They also taught me about band dynamics on the performing side and professional behind the scenes side. I learned how to lead a band and also be a part of one - inspiring the musicians you play with while also directing a vision and knowing when to make executive decisions. As a band we learned trial and error lessons regarding work ethic, fans, recording and so forth that I have carried with me for my work now.

JD: Was/is piano your first/only instrument? Did you take lessons as a child?

RY: Flute was actually my first instrument. I had a year of lessons and then stopped after feeling like I was going to faint all of the time. Piano came next - one year of lessons that I stopped after my teacher kept telling me to quit moving around on the piano bench so much. I continued to play my own music after that and self taught the rest. I have recently picked up guitar and use it frequently as a writing instrument. I am working it into my live show as well as I continue to improve. I also just picked up the bass guitar. I got lots of percussion experience in Bumpus as well.

JD: When did you start writing songs?

RY: I wrote my first song when I was twelve on the piano.

JD: Who are some of your musical influences?

RY: I have a difficult time answering this question because I was not someone to really go out and buy records or learn other people's songs. I was heading for an acting career and wrote music on the side. It never occurred to me, until Bumpus, to follow it professionally. I gravitated towards music I heard on the radio that my parents were listening to like James Taylor, Stevie Nicks, Carole King, Cat Stevens, Linda Ronstadt, Simon and Garfunkel etc. I'm more apt to know a particular song of an artist rather than their whole repetoire. When I began writing music it was really about telling a story and expressing my emotions rather than emulating a particular style of music. After I met Bumpus I was exposed to greats like John Coltrane, Stevie Wonder, Mos Def, Prince, David Bowie, Sly and the Family Stone. I love Joni Mitchell, Rufus Wainwright, Elton John, Tom Waits etc. and the first time I heard Jeff Buckley I was floored by his melodic arrangements.

JD: Who are you listening to these days?

RY: These days I'm still discovering classics that most know about already - the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Beach Boys...I love the Damien Rice record, Tom Mcrae, A Girl Called Eddy, the new Carla Bruni record, Too Many Djs, The White Stripes.

JD: If you could duet with anyone (current or past) who would it be?

RY: Impossible to choose. I would love to sing with Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright. Their vox melodies and style...gorgeous...Roberta Flack wrote one of the most gorgeous songs I've ever heard "Ballad of Sad Young Men." Tom Waits is the ultimate in cool, lyrically, musically, the instruments and sounds he creates. Eminem is brilliant. Jack White is brilliant. The list goes on.

JD: You jus got back from Japan. Had you played there before? What was it like?

RY: When I was traveling to Japan for the first time I was excited to see a new country of course and one that I am culturally connected to. I love Japanese food, beauty aesthetic, the city nightlife and was certainly interested in experiencing the world of my great grandparents, observing customs etc.

JD: Where did you record Happenstance and who did you work with on it?

RY: We went all over to make this record. We started in the Bahamas and found ourselves in L.A., N.Y, N.J., and Easton Md. John Alagia produced the album with Jeff Juliano as the engineer. Kevin Salem produced "Paper Doll" with Nico Bowles as the engineer. We had lots of great help from amazing people.

JD: Happenstance is the follow up to your EP, anything different about your recording approach this time?

RY: I was much more involved in the arrangements this time. I wrote a huge percentage of everything from horn lines, to strings, to clarinets, oboes, etc. etc. I'd track a lot of things of my BR8 machine and we'd transfer then directly into the sessions. Malcolm Burn (EP) has this intensity and drive to capture things very raw and passionate and live. John is a perfectionist in a different light with an amazing attention to detail. They both brought out great things in me that I wouldn't have discovered with anyone else.

JD: I read that your personal experiences are a writing source. Any other inspirations and how literal are some of the songs?

RY: I'm addicted to the dynamics of relationships whether they be in love, work, between strangers on the streets, or in the world in general. Some of the songs are very specific to people I have known and literal as well. However, many are not. A lot of my songs that can translate as love songs, have nothing to do with a relationship I was in or experienced personally and some aren't even about romantic love. I get inspired by phrases I catch in other's conversations, universal themes of relationships that I notice in my friends and folks around me and my journey as a solo artist in the music industry have inspired a lot as well. To me, it always comes back to this push, pull dynamic between people who are interacting with one another when something is at stake. Endless sources....

JD: You're playing one of my favorite rooms this month, the Tin Angel in Philadelphia. Do you like those types of intimate settings?

RY: I love smaller rooms. People come ready to really listen and you can share different material when it is not dependent on holding the attention of a huge stadium. It's a great forum for telling stories about the songs, whispers can be as powerful as screams and all that.

JD : You've toured all summer, are you going to keep playing into the fall? Any rough timetable for taking a break to record again?

RY: Yes - we'll start another U.S. tour in September. I'm itching to record new songs and will squeeze in any time I can to do so. They may later become the next album.. So far, no concrete time is set aside to do album 2 at the moment.

Thanks Rachael and meanwhile we'll continue enjoying Happenstance.