Robyn Cage

One advantage to being a sensitive singer-songwriter in Utah: When you make a music video, you can throw a bed in the middle of the Utah desert and — BAM! — instant visual metaphor.

That's what Park City-based singer-songwriter Robyn Cage has done with her new single, "Burning Now," released today.

Cage is a Salt Lake City native and actress who was living in New York when started songwriting in 2009, recording an EP, "Raining Sideways" (under her other stage name, Robyn Kemp).

Cage recorded the single, "Burning Now," with producer Derryl Neudorf, who has worked with such artists as Neko Case and Sarah MacLachlan. In May, she went to Los Angeles to record more songs with producer Dan Burns, for an EP, "Tales of a Thief," due out in September.

The video was shot a couple of weeks ago in the Utah desert, near the Bonneville Salt Flats. Directed by Bryce Johnson, the video showcases Cage as a woman contemplating the departure of her boyfriend (played by Paul D. Mann) — with their bed, surrounded by empty desert, as the central theme. - Salt Lake Tribune

When it comes to lyric driven, emotionally resonant female musicians, Adele, Fiona Apple and Lana Del Rey are a few names that come to mind. And Robyn Cage would be right at home on that list.

The Utah native deftly layers sultry vocals over dreamy soundscapes rounded out by the rich tones of vintage piano to create her atmospheric sound. Her songs are intensely personal and reverberate with authentic emotion. “I've spent five years learning to embrace my inner freak,” Cage says. “I'm learning to accept my eccentric self rather than trying to hide it away.”

Cage recently released an EP called Tales of a Thief, a collection of six songs that comprise the first half of her forthcoming full-length album. These songs are the culmination of five years spent writing and refining, along with many sleepless nights. “Most of my songs start with the lyrics. I’ll get an idea for a song from something I see or hear, or I’ll just wake up in the middle of the night with a phrase stuck in my head,” she says.

A Musical Theatre major at the Boston Conservatory, Cage is “very comfortable tapping into and expressing the emotion of a song.” The impact of her performance comes from channeling the energy of the songs themselves, careening from passion and heartbreak to frenzied celebration. “I love stories,” she says, “and there is a mini-story in every song I write.”

Five years ago Cage was living in NYC, working professionally in musical theatre and waiting tables between gigs. “I thought I was living the dream, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was in the wrong place, both physically and artistically,” she says. It was time for a change.

In spite of her trepidation, she reached out to a music producer and convinced him to sign her. The first song she wrote is called “Burning Now,” which became the first single off her EP. Cage had found her true calling in song writing. She bravely rearranged her entire life, leaving Manhattan to settle in the mountains of Park City. “Returning to my home state has been a creative rebirth for me as an artist,” she says.

Her personal and artistic evolution has been a journey of self-exploration, encountering and embracing the complicated layers we all have but often hide. “I've made friends with the darker side of my Gemini personality,” she explains, “and now it manifests beautifully in my music, not in my life. I'm happier, more creative and more driven than I have ever been.”

Cage teaches voice and piano at the Granger School of Music and performs locally while she continues to work on her music. She started a Kickstarter campaign to fund the completion of her first full-length album, and the response has been incredible. Less than 24 hours after it launched, she had already reached 31 percent of her goal; “I'm blown away,” she says, “I'm completely floored and filled with gratitude.”

To read more about Cage, hear more of her music and find out where her next live performance will be, check out her website here. Visit her Kickstarter campaign here to learn how you can contribute to the completion of her debut album.

“This album is dedicated to the dreamers, the oddballs, the 'mad ones,'" she says. "For those with a voice inside waiting to be found, fighting to be heard and understood, this music is for you.” - Salt Lake Magazine

There’s a dreamy, sultry quality to Robyn Cage’s vocals and style of music - sort of a cross between classic piano rock with a near-Vaudevillian undertone. It’s quirky without being gimmicky and relays a personal touch that’s immediately endearing. On Tales of a Thief, Cage explores different aspects of her persona while maintaining a common thread throughout.

“Cinderella Story” is a creative retelling of a classic writing convention, playing off a tale that everyone knows and can invest in (“tell me Cinderella/how long will it take/til the Cinderella story doesn’t feel so fake”). “The Arsonist & the Thief” shows off Cage’s range both vocally and emotionally, an effective performance that casts a wider net for crossover audience appeal. “If You Don’t Try” then shows off Cage’s control and steady songwriting hand injecting an infectious vocal melody that leaves a lasting impression. “The Cave” moves even further into Cage’s beautifully melancholic world, one that she walks freely about in comfort.

As easily accessible as this EP is, “Theatre Noir” finds Cage in even more interesting form exploring a dramatic and very easy-on-the-ears vaudevillian style of writing and performance. She inhabits this shift of style with an ease that opens up a wealth of possibility for her in other genres, and this natural delivery of the theatrical adds a delicious sense of quirkiness to the overall collection.

