Rebecca Vernon Enters a New Musical Chapter with The Keening (Interview)

When SubRosa called it quits in 2019, their small but mighty contingent of fans, of which group I am a member, were seriously in mourning. While outsiders often lump together femme-driven, folky music that lies adjacent to metal, those with a discerning, insider view know that SubRosa were very different. Their use of layered vocals, violins, and unconventional instruments adding to instrumentation, and their huge compositions, were not the norm in their chosen subgenre. And while undoubtedly femme and beautiful, they were heavy as hell, too. 

But it turns out we don’t have to mourn any longer because now we have The Keening. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very different band. The mastermind behind both musical projects, Rebecca Vernon, is collaborating with new people on this new installment in her musical journey, and the band lean more heavily into classical, and even more personal, themes and sounds. There’s a bit less heaviness in the typical sense of the word, and a bit less folk and country influence. 

But the end result of dedication and heart behind the music is the same. This is distinctly a Vernon project, and those familiar with her work will recognize that in The Keening’s first release, Little Bird, out via Relapse Records. We talked to her about the new album and what this latest musical endeavor means to her. 

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This is obviously a huge record for you to talk about, since it was also your debut as a solo artist. How does it feel to finally have it out there? 

It feels like a very big step to finally release the album, and we’re almost done with the second one as well. It feels sort of surreal because we finished this album, like, two years ago. And we’ve kind of been sitting on it and hit some setbacks that kind of delayed it. It feels good to finally have it out in the world. 

There’s a lot going on with the record emotionally and thematically, but what are some of the big things you wanted to convey on this album? 

I think a big theme on the record, which is a theme on the last SubRose album, actually, is dealing with the idea of leaving this utopia that’s not really a utopia; it’s more of a dystopia when you leave this safe, comfortable place where you’re taken care of, but also repressed and not able to progress. Then you leave that safe haven for uncharted waters, and there’s danger, but there’s also the promise of adventures and freedom. So those are the themes of Little Bird, about the little bird being in a cage, then leaving Eden, the safe haven where they couldn’t feel or were numb.

So is that kind of a metaphor for going off on your own musically? 

Yes definitely. With SubRosa, I had worked really hard over a decade to build up what we had, and it was a sure thing and a safe thing. It took a long time to get some of the opportunities we started getting near the end, like touring with a band as big as Sleep. So it was definitely a huge risk to walk away from that and do something else, something completely different. But it was something that I felt I had to do; it was my inner creative voice calling me down another path. I thought I would do SubRosa until the day I died, but that didn’t happen. 

I think everyone was a little surprised that there wasn’t going to be more SubRosa, but then excited that there was going to be something new. And so far, it seems this has been received really well. So now that this is out there, is that changing anything about how you’re putting out the second one? 

It’s funny, I feel a little detached and a little surreal about releasing this album, and that’s partly because with the second album, I feel like I progressed a lot with the songwriting, and I like the second album better. But it’s interesting because I wanted to do the first two albums to provide a foundation, and then I wanted to write a sort of opera, so that’s the plan with the third record. I’ve told very few people that I’m working on an opera, but that’s the plan. 

With that undertaking, do you have any professional musical training, or are you doing all of this, even the opera writing, from more of a DIY space? 

Well I have Andrea Morgan, she’s my violinist. She’s a diligent, practiced musician; she practices every day and has a master’s in music education. She could perform in a symphony or orchestra, she’s that kind of player. I’m not that but I did take violin lessons for five or six years. I never got that good; I couldn’t master the vibrato. I took piano lessons for about six years as well, and I was probably the best at piano. I played drums in bands for nine years, so I do have some technical training I guess, but I’m not as diligent as Andrea. So this will definitely keep being somewhat DIY, but I have some very remarkable collaborators. 

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Little Bird released October 6th, 2023 via Relapse Records.