Do you have a story behind your artist name?
Greg Lawrence: We do! We started playing together in 2022 and needed a name to perform under. That first year we were working with a mutual friend who had a deep affinity for his hometown and used a musical persona that had the word “vine” in it (in homage to his hometown). We decided to adopt the persona as our band name and really liked it. We enjoyed playing together that first year but had slightly different musical visions so we parted ways amicably after that first year. However, with the amicable “divorce” we lost our name! So we had to start all over again – we put pen to paper and charted out themes that we felt captured the spirit and mood of our music and lyrics. We went in many directions before coming full circle and realizing that the word “wayward” captured a key theme in our songwriting (the tendency for relationships to have their ups and downs). And the word ‘vine’ pairs well with ‘wayward’ as vines tend to meander in all directions; the bonus attribute was the throwback to our prior name.
Valerie Rachel: Now that we’ve settled into our name, I enjoy how the term “wayward” can imply life struggles that can sometimes feel out of control, but like a vine, we can grow and learn from those experiences and can heal and recover as well.
Tell us a bit about your music journey. How has it shaped you?
Lawrence: I consider myself a late bloomer from the standpoint of trying to play music publicly with intention. I grew up with musical role models in my family as both my dad – and his dad – were guitar players who played in bands in their time. So I guess I come by my love of music organically. But I grew up mostly playing music in “safe” spaces – typically an acoustic guitar at family and social gatherings. It was only about five years ago after some major life changes that I decided I wanted to put myself out there and play with other talented musicians, make original music as a form of self-expression, and become a better musician overall. One advantage to having waited so long to “start” my musical career as a songwriter is I have a lot of life experiences to draw from in my songwriting.
Rachel: I too have been playing music for a long time but took many years to delve into songwriting. As a classically trained violinist, pianist and vocalist, I used to be tied to sheet music until I joined another Americana band, Muhammad Seven and the Spring, around 2018, playing violin and singing backup vocals for the incredible Nima Samimi. It was amazing to realize what new sounds I could make with the violin when I created my own parts. Nima’s songwriting was very much from the heart and inspired me to put some tunes I had been thinking of on paper, especially during the year 2020 when everyone was home during the pandemic. Once I started writing I found it hard to stop, and I find a lot of joy in building a song around my own life experiences and interactions with others whose stories need to be told.
How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with it?
Lawrence: I think a new listener will hear a range of styles and influences in our music. Val and I have different, but complementary writing styles, which gives a certain diversity to our sound. With that said, you’ll hear notes of folk, indie/alternative, Americana and even a theatrical sound to our songs as you listen across our catalogue. I also like to think our music is easy to listen to, often with the ironic twist of having relatively dark and subdued lyrical themes splashed onto a bright sounding musical canvas.
Rachel: I agree with Greg’s comments and also would add that we try to create melodies and instrumental hooks that stick with you some time, which you may find yourself humming when you least expect it. Usually I know if a song is “done” from a melody perspective if I find myself singing it over and over during the day. We also focus quite a bit on harmonies for the more dramatic moments of a song, and over time we’ve developed a great vocal blend that’s part of our signature sound.
What drew you to the genre / instruments you’re playing right now?
Lawrence: I grew up with a love of the sound of the acoustic guitar and the allure of melodic storytelling in the spirit of the best folk singer-songwriters. My dad had a number of vintage acoustic guitars around the house and I would fool around with those as a teenager before moving out for school and eventually buying my own. There’s also a simple beauty to picking up an acoustic instrument and just playing it and singing about what you’re feeling in that moment.
Once we began gelling as a band and writing our own music, I also decided to experiment with the harmonica in the instrumental breaks on some of our songs, which gives a decidedly ‘folky’ quality to those songs. It also gives a certain poignancy to the music, in my opinion. And on a practical level, the harmonica can be played live together with the acoustic guitar, which gives us one more instrument to mix into our live sound.
Rachel: I started playing violin and piano from a young age, so I fell into those instruments, but as I got older, I developed a love for musical theater and vocals that tell a story. I think that early theatrical inspiration has had some influence on my songwriting, as Greg referenced above. I also have always loved harmony-heavy music, from very early choral works such as Monteverdi and Palestrina, to more contemporary artists such as The Wailin’ Jennys and the Civil Wars. I feel that vocal harmonies pull out the emotional core of a song in a way that instruments sometimes cannot.
