Americana/folk duo The Magnolia Janes (Ashley Riley and Sarah Bonsignore) just released a gorgeous, harmony-laden album, “The Light Years.” They recently sat down with @skopemag to talk about this collection of songs.
@skopemag: Tell us about your new album.
Sarah: Ashley and I began writing songs together a few years ago. We realized we were working toward an album in the summer of 2023 and kept writing until we had a full album of songs we both loved.
Ashley: We love co-writing and began traveling together to music conferences. We were backing each other up with harmonies and instrumentation, and we were like, “Ok, I think we should really do this duo thing!”
@skopemag: How did it come together?
Sarah: We became friends in 2017. When the pandemic started, we wrote over Zoom, and the themes felt like art imitating life; songs about letting go of things we couldn’t control, and stepping into a future we could only imagine. We recorded as much as we could at our home studios, with a clear vision of what we wanted to say and how we wanted it to sound. We arranged our vocals and instrumental parts, layering pieces together remotely, and going back and forth between Decatur, IL and Nashville, TN. Later, we brought in James Treichler, John Willis, and Will Kimbrough to build out songs. It was one of the most productive and happiest times of my musical career.
@skopemag: I love the title.
Ashley: Originally, it was “Speed of Life.” We wanted the title to have a lighter feel, with the concept of the passage of time and including our message of finding the beauty and hope that surrounds us in our everyday lives.
@skopemag: Is that the album’s overall message?
Sarah: We’d like our listeners to feel hopeful about the precious time we have, how we’re all connected. The world can feel confusing. It’s easy to let negativity take hold, but when we look for and share the beauty all around us and see potential in every moment, we can make a small, but positive, change in the world.
