Singer-songwriter Daphne Gale will be making her first appearance at Steve’s Guitars on Jan. 15. The Telluride Bluegrass Festival regular released her debut album, “Nomadder,” in 2021. The stop at Steve’s is part of a 2024 tour to promote her new album, “And Things.”
Gale’s sound blends elements of jazz and bluegrass which come together to create a sense of familiarity, and perhaps nostalgia for listeners, albeit entirely original music. Some of her songs are akin to a soundtrack to a movie about self discovery; others strike one as something to listen to while walking through nature as the leaves begin their autumnal decay to make room for new life.
As the child of two musicians (a pianist for a father and a rock star for a mother), she explained that there was always music in her childhood home in the Bronx — as well as at her father’s residence in Paris, France. These days, Gale splits her time between New York, Los Angeles and Berlin.
Gale told The Sopris Sun that she developed a deep love for sound early on, but discovered her strengths through trial and error.
“From the second I could crawl, I was trying to sit on the piano bench with my dad. When I was about four-years-old, I started with piano lessons but hated it and begged my mother to let me play guitar,” shared Gale. “My parents agreed, and from there I was off to the races.” She explained that playing the guitar enabled her to pair lyrics she had been writing with melodies.
Gale attended LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, and went on to Wesleyan University, where she graduated with a music degree.
Shortly after graduation, she took a road trip and stumbled upon a farm in Vermont. While there, she felt inspired and got the chance to really lean into her craft.
There was “something about the pace, and life on the farm that made me excited to listen to more folk music,” she stated. “I started to focus on storytelling as a focal point of the music I was listening to, rather than musical harmonic complexity. That chapter of my life lasted five or six months, and it taught me so much about patience, engaging with myself as a whole person and listening to my body in ways that I hadn’t known before and haven’t found since.”
The stop at Steve’s will not only be her first time there, but will coincide with her first visit to Carbondale as well.
“There’s always some energy, excitement and a little bit of anxiety around playing at a venue or in a town where you don’t know anyone,” Gale admitted. “I don’t know exactly who will show up to this.”
At the same time, she expressed a desire to return for other music festivals in the Valley after this performance, including Mountain Fair.
As she gears up for Steve’s, Gale is in the midst of creating her next record — but fans will have to wait for more details about that until later in 2024. When discussing her creative process as a singer-songwriter, she said that her life now revolves around the music-making process. After debuting “Nomadder” at the 2021 Telluride Bluegrass Festival, she said that her life has changed in many ways. But, the music and the connections she has made remain consistent.
“It’s so funny, [2021] feels worlds away. It was the beginning of the end of the pandemic, and life looked so different. Since then, I’ve more firmly established the places where I live and make music … Between New York, L.A. and Berlin, it is both dizzying and wonderfully exciting,” Gale concluded.
To keep up with Daphne Gale, visit www.daphnegale.com, follow her on instagram (@daphnegale) or follow her music on Spotify. To get tickets for her Jan. 15 show at Steve’s, visit www.stevesguitars.net. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $20.