Cage’s lead single “Burning Now,” moves in a different direction than the whole of the EP, but shows off yet another side to her songwriting and performance arsenal - this would be equally at home on a Florence and the Machine record or as the perfect accompaniment to Tori Amos. It’s clear that Robyn Cage has a great deal of talent and range, and the songs on Tales of a Thief are indicative of an even brighter future ahead. - Indie-Music.com

Robyn Cage’s expressive voice and impassioned live performances have captivated audiences from Boston’s Symphony Hall to the stages of NYC. A professional actress, trained at the Boston Conservatory and praised by The New York Times and Variety, Robyn turned to songwriting in 2009 and recorded her “Raining Sideways” EP with producer Alex Houton. In 2014 Robyn teamed up with two time Grammy-nominated producer Darryl Neudorf (Neko Case, Sarah McLachlan) to record “Burning Now”, then headed to L.A. to record with Grammy-nominated and Juno Award-winning producer Dan Burns (Carina Round, Early Winters). Robyn relocated from NYC to her mountain home in Park City – her music is a synthesis of New York’s culture and Utah’s desert wilderness.

Robyn Cage is also thrilled to announce the release of a new music video for her song “Burning Now”. The song is the first single from her upcoming Tales of a Thief EP, which is due in September, and has been nominated for a Utah Music Award in three categories: Alternative, Pop, and Electronica.

The music video for “Burning Now” (watch below!) was filmed in the Western Utah desert, near the Nevada border, with videographer Bryce Johnson. Cage and her film production team braved 100 degree heat and blinding sun, soon followed by gale force winds, thunder, lightning, and torrential rain. Despite the extreme weather, or perhaps because of it, the results were magical- the video culminates in Cage playing a 119 year-old piano as it is consumed in a bonfire that defies the driving rain.

In a review of the Tales of a Thief EP, Indie-Music.com describes “There’s a dreamy, sultry quality to Robyn Cage’s vocals and style of music – sort of a cross between classic piano rock with a near-Vaudevillian undertone. It’s quirky without being gimmicky and relays a personal touch that’s immediately endearing.” Official release date for the Tales of a Thief EP is forthcoming… - Music Inform

Robyn Cage, known to some nightlife-loving Parkites as singer and songwriter Robyn Kemp, will celebrate her three years of performing in town with a CD release party at Downstairs on Sept. 25.
The album is called "Tales of a Thief," Cage said during an interview with The Park Record.

"The title comes from a song, 'The Arsonist and the Thief,' that is on the album," Cage explained. "That's my favorite of the songs, and the thief in the song refers to me."

Another aspect of the title is based on the fact that Cage likes songs that tell stories.

"Not all of my songs do that, but I really enjoy writing songs that are tales," she said. "So that's where the title came from."

All the tracks on the record were written during the past five years of Cage's life.

"The overall theme is about growing from a younger, angsty self into a more mature and comfortable self," she said. "I think you can hear that in the songs in the album."

"Tales of a Thief" is a six-song collection and Darryl Neudorf, who has worked with Neko Case and Sarah McLachlan, produced the first single, "Burning Now."

The song has been nominated for a Utah Music Award in three categories -- alternative, pop and electonica.

"Darryl liked the song and we went into an electronic style for that, because that's what I thought I wanted to do," Cage said.

Dan Burns, whose credits include Lenka, Michelle Branch and Carina Round, produced the other five tracks.

"I actually found Dan through Carina and went out to L.A. and recorded with three session guys," Cage said. "It was an awesome experience."
One reason was because Cage was totally immersed in the recording process.

"It was different than what I expected," she said. "I gave the songs to Dan and he sent them to the musicians.

"When I arrived, I had heard of stories where producers try to change the songs, and I was ready to fight for what I wanted them to sound like, but I didn't have to," Cage said. "I went in and played the songs on the piano and the musicians charted it out. I played it once more and they asked some questions and then we started recording."

Cage said she felt as if the musicians knew the songs better than she did.

"I just sat back and watched them do their thing," she said. "The songs shaped up better than I thought they would ever be."

Cage has been a staple of the Park City music scene for the past three years, under the name of Robyn Kemp.

She grew up in Salt Lake, graduated college from the Boston Conservatory and worked in New York City doing musical theater, before returning to the Beehive State.

"After spending a lot of time in theater, I got a bit disillusioned with the scene," Cage said. "At that time, there didn't feel like there was anything original happening. It was all just movie adaptations and relaunches of old musicals.

"I felt like I wasn't doing what I wanted to do, which was write my own songs, but that was also something that I avoided, because I was scared to death about doing that," she said, laughing. "On a whim, I submitted some music to a producer and I ended up signing with him. I felt that this was what I should have been doing all along."

Cage released her first, three-song extended play album, "Raining Sideways," in 2010 under her real name, Robyn Kemp.

The EP is available on iTunes for $2.97.

"It was my first attempt of songwriting and felt it was pretty decent, even though I didn't feel like I knew what direction I wanted to go musically," she said. "So I spent the past few years narrowing down to what I want my sound to be and what I want to say as an artist."

With "Tales of a Thief," Cage feels she has found her voice.

"Vocally, I'm used to playing characters because of theater, and have been trained in different styles, but really didn't know who Robyn was," she explained. "So, I'm starting to like how I'm sounding and that has helped me sing in a more truthful way."

Robyn Cage will perform a CD release party for her new record "Tales of a Thief" at Downstairs, 625 Main St., on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.robyncage.com. - The Park Record