About this episode

Rachel McCartney discusses her return to music after a long hiatus, her experiences as a mother and nurse, and her connections within the Boston folk scene.

For 17 years, Rachel McCartney had set aside a music career and all the anxiety and uncertainty that came along with it. She was in her mid-30s and wanted a family and some stability. Once she started a new life as an ICU nurse and mother to two young children, her musical career and the momentum she had created over the past three decades in New England and Western Pennsylvania didn't much cross her mind. I met Rachel when I was 18 years old while at Emerson College. It was the year 2000 and the folk scene in Boston was popping with incredible talent: Lori McKenna, Deb Talan (The Weepies), Anaïs Mitchell and many others were selling out shows left and right in listening rooms across New England. Rachel was a frequent name that popped up in the newspaper, on radio, as a busker in the subway and around town at venues like The Kendall Cafe, Toad and of course, the folk mothership, aka Club Passim. It was a lucrative time for the singer-songwriter with a big voice and great songs. She would frequently appear with another Boston-famous, yet under-the-radar songwriter, the Atlanta-born Brian Webb. Although, their friendship was hard-won after their brief romantic relationship ended…

People in this episode

Guest: Rachel McCartney

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Emerson College, WERS Coffeehouse, Club Passim

Places: Boston, New England, Western Pennsylvania

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