Gayle Skidmore: A Multi-Faceted Life in Music

Gayle Skidmore

“I’d say my career always feels a bit like a carousel. It’s a little absurd, occasionally a bit of a blur, but always colourful.” Those are the words from singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gayle Skidmore, who has been a musical force locally and internationally over the past couple of decades.

Classically trained on the piano from the age of four, she plays over 20 other instruments, including the mountain dulcimer, banjo, folk harp, and balalaika. Growing up in a musical family in San Diego, she was fascinated with music from the start, recording little songs with her sisters from the age of three.

“The ups have been so joyful,” she stated, “I’ve had songs in HBO’s Looking and Little Women, three San Diego Music Awards, and have toured all over Europe. The downs are always real, too, including a stretch of years when stress made singing nearly impossible, although I have always bounced back and have kept creating.”

SONGWRITING PROCESS

“Life is a whirlwind and my lyrics flow from whatever I’m consuming at the time,” she mused, “meaning music, poetry, literature, and company. Usually a feeling or a story won’t leave me alone until I write the song it needs, so I follow it until it turns into a song. The instrument often decides the mood of the song. I’ll write about heartbreak, family history, or a train disaster from 1876 if the song demands it. I’ve written 2,500 songs so far, trusting in whatever shows up while keeping what’s too personal or awkward to myself.”

Skidmore has been involved with various songwriting groups including the Songwriters Sanctuary and Songwriter’s Circle locally. “Songwriters in the round are always delightful,” she stated. “We trade songs, tell the stories behind them, and suddenly a room full of strangers knows the ridiculous reason why my hair is now down to my hips. I was very inspired by the last in-the-round to share songs I’ve written about current events. While I’m more private about my specific political opinions, I care deeply about what has been going on in my community and this was a big motivator to get some of those songs out there,” she said.

“I love that nobody can hide behind production. It’s just the song, the instrument, and the story, and I get to swap between piano, banjo, and mountain dulcimer to my heart’s content. I was very struck by Jackson Wagner’s talent at one of the Songwriter’s Sanctuary gigs; he wound up asking me to collaborate on a recording. I’m happy to be back in a city where artists value connecting with one another.”

THE MUSIC BIZ AND FAMILY 

Gayle at the Whistle Stop. Photo by Liz Abbott.

Skidmore doesn’t always enjoy the business aspect, as many other performers will attest to. “Some days I’m a songwriter and some days I’m a label boss,” she quipped, “particularly when I started my own record label, Raincoat Records. I’m still recording in my garage while I work to build my backyard studio.   Running Raincoat Records means I wear all the hats, so I’ve learned to protect creative time like it’s the last cookie in the jar.”

Skidmore married in 2016. She and her husband Rob moved to Europe where they spent the next eight years in Hilversum and Kortenhoef, Netherlands, which gave her ample opportunity to sample European audiences. “I’d say European crowds often listen with a wonderful hush, just like U.S. audiences. In every country it all depends on the venue. Dutch crowds can tend to be a bit more chatty overall, whereas U.S. folks are quicker to sing along and laugh at my jokes, which I appreciate. However, every room where music and stories are shared is a gift. The best shows anywhere happen when people laugh at my banter and then go silent or shed a tear for a sad song… that has happened all over the world.”
A marriage can sometimes be dicey with one married to a full-time performing artist, but Skidmore quelled any doubts on that subject. “All good and then some,” she exclaimed. “Ten years in and Rob still tolerates banjolele practice at odd hours along with my habit of turning every vacation into a research trip for a song and or future tour. That’s real love. It was incredible to celebrate our ten year anniversary in Finland and Sweden this year.”

After eight years abroad in the Netherlands, she returned to her hometown of San Diego in 2024 as she continues to enchant with her singular, transportive style, and heartfelt performances. However, she has been able to do short tours across the pond in the meantime. “This past summer was my fourth time in Finland,” she reflected back. “Finland keeps pulling me back like a very polite magnet. This year was a three-week tour, including Boots and Roots in Lahti and a solo show at Papana Pupi in Salla, the town where my family’s roots run deep, a place where my song’s story began. Having relatives in the audience is the kind of thing that makes a songwriter gently weep happy tears into her coffee. I discovered that even the sound man at my gig in Salla was related to me! Hopefully I’ll be headed back next summer as well. I’m already discussing this with my band, Å-lander, of Jyväskylä.”

FUTURE HAPPENINGS

First the big breaking news: Gayle Skidmore has partnered with Los Angeles label RM Records, founded by hit songwriter-producer Peter Rafelson, with worldwide distribution through Virgin Music Group, a Universal Music Group company, debuting with two new singles she recorded in Prague that were mixed and mastered by Rafelson. dropping in the fall.

“Peter has been a friend for many years,” she said. “It’s a big step forward for me and it has been incredible working with him. It’s something we talked about for a long time, and I’m thrilled to finally be on the roster.”

“These upcoming two singles are a foray into my quirkier catalog,” she beamed. “Additionally I collaborated with local producer Ariel Levine to bring these songs to life.”

A third single she recorded is due out next year in addition to a holiday album with her new label. “Finally I’m also finishing up on a couple of overdue projects, including one with Quel Bordel.”

Skidmore will be touring the West Coast in the spring before heading back to Finland next summer for another tour and an album release show there. “In the long term,” she concluded, “I’d love to play more festivals, bigger stages, and an SXSW (South by Southwest) showcase, as I still hope to record all of my 2,500 songs before I’m done…that might take a few lifetimes, so I’d better keep baking cookies for fuel.”