Soul-nourishing new jazz-tinged folk release ‘Good To Be Alive’ introduced us to genre-blending folk outfit Dryadic, and gave us the perfect opportunity to sit down with vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Zora McDonald to talk about the project, their past, present, and future!
Hi! Could you introduce yourself, your genre, and your musical influences?
“I always describe Dryadic as queer indie-folk roots, but there’s a whole load of layers in the songs. I have been hugely influenced by bands like the Levellers, Bellowhead and love singer-songwriters like Grace Petrie, Billy Bragg and Kate Rusby. I listen to lots of trad and alt-folk. That said, I spent loads of my life in the mosh pit at underground, grass roots folk-punk and ska-punk gigs, so much of the folk I write is peppered with that. I write very much with the fiddle in mind, although I don’t play it myself, and often write a fiddle part with the bones of the song.
I’m also a sucker for quality pop divas like Florence Welch, KT Tunstall and Elton John and love dropping a few epic show stoppers on the keys in the middle of our set. The core of our sound is built around folk and acoustic pop and rock but there’s a nod to gypsy and roots in there too. I absolutely love bands like Gogol Bordello and Cat Empire – you’ll hear lots of offbeat chops and fiddle riffs throughout our set.
It amazes me that there’s so much variety in there and yet we manage to tie everything together successfully! I think it all comes down to the songs. It’s taken me quite a few years but I have developed a style and a sound that is very much my own.”
What inspired you to start making music and what inspires you to keep going?
“I am not sure what inspired me to start as I think I have been writing songs since I was a kid. My mum will tell you that I used to sing myself to sleep at the top of my voice when I was young and I am told that I sing (gently!) in my sleep now. I can remember writing songs on piano when I was eight or nine. It’s something I can’t live without doing if that makes sense. If I’m not playing and writing music for any length of time my mental health and stress level go down the pan pretty fast – that’s a big motivator! So regardless of its destination, my music kinda needs to get made and played.”
How have you found living and creating in different pockets of the world?
“I think it’s part of what keeps me interested, growing and learning as a person. I want to have new experiences and that’s a big part of it. I am very sentimental, and a creature of habit, but finding new connections, environments and communities are what inspires and motivates me. The lyrics in my song ‘I Like’ say it well – “I never did fare well to be tied down – there’s no time like the present to get out of town…”.”
Where do you, in general, get inspiration for your music and song-writing?
“Anything that makes me really feel. So that could be a political issue that I feel strongly about, personal experiences like love, loss and joy, mental health, life transitions – all reflected in my lyrics. But those experiences don’t have to only be my own – I often feel very strongly in an empathetic way and incorporate that into my work – that’s actually a good challenge as a songwriter. Sometimes, I just really wanna write something specific – a big hook in a particular style, or a subject I’ve never quite got round to. Susie’s Challenge is a good example of that – it’s a jig with a load of 5/4 bars in it. I had always wanted to write a jig, so one morning, as a bit of a joke, my partner challenged me to do it. So I got up and wrote it! I had also always wanted to write in a 5/4 time signature too so we ended up working that into it which gives it a real interesting energy. It’s a great little piece, unrecorded as yet, so you can only hear it live.”
Who would you like to work with in the near future and where would you like to perform in the next three years?
“That’s hard! There are so many great musicians. I think I wanna play with as many as possible and discover new artists this way. In August we are supporting Matt Pless, who I didn’t know of before which is cool because I’ve now discovered his songs as well as getting to work with him. Obviously, I’d relish the opportunity to support some of my biggest influences (I wouldn’t say no supporting the Levellers Collective!). Actually – Beautiful Days is a festival I would love to play for; I played on the Cafe Clandestino stage at the very first Beautiful Days festival – I had forgotten that. I’d like to play some more street performance festivals on the continent. They are hard work but a fantastic experience – my song The Hat covers that. You meet such a variety of creatives from all over and I love being out on the streets in a new place. It’s awesome. I recently saw KT Tunstall at the Albert Hall – she was brilliant – KT if you’re up for it, let’s do a duet!”
Which musical achievements so far are you most proud of?
“I’m really proud of our recent recordings. In particular Rainbow Family and Smiling in the Dark. It was cool to get on BBC Introducing with Rainbow Family – I have submitted many tunes to them over the years. Some of the reviews we got were fabulous. I am really excited to release Ghosts in the Autumn, I am very proud of that song and the recording is (I think) stunning – so I am hoping it will be very well received and added to the BBC list.
I’m proud to have donated Redevelop Our Souls to the Tolpuddle Artists Compilation CD, raising funds for the Al Tafawk Children’s Centre in Gaza this year. We’re on it, next to Billy Bragg, Jess Silk and Grace Petrie to name just a few. There are some really cool stages that we’ve played over the years – Playing on the LGBTQ+ stage at Rainbow Row for the London Marathon was great singing all the runners on. I like unusual shows, that sort of thing! Similarly, I am very blessed and proud to have played as many Pride gigs as I have – Brighton Pride is where I have played the most, but I’ve played quite a few others which are really special for me..
Not forgetting my LGBTQ+ choir – Queer Voices Gloucestershire. That is a musical achievement of mine that I am so proud of and is a very creative, safe space that we have carved out for our community. It feels really important, I get so much from it, but it’s not about me, it’s about the community. I just love that.”
What do you hope to achieve by releasing music with followers old and new?
“I basically want people to listen and enjoy it and keep on doing that. I really want people to come and see us play live and I wanna play in new venues and places. When someone tells me how much they relate to a song of mine, or I see people singing along to the words it just lights me up – I want to do that with people all day long!”
What are your plans for this year and what are some of your dreams?
“Bucket list would be Brixton Academy because I saw so so many of my favourite artists there and I could basically die happy if I played the Royal Albert Hall – I think – OMG BBC Proms would be epic… okay now my mind is wandering off into lala land!”
Aside from music, what are some of your hobbies and interests, we’d love to know more about you as a person!
“Sleeping – I like to sleep a lot! But I’m also a massive fan of hiking and dog walking, cycling and kickboxing although I don’t get to train very much anymore so I’m not very fit at the moment. I love the theatre – musicals, circus, live comedy, all sorts of performance treats really. We recently saw Tim Minchin and Hannah Gadsby live. Just phenomenal entertainment. Oh, and good food, I’m a right foodie. If I wasn’t a musician, I think I’d be a cook.”
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