Her music has gotten great reviews and has been featured on TV shows and independent films. But up to a year ago, singer/songwriter Kelley McRae was tied to a day job that took most of her energy.

That’s until 2011, when instead of waiting a moment longer for a life-changing “big break” to happen, Kelley created a break of her own. She gave up her job and apartment and became the full-time musician of her dreams. Here’s what she told True Citrus about traveling cross-country to gigs she’d booked herself and living in a VW van with her guitarist/mechanic/husband!

From February to December 2011, you played over 120 shows in 31 states. You can tell us: which was your favorite?

That is SUCH a hard question. We had so many beautiful experiences all over the country. But if I had to choose one place that consistently inspired me, it would be California. We were there for a month and between the Lost Coast, San Francisco and the San Luis Obispo area I was on cloud nine! And I wrote about five songs while I was there, which wins California serious extra points.

You named your van “Proč Ne”, which is Czech for “Why not?” How does a gal from Mississippi know Czech?

Ha! Well, let's be clear, I really don't. But after my brother studied in Prague, the phrase “Proč Ne” became shorthand in my family as a way of saying yes to taking a risk.

How did your families react when you told them you and your husband would be living in a van while you went from show to show?

I feel extremely lucky because both our families have been excited about what we're doing and have been 100 percent behind us. It's not something I take for granted. My dad's favorite quote is “Walk on air despite your better judgment,” and it's something I try to live by.

Most of your tour was “house shows,” meaning you performed in living rooms, backyards, porches, carports and sunrooms. How did you get people to open their homes to you?

I put the word out that we wanted to do house shows and the emails poured in. We had about 100 house show requests from fans all over the world. It was awesome! Every time I opened a new email, it would be so exciting because I had no idea where the person was writing from. So I'd think “where do I get to go now?” and then I'd open the email and it'd be like winning a trip – “I'm going to Austin!”

You’ve said you showered in truck stops and that the facilities there were surprisingly nice!

They're basically like pretty nice hotel bathrooms: clean with big, fresh towels.

What’s it like working and living with your husband day in and day out, especially in such a small space?

We joke that living in our tiny NYC apartment was perfect preparation for living in a van because we actually didn't lose much square footage. And Matt is a super talented musician, which is making me a better musician and songwriter, so selfishly I'm pumped about that!

We read something about it taking 11,000 miles on the road before you found “the perfect hat.” What was it?

Matt had been wanting a new hat since we left Brooklyn and so everywhere we went we’d look. 11,000 miles later we found one that said 'Captain,' which was perfect since Matt drives the van and keeps it running, no small feat.

You’ve said that while performing here in True Citrus’ hometown Baltimore you learned to be comfortable on stage and to feel that “I didn’t have to be a skinnier, prettier version of me – I could just be me.” But let’s face it. You ARE skinny and pretty. How do you do it?

Ha! Thank you. Ya know, it's a constant battle. We have a different schedule every day, so it's hard to be consistent with exercise or eating right. We try to always have healthy snack options around and make sure we're actually eating fruits and vegetables. We go for hikes, which is a great way to see a new place or we'll go jogging. But mainly, I've just learned to eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm not. It's the only thing I do with any kind of consistency!

How do True Citrus products fit into your on-the-road lifestyle?

We drink so much water every day on tour to try to stay healthy and especially in the summer (the van has no AC) to keep cool. So to make it tasty we always add True Lemon, True Lime or True Lemonade. I literally drink it every day. It also has the added bonus of giving us some much-needed vitamin C.

Famous filmmaker Wim Wenders said in an interview that your songs "Time," and "Break Us" moved him to tears.

It was a total thrill! I was floored. And I was even more excited when I ended up getting to go to Berlin and hang out with Wim and his beautiful, super talented photographer wife, Donata. I'll never forget it.

You sing “Time will take the best of our bodies ... time will take the best of our families ... time will take the best of our dreams.” Ouch!

Yeah, Time is a pretty heavy song. But I love to sing it, because at the end I get to sing “Time will take the best, but don't let it take the rest. Time will push and pull, but don't you be a fool. Time will push and shove, but it cannot take our love. Lord, help us feel our way to grace.” That, to me, is the point.

Kelley is still walking on air, and you can find her show dates or hear her music at www.kelleymcrae.com. And you can read her Great VW Camper Van Tour of 2011 blog here: http://truelemon.com/live-true/kelley-mcrae.html.

Printable version.