The Rebel Eves: Clicking as touring musicians, challenging each other as artists

Americana’s The Rebel Eves bring their summer tour to Meijer Gardens Tuesday. The Local Spins Q&A with the super-group of singer-songwriters Katie Pederson, Grace Theisen and Jilian Linklater.

 

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The Rebel Eves are currently tearing up the American interstate this summer, bringing their harmonious songs of protest to towns across the Midwest and beyond.

Featuring revered songwriters Katie Pederson, Grace Theisen and Jilian Linklater, the trio has captivated audiences with its joyous, celebratory shows.

Amid turbulent and uncertain times in the world, the band is keen on curating safe spaces of inclusivity and connection at each show, while sparking awareness and speaking out about human rights and social justice.

The Rebel Eves perform at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Tuesday (July 15), along with marsfade, as part of the Tuesday Evening Music Club series. The show is free to Meijer Gardens members; regular admission to Meijer Gardens for non-members. Gates open at 5 p.m. and music begins at 7 p.m.

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Local Spins: How has this summer tour treated you so far?
Katie: It’s felt so easy. I think we work so hard the rest of the year to make sure that by the time we get to tour, really the thing we’re working at is just the set list and playing live together, because we live in three different parts of the country. And I think to all of our credit, because we work so hard on all the other areas, it feels like when we go on a tour, that’s the easy part. It all just sort of clicks and works and we get to interact with the audience and fans. It just feels so good. Especially this summer, it feels different because I think people are really needing a source of connection and joy. So it has felt even better received because I think we’re all really yearning for something that feels hopeful.

Jilian: Kalamazoo Pride just felt like we were still getting our legs under us, but that pushed us to try different things. We were playing in front of a larger audience and on a stage with a catwalk. We’ve never had that before. So we each challenge ourselves, we challenge each other. And we keep saying that if we’re free and we’re pushing ourselves and having so much fun on stage, then we’re hoping our audiences will catch on to that as well and feel that they can do the same.

Local Spins: Your bio mentions “breaking down barriers that women have historically been put into in the music industry, society, and religious spaces” — In what ways have you seen some of those barriers broken down during the time you’ve been a band?
Jilian: For me, I’m seeing the changes in my immediate circles, in my day-to-day life and in relationships in my family to be blunt. And so we’re supporting each other in that. And then it’s a whole other thing to get to the shows. We have such short periods of time to talk to people after the shows or sometimes online – but we get snippets of encouragement to keep doing this work. There have also been a lot of young girls at the shows and they’ve been tugging on my heartstrings for sure. I feel like unless these young girls are seeing themselves in somebody else onstage, they’re not gonna think that they can do that.

Local Spins: How can others in the music industry or in the audience help break down some of those barriers and be better allies?
Katie: I feel like what we’re asking for, or advocating for, is sometimes misconstrued. It’s not like I want all the boy bands to go away, you know what I mean? When we’re asking to have an equal foot on the stage, I think that sometimes that can appear like we’re dissing that music or not wanting those bands to succeed either. It’s more of a rising tide. We want to come along too. There’s so many incredible women in Michigan and all over the place, just incredible women and queer people and voices that are not being heard quite as much simply just because they don’t have the same opportunity. And as a lover of music of all genres, I really don’t think that there is ever gonna be like too many voices, you know what I mean?

Grace: We want the opportunity because we’re equally as good. I don’t think anyone’s asking to cut women favors just because they’re women. We want to have these opportunities because we know that we’re a solid band. All we’re looking for is respect. But it can still be really intimidating being women in this industry. So we still have to speak up.

Local Spins: I also read that it’s important to create a safe space for your performances. What does that look and feel like?
Grace: Honestly, I think Pride events are the safest place that I have felt playing on stage. These events are thinking about safety first for the people attending so that they can feel free to be their full selves. That’s when we feel like we can be our full selves on and off stage. It takes part of the community coming alongside these events and really believing in them and creating this space around it. And I wish everyone could go to a Pride event because I just think people don’t understand how joyous and how celebratory it is. And unfortunately, not every show can be that.

Katie: We also try to be really intentional at every show about saying something along the lines of: we started this band to create a safe space for ourselves. And we want to make sure that everybody here feels seen and loved no matter who you are, how you look, how you love. One of my favorite things about this band is the community that we’re creating. We get to hear people’s stories and they feel safe enough to share them with us. And that feels sacred, you know?

Local Spins: What do you hope listeners take away from listening to your music or attending a show?
Jilian: I think feeling free is really the ultimate goal. Free, empowered, no masks. So much of life is a performance and having to put on masks for different people. Music for me is getting to shed those and getting to be so secure and feel safe and like I can express myself. We have this saying: connection over perfection. We want people to feel like that’s the important part. We want to connect to ourselves, connect to each other and take off some of the pressure from the expectations we put on ourselves.

Katie: One of our dearest friends, Kelly, who’s our merch king, brought this phrase to our band and it’s “rebellious joy.” And I think that may be the thing that we frequently come back to. The best act of rebellion is just to keep pressing on, keep sharing joy.

Local Spins: What are you looking forward to about performing at Meijer Gardens?
Grace: Selfishly, I’m excited because I’ve played that stage before and getting to do it with Rebels is just going to feel so wild. In my own band, I can tend to feel much more stiff, honestly, in my own music because I don’t have them up there with me. Being in this band has felt like it’s such a safety net and such a place where I can fully be myself. I’m so excited to do it again on that big stage. It’s a stunning stage with an amazing sound crew and you always know going into that show, it’s gonna be awesome no matter what. We’re also bringing along the Great Lakes Brass band. So we’re going to have a trio of horns playing with us, which was a random happenstance.

Local Spins: What have you learned from each other since starting The Rebel Eves?
Jilian: So, from a practical standpoint, Grace and Katie both are teaching me so much about just being consistent and being a better communicator. I know that sounds so silly, but I’m just so used to doing this by myself. It’s been so good. It’s leveled me up in the ways that I can function in a group. Being able to effectively communicate and even have conflicts and resolving them. I feel like they’re teaching me more about how to be in a healthy, sustainable team.

Grace: I think it really taught me about repairing relationships. I had a lot of fears doing this. It’s really taught me how to cultivate a level of vulnerability and safety and people seeing all of you, the good and the bad. Our common goal is making sure each one of us is okay, whether that means we pull back on shows or do it in a way that just feels sustainable, but also feels like we’re honoring each other’s boundaries. And I think that’s been really, really amazing. It’s been something that I just absolutely treasure.

Local Spins: What challenges do you face as a band?
Katie: You know, it is obviously challenging being in three different time zones, three different parts of the country. Most of our communication is via text. A lot of our meetings are over Zoom. And like there’s literally research that shows that like that kind of communication is not sustainable for like real connection. And so I think it’s just been incredible how well we have navigated the logistical challenges of the band while still putting our friendship and relationship at the top as the foundation of the band.

VIDEO: The Rebel Eves, “Rebel Eve” (Live)

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