A rare combination of timeless craftsmanship and contemporary feminist sensibilities, The Village Voice has described Rachael's music as "earthiness, color and emotion...Sage has folk on the brain and piano keys for hands and is sure to put on a show sublime". Grand Prize Winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Award as well as the Billboard, ASCAP and Great American Songwriting Contests, Rachael has shared stages with Sarah McLachlan, Ani DiFranco, Eric Burdon, Anne McCue and Sheryl Crow.

Growing up, Rachael attended The School of American Ballet, performing in such classics as "The Nutcracker" and "Coppélia". But it was the music she heard in class that held her attention more than the steps, and by the age of five she had taught herself to play piano. She remembers a renegade accompanist who played Beatles songs with classical arrangements which Rachael would pound out by ear after class "'til they kicked me out of the building." Her early admiration for classical composers shifted toward confessional lyricists in her teens, with her discovery of songwriters like Laura Nyro, Elvis Costello and Patti Smith.

After graduating with a degree in Drama from Stanford University - and knowing that music was her primary passion - Rachael decided to roll up her sequined sleeves and take on the New York Music scene. By the end of her first year in NYC she'd dropped out of grad school at the Actors Studio and landed steady work in national commercial and voiceover campaigns, allowing her to form MPress Records, whose sixth release is BALLADS & BURLESQUE. A concise set of ten story-songs reflecting on different aspects of seduction, this album marks her debut as sole producer and arranger. The CD was recorded by John Shyloski, mixed by Kevin Killen (Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush), and is the followup to last year's critically acclaimed PUBLIC RECORD.

"All of these songs are about various degrees of seduction, whether it be seduction by a friend, a lover or even the lure toward greater freedom at the expense of security and acceptance (SACRIFICE). Once I realized that, the title just kind of popped into my head." Both EVEN LOVE DIES and IT’S SO HARD celebrate the intoxication of being seduced by your opposite, something Sage says she's an "unintentional expert on." The energetic production of the latter features guitar playing by fellow urban-gypsy Patti Rothberg. "Patti's much more laid back and intuitive than me. She's like my rock 'n roll doppleganger - plus we both paint our jeans with acrylics."

The gospel-tinged ONE TRUE THING includes drums by longtime collaborator Doug Yowell (Duncan Shiek, Suzanne Vega), who has toured with Rachael in Europe as well as the U.S. Beams Yowell, "It's always exciting recording with Rachael because she just sits down and creates a mood...She's a very spontaneous artist, but her music has an emotional map to it that makes it a pleasure to play." Mixer and recording veteran Kevin Killen heartily agrees. "I knew I'd have a great time mixing her material because her sensibility is innovative and quirky - which keeps me on my toes!" FERRIS WHEEL sonically reflects Killen's work with Peter Gabriel and rounds out an otherwise traditional sounding record with its haunting, industrial soundscape in the verses which Sage jokes "sounds like my inner modern dancer duking it out with my outer ballerina."

The album's closer, BRAVEST FEAR, explores the seduction of freedom, but from the point of view of someone who is choosing the peace of death over the pain of a life filled with anxiety. Recorded live and dedicated to the late Elliot Smith, the song features cellist Stephanie Winters (Dar Williams, Catie Curtis) and bassist Richard Gates (Suzanne Vega). WHY NOT LOVE is a song about the lure of independence and leaving the security of a relationship that "works on some levels, but just isn't satisfying...because you can never be what the other person wants no matter how hard you try."

Seducing listeners with sensual vocal/piano hooks and a decidedly empathetic viewpoint, Sage draws from a rich mixture of musical traditions including art-pop, jazz and folk. JANE’S DIMITRI, a song about the intoxication of first love, was written after she met her teenage cousin's boyfriend at a Thanksgiving dinner. Lines like "now she finally hears his voice / like the days the between the Sabbath / leaving her no other choice" subtley reveal Sage's Conservative Jewish upbringing - which she humorously describes as "the biggest influence on my sense of melody, guilt and dieting".

Inspired by the strength of such artist/activists as Indigo Girls, Ben Harper and Chrissie Hynde, Rachael is determined to cross barriers with her music and to communicate empathy with reference to sexuality, spirituality and social injustice. As a founding member of NYC artist collective UrbanMuse as well as WomanRock and Indiegrrl, she has a created a niche for herself in the New York music community. These days Sage spends her time touring the country 150-200 dates a year, seducing audiences nationwide with her unusual chamber-pop combo of keys, cello, trumpet and drums.