Sarah's Blog

wilderness

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:31:44 GMT

the last couple of weeks, i bent my own rule for "song of the week"...it's really supposed to be an un-released track, usually a live work tape. this week's song is fresh off the notepad, just finished yesterday. no one had heard it until today. i wrote it yesterday, gazing out of a bay window in my house, watching the snow melt off the grass. i was inspired to write about how it's easier to look outside ourselves for what we think we need instead of dealing with the internal unknown, yet fulfilling "wilderness" of our own selves. i looked this up after i wrote the song, but love definition 5. in the context of this song...enjoy.

wil·der·ness [wil-der-nis]
noun
1.
a wild and uncultivated region, as of forest or desert, uninhabited or inhabited only by wild animals; a tract of wasteland.
2.
a tract of land officially designated as such and protected by the U.S. government.
3.
any desolate tract, as of open sea.
4.
a part of a garden set apart for plants growing with unchecked luxuriance.
5.
a bewildering mass or collection.

what is 'sarah's song a week'?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:25:00 GMT

despite what some think, this is not me writing a song every week and posting it to my site...well, some weeks, like this week, it is. :) but, i have a vault of songs, new *and* old that have never been recorded, most in the form of a work tape, some as demos... in sharing one a week with you, i hope it will give you a window into some of the other tunes i write besides the ones that have been released...and maybe it will bring you closer to the creative process through your ears...whatever it may bring to you, i am glad to share. while you listen, browse my site for upcoming shows and new jewelry and ramblings about beer and food.
www.sarahsiskind.com

i'm sorry/i'm glad

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:53:24 GMT

this year is coming to an end...my year-end revue? things i'm sorry about and that i'm glad about:

i'm sorry:
- i didn't write my cookbook (yet)
- i didn't exercise more
- i let myself worry about the little things
- i didn't sit and stare at any walls
- i never went to crunk fish in nashville before moving away...

i'm glad:
- i got those rad sunglasses at the gas station i wanted
- i giggled a lot
- i followed a dream
- i discovered diatomaceaous earth
- i accepted my love of pattern socks
- i experienced npr's mountainstage
- i made ornaments

:)

all kinds of treats...

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:35:00 GMT

i spent the good part of the fall on the road, supporting my new album 'novel'. i had a blast with the novel tellers, and we are looking forward to taking part in our only local show of the tour this week at music city roots in nashville! i'm winding down my 14 years in nashville, as we plan a move to the mountains of VA this month. it's exciting, scarey, daunting, and exhillerating to take on a totally new chapter. nashville has been so good to me, but it's time to move on and explore some new opportunities. the blue ridge mountains are in my soul, and i'll be living just at the base of them...hiking will finally become a regular occurance again and i'm looking forward to a shorter commute to DC and NYC. 2012 is coming on fast and hot, and i can't wait. lots of great gigs coming as well as folk alliance, SXSW and festivals! since the fall tour, i've been up to my eyeballs creating jewelry, holiday ornaments, and more and am super psyched to have an etsy page this year! also, my holiday EP is on sale through this month - download it for just $5! i hope this year has been wonderful for all of you...and i'll remind myself and you all at the same time that 'the best cure for worry is gratitude.' :)

lyrics

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:34:46 GMT

i think about love, it's all i do, i want it now and i want it to be you...

i've been getting lots of requests for lyrics and i just want you to know that they are coming - each song lyric from 'say it louder' will be posted here on the music page shortly - thank you for your interest and patience!

it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...my first single off the forthcoming album is OUT!! lots of love went into it and i'm so excited to share... :) http://tinyurl.com/6becpy4

It's Time...

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 06:22:43 GMT

it is time -- for chocolate cake? no. for a 5K marathon? no. to make a new record? YES!

