News.
12.19.11 : G,NA + DAAS = TOUR
I always say that Gardening, Not Architecture was intended to be an online-only project, never 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.
If I never intended to play a show, then I certainly never intended to record a second full-length album! And that’s probably why I had no problem investing my entire life savings into recording and self-releasing the first album, “First LP,” in 2009 — followed by over a year of near-constant touring and couch surfing. I never really thought past any of that; I was doing it because it made me happy. I wasn’t concerned about album sales or record labels, so I didn’t consider the fact that maybe people would like the music and want… more.
This past summer in Seattle, where I was temporarily living and working to save money, I launched a Kickstarter campaign with the idea that if a second album was meant to be, it would make itself happen. Well, apparently it was, because it did: I surpassed my Kickstarter goal by over $1,200, and in the fall of 2011 I headed to sunny California to record “Saboteur” with Steve Choi of Rx Bandits fame. Over the course of three weeks, I completed not only a brand new G,NA album but also an incredible mental and emotional journey that reminded me of all the reasons I committed to this pursuit, this lifestyle, and these ideas. It’s not about making money and getting famous; it’s about making my own contribution to the world and getting the most out of every moment of every day.
Shortly after returning to Seattle from recording, I released my second album, “Saboteur,” on iTunes and Bandcamp. Then I put all my stuff in storage (again), got in a van (again), and hit the road (again), this time heading south for the winter on The Migration Tour with Chris Staples. Now, based in the southeast for the next few months, I am once again in gypsy mode. I have a new album and plans to tour the east coast with a full band — for the first time since the first two G,NA shows waaaay back in 2008.
This brings us to today’s announcement…
I’m so so so excited to announce that I’ll be kicking the new year off with an east coast tour alongside one of my favorite unsigned band discoveries in the past few years: Dinner And A Suit. I met these guys when we were both performing on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour, and have stayed in touch with them since. They’re one of those bands that reignites one’s faith in the underground music scene. Together we’ll be traveling from Florida up to New York and back, going as far inland as Indiana! It’s going to be one heck of a tour package, if I do say so myself!
The full list of tour dates can be found on the Events page at facebook.com/gnadaas, and at gardeningnotarchitecture.com/shows. Please RSVP to your local show, and come experience G,NA as a full band, get to know my new album, and check out one of my favorite unsigned bands Dinner And A Suit!
Love,
Sarah
11.30.11 : Dear Patterson,
We needed that.
Love,
The Migration Tour
(Full update tomorrow.)
11.29.11 : All You Can Do
The beauty of touring at this level is that you can never totally prepare for anything specific to happen. You never know who is actually going to attend the show, regardless of the numbers or names on the Facebook Event page. You never know if the club is going to lie about how much they made at the door and refuse to pay you. You never know if a promoter has actually done any promotion, hung any posters, or put any advertising toward the show until you arrive. You never know if the local headliner is going to drop off the bill the day before the show, or if the venue you’re playing is run by a restaurant, a sleezy promoter, or a hippie commune. You never know if you’re going to meet old friends for the first time in real life, or new friends who will become part of the rest of your life. You never know if you’re going to sell zero merch to a room full of people, or $50 in merch to the five people at the show. You never know if you’re going to end up at a table in Denny’s with four strangers, cracking jokes and talking about how all the trees in town were imported here 100 years ago. There’s just no way that you can ever prepare yourself, entirely, for what happens each day on tours like this. All you can do is wake up, have some coffee and breakfast with last night’s couch providers, and hit the road with some tunes and a sense of humor about all of it — even when you barely have enough in your bank accounts to fill the tank. All you can do is remember to laugh, and keep hoping that the next show will be the one that makes up for the three bad shows before it. All you can do is enjoy the changing weather and landscape speeding past your windows as you slowly crawl across the map to the next adventure.
Love,
Sarah
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
10.28.11 : New Album Update!
Check out http://tinyurl.com/GNAsaboteur for all the details about the new album, Saboteur!
Information about the digital release and a possible pre-order for a handmade physical release!
Love,
Sarah
