Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield performed songs from her excellent new album, Saint Cloud, in the latest installment of Rolling Stone’s “In My Room,” an IGTV series in which musicians perform from their home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sitting at a keyboard in a wooden room, Crutchfield launched into “Fire,” a track she wrote while driving from her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama to her current home in Kansas City. “It’s the only time in my entire life I’ve written a large portion of a song not at an instrument or at a piece of paper,” she recently told me in an interview. “I didn’t change anything.”
For the next song, Crutchfield shifted to the guitar. “Alright, I’m going to do another song,” she said, “and then I’m going to go outside, because the sun is shining for the first time in days.” She began strumming the opening chords to “Lilacs,” the final song she wrote for Saint Cloud. “If I’m a broken record/write it in the dust, babe,” she sings. “I’ll fill myself back up like I used to do/ And if my bones are made of delicate sugar/I won’t end up anywhere good without you.”
In wake of the crisis, Crutchfield recently rescheduled her spring tour dates for the fall. Current tickets will be honored at the new date, now available on her website. In the meantime, she’s been livestreaming some incredible performances from home, alongside her partner, musician Kevin Morby.
While in quarantine, Crutchfield told RS that she’s been reading, watching movies and cooking frequently. “I’ve had a strong desire to listen to things that are light and fun to just water down the mood of this moment,” she said. “We’ve been listening to a lot of vinyl as well since we’re home. Yoko Ono’s Season of Glass has been on heavy rotation.”
Crutchfield’s “In My Room” segment follows Graham Nash‘s, Steve Earle‘s, Yola‘s, John Fogerty‘s, and others. To support musicians undergoing financial hardship, please consider giving to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund or MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund.
To support Katie Crutchfield directly, visit the Waxahatchee website.