T and i subletted a house in gorgeous sunny colorado this summer where i finished writing songs for my new record. i took a modest recording setup with me and began demoing the songs to hear them fleshed out...i then fell in love with the recordings and decided to make them my next record. every note and every decision is me. it reminds me of when in was 9 years old and spent hours in my bedroom recording on my dad's 4 track recorder. melody exploration until i was exhausted. well, it has come full circle, and i again find myself with headphones on, singing about things that move me, pain me, and intrigue me. the amp is out, the piano is poised, and i got multiple drumsticks for christmas...

i cooked lots of food yesterday so that the fridge was stocked with meals. the bills are paid and the windows are theoretically shackled. i'm not coming out until this record is done. i'm so excited about these songs i can hardly stand it.

i hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. i had visions of sugarplums, jigsaw puzzles, and snow in nashville on christmas...it was all true and good and real. here's to a shiny new year.

i'll keep you posted and might even share a rough mix or two! ...and pics of feet on guitar pedals and sticks on drums...

much love,
sarah

WSM and NPR this week!

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:26:16 GMT

Hi Friends! As we all prepare for the holiday week, I want to say hello and how THANKFUL I am for this season of blessings. A couple weeks of family illness have left me looking at each day as a gift in a new way and appreciating the human spirit even more. This will be my last e-blast of the year and it's an exciting one, as I will be on WSM 650 AM Monday, Dec 20 at 9:15am CST promoting my holiday EP "All Come Together Now". You can listen online here! Then, this Wednesday, NPR's All Songs Considered is featuring my song "May Love Fall Like Snow" on their Holiday Special. If you subscribe to their podcast on iTunes, it's available now! Otherwise, it should air nationwide on Wednesday. I also still have earrings (and lyric art) for sale and they will ship 2-day with no extra charge through this Wednesday so you get them for Christmas! View here. Much love and peace, Sarah

Sept 13 - back to Nash...last song of the week

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:08:57 GMT

the transition from high altitude back to nashville which is almost sea level has been okay. i experienced a migrane from the allergic air and quite a bit of exhaustion, but all the shows and other tasks at hand have kept me distracted enough to not really notice. i've missed the constant sunshine of CO - something i got used to. i also miss the st. vrain river, but i guess the pool at the downtown Y will have to do for now. i'm overflowing with plans and ideas and songs and ideas and plans. us aries are just cursed that way. i'm writing for the new record with love. i can't wait to share it with you all. this week is the last "song of the week" and it's a new one that i'll definitely put on the new record. this is a rough recording for sure...i had a great time experimenting with percussion and on this song i feature a tower of quaker oats as my shaker. it left a dusting all over the room, but it was worth it. the best thing about september is that october is next. that means pumpkins. which if any of you remember my vlogs from last year, i am pumpkin obsessed. i made pumpkin granola the other night and i am foaming at the mouth to dot baby pumpkins around the house... i hope you are all well and feeling good. love, s

Aug 31 - not promising perfection

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:45:00 GMT

i came to lyons, colorado for 6 weeks this summer for several reasons. both T and i had festivals to play and teach at the beginning and end of the 6 week period here in co, so we thought it would be great to just stay in between. i also was ready for a change. i also wanted to write for my next record somewhere else than the 4 walls i'm used to. he was born and raised in co, so it was a no-brainer there. it's hard to believe that it's coming to an end, sealed by the amazing four corners folk festival this weekend in pagosa springs, co.

despite T having another major sporting accident and me not being able to shake this sinus infection, these weeks have been glorious in terms of writing, hiking, biking, sitting in the river, spending time with friends and discovering new food...but, internally for me, it has been a bit of a revelation. i finally got with the program and bought a mac and have been multi-track recording my new songs as i write them, on my own. it has taken me full circle back to when i was 9 and would lock myself in my room for hours, recording on my dad's 4 track machine, experimenting with harmonies, sounds and songs. of course, at that age there were no fans or audiences that were awaiting anything new from me, nor did i have any thoughts of the industry or performing outside of my kids choir i was obsessed with at the time. i was not promising perfection, i was just expressing.

this next record will technically be my 7th, and with each one, there has definitely been a journey that has gone along with it. i've grown up through each one, and gotten braver to be more and more honest. but something is going on this time - as i experiment with new chords and letting flubs go on these home recordings, i am tending to leave them instead of fixing them...they are sort of like my freckles that i always wanted to cover up and now i like...at what point do you get back to that pure place when you didn't promise perfection? not just with what you do, but with who you are?

