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Talking Tracks: Sleep Walker by Payge Turner

In this live episode of Talking Tracks, Dan and Payge break down the meaning behind and the making of each song on the project — four songs of emotional release about waking up to yourself and the world around you.

Talking Tracks: Sleep Walker by Payge Turner March 16, 2021

Raised by a single mother in the suburbs of Detroit, Dan discovered an early passion for singing, songwriting, and the arts as a whole. She got her BA in English and music at the University of Michigan, where she reported for the school’s paper, The Michigan Daily. She worked as a Senior News Reporter on the government beat, transitioned to arts writing, and eventually became the managing editor of the social media department. She moved to Seattle in 2017. After losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic and discouraged about the lack of press surrounding Seattle’s music scene, Dan made the decision to turn Dan’s Tunes, a fully fledged music journalism website focused on showcasing the Seattle area’s musicians, into its own startup. There’s so much music happening in the city that spawned Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Jimi Hendrix — among others — and Dan’s Tunes is determined to find and expose those outstanding acts. The goal is to have satellites in every major US city, uplifting diverse and compelling voices and helping music communities thrive. In 2020, Dan was featured in the Seattle Times’s year-end music critic poll. Other than her musical endeavors (singing, playing ukulele, and auditioning for American Idol four times before the age of 24) Ray is passionate about food and education around the American food system, and she’s also a large proponent of eliminating the stigma around mental health. Ray loves cats, especially her own, who is named Macaulay Culkin (but she’s a lady).

Payge Turner and bassist Ben Jahn perform live on Talking Tracks. // Photo by Danny Ngan

Every month on Talking Tracks, we interview local artists about their latest drops — song by song. It’s a little bit like a curated Spotify playlist, except way more in depth, and it’s all the people who live right in our city. In each episode, you’ll get to listen to the full album or EP right alongside the artist’s inspiration behind the tracks. Now, we’re teamed up with LiveMo and Amit Sounds to bring you special, live set editions of the podcast every second Saturday and fourth Wednesday of the month.

Seattle soulful singer-songwriter Payge Turner released her debut EP, Sleep Walker, on June 18, 2020. In this live episode of Talking Tracks, Dan and Payge break down the meaning behind and the making of each song on the project — four songs of emotional release about waking up to yourself and the world around you. Plus, she gave us a special performance of an unreleased track from her upcoming debut album.

Listen and subscribe to the full interview below, and then click through our photo story for all the best moments. Download the LiveMo app on Apple and Android to stay updated on future live episodes.

Payge Turner warms up on the guitar before the show begins.
Amit Amram of Amit Sounds runs audio for the live podcasts. Based in Bellevue, he's worked with other artists that have appeared on Talking Tracks, like Natalie Paige.
Turner performs her EP, Sleep Walker.
Drummer Jordan Weigert.
The Founder and CEO of Dan's Tunes, Dan Ray, hosts Talking Tracks Live.
Turner, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, relocated to Kansas at age 13 and to Seattle in fall of 2018.
Guitarist Jerett Samples.
Bassist Ben Jahn.
Turner plays "But for Now," a track about reframing relationships and moving from her childhood conceptions of Christianity into an adult relationship with her faith.
Turner's upcoming debut album doesn't have a set release date. She said she wants to do a surprise drop.
Samples and his sticker-covered pedals case.
Turner makes faces and noises, joking that live music can be so good as to give people diarrhea.
Dan Ray laughs at the poop talk.
In 2020, Turner was a top 12 finalist on Season 19 of NBC’s The Voice.
Pre-COVID, guitarist Samples played in 10 bands, such as with Seattle singer-songwriters Halley Greg and Kelsey Sprague.
On The Voice, Turner was best known for her highly original arrangements, like a blues version of NSYNC's "It's Gonna Be Me."
Samples makes full use of the studio space.
Ben Jahn watches Turner for queues.
As a play off of Turner's time on The Voice, after each song, Ray asks Turner who she would want to cover her tracks.
Gary Clark Jr., Emily King, Sade, D'Angelo, Gloria Estefan, and Billie Eilish were among the artists Turner wanted to cover her songs.
Turner vibes with Samples (not pictured), trading guitar riffs back and forth.
Three of the four tracks on Sleep Walker repeat the same section twice in lieu of a second verse.
Turner and Jahn vibe together during the final song.

Photos by Danny Ngan.

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Raised by a single mother in the suburbs of Detroit, Dan discovered an early passion for singing, songwriting, and the arts as a whole. She got her BA in English and music at the University of Michigan, where she reported for the school’s paper, The Michigan Daily. She worked as a Senior News Reporter on the government beat, transitioned to arts writing, and eventually became the managing editor of the social media department. She moved to Seattle in 2017. After losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic and discouraged about the lack of press surrounding Seattle’s music scene, Dan made the decision to turn Dan’s Tunes, a fully fledged music journalism website focused on showcasing the Seattle area’s musicians, into its own startup. There’s so much music happening in the city that spawned Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Jimi Hendrix — among others — and Dan’s Tunes is determined to find and expose those outstanding acts. The goal is to have satellites in every major US city, uplifting diverse and compelling voices and helping music communities thrive. In 2020, Dan was featured in the Seattle Times’s year-end music critic poll. Other than her musical endeavors (singing, playing ukulele, and auditioning for American Idol four times before the age of 24) Ray is passionate about food and education around the American food system, and she’s also a large proponent of eliminating the stigma around mental health. Ray loves cats, especially her own, who is named Macaulay Culkin (but she’s a lady).