Falling squarely into the anti-folk category by way of a manipulated, punk-y violin, Roxy Rawson has been a cult presence on the Parisian and London music scenes with her unique blend of impish violin vocals and classical/ jazz influence. Now based in San Francisco Bay and ready to release her long awaited full length debut album, this is a singer songwriter whose flair for the alternative demands the world’s attention.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Hi there, well we have Margaret Jones who plays guitar (acoustic and electric), Jon Turner on bass (upright and electric), Aziz Yehia on drums and percussion, Steven Sparapani on cello and myself on keys, violin and vocals

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to playing with the Roxy Rawson band? How long has the band been around? 

My band in the UK was playing together from about 2010, in 2012 I had to take a musical hiatus due to severe lyme disease. I'm in remission from lyme now and In the U.S. Jan of this year I started to play with Aziz Yehia and he introduced me to his buddies. I met Steven later this year- he came to one of my gigs and was all excitable afterwards, offered his cello services and then I said...'actually, I would love to play with a cellist!' so he got roped into playing with us, he explains it like he wasn't sure he knew what he was in for, but musically I think he's fantastic!

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

The name is literally my name! Not my first full given name is Roxanna, but I've always been called Roxy by everyone, so it seemed natural. I would like however to potentially change the name to reflect that we are all playing together in the band. 

Who writes your songs? 

Up to now I have written the music and at times we have co-arranged instrumental parts together, usually I have some ideas about how I'd like a certain instrumental part to be played, but I also LOVE when the musicians I play with have their ideas and take on the parts and are sensitive to the material, such that they totally add other dimensions to the music that I wouldn't necessarily have foreseen. There is definitely co-creation going on and I would like our name to reflect that.

For the album that's being reviewed, most of the arrangements were co-arranged and worked out with the band members who played with me in the UK (and who I hope will continue to play with me when I return). 

In addition Ben Trigg, an amazing cellist and arranger who has worked with a multitude of high profile acts- (most recently I saw he played with Jane Birkin- https://twitter.com/Orchestrigg) extended these arrangements beautifully and captured what I was looking for in my performances for extra string players, going as far as giving direction in the score more than a few times to the string players to 'go fucking nuts!'.;-) I was very happy with the result, he'd seen and played with my band before so understood the slightly hysterical moments in our performances.

What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time? 

The topics have varied quite widely throughout the time I've written songs, but the album 'Quenching the Kill' has a kind of common theme running through it. It's about just and rightful anger and freedom of expression, and a commentary on injustices that I have experienced or seen. 

For example, 'The Good Shepherd' is about malignant love- I wrote it following witnessing a pretty intense scene of domestic violence in China, which I tried to intervene in, but there was threat of violence towards all those present, so we had to retreat. 

Other songs are about injustice in love (Black Eyed Soup and Born Again), the very human misrepresentation of God in the old testament in 'God's Got Bones'. Rounded Sound is about claiming and celebrating freedom of expression and joyful moments, following a trip seeing extended family and Teardrop for Rosa is about my grandmother, expressing some things for her about her life that not many people knew about and I feel like I'm singing a bit about some the injustices she experienced in her life, and the ripple effect that had on her loved ones.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

That I'm making? Well.....currently, I'm feeling very influenced by Margaret Jones who plays guitar with me and her taste- we've been experimenting with distorted guitar...some personal inspirations for the album currently being made could be maybe St. Vincent, Tom Waits, My Brightest Diamond, Laura Mvula (I love both her and My Brightest's diamonds latest albums for their combination of orchestral arrangements with guitar and drums)- and through Marge I've discovered great full on distorted guitar on songs by Mike Ribot and Chris Morrisey,

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Actually yes, Regina Spektor. I kind of know her. My friend Jessica Gunn knew Regina when Regina studied abroad at Middlesex University. I met Jessica when she was studying in Paris and she GAVE me all of Regina's early CDs, the demo CDs, beautiful and lo-fi before she became famous. 

As I hung out with Jess in London, we went to Regina's first shows and I met her several times as she was getting bigger (one particular memory of one of her first London gigs, I remember she had these huge socks on and was asking us whether it went with her outfit ;-))- her performance was so charming and really drew people in.

This was happening in the year I was graduating from university. It was so exciting...but I was being pulled in different directions. I'd found my voice singing in an African choir in Paris where I met Jess, and then when I was back in the UK I was studying for my final classical piano performance, but starting to write songs....and was drawn more and more towards finding my own personal way of expressing music rather than rendering homage to classical composers. 

Classical music still means so much for me, but I felt the urge and calling to express on my own, and having listened to Regina's earnest, authentic, beautiful, bare songs previously- it definitely spurred me on...inspired me and helped me feel validated, that ok people do this! I can express in such a personal way:-)

Joanna Newsom was also breaking round the same time and I remember feeling very inspired by how eccentric she allows herself to be in her expression.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …

I try to stay calm, ground myself....stay in the present moment...

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

In the UK, I got to support Sia at the Roundhouse and Yasmin Levy and the Union Chapel. I also played at gay pride in Trafalgar square to I think probably 1000 people...that was overwhelming! I also played one of the side rooms at the Royal Albert Hall for my CD release with Ambiguous Records back in 2009, that was pretty cool.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Oh wow, what a lovely 'what if' question. Well, even though my sound is currently quite different, I would have liked to tour with Prince. Seeing him perform makes me tingle all over so being in closer proximity to him would have been amazing. Maybe someday in the afterlife:-)

Currently...it would be a dream to tour with say Laura Mvula, My Brightest Diamond, Florence and the Machine, Chris Morrisey, Baeilou , Kendra McKinley, the Wyatt Act, La dee Da, Madeline Tasquin, Ariel Wang, Chelsea Coleman, Emily Brown, (these last eight are local artists I know and love their music), or David Byrne, Regina Spektor, Jherek Bischoff, Anna Calvi or Amanda Palmer. Soko. Andrew Bird, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, Micachu or TuneYards. Just some of my musical heroes...

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just a big thank you for agreeing to interview me, my band, it's so helpful to us independent artists!:-)