so in a couple of days, when the car is packed and the floors of our summer rental are swept for the last time, i'll not only take with me the songs i've written here and the extra oxygen i've added to my lungs, but the hope that the continued creation of this next record is going to keep reminding me of this feeling that is feeling so right :)

Aug 2 - vulnerable

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:06:38 GMT

this summer has been spectacular so far. my honey and i are living in colorado until labor day...playing festivals, teaching workshops, and i am finishing writing for my next record (yay!) lyons, co has embraced us in it's arms like a grandmother, smiling upon us every day with sunshine and hikes and river tubing and great food. my cooking bug is in full affect and i've made so many new dishes out here with local ingredients, paired with sips off of growlers from local draft beer from oskar blues - so good! as i take this time to be creative and pensive, i am attempting to stay connected to you all by posting a song every week on my website...some are produced demos, some are bare work tapes. some are just written, some are 6 years old. i've been enjoying getting your requests and comments each week. this week i'm posting a song called "someone might let me go." it's a combination of a spiritual and a love song. all i know is that when i wrote it last year, i cried, recorded this worktape on my beloved electric guitar Larry, and then put it away and never played it again. to me, it's vulnerable and speaks of wanting connection with people, God, and nature, yet always fearing rejection. who knew. enjoy...or be sad :) either way, i'm sharing it with you for the week. i had the most moving experience teaching songwriting at rockygrass academy last week. the power of music and art blows me away every day. i am ever grateful to be blessed by this. my friend ari hest flies into lyons later this week to create with me. beside.myself.happiness.yay. until next time, sarah

July 1 - joy of farts, song a week coming, and colorado sun

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:02:02 GMT

umm, has it really been almost 3 months since i blogged? oops. that can't be right. i think about it and i have been updating my beer and food blogs! but, shucks.

anyway, i had a glorious tour overseas with paul brady and crew. i met so many wonderful new people and not only got to sing my songs for folks, but got to be a member of the paul brady band for a month. thrilling! i met glen hansard while in ireland, and got to sit in on some swell season shows - woooooohoo. holy crap, they're good.

not long after i returned back to the states, i hit the road with ari hest for a tour up the east coast. he and i had a blast sharing the stage, watching the NBA playoffs between gigs and as some of you know, listening to my i-fart app in the car over and over. making ari belly laugh is a challenge i like to rise to. :) look for more ari/sarah shows in the future.

after what has felt like 2 years of straight touring, i am going to plant my butt soundly in the earth of colorado for a while this summer. i'll be teaching songwriting at the rockygrass academy in lyons, co (yay! -- darrell scott was the teacher last year, so i have some big shoes to fill!!) then i'll be hiking, sitting, loving the sun with no humidity, and hopefully start turning some knobs on some new songs that are slowly coming together for the beginnings of a new record. so psyched. i will DEFINITELY update my food and beer blogs during this time, as there will be time for cooking and beer sampling. i will also be making lots of jewelry.

but, getting to "song a week"...i have lots of songs. 75% of which are either worktapes most people haven't heard or are demos that were recorded for reasons other than my releases..each one is like a child to me, born out of an idea, experience or melody...they are all sitting patiently on my hard drive. some of them are really rough, some are full recordings...some are 8 years old, some are 8 days old. but, every tuesday, you'll get to hear a new one on my website. not sure how long it will last. we'll see! some of you may know some of these never-released songs, so feel free to request a song post at twitter trend #sarahsongaweek if you don't follow me on twitter, do it here.

so, that's the latest in a nutshell! i'm also playing music city roots july 14! listen live from anywhere!!
love,
sarah

April 24 - European Tour: Best of/Worst of List so far...

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 22:15:00 GMT

Spring European Tour with Paul Brady:

So far...

