News.
11.28.11 : The Parachute
I’m currently on The Migration Tour with Chris Staples! Check the Shows page for upcoming dates, and click the RSVP links for Facebook Event pages for each show, or go to tinyurl.com/themigrationtour (the tour’s Facebook Page)!
My new album, “Saboteur,” came out on November 22nd on iTunes and Bandcamp, and I’m making 100 handmade, individually-personalized CDs as the first physical edition of the album! Get it now at gardeningnotarchitecture.com/saboteur!
It always takes me a few days to get back into the “tour mindset.” The transition is a whirlwind of emotions, physical and mental exhaustion, routine disruption, and a general sense of discomfort and uneasiness as I struggle and fumble to quickly create a new system and routine for daily life that makes things feel manageable. Like jumping out of an airplane and rushing to piece together some kind of parachute mid-air, out of whatever I have on me, before I hit the ground.
Taking my first shower of the tour (tonight) helped a lot.
Starting tomorrow, after the Chico show, I’m hoping that parachute will be finished and I’ll be able to start posting nightly updates for the rest of the tour!
Sweet dreams,
Sarah
05.10.11 : Update from the EIY Tour!
Here’s what I’m up to this month:
Go to www.earnityourself.com to see if I’ll be hosting an EIY meet-up in your city!
I get back to Seattle in June and I’ll be spending the next [_???_] months holed up there, writing what is bound to be the most heartbreaking collection of pop songs you’ve ever heard.
xoxo
Sarah
04.21.11 : Coachella… Someday.
One of the better things that came from all the years I spent NOT playing music, and only working on the business side of music, is the fact that all my friends from that world are now moving up the ladder and hiring people to work events and festivals. One of my closest friends who worked with me on Warped Tour now handles all the on-site sponsorship activations for Coachella, Big 4, Stagecoach, and other events. Last year and this year, she hired me to assist her at the festivals, which means spending three weeks in a vacation rental house in the desert of California, getting paid to attend these amazing festivals, and getting to witness everything that goes on behind the scenes — from catering to sponsorship, artists, security, and more. It’s always so exciting to be in the middle of a field at sunset the night before a show, watching the last touches being made on the art installations, and the lighting being tested on the stages, and everyone finishing setting up their booths in preparation for fans to arrive the next day. And then, I get to be part of the entire festival, and walk around as part of the festival, and I feel a sense of pride that I was involved in making it a success — even in some small way.
But the flip side of that coin is that it’s always hard to be a musician standing on the sidelines, watching bands take the stage and do what they love, and not be able to follow suit. It’s not that I wish all these people were cheering for me, or that I want to be admired or placed on a pedestal. It’s more that I just wish I could tell these musicians whom I respect so much, “Hey, I’m one of you, I have art that I want to share that I think you would appreciate.” It’s the feeling of recognizing where you belong, among your peers and people who have the same outlook and interests, and not being able to be one of them. Having to remain an outsider, an ugly duckling.
However, this year something was different. Last year, I was just a girl that Brianne hired to help out, who had worked on the Warped Tour in the past. Nobody had any idea that I played music, and were surprised when they found out. This year, after spending 2010 on the road — especially on the Warped Tour where so many of these behind-the-scenes individuals spend their summers — people actually assumed that I was performing at Coachella. Almost every single person I knew, saw me immediately asked, “Is Gardening, Not Architecture playing?” and they were surprised and even disappointed when I said no. I was caught off-guard every time someone asked me that, but then it dawned on me: maybe the fact that they assumed I’d be playing means that it’s not such an unrealistic possibility! Maybe there’s a chance that one or two years from now, I could actually be performing on one of these stages instead of standing off to the side, singing along, longing to do what I love most for people who love music as much as I do.
So in a strange way, working the festival this year was an inspiration for me, musically. I’ve made up my mind that someday, somehow, I will play Coachella! And it will be by my own effort, not because I asked a favor. It will be because I’ve worked hard to create decent art that gets people’s attention, and I’ll get booked for my talent and the value that I will bring to Coachella. And I’ll talk about this blog post on stage when I play. And I hope that you will be there with me.
Love,
Sarah
11.25.10 : Thankful.
