Sarah SELECTS

Photo by Mary Gibney

PROFILE OF A MINN MUSICIAN: No time limit on the path Becky Kapell is forging

Age is a funny thing. It’s defi nitely part of my story that [playing music] came to me later in life, but I forget that I’m that age. I think I’m 12.” Becky Kapell was 42 when she picked up her son’s guitar as a way to fi ll the quiet space she fi nally had post divorce. She had no plans of forming a band or writing songs, only to play and fi nd joy in music again. She knew that if she learned how to play C, D and G chords she could play most songs — and once she did that the songs “just started pouring out of [her].” She sees it not as something she did but rather “something that just happened to [her].” Raised in Minnesota with a one-year stint at college in Madison, Becky decided school and Wisconsin were not for her. On a whim, and with some encouragement from a friend who lived there, she packed up and moved to Portland. Subsequently, that same friend moved away from the area soon after Becky arrived but she was not deterred. She met some folks who were in a band and upon hearing her sing casually, they asked her to sing back up. It was a psychedelic rock band that did a lot of four-part harmony, something Becky was drawn to. By performing with the band, she not only realized that harmony was a talent few have, but that it was something she was good at. The roots of music were laid but eventually they took a backseat to domestic life. Becky met her (now ex) husband in Portland where they had two children. The 90s found Becky returning home to Minnesota to work for her brother who had invented Magnetic Poetry, a job she still has today. After teaching herself to play guitar and discovering her ability to craft songs, she felt the need to share them more broadly. She played them for some friends and they agreed to help her record them. Over the course of two years and many trips back and forth from Minnesota to Portland, Becky recorded her fi rst album, “For Now”. Armed with her completed fi rst album and a desire to get into the Minnesota music scene, Becky set out to network with other musicians. At the time she didn’t know anyone, so she attended shows alone patiently waiting for a window to approach the musicians who played. “One problem I have is that I don’t smoke cigarettes” she says, chuckling at the memories of awkwardly approaching musicians after their set or during their smoke break. She would mention that she, too, was a musician and hand them her CD. Erik Koskinen, her now friend and frequent collaborator, remembers their encounter well. He confessed to Becky that other musicians share music with him often and it’s rare that he takes the time to listen to it, however the night they met, he happened to pop her CD in the car on the way home and was pleasantly surprised by her talent. Another musician Becky had been a fan of and wanted to work with was Paul Bergen. After connecting with Paul, she asked if he would play in her band. He said yes and she was fl oored. Paul became her regular guitar player and produced her second album, “That Certain Ache”, which solidifi ed Becky as a standout on the local Americana scene. For “In It To Win It”, Becky approached the project as she does everything, one part purpose and intention, and two parts trust and letting go. To compose her brand of gritty, no nonsense

tunes, Becky fi nds that melody typically comes to her fi rst and then she works on lyrics, though she would not describe herself as a lyrical person: “that’s poetry, not music!” While some may consider her lack of lyrical consideration a setback, it gives her songs an honest simplicity, easy on the ears and easier on the heartstrings. Stylistically similar to Lucinda Williams, Becky doesn’t shy away from life’s truths and her own shortcomings. With over 50 years of life’s ups and downs, she has plenty of material to draw from. Her journal provides the source for most of her lyrics, a practice she’s employed long before she wrote songs. All it takes is one story, one phrase or quip to spark the fi res of a future song. Once the melody and words are set, she leaves the rest up to her trusted band. To record some of the songs on “In It…”, which Paul Bergen (her partner in all respects) also produced, they recorded them live to tape to achieve an organic feel. They declined to share the songs with the musicians in advance, opting to capitalize on their spontaneity in the studio. For consummate performers like Erik Koskinen and Jeremy Johnson, this was business as usual, as they added their magic to Becky’s solid tracks. “Idle Down,” one the fi rst singles off “In It To Win It”, is a fun, rockabilly ear worm, worthy of any dusty two step or summer night cruise with the top down. It seems Becky has always been high energy, as the phrase “idle down” was something her dad said to her a lot growing up. “ When you talk to Becky, it’s clear she’s not playing music to get rich or famous, or win a bunch of awards. For her, it’s the pure joy of playing and satisfying the itch in her bones that calls her to play. On the day they recorded three songs for the album, they followed the session up by playing a three hour set at Dusty’s in Northeast Minneapolis. When Becky plays, she often ends up in the red from a fi nancial standpoint, letting her band take the pay, leaving none for herself — the one person still working full time elsewhere. It’s abundantly clear Becky is in it to win it, and that winning means spreading her joy. 

Photo by Larry Hutchinson