Brandi Carlile spends much of her time on the road touring these days but her home is never far from her mind.

Carlile, who released her first album little more than five years ago at the tender age of 23, is now on the road playing music from her third album, “Give Up the Ghost,” and living her dreams.

But, the singer-songwriter who grew up in Ravensdale and now calls Maple Valley home, comes back whenever possible. Even her band mates, twins Tim and Phil Hanseroth, have moved to Maple Valley.

Lately, though, she’s spent a week doing gigs with another singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow on the East Coast.

“I actually got to play Radio City Music Hall in New York City,” Carlile said in a phone interview from Los Angeles. “That was an amazing gig.”

That was the third tour she’s done with Crow, something she thoroughly enjoys.

“She’s really super kind and open,” Carlile said of Crow. “She’s so talented and confident. She’s incredible. She sets the bar really high for how women in this industry should treat each other.”

Carlile said touring with Crow shows that women in music don’t need to be pitted against one another.

“A lot of times we have to rise above that… and recall the sentiments of Lillith Fair,” Carlile said.

Crow is one of many music stars Carlile has had the opportunity to tour and perform with over the past five years, however the highlight was a duet she recorded with Elton John, an artist she has long admired.

“He’s my greatest hero of all time,” Carlile said of John. “Almost a complete collaborative influence on me.”

While on the road, John reached out to her about a review she’d written about a record of his for the New York Times.

“He called me, he sent me flowers and a bottle of wine,” she said. “It blew my mind.”

She asked him to sing and play piano on a song she’d written for her latest album, a track called “Caroline.”

“He’s a totally generous person with his time, his music,” Carlile said. “He’s a philanthropist. He’s really a beacon of light for artists like me.”

There is a saying that one shouldn’t meet her heroes because they will always disappoint you, but, Carlile said she tends to look up to people who are not just talented but give back to the world like Martin Luther King, Jr., Freddie Mercury, people she will not get to meet “but the ones that are here are doing wonderful things.”

“It puts a pretty significant responsibility on an artist, too, because I truly understand what it means to be a fan,” Carlile said. “It puts an interesting perspective on the responsibility I have with a voice and an exposure to youth.”

Having the opportunity to record with John reflects in some ways how her music has changed since she put out her self-title debut record.

Carlile reflected on how her music has evolved to this point.

“I think that it’s gotten less and less safe,” she said. “It’s a little braver now when we sit down and we create and produce and record a rock and roll song. Whereas before there may have been some sandpaper taken to things. Now we feel we have a lot more freedom to be music extremists.”

And Carlile said she has evolved, too, and learned a great deal since she began this journey.

“I’ve learned so much, you know,” she said. “I’ve learned so many things it’s hard to narrow it down. From a broad perspective, I think that I’ve learned when it comes to creativity and new ideas and to function in our industry’s climate and an artist’s climate, that whenever anyone thinks something is a bad idea, that usually means it’s a new idea.”

Rather than discarding her so-called “bad ideas,” she continued, Carlile has learned to follow them to their logical conclusion and has found that rewarding.

“Another thing I’ve learned is that a community is better than an individual and a collaborator is better than an artist and that music is better without the industry.”

She is also passionate about giving back and has looked to artists and heroes for inspiration in that arena.

Carlile in particular wants to encourage those who live in the area that the Maple Valley Food Bank and Emergency Services provides service to that are interested in community outreach to look into getting involved.

“If you have some extra free time, money or volunteering aspirations… I would encourage you to take a close look at the Maple Valley Food Bank,” Carlile said. “There are a lot of people in trouble due to the economic times. They helped my family out when I was a kid.”

Carlile plans to be home from mid-October through the holidays.

“I’m going to get super involved with the food bank this year during the holidays,” she said. “My foundation is going to get heavily involved with the food bank and we’ve been heavily involved with them for the past year.”

And with a firm idea what she’ll be doing for the next few months, what does Carlile see in her future? Where will she be five years from now?

“What I hope for is just a continuum,” she said. “I hope to just consistently be able to say in the path that I’m on. I plan to still live in Maple Valley. I hope that my touring will take me to new places, other countries, places I haven’t been in the world.”

She hopes to collaborate with artists she hasn’t worked with yet and someday headline the Gorge Amphitheater.

“My life isn’t based so much on goals, but dreams,” Carlile said. “The dream for me is to be able to continue to do what I’m doing for a living, to continue to have the support of my fans and family.”

For more information about Brand Carlile, log on to www.brandicarlile.com

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI0ekIPIdp8" title="

Brandi Carlile

BrandiCarlileVEVO’s Channel

” target=”blank”>Video