Rachael Yamagata. Tour. Roosters. Portugal

Singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata (and frequest radio guest on The Time Machine) takes a break on a Portuegese balcony to share the latest on her upcoming tour and album.

It's 5 am in Portugal and the dogs are barking at a cockadoodledooing rooster. It's dark, I'm smoking up a bathrobe and a balcony and attempting to sequence the record for Japan. I'm fairly certain that I can see the lights of Spain from here and I'm wondering if I hand deliver a copy of the record there, might it entice them to release in their country. I could greet them in Spanish which is more than I'm able to do here – tip – don't try to learn Portugese in 5 days – it's not enough time and it's nothing like Spanish. If I can manage "that was delicious" by the time I leave here I shall impress myself.

It's been awhile since I've blogged and I'm totally backlogged on emails, myspace and life so you know a tour must be coming. It is and we've booked it and there are flights and rehearsal spaces and string arrangements so no going back now. I don't know what we'll play, how we'll play it or what I'll wear, but those things will come in time. I'm considering a. the new record, b. with guitars and piano and musicians, and c. something black. I've become quite a master juggler over the past two years (two whole fucking years – I know...I know...boy do I know) and yet there is a point where ones brain starts to frizzle and you have to up and come to Portugal and listen to mad dogs to decompress.

I feel like asking – what are you guys up to? How's life, love, work, the kids – all the essentials? I have a friend who has just arrived in Africa and she's writing these insanely gorgeous updates about oranges and poverty, children, buses and land as she organizes the plan to build a school for the deaf. I had no idea she was such a fabulous writer and so courageous and I do believe she will return very much changed and yet very much more in tune with herself. I'm going through a cycle of noticing the undeniable strength of various folk pioneering through their various life situations and it's beyond magnificent to see how resilient and interesting everyone is no matter what they are doing...and well I'm just tripping on the fact that everyone has a story. I haven't been "relating" to anyone for so long – holed up like a hermit for weeks on end just working and planning, working and planning and now there is this rooster that is just saying it all.

I watched this movie again the other day – "Powder"...it wasn't a big hit and there's a lot of dialogue that may have attributed to that, however it has a nice message – we're all connected and just a bunch of energy and all of that. Powder is the main character – a boy with lots of electrical issues to say the least, and everyone just kind of shits on him throughout the movie, but he does open a few people's eyes to the power of our humanity even though at the end he really finds no place of acceptance in the world so turns himself into a lightening bolt and that's the end. But it reminded me (not that we need it nowadays) of the suffering one can do and inflict and how needless and present it is and damn I'm naïve, but not and well...what the fuck. It's now 6 am. The sun is still not up, but there is a brilliant rainbow happening on the horizon and even though the rooster seems a bit early today...the sun will rise (Tom Hanks – "Castaway").

I no longer have any idea what I'm rambling on about, but it's been fun and I hope you had a good time and I'm not drunk for those of you wondering. Wow. A bell is tolling...like literally tolling...how fun. Hmmm...I might be tired of this rooster. Now there is another rooster answering him. Omg...three roosters now along with the dogs. How the hell am I supposed to go back to sleep. You're not supposed to sleep Rachael. We've been telling you to wake up. This is your life (En Vogue) and you are lucky enough to be in Portugal at sunrise. Now go walk to Spain.


Posted by Rachael Yamagata









Below is a song off of her current three track EP which has been out all summer and has dominated our playlists:






Official Website for Rachael Yamagata

and you can check out

Rachael Yamagata on MySpace Music


An added bonus if you'd like to listen to Rachael's segment from The Time Machine Christmas Show The Time Machine radio show - click here.