Otherwise it’s been about eight years since I played on a stage as part of a band. I’m curious to see how it’s going to go over for G,NA fans, especially to anyone who has seen my solo show. It will be a much different experience from the light wall, that’s for sure!

As far as the set list goes, I’ve decided to keep it simple on this tour and only perform new songs from “Saboteur.” If I’d been rehearsing with a band for a few months and playing local shows while learning and perfecting a set list of old and new songs, that would be one thing, but for now it’s all about baby steps. First I want to try out a handful of songs with a full band, then I want to decide how to handle upcoming tours for this “Saboteur” album cycle as far as live instrumentation goes, then I’ll start looking for people to work on the songs over a longer period of time, to perfect them with me and be the official touring band for G,NA. It’s definitely going to be a year of baby steps.

The Kickstarter Reward fulfillment, which has become my full-time job in lieu of an actual full-time job, is slooooowly approaching the finish line. WOW. I have definitely learned that I am a terrible judge of how much work and money goes into my ridiculous ideas for handmade merchandise. I don’t know how my brain comes up with its calculations, but I think it’s time for my brain to go to math college, because what I thought would take two months at the most and cost around $700 is actually going to end up taking closer to four months and costing closer to $1000 after all is said and done. It’s all turning out beautifully, even better than I even imagined it would, and I am glad I’m taking the time not to cut corners, but still… wow! Of course, I would never complain about my “full-time job” being handmade merchandise and art projects! I just need to get better about creating the budgets for my time and money going into this stuff. I think this is why bands have managers and accountants.

Currently, of the Kickstarter Rewards, I have sent out:

- all of the digital download packs
- all of the free downloads of the new album
- all of the photozines
- all but five of the posters
- all but twelve of the handmade shirts
- none of the instrumental or collected demos CDs

I’m so close to finishing the shirts, and when I get back from this east coast tour I’m hoping I’ll have enough money to finish up the instrumental and collected demos CDs and get those out.

During October and November, while I was just getting into the designing, planning, ordering, and making of the Kickstarter Rewards, I also mixed, mastered, designed, promoted, and released my second full-length album: “Saboteur.” I hosted a listening party for the album at Liberty Bar in Seattle, which I streamed online via Ustream, on November 21st. The album came out on Bandcamp and iTunes on November 22nd, and soon after I began taking pre-orders for the limited handmade CD version of the album.

Meanwhile, during the month of November, I was also selling and packing my things in preparation for my cross-country “migration” tour and temporary(?) move to Florida, which kicked off in Seattle on November 25th and ended in Pensacola on December 10th.

Just writing that paragraph made me sweat; I really do wonder sometimes if I might be addicted to stress.

Anyway, now I’ve been in hibernation and recovery for a little over a month. Although, it hasn’t been either, really, since I’ve been spending this time finishing up the cutting, folding, sewing, signing, numbering, bleaching, folding, packing, addressing, and shipping of the handmade “Saboteur” CDs and the handmade G,NA shirts for the Kickstarters. Still, I’ve managed to find time to visit family for the holidays, go to the beach, and even watch a few movies on Netflix. I’ve gotten the bulk of the handmade stuff done and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, which is the point at which I could very easily get nice and comfortable and never leave the house again.

So it’s a damn good thing that I’m getting back out on the road, even if it’s just for a short while. Heaven forbid that I relax!

And even though I tell myself that once I get done with the tour, and send off the last of the “Saboteur” CDs and Kickstarter Rewards, I’ll finally slow down, take some time to recoup and maybe settle in for a few months — I know it’s a lie. For example, I recently launched an Etsy shop that I have several ideas for, and I’m already trying to figure out the goals for the Earn It Yourself community in 2012 — particularly our involvement with this year’s Vans Warped Tour, which would be our fourth or fifth year working with the tour in some capacity. There’s also talk of teaming up with Chris Staples on another tour in the spring, perhaps collaborating with him on some songs, and I’m already trying to decide when the next G,NA full (or partial) band will hit the road again this year.