Best Meal: Baked Cod over Organic Vegetables at French Bistro in Dublin with amazing Malbec wine.
Worst Meal: Beef Stew at a bus yard in Dublin. Our bus driver warned me to stay away, but I ate it anyway. I could only have a couple bites and it was sour. Bleh!
Best Solo/Opening Gig: Dublin-Saturday night; adrenalized that Glen Hansard was supposedly there and I would be meeting him...but he wasn't. However, now we're doing a gig together in a week and a half. :)
Best Brady Band Gig: Dublin-Saturday night. Hometurf, baby.
Worst Solo/Opening Gig: Don't remember the city, Newcastle I think, but a woman was texting on her phone during my entire set in the very front row so I could plainly see her disinterest.
Best Coffee: On the bus. Seriously. We have a fancy coffee maker that grinds and pours per cup and John buys the most amazing Italian beans. Better than anything I've had in a coffee shop for a long time.
Worst Coffee: Instant coffee, wherever. Bleh.
Best Moment: Playing traditional Irish tunes with Paul on the bus, backing him up on rhythm guitar as he played mandolin.
Worst Moment: Waking up in a 90degree bunk, drenched in sweat, the morning after I projectile vomitted in the hallway...stomach ache and fried squid don't mix.
Second Best Moment: All of my birthday, Black Velvets
Funniest Moment: Liam
Least Funniest Moment: When i thought Neil had run over Liam.

Favorite City: Cambridge, UK
Favorite Find: Black wedges
Favorite Song of the Night: Homes of Donegal

Still a week to go - we'll see!

April 13 - Audio Blog with Bonus Footage

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 21:53:37 GMT

AUDIO BLOG

April 1 - Day 1 Europe Tour - Sandyford, Ire

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:52:18 GMT

i made it! i didn't sleep well at all on the flight over...i forgot to bring my neck pillow so i couldn't quite get a good sleeping angle and the fellow next to me who ordered and drank 4 mini bottles of red wine twitched and bumped a lot. however, i arrived dublin and was driven to paul's house where after a long hot shower, i crawled in bed at 10:30am their time (4:30am my time) and proceeded to sleep until 6pm their time. so, here's to hoping i can sleep again tonight, but i think i'll be able to!

tomorrow is all day rehearsal with paul and the band and then we load onto the coach to head toward derry. more updates soon!

love,
sarah

March 30 - Vlog: Packing for Europe

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:40:00 GMT

www.youtube.com/user/larryandyolanda#p/a/u/0/saWyL70ToP4

feb 17 - people do nice things

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:55:00 GMT

so, tonight's round at the bluebird was so much fun...angaleena presley, natalie hemby, and ashley monroe are serious forces to be reckoned with in this town. SO talented...SUCH great singers, all in their own right. we had a blast.

i was blown away by the fans i met afterwards, especially these folks who both had tatoos of lyrics from my song "lovins for fools" - on one of their arms was the first chorus, on the other, the second chorus. granted, they weren't permanent tatoos, but still, they still went to all that trouble...

then, some of us went to a bar across the street afterwards and had some beers. i had had a light dinner so i was a bit hungry, and my favorite food is french fries, so i mentioned to one of the girls with us that i wanted french fries. well, it was her birthday and she was in celebratory mode, and got right up in the waitresses face to order me french fries, and when the waitress told her the kitchen was closed, she was not having any of it. she looked outside and saw that there was a mcdonald's across the street and announced that she would soon be back with fries. we were a little concerned as she rushed out the door, and walked right into the middle of hillsboro road and begun to stop traffic with one hand so that she could make it to the mcdonalds across the street.

we all watched in anticipation as she first tried to get in...no luck...then she walked up to the drive-through where there were already a couple cars in line. we chuckled as we watched her body language -- obviously explaining to anyone in earshot that her friend desperately needed french fries and that the f***ing bar where we were wouldn't serve them to us. after quite a wait, we wondered if someone had called the poice...BUT, low and behold, all of a sudden, a huge bag was handed to her through the drive-thru window, and here she came with my fries!!! (eating them along the way, of course)

