Music Beat: Rorie Kelly

Rorie Kelly recorded her newest CD, Sincerely Live, at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, and is throwing a release party Saturday at Roast Coffee and Tea Trading Company, 41 E. Main St. in Patchogue, at 8 p.m. during a "Rule the Roast" concert. Kelly recently spoke with Patch about recording, performing and what's next for her music career.

Patch: What are the names of the members of your band (if applicable, if solo just for yourself) and what are their hometowns?

Rorie Kelly: I usually perform alone but for the recent Sincerely Live recording project I had a great band backing me up. Kevin Kelly (my dad) on bass guitar, Katie Pearlman (http://www.katiepearlman.com/) on drums, Sean Virag on lead guitar, John-flor Sisante (http://johnflor.bandcamp.com/) on keys and vocals, and Claire Raby (http://www.forrestrose.com) on vocals. We are all scattered across Long Island from Riverhead to Brooklyn but luckily they were willing to come together and share their talent on this!

Patch: How would you describe your sound?

Kelly: I've got a percussive guitar style and a big voice that I'm not shy about using. My songwriting style is somewhere between Alanis Morisette and Joni Mitchell.

Patch: What are your performances usually like?

Kelly: Intense and fun! I give every performance all I've got and people often comment on my energy. I got into making music because I love it... so when I get the chance to share my songs with an audience I make it count. :)

Patch: What is your next big thing coming up?

Kelly: Right now the main focus is the Sincerely Live album release which comes out on September 21st (the release party is at Roast in Patchogue). More information including a preview track is available at sincerelylive.roriekelly.com.

After that, I have a bunch of gigs coming up and I'm planning a tour for the spring. I'm not sure where I'll hit yet, but I do know I will be performing in Austin during SXSW as part of Indie On Air's "Texas Indie Fest."

Patch: What has your experience been like working on the current CD? Why did you pick Patchogue Theatre to record it?

Kelly: The Patchogue Theatre has been like a home to me for years. I first got involved with the Live in the Lobby series as a bass player for another artist who was performing in a fundraising concert. (Which is a little funny because I don't really play bass, but that's another story.) I reached out to the curator, Christopher Capobianco to ask about sound requirements and all of a sudden I was on the bill because he loved a song on my Myspace page. (That's how long ago it was, we were still doing Myspace.) Since then I have watched Patchogue bloom from this little town I'd never heard of, that none of my friends could pronounce, into what Christopher was saying it would be for years: "the capital of the Long Island music scene." I can't think of an LI town that is more welcoming to the arts and music than Patchogue is right now. You walk down Main street any night of the week and there is live music coming out of every doorway. It's like the village, but with a whole lot less of the the artier-than-thou pretentiousness.

Working with the musicians I mentioned earlier, as well as the crew from Paradiddle Records and the Live in the Lobby volunteer crew, was like a dream. Everyone cared about the music above all else. It was exactly what any show, and any recording process should be--everybody working together for the sake of creating something beautiful, with no egos. We're all DIY, indie folks, but we all treated that night with as much care as you would treat a major label recording project. And I think that really came out in the final product.

Patch: How can people reach you?

Kelly: The best way to get in touch is to go to www.roriekelly.com and sign up for the newsletter while you're at it. I send out an update about once a month letting people know what is going on and always including a new song or video performance.

Second best is Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/roriekellymusic

...and Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/roriekelly

Finally, if you want to get some new music in your inbox every Monday, subscribe to my Youtube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/roriekelly/). I am part of a new group called Music Mondays (http://www.facebook.com/yaymusicmondays) now that does just what it sounds like: releases new tunes every week to make Mondays a little less crappy.

And if you just want to get in touch drop me a line any time at rorie@roriekelly.com.