About That Song: Riley Skinner
About That Song #35
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
In the 35th edition of this series, I sat down with avant garde folk artist (and fairly recent Minneapolis transplant from Seattle) Riley Skinner! We had a delightful conversation about the songs and artists that shaped Riley’s artistic journey, including a brand-new single.
Riley Skinner. Photo credit: Rachel Bennett.
Sarah: Hi Riley!! Thank you so much for stopping by About That Song! In the last couple years, I’ve been fortunate to hear your songs on the regular, within the context of an online songwriting group we both participate in. I’ve found your songwriting to be wildly creative, and deeply connected to your voice as an instrument. Recently you released a gorgeous full-length album, Surrender, but even MORE recently, you released a new single, “You Go a Long Way (undone).” Congrats on putting so much beauty into the world!
In celebration of your new work, let’s talk a bit about your journey as a songwriter. Do you remember the song that you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Riley: I started writing music very young (age 5?) so I don’t recall a particular moment that sparked it as a choice I could make or something to become; it always just felt like a natural part of how I expressed myself.
Sarah: Let’s pause there…5? 5! That’s incredible! I mean, I think it’s natural, that maybe a lot of us do, but I think the recollection of it is striking.
Riley: When I was probably 10 or 11 I was given the Joni Mitchell Anthology with chords, lyrics and notation for many of her songs. I was totally in love and wanted to play every single song. That book taught me how to play chords and how to sing and play. Even though the depth of her writing was way beyond my full capacity to understand at that age, emotionally it really resonated with me. “Rainy Night House” stands out in particular. The lyrics were so dramatic and personal and painted such a clear picture in my mind! It was very inspiring.
Sarah: Joni Mitchell is an excellent place to get that flame of inspiration lit. I didn’t fall in love with Joni’s writing until I was 30 years older than you at your “Joni Moment,” but that’s okay I think, because any time is the right time to fall for Joni Mitchell! Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it—was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment? Tell us about that song.
Riley: I believe that we are all artists, songwriters, storytellers… this is just part of natural human expression! That said, there is a craft to it that takes some honing. There was a song I wrote in 2019 called “The World is Loud” that made me feel like I had finally married passion and craft. That song ended up being the title track on an album I made with my duo Heddwen, and it remains among the songs I’m most proud to have written.
Riley Skinner. Photo credit: Rachel Bennett.
Sarah: Oh yes, I believe that, too—we are all born makers! It’s a lovely thing to just say that out loud sometimes, so thank you for doing it today.
As I mentioned, I first met you as part of an online songwriting group. Many of us write from a fairly traditional stance of “person with acoustic guitar or piano,” but you were one of the first people to bring the idea of looping, or electric with effects. Do you remember the first song you wrote for the challenge? Or the first song that you wrote for the challenge that stuck?
Riley: Being a part of the songwriting group has been really fun, and it’s the first time I’ve ever written songs to prompts so it’s a good challenge for me! Sometimes I end up feeling so creatively befuddled by the prompts that it’s just easier for me to bust out the looper and improvise something, which I find very freeing and fun! One song in particular that stuck with me from the challenge is “Keeper,” which is on my most recent album. It’s the only song I wrote for the challenge that ended up being recorded. The prompt was “sleeve” which inspired the line “I have an ace up my sleeve” in the song.
Sarah: So…“Keeper” was a keeper? As a member of this group, it’s always so fun to get to hear/see a song from the challenge graduate from its submission video performance to a fully formed album recording! That most recent album you reference is Surrender—was there a song that began what I call the “album-dreaming” for you?
Riley: It’s gotta be the title track! After I wrote “Surrender,” I felt really strongly about recording a full collection of songs that would build up to that track. I had a lot of material to choose from when it came time to envision what would make the cut, but “Surrender” was always the linchpin that held everything else together. It was deeply cathartic to write that song and it came all at once. As soon as I finished it I knew I had something I wanted to share.
I wrote it for anyone who feels that they’re on the fringes of society in some way, but especially for people struggling with the brutal combination of poverty and addiction. I saw so much of that while living in Seattle, especially during the first years of the pandemic, and I needed to give voice to what was unraveling in my own neighborhood and community.
Sarah: Ah, yes. Thank you for using your voice in that way. Surrender came out last November, and you just released a gorgeous brand new single, “You Go a Long Way (undone).” Is that Andy Ulseth on harmonies? Can you tell us about that song?
Riley: “You Go a Long Way” is the first song I wrote after moving to Minnesota. I was sitting in my living room, watching the first flakes of snow fall, and I felt a wave of gratitude come over me. I love living here, and the little moments of connection are what have made this new place feel like home. So it’s really a love song to Minneapolis, and to everyone I’ve met since moving here who’ve made me feel welcome.
Andy Ulseth was one of the first friends I made here and I’ve been known to sing backing vocals for his music now and again, so it felt special to include his beautiful voice on this track. Another buddy, Nick Baker, added some really cool mandolin lines as well. This song exists in a very different form on the album but I’ve never been sure if it should be a full-band song or a stripped-down acoustic song. Ultimately, I like it both ways, so I wanted to share it like this too!
Sarah: The song feels like love, and Minneapolis is so lucky to have you as part of our musical fabric! Speaking of our community, is there anywhere we might hear you sing that song, or any other song for that matter, in the near future?
Riley: Yes! I’m honored to be featured on March 18th as a part of KFAI’s Womenfolk Radio Concert series at 331 in Minneapolis. Morgan Kavanaugh (of Bad Posture Club) and I will be sharing the bill. It’s a nice early show (6:30! Woohoo!) and it can also be streamed on Facebook if you can’t make it in person.
Get more info about the Womenfolk show at the 331 Club on Facebook!
Listen to “You Go a Long Way (undone)”
“You Go a Long Way (undone)” Single Credits
Riley Skinner -- vocals, guitar, mellotron
Andy Ulseth -- vocals
Nick Baker -- mandolin
All music & lyrics by Riley Skinner
Recorded by Riley Skinner
Mixed & Mastered by Steve Skinner
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
