#152 - Kelli Scarr, Musician of Mysteries

Kelli Scarr is an American singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist based in New York's Hudson Valley. She is also the founder of Vera Jean Music, a pioneering record label dedicated to championing the talents of women artists over the age of 40.

Raised in Northern California, Scarr’s musical journey began in church, eventually leading her to Berklee College of Music. Over the years, she has woven her way through an eclectic range of projects, from fronting the bands Moonraker and Salt & Samovar to a significant collaboration writing, recording, and touring with Moby. Her artistry extends into film scoring, and she earned an Emmy nomination for her score to the HBO documentary In A Dream (2008) and has composed music for dozens of films, TV shows, and commercials. Notable projects include the documentaries Advanced Style and Far Western, and the forthcoming After All (2025), for which she composed the score and contributed six original songs.

As a solo artist, Scarr has released three albums—Piece (2010), Dangling Teeth (2012), and one of Pam’s all-time favorite albums, No Rush (2021)—establishing herself as a singular voice in atmospheric, deeply emotive songwriting. Her fourth album, Greater Mysteries,is out on this Friday, June 13, and marks a new creative chapter which draws on timeless mythic journeys to the underworld, and it is pulsing, potent, and sublime. This album serves as an invitation into the initiatory cycle of transformation—where endings become beginnings, and something new is ready to emerge.

Though Kelli’s work has spanned format and musical style, all of her projects embrace a sense of experimentation, improvisation, and sacred seeking through song.

On this episode, Kelli discusses how the myth of Inanna inspired her new album, the power of song channeling and sonic embodiment, and the transformational way music connects us to the universe.Pam also talks about the divine link between songs and spells, and answers a listener question about using magic to rekindle her creativity.

Songs featured in the episode are all from Greater Mysteries by Kelli Scarr:

“Knowing is the Call”“Pneuma”“The Yes That Leads”

Check out the video of this episode over on YouTube (and please like and subscribe to the channel while you’re at it!)

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