Surrender 💫 New Album Out Now!

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Upcoming Shows!

Willow Waters Palmer's Residency with Riley Skinner & Luke Callen

Willow Waters Palmer's Residency with Riley Skinner & Luke Callen

(CST, UTC-06) (CST, UTC-06)

Palmer's Bar, 500 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis

Join Willow Waters and friends on the second Wednesday every month for soothing and exhilarating sounds alike! Each month a different line up of stunning local talent. Some weeks we'll lean into the raw folksy element in Willow's music, others will be more edgy and rocking or more energized and danceable. Come once, come every month! We look forward to sharing space at the incomparable Palmers Bar.

$10

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About

Riley Skinner is an electro-folk musician and singer-songwriter newly based in Minneapolis. Her intriguing melodies, textured layers of sound, and intimate lyrics blend a nostalgic 90s angst with modern folk sensibilities. Skinner's music asks the listener to join her in being vulnerable, being gentle, being honest, and being brave.

Skinner studied composition at Bennington College in Vermont where she found inspiration in her mentors, collaborators, and the haunting environment of New England. She recently moved from Seattle to Minneapolis and now performs primarily in the Midwest. 

In addition to creating music for her solo project and her duo, Heddwen, Skinner enjoys collaborating with dancers and visual artists to create customized soundscapes for performances, videos, and installations.  

Videos

“The video feels like a road trip with friends, if your friends own a really cool car. The car, the clothing, the hotel, all give the video a timeless quality although, it specifically reminds me of Saturday afternoon driving with high school girlfriends. Afternoons full of gossip and the freedom of mobility without parents. The music is reminiscent of my high school era (1980s); a drive of pop punk with an undercurrent of folk, which we might not have called folk but alternative back in the day. There’s a tenderness and hopeful ethos of the song.”

— Ann Treacy, Mostly Minnesota

Music

Surrender

Riley Skinner

Buy album
Most of the songs on this album are about queer identity and intimacy expressed through the metaphor of nature. As queer people, we are so often told that who we are and how we love is unnatural, and that is simply not true. With that comes a lot of baggage that has to be sorted. Embracing myself fully as a queer person has been an act of
Most of the songs on this album are about queer identity and intimacy expressed through the metaphor of nature. As queer people, we are so often told that who we are and how we love is unnatural, and that is simply not true. With that comes a lot of baggage that has to be sorted. Embracing myself fully as a queer person has been an act of surrendering fully to who I am. It’s meant allowing myself to fall apart and feel out of control, but also to embrace that place of chaos and find some ease and joy there. Writing the songs on this album was deeply cathartic for me, and I hope that in sharing as vulnerably and authentically as I can that you will surrender to this music as well.
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    Dirty 4:20
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    Friend 3:24
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    Swallow Song 3:57
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    Wrong Side of the Tracks 3:35
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    You Go a Long Way 4:18
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    Carnal Otherness 4:21
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    Keeper 3:11
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    Guarded 3:09
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    Surrender 6:13
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a day at the museum

Riley Skinner

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This is the quarantine project that I made to help me escape from my home. Part 1 takes us into the museum, where a marble statue becomes an object of love. Part 2 questions who has the right and the privilege to display objects and who has the right and the privilege to view them. Part 3 is from the perspective of the painted. I hope you will
This is the quarantine project that I made to help me escape from my home. Part 1 takes us into the museum, where a marble statue becomes an object of love. Part 2 questions who has the right and the privilege to display objects and who has the right and the privilege to view them. Part 3 is from the perspective of the painted. I hope you will enjoy all three parts as a complete set.

This concept EP is dedicated to Colleen Burns, who gave me a ton of input on this project from day one, and who was forced to listen to this piece way too many times. You will always be my beautiful statue and my muse.
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    a day at the museum (full experience) 12:48
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    part 1 6:25
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    part 2 3:15
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    part 3 3:18
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Offerings

✨ Email me for current rates or a quote for a particular project: rileymaeskinner@gmail.com ✨

Session Work
Need some killer harmonies on your latest album? Or someone to help you craft better lyrics? Want help arranging background elements such as voices or strings? I also adore working with dancers doing live improvisation or custom soundscapes for the art they are making. I'm here to help make the magic happen, so let's talk! Past and current collaborators include Larsen Gardens, Andy Ulseth, Jaspar Lepak, Rebecca Nakaba, and Corina Dalzell. 

Private Lessons 
I have a decade of experience working with students of all ages and currently offer private lessons (online or in person) in composition, songwriting, arranging, voice, piano, and ukulele. 

Tarot Readings 
Yup, I do these too! My perspective is intuitive and empowering. I'd love to read for you! 

Art & Embroidery
Let me draw you a little picture, or embroider a portrait of your pet, or... well the possibilities are endless. 
 

Ways to support me:

Buy something!

I've got t-shirts, CDs, art prints, lyric cards, and all kinds of goodies in my shop. All the proceeds go towards my next creative project and come with a digital download of a song. Mostly, I love the idea of something I made being somewhere with you. Make my dreams come true! 💫

Let's go shopping!

Send a tip!

Never expected but always appreciated, tips help me keep making new music and art to share with the world. A great way to pay it forward if you primarily listen to music on streaming platforms, or just want to make my day! ✨

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