What inspires you to write music?
Lawrence: For me, there’s a certain joy in creating something that is uniquely yours and sharing it with the world, even if it’s a world of one. My personal life experiences have inspired some of the themes I write about, particularly those related to human connections and emotions. I like to write about the wide spectrum of feelings one experiences when they’re connected to another person – things like love, frustration, heartbreak, hanging on to something that isn’t yours, etc. I’ve also found myself observing the world around us in recent years and found inspiration to write about things that give me pause and concern (and candidly, anger).
Rachel: I find that the hardest moments in life for myself or others are when I am the most musically inspired. Some of my songs such as “The Fall” came out of difficult life experiences – in that case, my experience as a mom witnessing my kids’ childhood dramatically impacted by the pandemic and the monotony of those years. I find that some songs like “The Fall” come to me in full almost immediately, while others, like Implode, are more of a labor of love. In that case, I wanted to write an upbeat drum-driven song about someone whose life is completely falling apart, to create a form of musical contrast.
Would you tell us about your current project, album/EP, or song you’re promoting?
Lawrence: We released our debut album, The Fall, last September (2025), which was a huge milestone for us and a gratifying experience. Next up, we’re releasing our first video, for the title track to the album (“The Fall”). We did the filming back in October with the intention of capturing the magic of the fall colors here in New England. The video drops on January 27.
Rachel: We’re especially excited about the video for “The Fall” because it’s a personal depiction of the life experiences that inspired the song. We filmed the video partially in my backyard, and my daughter, Dahlia, who loves to act, stars in the video as a child who is going through some inner struggles.
What do you want listeners to take away from listening to your music?
Lawrence: Hopefully people will find an honesty to our music and something in the songwriting that is relatable to their own lives in some small way. We also hope our music evokes an emotional response in people that is memorable – in the vein of that wonderful quote by Maya Angelou “…people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Rachel: I agree with Greg — I hope that our music makes listeners feel something they didn’t expect, whether joy or melancholy, which they perhaps needed to feel at that moment.
Who are your top three artists right now? If that’s not a fair question, what’s your favorite song right now?
Lawrence: I’ve followed The Lumineers pretty closely since their inception and finally got to see them live last summer at Fenway Park – it was an incredible show. I’ve been listening to their latest release, Automatic, a lot lately. A couple of other bands I’m enjoying right now are Weakened Friends and The Western Den.
Rachel: I enjoy so many bands and musicians, but right now I’ve been listening a lot to I’m With Her, The Secret Sisters, and the Highwomen.
What’s the easiest way for fans to connect with you?
Lawrence: One way is to come to one of our shows if you’re in the Boston area! Fans can also follow us on Instagram at @waywardvineband, and Facebook and YouTube at @WaywardVine. Our music is also available on all of the major streaming platforms where our entire debut album, The Fall, can be heard. One last way is to visit our website (waywardvine.com) where you can contact us, check out our music and videos in one convenient place, as well as shop our online merch store.
Rachel: We also love to hear from fans about their favorite song or something they’d like for us to write or perform. You can reach us directly by email at waywardvineband@gmail.com.
Connect with Wayward Vine:
Spotify x Bandcamp x Instagram x Homepage
What’s next for you?
Lawrence: In addition to releasing the video for “The Fall”, we’re starting to write our next round of songs for our sophomore album or perhaps an EP to be released later this year. [Within that, we’re toying with the idea of releasing a carefully selected cover – giving our own unique take on whatever song we end up choosing]. We’re also excited to bring the new material to our live shows!
Bio:
Wayward Vine is a Boston-based Americana and indie-folk band led by core songwriters and co-vocalists Valerie Rachel and Greg Lawrence. Together with their band, they perform harmony-based originals that explore lyrical themes of heartbreak, obsession, and the wide range of emotions involved in family relationships, and their music is often compared to The Head and the Heart, 10,000 Maniacs, and The Civil Wars.
Valerie Rachel is a classically trained vocalist, violinist, and pianist who is known for her haunting harmonies and fiddle playing in various Americana and country bands around the region, appearing with Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners, Muhammad Seven & The Spring, and others. Greg Lawrence originates from Newfoundland and then Ontario, Canada and hails from a family with deep roots in acoustic guitar playing, primarily in rock and folk music. Wayward Vine’s debut album, The Fall, was released in September 2025.
