Rachael Yamagata recorded Starlit Alchemy in the Catskills, at home, largely in her own studio — and it sounds like it. The album is grief and resilience rendered in piano and strings, the kind of record that requires solitude to make and probably some to fully receive. On Friday, August 21, she plays it at Maverick Concert Hall in Woodstock, the town where she actually lives, as part of the Maverick Friday Nights series.
About the Show
Starlit Alchemy is Yamagata’s fifth studio album and first in nine years, the long follow-up to 2016’s Tightrope Walker. She launched a solo career in 2001 after six years as vocalist for Bumpus, a Chicago funk-fusion band, then released her debut Happenstance in 2004. In the years since, she has remained outside the major label system: self-managed, self-funded through touring, and collaborative in the best sense, with career collaborations ranging from Liz Phair to Ryan Adams to Conor Oberst.
Starlit Alchemy, the centerpiece of her current Starlit Alchemy Tour, was written before and during 2020, recorded in her home studio while she worked through hearing problems and TMJ pain. During its creation she lost a mentor, a close friend, and two devoted fans. Maverick’s ticket page describes it as “a chrysalis in real time,” exploring “grief, surrender, resilience, and release.” Third Coast Review’s Jim Kopeny put it plainly: “very, very few have the arsenal of emotions she does, paired with the kind of vocals that always sound grounded in gritty reality even as they soar.” Another critic called it “forensics for trauma and beauty.” Collaborators include John Alagia, Jeff Lipstein, Sandy Bell, and Pete Hanlon.
Venue & Logistics
Maverick Concert Hall, at 120 Maverick Road in Woodstock, is a historic wooden pavilion built in 1916 as part of the Maverick Colony — gambrel roof, heavy timber frame, and luminous acoustics suited to chamber music. It was constructed by utopian writer Hervey White, who stated his intent plainly: “I will build a hall for chamber music and guarantee a concert every Sunday afternoon.” A 400-seat room in the woods of a town Yamagata calls home. The Maverick Friday Nights series runs 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and this show is part of the Hudson Valley concert calendar.
Tickets
Tickets are tiered: reserved hall seats at $50 or $35, with partial obstruction views at $30 or $27. General admission outdoor seating is $20. Student tickets are $10. Buy tickets