The icing on the cake is that I will be working the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals again this year, for my third year in a row as an on-site sponsorship coordinator. I love working in the heat and sun of the California desert for a month each year, and it’s also a sort of family reunion for me, since many of the people who work those festivals have also worked the Warped Tour and other events that I have worked in the past. Not to mention that it’s a solid paycheck that will allow me some breathing room over the summer to continue working on the projects I enjoy.

So while I have some idea of how the first half of this year will go, I still don’t really know what to expect. I feel good about the fact that I am still afloat, by some miracle, still living this artist/Bohemian lifestyle one month into the third year of doing so. But there are a lot of holes, and the water is filling up the boat. At the end of 2012 there is a fork in the road — one that I put there for myself in the beginning of 2009. I told myself that I would dive in whole-heartedly and swim as fast and far as I could, but that by the end of 2012, if I couldn’t keep swimming, I’d do what was necessary not to sink.

Tomorrow I leave for Nashville with $65 to my name. I’m taking a box of Clif bars and Cup-O-Noodles with me for the week before we get to the first show in Richmond. We had to take a rain check on the Myrtle Beach show because it would be financial suicide to drive from Nashville 580 miles with no show on the way there to help pay for the gas. I’m hoping beyond hope that Richmond comes out and enjoys the show, so we can continue on to the next show, and the next, and complete the tour we’ve all been working on so hard these past couple months — myself, my booking agent, and Dinner And A Suit. It’s amazing how much time and work goes into these things, with so little financial return. But we all do it because we love it. We love the music, the challenge, the ideas, and collaborating with like-minded people to tackle problems and find solutions. It’s a feeling that can’t be bought, sold, or simulated. If only that feeling could also feed me and pay my bills…

For now, I keep moving forward. Keep putting the music out there in the hopes that new people will discover it and like it. Keep collaborating with people on ideas and keep trying to do and make good things. I see lights at ends of tunnels and forks at ends of roads, and both are reasons not to give up.

I’ll end this update with a request for help from you, the reader, in spreading the word about the shows I have coming up and the new (and old) music I have available for pennies on Bandcamp and iTunes. Even if you yourself can’t be at a show, or can’t afford to buy a song or an album, just the act of talking about it to friends and relatives could mean another ticket or download sold! Thank you in advance, and in retrospect, and in every moment, for taking the time to care about Gardening, Not Architecture as much as I do.

Love,
Sarah

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

Information about the digital release and a possible pre-order for a handmade physical release!

Love,
Sarah

Kickstarter Blog for my studio journal, photos, videos, album details: CLICK HERE (or donate here to claim a leftover reward from the fundraiser, and get the Kickstarter blog sent to your email)

tumblr Blog for photos, quotes, G,NA inspiration music, and baby animal pics: sarahsaturday.tumblr.com (I will follow you back!)

Facebook Page for photos, status updates, links, etc: facebook.com/gardeningnotarchitecture

Twitter Profiles (links and tweets): @GNAtweets (strictly G,NA-related, and I will follow you back!) and/or @sarahsaturday (my personal profile, general randomness)

So much has already unfolded in the first five days in the studio, and we only just started tracking today! I’m trying my best to keep everyone updated while also focusing on doing my job here, so please connect with me through one (or all) of those outlets! I don’t want you to miss anything!

Thank you to everyone who donated and continues to donate to the making of my second album. I am moved beyond words and so excited to deliver these songs to the world.

Love,
Sarah

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THE SECOND G,NA ALBUM POSSIBLE!

Read the update I posted today on the Kickstarter blog (also on my personal blog) in celebration of reaching my Kickstarter goal!

I want to make sure you know that where the Kickstarter leaves off, my own DONATION PAGE will pick up tonight! There were a lot of unclaimed rewards that will be moved over to my own website, where you’ll be able to claim them for the same amount! This will be the physical merchandise only (limited editions shirts, posters, and CDs), along with pre-orders for the new album.

Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so invested in G,NA. Please read my love letter in the Kickstarter blog, because it’s a gushy one!

