Who is Tracey Yarad?
Australian-born, New York-based singer-songwriter and pianist Tracey Yarad has had an eclectic music career over the past three decades. She has recorded three CDs as a leader. She has toured Australia as a bandleader, opening (and sometimes singing backup) for multiple Australian and international rock bands – including mega group America – and appearing on national television, and having a Top 40 hit with her song, Raining in My Heart.
She toured Europe as keyboardist leading her own jazz fusion group, appearing on Berlin television. Since relocating to New York City, she has produced multiple projects performing at the 55 Bar, Soapbox Gallery, the Bitter End, Birdland, and at Pangea.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
I love what I am doing right now and wouldn’t really change anything. I feel like I’ve been handed a second chance at life starting over again in a new city and it’s filled with hope and opportunities. More attention to writing and less distractions from devices is something I’m consciously making effort to change.
Who inspires you and why?
Songwriters who write everyday, inspire me to follow in their footsteps. I just finished a one month long song-writing course with Brian Eno and it pushed me into a new writing paradigm, it freed me up to just write and not over think the process. Stephen Sondheim is another inspiration.
I’m reading his book Finishing The Hat at the moment and I feel as if I am living inside of his creative process, Reading about his challenges with his writing and his strength of character in his many collaborations, some flowing easily and some not so easy but all with incredible outcomes in his finished lyrics.
It’s also so inspiring to read the original manuscripts, hand written, crossed out, replaced lines, cut songs, let’s say warts and all. Living in New York I am surrounded by many musical friends and colleagues who I observe living the life of real artists, writing daily, like it’s brushing teeth. So inspired by these people.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I would encourage all people to work together to clean up our environment in really simple do-able, easy ways like; buy food direct from farmers markets, get to know the person who grows what you eat, eat less meat, never buy anything in plastic or throw away single-use paper cups and straws. Compost all your food waste, don’t let it go into land-fill. Basically un-choke the planet, PLEASE!!
Favourite holiday destination and why?
I’m not one for taking holidays, I travel a lot but 9 out of 10 times it’s for work. My idea of a great holiday is not too far away so I can take my dog, a pile of books and drive to a peaceful setting, cook nice food, light a fire, take lots of walks in nature and read and detox from the digital world. But also have my little 2 octave Yamaha CP close at hand.
When friends come to town what attraction would you take them to and why?
I live in Brooklyn in New York, so a lot of friends come to town. My go-to places are little intimate music dives that you can only find with a local. I leave them to themselves to visit the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.
What are you currently reading?
Well, I already mentioned the Sondheim book Finishing the Hat but I am also reading The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, inspired by a memorial I attended recently for David Lynch at the TM centre in Manhattan, he spoke so highly of the novel (during a special screening of his documentary Meditation, Creativity, Peace) I wanted to get it and re-read.
What are you currently listening to?
I’m listening to Kind of Hula the latest release by New York based, Aussie jazz pianist, Sean Wayland. Sean is one of those inspiring songwriters who I happen to know writes daily. His musical output is enormous and I am a huge fan of everything he releases.
I think once he has released a record the next one is already on the conveyor belt ready to drop. Kind of Hula is improvised with Oliver Thorpe on slide guitar, it’s eloquently ambient and acoustic, a departure from his avant-garde electronic hip-jazz, at least for the month of January 2025 anyway. I’m playing it now as I write these answers.
Happiness is?
Billie Rae, my nine year old border-collie, she’s been with me since the inception of my new life and she’s travelled from Sydney to New York with me, she is everything.
What does the future hold for you?
2025 is gonna be busy, after the Adelaide Fringe, I’m headed back home to New York to finish an ambient album I started in November with saxophonist Dave Binney, then in May I’m off to the UK for the Brighton Fringe and a theatre residency in Sussex. I return to the UK in July for Camden Fringe, Manchester and Durham.
One of the goals of my co-writer/director Tessa Souter and I, is to start writing a screen play for All These Pretty Things, so the autumn should see us at our writing desks hopefully somewhere away from city distractions, maybe upstate New York in a cosy cottage and with Bille Rae of course.
Tracey presents her one woman show, All These Pretty Things, at Georgie’s Bar at Woodville Town Hall, as part of the 2025 Adelaide Fringe, from 23 February – 7 March. For more information, visit: www.adelaidefringe.com.au for details.
Image: Tracey Yarad – photo by Charles Chessler