Rebekah Pahl

Nashville via California singer-songwriter Rebekah Pahl has released a new track called “Wine in the Cellar.” The new track is marked by a powerful, steady guitar and pulsing drums lying underneath Pahl’s vulnerable voice. Her sound really encapsulates both of the places she calls home- there’s a subtle warbling country guitar and the rest is light Cali pop-rock. This is the debut track from her first release, Canyons, coming out soon.

Here’s what Pahl had to say about the new track:

“Wine in the Cellar” describes the path I’ve been on the past couple years. It’s vulnerable to carry a dream close to your chest, with no idea how everything is going to play out and unfold. It’s a dance between patience and ambition–a fluctuation between moments of hope and depression. The only thing you can really know is that there’s going to be uncertainty. I’m slowly learning that there’s something necessary that grows in the times when nothing substantial seems to be happening…moving forward on an unmarked trail has made me stronger. I wrote this song because I needed it—a calming reassurance that there’s a rhythm to life and nature that can be trusted. - All Things Go

Hope budding from unexpected places. Bursts of color from darkened earth. Isn’t that what this season — spring — is all about?

Today we’re excited to introduce you to Rebekah Pahl, a singer and songwriter creating her first EP that’s doing exactly that, revealing how a seemingly barren, dry season can give way to river of inspiration. Click through to learn more about Rebekah’s story, how the desert fosters her creativity, and to hear a snippet of the voice you’re (for sure) going to want to hear more of.

A note from Rebekah:

In the silence and sparseness of the desert, I’ve been challenged to cultivate my inner life. I’ve been figuring out what it means to live with mild depression for a few years now, and there’s something calming about being surrounded by cacti and yucca trees — I’m inspired by their resilience that sustains them through rough conditions. Pursuing a life making art inherently means choosing resilience; because more than likely, the path isn’t going to be clear. It’s way too easy to spend way too much time measuring myself up against where every other songwriter is at in their career, but being out in the desert reminds me that my life is mine to receive. No one can live it for me. And for me it often takes a wide, open landscape to gain that kind of perspective. - DARLING Magaine

Canyons has lots of grit. On the surface, it offers gorgeous new Americana songs from the rising singer. Pahl's voice is nearly angelic on cuts like the title track and Paul Moak's production on the EP is elegant.

But dig a little deeper, and it's an emotion-filled reflection on a woman's difficult journey through her late 20s and marriage. And it gets dark. "Trail of Tears" is the highlight, featuring Pahl's dynamic vocals, eerie production and a muted bluesy guitar segment.

Grit also inspired Canyons, in a very literal way.

"The concept for Canyons was inspired by the desert landscape — it's where my husband and I spent our honeymoon, and we've taken multiple trips to Joshua Tree to find solace and reflection before making some monumental decisions," says Pahl to Myspace.

"There's something calming to me about the resilience of its wildlife, and the sparseness feels mysterious, daunting and like an invitation all at once. My inner world has felt like walking into a wilderness at times, with mild depression being part of my experience. I've found that creating something with my questions, curiosities, and internal conversations is empowering because it's carving a way forward even when there seems to be none. Canyons is about exploring the ruggedness and grit living deep down, and welcoming the weathering that has marked you. You have to go inside and face what's there before you can bring out something of substance." - MySpace