♥ Sarah

When you donate to this fundraiser, you are getting something of actual value in return. There are several “rewards” to choose from, each with a different pricetag, and you can pick what you want to get in exchange for your donation! This is a lot like the fundraisers I have done on my own website in the past, but having the Kickstarter name behind it (and the platform for accepting donations) is (hopefully) lending it some extra credibility — although, if things go well this time around, I might just stick with my own DIY fundraisers in the future and keep that ~10% that Kickstarter ends up taking in the end.

To see the list of rewards, visit the page HERE!

At the bottom of that list of rewards is my Dream Amount of $10,000. If I can hit that amount, then every single person who donated to the Kickstarter — no matter the amount they donated — will get the new album on exclusive, limited to the Kickstarter Backers only, custom vinyl with their names in the liner notes and one-of-a-kind album artwork!

It’s only taken a little over three weeks to raise 81% of the $5,000, but there is still $940 left to raise, with less than 27 days left to go — and even more if I want to really go for it and try to hit that Dream Amount! I know that times are tough, and not everyone can donate money, so I came up with another way that friends and supporters can help me reach not only my set asking amount, but maybe even my Dream Amount (and get yourselves some one-of-a-kind vinyl in the process)! Here’s a list of ways you can get involved with the G,NA Kickstarter, and help raise funds even if you have already donated as much as you can, and even if you can’t pledge any amount of money yourself!

TEN WAYS TO DONATE TO THE G,NA KICKSTARTER WITHOUT SPENDING MONEY

1. Burn copies of the G,NA album and make your own sleeves/inserts about G,NA and the Kickstarter campaign, with the information and URLs, and give them out at a show or leave them at your local record store!

2. @Mention Kickstarter on Twitter (http://twitter.com/kickstarter) and tell them to feature the G,NA project on their home page!

3. Go to my Vimeo profile and grab the link or embed code for the Kickstarter video, then post the video on Facebook, tumblr, Twitter, your own blog, or anywhere else you can think to put it!

4. Send an email to your friends and family who might be into the music, and ask them to pledge on your behalf. People can pledge as little as $1 and they will get access to the Kickstarter blog, and their name will be permanently listed as an Official Sponsor on the G,NA website!

5. Create your own video testimonial and post it on your Facebook or tumblr, and email it to me (sarah at gardeningnotarchitecture dot com) so I can post it in the Kickstarter blog!

6. Click the Like, Tweet, or Embed links under the featured video on the campaign page, and copy the shortened page URL to repost it on your own profiles: http://kck.st/oR2Cxi

7. Email your favorite music blogs and ask them to check out G,NA and the Kickstarter campaign!

8. Make your own flyers with a photo of G,NA and the URL for the Kickstarter page, and personalize it with your own explanation for what the music is and what the fundraiser is for, and hand these out at a show or leave them at a record store, clothing store, book store, etc.

***9. Encourage people to buy the first G,NA album on iTunes and from my online store at http://www.gardeningnotarchitecture.com/shop! Getting the music out there and building the G,NA fanbase are just as important as raising funds for a Kickstarter campaign! Every past album that sells helps me pay for future albums to be made!

***10. Post the link to my own personal Donation page on the G,NA website (http://www.gardeningnotarchitecture.com/contact/donate)! I use Paypal, and you can donate any amount of money you want, and you’ll get listed as an Official Sponsor on my website. Some people (including you?) may prefer to donate through Paypal rather than set up an account on Kickstarter — and this way, I get to keep 100% of the donation instead of paying a percentage to Kickstarter and fees to Amazon at the end of the campaign! Furthermore, even after the Kickstarter has ended (in 27 days), I can still continue to accept donations through my website for recording and touring. So getting the word out about my Donation page is a HUGE help, now and for the future of G,NA!

Hopefully this list inspires people to get creative and help spread the word about Gardening, Not Architecture! All I need is 250 people to pledge $25 each and everyone will get exclusive vinyl!

♥ ♥ ♥
Sarah

P.S. In the time it took me to put this post together, someone donated another $50 to the Kickstarter! AMAZING!

