Every month, we feature one member from our community to share their inspiring story so we can learn more about them and their contributions to the industry. This month we had the opportunity to speak with Rachael Price, half of the Indie Soul duo from Portland, Love, DEAN! 🎶 

Hey Rachael, it's great to have you as part of our Artist Community!  We’d love to learn more about you. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hi! Thanks for having me! I’m a singer and songwriter and I co-front our Indie Soul band with my husband Luke. Our band is called Love, DEAN. I love writing music and performing, spending time with friends, cooking, enjoying the food scene in Portland, going to shows and watching good movies. Plus I’m introverted and an Enneagram 2 ;) 

That all sounds great! So, when did you first know you wanted to become a musician and how did you get started?

I’ve been making music for as long as I can remember. Growing up in a musical entrepreneurial family in the city of Portland, where there is an openness and a nurturing towards creativity, it felt very natural for me to always be expressing myself with music. 

I remember being really little and my older brother always telling me to “sing real songs” because I was constantly making songs up around the house and in the car. I started taking voice lessons at 10 years old and loved to sing. I sang in ensembles, choirs and harmonies in bands. Then, towards the end of highschool I began performing my own songs out in Portland a little bit, but mostly kept them to myself. When it came time for college I heard about Berklee in Boston and all the genres of music you could study there and decided that was the only school for me. I met Luke on the very first day of school there. We began playing music together and made an album together that we released my senior year of college. We moved to Portland, got married and have been making music together all this time. 

What an inspiring story! You must have worked on some really important projects in that time. What has been one of the most meaningful projects you’ve been part of and what was so impactful about it? 

The most meaningful project for me has to be our latest release. Collaborating with Luke and other incredible musicians was an amazing and edifying experience. Sometimes I thought that trying to finish this album was going to crush me. We had so many setbacks come up during the process, but it feels so rewarding now for both of us now to be proud of where it landed and know that we completed it together. 

Well, it came together beautifully. Can you explain what your creative process is like? How do you turn your ideas into music? 

I’m a lyrics first person, I get little lines floating in when I wake up and before I fall asleep when I’m on a walk or out at shows. I have been to four shows this week and one open mic and I have about five pages of ideas I am going to sit down today and sift through. I find listening to others is so inspiring and conducive to new ideas! If I like an idea or lyrics enough, I sit down and sing them with guitar or piano and see what feels right. 

We can’t wait to hear what you come up with next. Is there any advice you would give to someone who wants to get started as a musician?  

Ask for help, collaborate with others and work on your craft as much as you can. Knowing the basics are super helpful so don't try to skip those to get to your end goal faster. Also, you don't need to go to a music school to be a musician! 

That’s great advice! Do you have anything you would like to say to your fans?

I would say thank you for your support, it means so much! Please continue supporting independent musicians by buying their music. It is so helpful and necessary for us to survive. Support the local musicians and small venues in your city, too! 

We agree, and we hope that Bandsintown can help reinforce that message! Speaking of which, do you have a favorite Bandsintown for Artists feature of Bandsintown for Artists and why?

I'm loving listing our events and having the Bandsintown widget sync up with our EPK and website! So helpful and easy. Also we're enjoying being part of a larger musical community where we're all looking to help each other out.

Are you looking for the community’s support on any of your current projects? If so, we’d love to spread the word!

We'd love for the community to check out our latest self-titled album, “Love, DEAN”  +  any 2022 booking leads, especially festivals or an opening run for a more known artist would be fantastic!

To connect further with Rachael directly, you can find her in the Bandsintown Artist Community or through the links shared below.

Next month we’ll be back with another Member Spotlight...and it could be you!

Bandsintown - https://www.bandsintown.com/a/15498167-love-dean

Website - www.lovedean.us

Bandcamp - lovedean.bandcamp.com/album/love-dean 

YouTube -  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKtetM8wt6m0NGyN7_m6erA 

Instagram - instagram.com/lovedean

Facebook - facebook.com/lovedeanmusic