Hi folks,
I've been in Paris writing background music for a play called The Wheel of Life based on Buddhist texts and tenets. Wow, it's been a really intense couple of weeks. We rehearsed, wrote and performed the play in one week and performed it in front of 3000 people! I'd written some of the music earlier this year but hadn't yet trained the chorus.

We performed the play Brechtian-style with all of us sitting on the stage visible to all, with no entrances and exits. It was cool! The music and vox were a bit like Philip Glass or other minimalist styles of music, with repeating patterns and cycles of melodies and harmonies.

The way I write this music is I pretend I am a cello or a bass and sing a melody into my recording program or give the part to a singer or two. Then I just build on that - writing more and more parts until it's like a small orchestra of voices. I just try to make my voice sound like an instrument, like a clarinet or an oboe.

I come home to New York on Tuesday and I'm looking forward to sleeping a lot for a bit to rest up for the next project . . .

Hope all is well in your world.

xoxo Sara

Come hear me at 6 pm EST and 11 pm EST tonight, Oct. 23rd on New York Talk Radio:

www.nytalkradio.net

With the BLACK and THE JEW! And the handsome and talented Andrew Swan.

I'll be singing with them and general merry making and fighting with Tanika . . .

Friends and music makers alike, please check out how WomensRadio Music is helping me out! Please check out these links below and support them, me and indie music!

We've recently published our 2nd Episode of the WomensRadio Music Review Podcast, and have included your song, " ," which is now available here (and on iTunes):

http://sizzlinsoundz.audioacrobat.com/rss/womensradio_music_review_podcast.xml

We've also created a page on WomensRadio dedicated to promoting your music and this Podcast, which can be viewed/promoted via the following URL:

http://www.womensradio.com/content/templates/?a=3135&z=8



And keep checking out how to solve your problems with my voice:

Get Hypnotized!

Hello My Dear Ones,
Some very fun and exciting developments have begun in my life and I hope it will interest you to know about them. I'm getting ready for a show at the Kampo Cultural Center (31 Bond Street, between Lafayette and Bowery in NYC; www.kampo.com) on Saturday, Oct. 18th. I'm going to present some new more atmospheric stuff at that gig and my former guitar player will play some of her under-used instruments such as sitar and mandolin. As always I'll be singing with Ann and Jen Caruana, the beautiful singer with an opera side-gig. Alas, we won't have the harmonium on hand yet but thanks for your comments regarding how I can get a hold of one.

I'm also planning to work again with Bill Bell who used to play bass, piano, basically everything with me. I'm going to see him tomorrow night, Oct. 3rd at Banjo Jim's (www.banjojims.com) in NYC if you're interested in coming down to meet us. His set starts at 9:00 pm.

Everything is working toward some new songs and I'll be recording Hanging Man and possibly other songs on which I've been collaborating with Trebor Lloyd and Peter Ulrich. All very exciting stuff . . .

I also wanted to tell you that I am indeed, a Hypnotist. Yes, that's right: I've gotten myself an office and a Web site (www.greenwichvillagehypnosis.com) and if you'd like to learn to be more creative in your music or whatever, come and see me. I've certainly been hypnotizing myself these days. It's a good place to be (in your mind) when you're trying to write new songs!

So Autumn is coming on and it's beautiful in New York City. The air is getting cooler and it's perfect territory for getting out and about, seeing old and new friends, making music, making plans to make music. If you ever want to write to me and tell me what you're up to, please do. You can answer this question: what is my song "Cool Blue Pools" about? In my next installment of this blog/diary I will tell you. But I want to hear what you think first, okay?

Here's to wishing us all well!
Sara

I've recently been going through some old reviews and forgot that I didn't tell you about them. Check this one out! It's from Tim Cockey, the most awesome detective novelist . . .

Sara...

How fripping FANTASTIC was your set last night at the Red Lion? My god...it was what we in these parts call...perfect! You are SUCH a talented songwriter...composer...arranger..and singer. AND such a wonderful stage presence. I love your stuff. You have such a facility with the music...musically, each of your songs combine something spare/simple with something compelling/complex. They're really such unique tunes, managing to be accessible as all get out and at the same time, completely unpredictable. Completely. I love that so much. Such a treat to listen to. And then your lyrics. You've got it, babe. No question about it. I love how you write. And did I crack up with delight at the lyrics about "26th Street between 7th and 8th...BETWEEN 7TH and 8TH!!!!" I luuuuuv being on the inside.

Baseball metaphor alert: you knocked it out of the park with seeming effortlessness and evident joy. I have rarely before been so easily delighted at a music performance. How cool to know YOU.

Does anyone know where to get one in New York city? I want to make some drone sounds and sing and sing and sing. Maybe that will unlock my writing.

Are you out there?

I'm always speaking to the ethers .. . .

Are you?

Do you find it hard to write a song when someone's specifically asked you to? Wow, I find that hard. But I'm a-trying. Hey, I put "ashamed" under current mood, because I'm ashamed I've never created a blog and didn't know what one was until about a week ago. I do manage to keep up with the computer age; thinking about buying an iPhone, have a mac, etc. but I'm not good at COMMUNICATION other than email. That's why I'm a songwriter. I try to tell you things through songs because I'm too shy to do otherwise. Have you noticed that texting is all the rage now? Is this because everyone is as shy as I am? I don't even text that much, but I see the trend in my own life to get further removed from people because . . . I'm afraid?

That brings me to this week which in some ways has been the hardest week yet this year. Just a lot of emotional stuff (grief and loss) coming up. But guess what that's good for? Writing songs.

Tamara, the person responsible for helping me get out of the funk I'm in suggested I start these blogs and at first I thought I have nothing to say. But then I remembered all the inspiration I've received from other artists when they tell me these things: how hard it is to stay afloat in this music world where everything is so measured by "success" whatever that means. To me (these days) success is just being able to sing a little each day, to write a little, to acklowledge I am surrounded by loving friends and a little record company (City Canyons) which has a very big heart.

Thanks to Tamara and Trebor for getting me out the door.

Write to me if you're interested!