I can’t thank you all enough for taking the time over a holiday weekend, and on such short notice, to put these thoughtful, encouraging, funny, and endearing videos together to help me with my Kickstarter campaign. I know for sure that your testimonials are going to help make my fundraiser more interesting, honest, and worth people’s investment.

For those of you who still wanted to send videos (or who are just finding out about this now, and wish you had known beforehand), I may still accept videos through the Kickstarter page as one of the “rewards,” and use them in the daily journal I’ll be keeping there with updates about the songwriting process and preparing to go into the studio with the one and only Steve Choi from Rx Bandits. (Click that link to read a great recent interview with Steve on AVClub.com.)

I always say that this project was never intended to play a single show, and that’s true. Everything that has happened since I posted “The First EP” online for free in 2007 has happened in answer to a call from people who believed in the music, the idea, and in me. Asking people to submit videos for a Kickstarter campaign is another example of how you have helped keep the momentum going. I didn’t know what to expect, but I put it out there, and you responded with enthusiasm and energy and encouragement.

So today, while Derek puts the finishing touches on the video in Los Angeles, I’ll be putting the finishing touches on the Kickstarter page in Seattle, and hopefully I’ll get the green light from them to launch (you have to submit your proposal to Kickstarter so they can make sure it’s legit before you start asking the world for money), so that I can get this crazy campaign up and running! Stay tuned to Twitter, Facebook, or tumblr, or check back here later tonight to see the status of the launch! It may not be able to go up until tomorrow (Saturday), but it’s on its way!

Thank you for growing this garden with me…
♥ Sarah

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

I’m sure that any of my friends or family or even people I haven’t met yet, who follow G,NA, have already heard me talk about EIY or have seen me post links and information online. If you don’t know what it is, please check it out and let me know what you think: earnityourself.com/about

EIY is a philosophy with the potential for a bunch of applications in the real world, from advice columns, to zines, books, record labels, management companies, motivational speaking, seminars, tours, and an interactive website where like-minded people can find each other and work together. So far, I’ve only really managed to check off a few things from that list. Last summer, while I was out on the Warped Tour performing on the Kevin Says Stage each day, I was also running “scene meet-ups” backstage every day with the founder of the tour, Kevin Lyman, and other special guests along the way. The purpose for the meet-ups was to give young music lovers a chance to get some free insight and advice from people who have been working in music their whole lives. The meet-ups were a huge success, and Kevin asked me to put together an EIY spring promotional tour that would visit most of the regions that Warped will be hitting this summer, to host meet-ups and give people the chance to volunteer for the street team. We also tacked on a “local band showcase” at each tour date, where bands will perform for a chance to play their local “EIY Spot” on the Kevin Says Stage this summer. It’s a really fun, innovative tour idea and I’m super excited about it!

Read all about the “EIY Spring (Into Action) Tour” here: earnityourself.com/the-vans-warped-tour-presents

Tour dates so far include:
05.05: Las Vegas, NV @ Royal House [ RSVP ]
05.06: Mesa, AZ @ The Underground [ RSVP ]
05.10: Austin, TX @ Emo’s [ RSVP ]
05.12: Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves [ RSVP ]
05.15: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue [ RSVP ]
05.17: Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club [ RSVP ]
05.18: Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop [ RSVP ]
05.19: Lansing, MI @ The Loft [ RSVP ]
05.20: Indianapolis, IN @ Hoosier Dome [ RSVP ]
05.21: Pittsburgh, PA @ The Smiling Moose [ RSVP ]
05.23: New York, NY @ TBA [ RSVP ]
05.24: Baltimore, MD @ The Ottobar [ RSVP ]
05.25: Virginia Beach, VA @ Skate High [ RSVP ]
05.26: Charlotte, NC @ The Evening Muse [ RSVP ]
05.31: Lake Worth, FL @ Propaganda [ RSVP ]
06.02: Orlando, FL @ The Social [ RSVP ]
06.03: Marietta, GA @ Swayze’s Venue [ RSVP ]

(…more to be confirmed…)

EIY has been around a little bit longer than G,NA, and has been a huge part of the foundation of G,NA. I’ll be focusing a lot more on EIY this year, but I’ll still be working on my ideas and songs for the next phase of G,NA. I’d love to see you at one of the meet-ups or showcases on this tour if you can make it!