so, don't forget: people do nice things.
love,
sarah

Feb 6 - coast to coast, songs and food

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 04:34:18 GMT

the day that i left nashville for this trip, we got our first real snow in 10 years. i was sad to leave it, knowing i was missing out on long gazes out of my living room window, sipping hot tea and feeling cozy in my home...but, alas, life calls. i got on the plane, and despite it sitting on the runway for an hour and half to de-ice, and therefore almost missing my connection, i eventually made it to NYC for the first part of my coast to coast trip. NY brought great things: energizing meetings, the best organic indian food i've ever tasted, lots of new songs, an uncomfortably packed show at the rockwood (ok, just uncomfortable to get on and off the stage with all those bodies), old friends, new friends, and lots of fried eggs. thanks to ari hest for saving my butt in a lodging malfunction. i can't believe i hadn't met ari before - he has one of the most amazing singing voices out there and his songs are killer. we got to write one together between/during ESPN sports center viewings and a walk to the pharmacy to pick up my antibiotics for the wicked sinus infection i caught. also, thanks to rosi golan for having me to the rockwood and for also writing a beautiful song with me. another amazing singer-songwriter you must check out! you've probably heard her singing on pantene and jc penney commercials, but check out her record - so good! i reluctantly left NY and caught the direct jetblue flight to LA...coast to coast, baby. my uncle lives here and directed me to a great car rental place that hooked me up with a dodge avenger!! a step up from the regular malibu. it's been raining the whole time, but i took advantage of it yesterday and holed myself up in a most amazing space in beachwood canyon and wrote all day. as promised, i posted one of the songs i finished yesterday called "love what's left." thank you noa for the space, the mojo and the borrowing of your guitar. had dinner last night at one of my all time favorite restaurants called "home" but cannot WAIT for a visit to cru, a restaurant that was pretty much made for me. tonight i play at the hotel cafe followed by the wonderful maia sharp! if you're in LA, come down and say hello - i play at 7. more songs and meetings to follow on this trip...plus a bike ride or two on the beach! coast to coast, baby... love, sarah

Jan 27 - new, yay, new

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:06:56 GMT

the new website is up! i hope it's easier and simpler to navigate - this marks the launch of a great year. i'll be playing shows all over, starting with NYC this weekend. looking forward to seeing familiar faces and new ones too!

lots of transition in the air, but it's good and exciting. this month has been wonderful, at home, regrouping, cooking, rearranging rooms, balancing checkbooks, doing yoga, smiling. now it's time to hit the road again.

oh, and tonight, julie lee and i will sing a couple songs at the station inn with the infamous stringdusters!!

see you soon,
love, sarah

Jan 6 - Something Strange Has Happened...

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:39:38 GMT

my office is clean. my living room is vacuumed. my toilet is scrubbed. my christmas ornaments are packed away in a labeled rubbermaid with a red lid. this is a state of existence i thought only my friend GC lived in!....(haha if you read this) in the last 2 days i've made soup, peanut sauce, salads and steamed greens, sweet potato bread, pork loin, and mac and cheese from scratch, and i don't even eat mac & cheese! (ok, my man does)

my jeans are tighter from the holidays, but my heart and mind feel at peace. i'm so hopeful about the future and tickled pink about what's to come in 2010. transitions abound, for me and my loved ones, but i trust it. everything's ok.

it's supposed to snow tonight and tomorrow in mild-ole-nashville. if we lose power, we've got candles, and my mom has a woodburning stove just 1 mile away. life is good. for the first time in a long time, i'm not worried. something strange has happened.

Dec 21 - still driving

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:28:53 GMT

as the year winds down and everyone gets their holiday shopping done, i'm driving a station wagon full of instruments and suitcases home. my last tour of the year was fun - the best part was seeing family on the way up and getting to squeeze lots of babies.

i have about 10 hours to go today from maryland to tennessee. it's a pretty drive. some things i learned on this trip/tour:

1) don't drive to boston in december. they may have a blizzard
2) toll booth attendants are very friendly - talk to them
3) 'car talk' podcasts never get old

i can't wait to not be moving in a box on a road. happy holidays everyone!! and don't forget i'm still sharing "lost worktapes" with you as a holiday gift here.

love,
sarah