Carrie Rodriguez {Singer-Songwriters}
Singer-Songwriters
Words by Jessi Devenyns Photos by Eric Morales
At 40 years old, Carrie Rodriguez has had more adventures than most people can dream about in a lifetime. Currently an East Austin resident, Carrie grew up in Austin and traveled the world playing a menu of musical genres in an effort to understand herself and her cross cultural roots. Doing so eventually brought her back home. “It wasn’t until I left Texas that I realized I really miss country music, I miss folk songs, I miss improvising,” she shares. This deeply engrained love of boot-scuffed floors, Lone Star beer, and heart-wrenching lyrics is instantly identifiable in Carrie’s music where she whirls through cascades of notes on her fiddle and emits crystal clear notes containing the story of her life.
At her best, Carrie exudes a freewheeling style that dances along the edge of rehearsed professionalism and improvisation. Her passion and energy are injected into her words, which give them a texture that alters depending on if she is crooning in Spanish or in English. “For some reason, singing in Spanish does access a different part of me, and my voice sounds different…it’s a little bit rougher,” she describes the transition as the difference between a flour and a corn tortilla. Both are familiar and flavorful, but each one is appropriate for a specific occasion. English, for Carrie, is her everyday language, but “I think the Spanish language is…more emotional, and I think part of that is feeling my connection to my family in ways I don’t experience every day,” she grins. By creating songs in both languages, she believes, has helped her find that comfortable place that is true to herself.
Carrie explains that beyond helping herself find her place in the world, writing songs is a way for her to offer a sense of belonging and comfort to those who listen to her words. “I hope people can draw things from my songs that speak to them,” she explains. Having the confirmation that her lyrics move people, she admits, makes all the effort worth it and offers her the affirmation she still needs in order to continue creating. “The biggest battle as a songwriter is self-doubt,” she confesses. Despite being a professional musician for nearly two decades, Carrie freely admits that not all of her attempts to create stories through her songs are Grammy-material. At some points, she even acknowledges that her “not-so-good” songs make her want to go back to being “just a violin player.” But she keeps at it and adds, “Even if I doubt myself on certain days, I’ve got to keep doing this because it made a difference for this one person and that means everything.”
Contact:
carrierodriguez.com
staff@songtone.com
