motel void

MOTEL VOID: You’re from Durham, North Carolina. How would you describe the current music scene there? Do you feel that you’re part of it?

EMMA GEIGER: I’ve been living in Durham, NC since 2020, but I’m from Hopkinton, New Hampshire originally. In the time that I’ve lived here, I’ve learned that the music scene here is a beautifully deep and layered one, though because I moved here in the height of the pandemic, it was a slow reveal at first. Since I started to play shows in 2021, I’ve met a lot of lovely musicians here who have been really supportive. There’s a venue that I’ve played at a lot called Perfect Lovers, which has been a great place for diy shows and touring artists to play – it has the ease and coziness of a house show. There have been a handful of touring artists that I’ve connected with through playing in Durham too, and that’s been so nice to feel connected to music worlds outside of Durham, without leaving home.

MOTEL VOID: You released your debut EP Haven in April 2022. How are you satisfied with the reception of the record?

EMMA GEIGER: I’m really grateful to have had the help of an indie label and friend in Seattle, Ghost Mountain Records in releasing Haven. It was my first time releasing music and it felt really relieving to have some support in putting it out there for the first time. It’s an interesting question, and I don’t know how to answer it completely, because I don’t know how to address satisfaction really – I rarely feel satisfied! But, I am really happy that I’ve gotten to share the music on Haven on a few small tours in different parts of the country, and that it’s been met by such support and gratitude in those situations. I love hearing when people connect with a certain song, or when someone interprets a song in a way that is meaningful to them that is different from what I felt when writing it. They’ve taken on their own lives and that makes sharing them feel meaningful.

MOTEL VOID: I really love your new single ‘Empty’. Could you tell us more about your recording and writing proces?

EMMA GEIGER: Empty had a few iterations before the version that I recorded, and I’m actually playing it differently now again when I play it live. I think something about it lends itself to alternative arrangements and instrumentation more easily than my other songs. The first time I performed it, I sang it in three part harmony acapella with Justin Morris and Archer Boyette. I later added the guitar part that is in the recording. Now when I perform it, the guitar part is played by Joe Ricci who often accompanies me, while I play the saw, which feels like it holds some of the same space as the pedal steel in the recording. The lyrics were also a sort of merging of ideas- I’d written the first few verses separately from the chorus, which initially was a part of another song, but it felt more powerful and clear when I stitched them together that way. It’s about the paradoxical nature of letting go.

MOTEL VOID: Will it be a part of your new album?

EMMA GEIGER: It will – the album is not announced yet, but will be this winter.

MOTEL VOID: Your plans and goals for 2024?

EMMA GEIGER: I am planning to do a tour of the new album this spring, and am also starting to think about recording new music again. I’m brainstorming now how I want to approach that with these songs, which is a fun stage to be at with them, imagining all of the possibilities. I’ve also just started playing the fiddle, and am excited about playing with people and getting the feel for a new instrument. It feels really freeing to be able to play music in a way that feels less restrictive than playing guitar and singing in the way that has become comfortable to me. It’s a welcomed discomfort and challenge.