Indie Sounds NY talks with Rebecca Pronsky about her new release 'Departures & Arrivals.'

Indie Sounds: The CD is called Departures & Arrivals. What's in the name?
Rebecca Pronsky: Most of my songs tend to be about movement and the ambivalence about being in one place, loss of identity, etc. I think of the songs as ruminations from time spent between places so I wanted to use travel words to title the record and those in particular because they come together at the airport and that is such an in-between space - it fits my songs well.

IS: Who played what on the album?
Rebecca: My guitarist Rich Bennett contributed the most. He played all guitars and keyboards and also produced the record with me. I also had Mike LaValle on bass and Brian Czach on drums. Plus, I had some guest appearances by Dan Shuman on upright bass, Rich Hinman on pedal steel and background vocals from my friend and songwriter from North Carolina, Valorie Miller.

IS: Who else was involved in the production?
Rebecca: We recorded the drums and bass at Monsterland Studios in Brooklyn. My engineer was Justin Colletti. The rest was done by Justin or Rich at home.

IS: How does this album differ musically from your other CDs - Milestone and The Early Hours?
Rebecca: This record is fairly consistent with the others songwriting-wise, but it's much more compositional. My other two albums were similar to live shows, more like "recordings." Milestone was completely solo and very sparse. The Early Hours was a whole band, but there wasn't much in the way
of production.This time around, there were a whole lot more people involved and a whole lot more time
spent to make everything sound the way we wanted it. I've also become more stylistically focused in the past few years and this album really reflects that change. It's got a real alt-country vibe, more like the music I listen to now, and less like the music I was originally influenced by. I think the songs dig a little deeper too.

IS: You are releasing this CD on Nine Mile Records. Who are they and what are they bringing to the party?
Rebecca: Nine Mile Records is a great indie label in western Massachusetts. I'm really excited to be working with them. They are taking care of promotion and distribution for the record.They'll definitely help this record be more widely heard than my earlier ones. They are very supportive of their artists and it's great to have them behind me.

IS: How will you be promoting the release?
Rebecca: Shows, shows and more shows! This summer I did a pre-release tour of thesoutheast and the west coast.This fall, I'm doing lots of CD release performances around the east coast. The big
one is at home in Brooklyn, of course. It'sTuesday, September 18th at Union Hall. Joining me will be a full band plus opening sets by two of my good friends and songwriters Dan Shuman and Lucy
Wainwright Roche. Lucy will be joining me on some harmonies during my set, and Dan Shuman will play bass in my band. I'll also be promoting the release via radio and print media.

IS: Do you love or loathe the promotional aspects of your work?
Rebecca: I really like the creative side of promotion. I like making flyers and posters, doing design work, my website, etc. I'm definitely a talker so interviews are a lot of fun. In those ways, I really enjoy promotion. However, I'm very glad that Nine Mile will be taking over my press. It's exhausting and very time consuming work and I will now be able to focus a little better on the grassroots level work.

IS: What else is happening with you?
Rebecca: I am continuing to oversee the Brooklyn Songwriters Exchange for another season. The series, which I started in 2005 to create community among local songwriters, is going strong and enters its third season at the Brooklyn Lyceum on Sunday Nights.This fall's line-up is really terrific and features return performances by many of our best artists as well as some new voices. See my website for more information.

Web: www.rebeccapronsky.com
MySpace: rebeccapronsky