The DJ Takeover sponsored by Level Up is a program for listeners to discover their favorite artist's favorite artists, working to foster connection to the music and makers inside and outside our city. For the entire hour, we go down the rabbit hole of stories from their past, experiences of the present and goals for the future.
“I’m ruby throated, all of my powers; sugars.”
Caley Conway’s words melt into each other in her song “Sky Blue” — just one example of the seemingly effortless finesse in her 2024 LP, Partner. She sat down with me to discuss her favorite artists, how a yellow finch may solve writers' block and her world through song.
Conway’s elaborate folk and indie rock has been essential to the Milwaukee sound for over 12 years. She has a way of turning the mundane, the cold and the tedious into something meaningful. “Sky Blue” is a prime example.
The song is tied to her aunt, who passed away in 2020, and it contemplates the end of her aunt's life through the coolest of colors. Even prior to understanding the song’s backstory, a feeling of loss washed over me along with the low, steady baseline. Yet her sweeping chorus dusted with piano and well-rooted harmonies brought a sense of acceptance with this grief. It seems the perfect antidote to Wisconsin winter, when the color blue is always just within reach.
On this DJ Takeover, we explored her sound through the lens of Lomelda, Sharon Van Etten, Aldous Harding and David Bowie. Each artist called back to the intricacies within the phrasing, harmonies and metaphor of Conway’s music.
Since the grand release of Partner, Conway is taking time to rest and reflect, readying the next step in her music career. That said, she's making a special appearance at Market Unplugged, a live music showcase at the Milwaukee Public Market, on Feb. 13 with fellow city singer-songwriter Nick Maas.
Conway’s music is also part of a special themed tasting from Girls Rock MKE, “The Dinner Party: Sound to Table,” which takes place Feb. 12 at Honeypie Cafe.
DJ Takeover: Caley Conway playlist
- Caley Conway, “Sky Blue”
- Lomelda, “Hannah Sun”
- Aldous Harding, “Fixture Picture”
- David Bowie, “Without You”
- Sharon Van Etten, “No One's Easy to Love”
- Darto, “I Am”
- Willie Nelson, “Pages”
- St. Vincent, “Rattlesnake”
- Ellie Jackson, “Underneath Us”
