Toast & Jam with Whitnye Raquel

Fort Worth singer-songwriter Whitnye Raquel hopes to be living the dream soon –– touring the country in a van tricked out with heat, a/c, solar power, electricity, a refrigerator, and a bed. She calls it her off-grid mobile tiny-home. In February, she bought the pre-owned cargo van for $7,000 and is doing most of the renovation herself, learning skills as she goes. She has installed solar panels, a roof rack, flooring, and insulation, and is approaching the halfway mark on her project. The van gets about 17 miles to the gallon and runs on cheap gas, which should help Whitnye cover lots of miles. She was born in Colorado and raised for a while in Oklahoma before her family settled in Wichita Falls and transformed into full-blown Texans. Whitnye received her first guitar –– a half-sized Harmony –– at age 10. By age 16, she was writing her own material. In her 20s, she made Fort Worth her home base and started hitting open-mic night at the White Elephant Saloon. Now she plays 150 shows a year in Texas and beyond. Thanks for showing us your progress on the van, Whitnye. Have fun piling into it and heading to gigs near and far to play your cool music. — Jeff Prince