*Quick G,NA Updates:

- I’ve been invited to sing some guest vocals on Southerly’s‘s new album! I head in to the studio on March 20th.

- I’m teaming up with Layer23 to work on a split 7″ with an exclusive G,NA track! Hoping to announce a tentative release date soon.

- New interview up, all about future plans for G,NA: http://ruldope.com/post/3749939927/interview-sarah-saturday-from-gardening-not

- In case you missed it, Independently Yours recently posted an interview we did back on the fall tour, in Nampa!

- Make sure you’re on the Email List for other stuff, free stuff, new stuff, more stuff, etc!

Love you all,
Sarah ♥

Not even three days into the tour, I had to buy two new tires for the car, because the alignment was so far off. Interesting, since the Volvo place in Glendale was supposed to have fixed the problem. I was told I couldn’t get the alignment at the tire place, because one of the axles needed to be checked out first (also something that was supposed to have been fixed in Glendale), but that it probably shouldn’t affect the tires too much and I should make it through the rest of the tour.

Five days later, I was back at a Volvo mechanic, this time in Oklahoma. Turns out the other two tires had been worn down to the wire and needed to be replaced. They said that now that I had four brand new tires on the car, it should be fine for the rest of the tour.

Eighteen days went by, and I was just starting to believe what everyone had said about the Volvo making it through the tour, when the car suddenly died going over a bridge in Poughkeepsie. Thankfully, I had a couple days off and AAA towed it to a guy who squeezed me in the next day. The fuel pump had gone out, and it was a $500 repair. But the mechanic said that the car should make it to the end of the tour.

By the time the tie rod went out on November 19th, I had grown tired and embarrassed of posting updates about the car, which I had now deemed Cursed, and I only let on that something else had happened via Foursquare and Twitter. You probably missed that, but it was another $200 — after another two or four new tires since the last ones — and I was back on the road, almost done with the tour. By now, I was sure the car would make it to the end of the tour!

But two days later, the Volvo struck again: blowing a tire as I was leaving Seattle to head south. This was about the time I realized — or rather, was forced to admit — that this car was a complete disaster, and that driving it one more inch was out of the question. A knight in shining armor showed up and let me borrow his mighty steed for the remainder of the tour. And so, I was temporarily rescued from the Curse of the Volvo. And I did, in fact, make it to the end of the tour.

That doesn’t mean that the Curse of the Volvo stopped there, though!

While sitting in a parking spot in Seattle waiting for me to finish my tour and return to deal with it — and with four brand new (now-insured) tires on it — the Volvo got a flat tire three days after I headed south in a borrowed car. I returned to Seattle after the tour and had it towed, had the tire fixed, and then drove it back to where I was staying.

Next day: flat tire again. Towed it again. Fixed it again. And this time, I parked it way out on the outskirts of town, so I could forget about it through the holidays.

There it sat, for over a month, quietly plotting its next Kamikaze attempt…

In January, it was time to move the Volvo to the street by my new Seattle apartment so I could clean it up and try to sell it. My brother went with me to help, and thank goodness he did, because the battery in the car was so dead that when I tried to start it that it didn’t even pretend to do anything. Just… DEAD. But at least the tires were still all inflated! I called AAA and got a jump, then managed to move it to the street by my place. The first words out of my brother’s mouth after he drove it across town for me?: “You need to sell this car.”

So, fast forward to this past week: I finally got the listing together and posted it to Craigslist. I had put over $4,000 into the car (not including the cost to purchase it), so I figured I’d start at $2,500 and take whatever offer I got. Emails started to roll in, and I scheduled my first showing for today, Sunday, February 20th. What could go wrong?

