#145 - Vera Sola AKA Danielle Aykroyd, Spirited Songstress

The Witch Wave

Pam Grossman

Arts, Visual Arts, Spirituality, Other, Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2025

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Danielle Aykroyd is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who performs under the name Vera Sola. Sometimes called the "lost love child of Leonard Cohen and Nancy Sinatra," Vera Sola’s smoky vocalization and searing, soaring songs have a cinematic aspect to them, and would feel equally at home in a David Lynch film or a prairie full of phantoms. A trained poet, her lyrics are twisting and imagistic, marked alternatively by restrained mystery and a resplendent, wild-eyed rage.

Her 2018 debut LP, Shades, which she plays every instrument on, is a study in shadowy Americana and mesmeric incantation. Her sophomore album of 2024, Peacemaker, is a more expansive extravaganza with lush orchestration, dark dreamscapes, and tales of vengeance, heartache, and haunting. Vera Sola’s new EP, Ghostmaker is a pared-down resurrection of Peacemaker tracks, and features a brand new song, “The Ghostmaster’s Daughter.”

On this episode, Danielle discusses howspirits guide her music, her relationship to ghosts, and the liberating power of finding her voice.

Pam also talks about the feminist history of Spiritualism, and answers a listener question about a precarious prediction.

Vera Sola’s songs featured in the audio version of this podcast episode are as follows:

“Circles” from Shades

“Bad Idea” from Peacemaker

“The Ghostmaster’s Daughter” from Ghostmaker

“Blood Bond” from Peacemaker

“Instrument of War” from Peacemaker

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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And if you want more Witch Wave, please consider supporting us on Patreon to get access to detailed show notes, bonus Witch Wave Plus episodes, Pam’s monthly online rituals, and more! That’s patreon.com/witchwave

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, my friend. I am often asked about how people can get even more witch wave and more magic in their lives overall. And I have the answer. You can join me over on the WitchWave Patreon. This is how you can hear from me and my other magical guests on a weekly basis via my WitchWave Plus bi-weekly bonus episodes.
0:24.8	And you get the regular WitchWave episodes ad free, and you get detailed show notes for all of it.
0:34.1	And all Patreon members also get access to my monthly ritual workshops, which you can attend
0:40.5	live or watch the recording of at your leisure throughout the month. Rewards for some tiers also
0:47.6	include magical merch and contests where you can win witchly prizes, as well as early heads up about my workshops before they sell out,
0:57.7	and opportunities to work with me one-on-one.
1:02.6	And all backers get access to our exclusive digital coven, where you can connect to a community of other wonderful witch wave witches around the world.
1:15.0	So head on over to patreon.com slash witchwave and sign up.
1:20.6	It's a magnificent way to get more magic in your life and to support the show.
1:26.2	Thank you so much.
1:32.2	The world is filled with bewitching people, and you might be one too. Welcome to the podcast where
1:38.8	art is magic, magic is real, and reality is stranger than dreams.
1:47.8	I'm Pam Grossman, and this is the witch wave.
1:54.9	Oh, in the sun you and I'll be afraid.
2:03.6	Oh, oh, the sunning shapes in the night. Oh, my mind. Hello, all the sudden You can A Mound
2:04.6	To my feet
2:06.6	To my
2:08.6	face
2:10.6	Oh
2:11.6	Rooted
2:13.6	Me
2:14.6	You can
	...

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