This tour is over in a few days, but it’s not just the end of another tour. It’s the unofficial end of the first chapter of the Gardening, Not Architecture story. It’s been 15+ months of living out of a suitcase and pushing myself to stay on the road and keep moving forward, obsessively trying to get the music out to the world however possible. I’ve circled the United States and Canada four times now, playing over 200 shows, and I’ve managed to stay connected, to reconnect, and to connect for the first time with sooooo many people. Everyone has now seen the light wall in person. Everyone who is a fan of the music has had the chance to buy a CD or a shirt in person. Everyone who wants to keep in touch with me has given me their email address, or found me on Twitter, Facebook, and tumblr. I’ve done everything in my power to visit everyone’s hometowns, and I’ve spent every dime I had left to my name in order to do so. I have no more savings, no more back-up plans. I’ve exhausted my resources, but not before succeeding in achieving the goals I set for myself when I started this adventure… whenever that was.
Today was Thanksgiving, and I spent it at the house of a family that I met on my first G,NA tour, back in the spring of 2009. They always come to my shows when I play Northern California, and let me stay at the house, and feed me, and treat me like part of their family. I feel extremely blessed to have met them at the beginning of my travels with G,NA, and I know they’ll be part of my life for a very long time. So it was perfect that I happened to be in this part of the world on Thanksgiving, and I was able to celebrate with their family and then put on an intimate living room show after dinner for a handful of friends who came over to the house.
It’s people like this family — who have come into my life over the years because of music, and stayed with me through all the crazy projects, ideas, bands, jobs, cities, and other paths I’ve taken — that I feel especially thankful for today, on Thanksgiving. I think about how impossible it is that I’ve made it to this point without starving to death, getting stranded in the middle of the country, or ending up in jail or the loony bin, and I realize that the only way it’s been possible is because of YOU.
You, who are reading this right now because you are interested enough to visit my website. You, who have paid money to see me perform at your local venue/house. You, who have come up to me after a show and bought some merchandise, or told me that you love my music, that I should keep going, that I shouldn’t give up. You, who tell your friends to listen to the songs and burns them a CD of the album. You, who read the emails I send to the email list, or comment on the posts I make online, or tell your friends to check out my music online. You, who have let me sleep on your couch and then offered me a cup of coffee in the morning. You, who have donated your hard-earned money through the website so that I could fix my car, buy more merch, and pay for gas and food on the road. You, who believe in what I’m doing, and want to see me succeed. You, who send me encouraging emails about how you have been personally affected by the Earn It Yourself philosophy, or how the G,NA songs have moved you, or how you are inspired by the approach I’ve taken in building a career in music.
You, who are my loyal friends.
You, who are my supportive family.
You, who have been there for years, who keep coming back,
…and who I (now) know will be there forever.
One of my songs is called “Moments,” and I wrote it at a house party I threw a couple years ago, sitting on my bed at 4am thinking about whatever was going on in my life at the time. It was probably about some stupid pseudo-relationship I thought I cared about, which I’ve long since forgotten. But over the past year of touring, the song has taken on a whole new meaning for me, and I’ve begun telling people about it at the shows on this tour. Today, as I’m thinking about how thankful I am for everyone who has made it possible for me to continue moving forward, and I’m realizing how connected we all are, I want to share the song and the lyrics with you as a token of my gratitude for all that you have done for me. It’s not much, but it’s all I can afford, and it’s the closest thing to my heart that I can offer. It’s been an extremely difficult year, but incredible, beautiful, monumental and life-changing. I am as committed to you as you are to me, and no matter how trying it can be, it is worth it to me because I am able to share what I love with people that I love.
Thank you for all the moments we have shared so far. I am excited for all the moments yet to come!
RIGHT CLICK HERE to download the song “Moments” from the album First LP.
Lyrics:
Here I go again
Here we go again
We will never know
What we could have known
No matter where this takes me
No matter what this takes of me
I can see the end
I can’t change the end
But I understand
I will understand
No matter where this takes me
No matter what this takes of me
It’s better than missing these moments with you
Thank you for everything.
Happy Thanksgiving,
♥ Sarah
11.22.10 : The Volvo doesn’t want me to play Portland tonight. :(
I blew a tire outside Seattle and couldn’t make it to a tire place in time to fix it and make it to the show in Portland tonight. I’m so sorry I won’t be there! I’ll be back VERY SOON. Sooner than you think, and quite possibly much more often… You should still go see SNDTRKR tonight, though!
I’ll be in Redding tomorrow. I refuse to be deterred by a cursed car!
Love,
Sarah