Thursday afternoon: I go to check on the car and make sure nothing of value was left inside, and discover that the same tire that had gone flat over and over again back in December, was now flat again. Brand new tire, maybe five miles on it, flat. AAA tows it to Firestone for me, and while following the tow truck I realize that the driver side mirror is missing from the car. Drop it off, call to check on it on Saturday and am told that it will be $200 to fix the mirror — plus, the battery is dead and needs to be replaced for an additional $100. The tire, which is insured, will still cost $9 for some kind of disposal fee. I have $7 in my checking account.

Sunday morning: today was the day. I was finally going to begin the process of relieving myself of the Cursed Volvo. I decide to walk the two miles to the Firestone, and bring my dog to enjoy the sunshine. If these people don’t want the car, I can park it again and show it to the two other people who have emailed about it. But either way, it’s almost out of my life for good. I’m feeling positive, like maybe I’m really going to make some of my money back and get rid of this thing that has brought so much suffering into my life. I get to the Firestone place and explain my situation and history with the car, and they waive the $9 fee for the new tire, and charge up the battery for me. I’m feeling even more positive. Maybe the Curse is gone! The couple shows up to test drive it, and I think, “Ah, what the heck, I’ll just let them take it out for a spin by themselves, while I wait here.”

I’m waiting in the lobby of the Firestone, laughing to myself about how I wouldn’t even be bummed if these people never come back with the car. Ten minutes go by, and I start to become hopeful. I picture the couple cruising down the highway with the windows down, talking about how they can fix up the car to make it their own. I let myself feel a tiny sense of relief, and try to see the car in a positive light. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

Twenty minutes go by. Now I’m thinking, “Okay well they must be REALLY happy with it if they’re on such a long drive. There’s no way anything bad could possibly happen.”

We’re nearing the thirty-minute mark, when suddenly my phone rings: “Hello? This is Joe*. The guy with your car. I’m on the side of the road. The car started filling up with smoke on the inside when we took it on the freeway and now we are on the on-ramp and there is a cop pulling up and I don’t know what to do. Please get here as fast as you can.”

What? What? WHAT?! I’m trying to piece together what is happening, while this poor stranger is on the side of the highway with the Volvo, talking to a cop and a tow truck driver, and his wife is walking back to the Firestone to get their car. My heart practically stops, my stomach turns into a knot, and I immediately start sweating. I ask the Firestone guys to give me a ride. The can’t. I go outside to start running to the on-ramp — with my dog, who is totally unnerved by everything that’s going on — and I see this guy’s wife walking towards me. I apologize profusely as she gives me a ride to the car, which is now hooked up to a tow truck on a median between an on-ramp and the fast lane on the 5S a couple blocks from the Firestone. We get to the car and the poor guy is wild-eyed and filled with fear and distress. I don’t even now what to say.

Suddenly, the life of the Volvo flashes before my eyes: the moment I saw it for the first time, the week I spent with it in the shop in Glendale, all the tire shops around the country, the Firestones and Les Schwabs, the invoices, the people who gave me rides, the AAA drivers, the mechanics, every single item that I put in the mail and sent out to people who had donated to the tour fundraiser, the realization that I needed to leave it in Seattle, the decision to get rid of it and repay the loan that bought the car in the first place, and now this moment — this inexplicable moment with a group of strangers on a Sunday evening in the middle of an interstate in Seattle. And it all comes into focus, and makes perfect sense, and I wish to God I could share the vision with these people, so they can see it and understand the moment for what it is: an impromptu funeral. I can only hope that all of use, not just me, needed to be released from some kind of Curse today.

-FIN-

[The Volvo was impounded and I was given a ride home by the very empathetic officer, who enjoyed listening to the Tale of the Cursed Volvo while we drove. Obviously, I have decided just to sign over the lease to the towing place in the morning, and be done with the car once and for all. I hope they crush it and burn it and send the ashes into outer space, where the curse can get sucked into a black hole or be rejoined with the Dark Matter from which it came.]

*His name wasn’t really Joe, obviously.