tag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:/blogs/news?p=10News2024-02-18T15:13:05+00:00Sarah McQuaidfalsetag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/73532872024-02-18T15:13:05+00:002024-02-18T15:13:05+00:00UK & Ireland Tour Dates Announced<p>Looking forward not only to my February-March Germany and Netherlands tour starting this week but also to my Ireland and UK tours later this spring! See the <a class="no-pjax" href="/tour" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Tour">Tour</a> page for newsletter signup and info/ticket links for all shows. I’d be very grateful for any help getting the word out about the tour, and please buy tickets in advance if you can. Thank you so much!</p><p>Also, please do let me know of any music venues, churches, arts/community centres or house concert hosts in your area who might want to book me in future — I’m still booking dates for forthcoming tours in the USA, UK, Ireland and continental Europe. Hope to see you down the road ….</p><figure class="table"><table><tbody><tr>
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</tr></tbody></table></figure>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/73448032024-02-02T19:24:03+00:002024-02-02T19:35:08+00:00Germany & Netherlands Tour Dates Announced<p><span>Looking forward to my February-March Germany and Netherlands tour starting later this month! See the </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/tour" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Tour"><span>Tour</span></a><span> page for newsletter signup and info/ticket links for all shows. I’d be very grateful for any help getting the word out about the tour, and please buy tickets in advance if you can. Thank you so much!</span></p><figure class="table" style="width:100%;"><table><tbody><tr>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/71096a9ddd37a6195e86bafff83b88ab6c902ee8/original/img-1985.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
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</tr></tbody></table></figure>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/73348492024-01-16T18:10:41+00:002024-01-16T18:14:52+00:00“And then there were none.”<p>“And then there were none.” Three days ago we dropped our youngest off at the train station in Penzance for his return to the University of Essex — which makes us empty nesters once again, said child’s older brother having headed back up to the University of Durham a week earlier. It’s been lovely having them both home over the Christmas holidays, and I’m so grateful that they’ve been able to grow up in this beautiful part of the world; they were 2 and 4 years old, respectively, when we moved to Cornwall, and they’re 18 and 20 now. Here are a few of my favourite photos from the walks we’ve taken together over the past few weeks — see my <a class="no-pjax" href="https://instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Instagram</a> page for lots more:</p><figure class="table" style="width:100%;"><table><tbody><tr>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/374c696c18bff707275ff2fe7125e5467b33cade/original/125acb1f-1249-49f7-8eac-997effedcf90.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/657aa41a1a492d15d722768637dd21f494a842d4/original/60e1ecc6-881f-4fe6-8d59-270bfea185cd.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
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</tr></tbody></table></figure><p>I’d had a solo train journey of my own at the start of this new year, travelling up to North Cornwall to do some recording with my wonderful manager and sound engineer <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Martin Stansbury</a><span> and the equally wonderful Roger Luxton (who played drums and percussion on my album </span><i>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</i><span>) of </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.instagram.com/goatboy.music" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Goatboy Studio</a><span>.</span></p><p>Martin is mixing and mastering a forthcoming new album by the every bit as wonderful Ohio-based singer-songwriter <a class="no-pjax" href="https://madewellmusic.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Steve Madewell</a>, whom I’d met way back in 2010 when he was my support act at a gig in Pittsburgh on one of my first US tours – since then we’ve become great friends; he and his wife Mary Jo (yeah, you guessed it, she’s wonderful too!) have hosted myself and Martin many times at their beautiful home, and I was delighted to get the chance to reciprocate when they visited me in Cornwall a few years ago.</p><p>Anyway, as I was about to say before I got sidetracked, Martin had asked both me and Roger to add a few finishing touches to Steve’s album, so I took advantage of the occasion to get Roger to have a little jam with me on one of two live tracks I recorded for <a class="no-pjax" href="https://tombrosseau.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Tom Brosseau</a>’s <a class="no-pjax" href="https://news.prairiepublic.org/podcast/the-great-american-folk-show" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">The Great American Folk Show</a> on <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.prairiepublic.org/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Prairie Public Radio</a> — so nice to be invited back to guest on the show for the second time! The two tracks, plus a bit of nattering from me, will be broadcast this coming Saturday at 5pm Central time — click <a class="no-pjax" href="https://radiobookmark.com/listener-interactive/webplayer/#/fullscreen/station/Fc6yEw9PkL2ZANvC" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">here</a> to listen live or <a class="no-pjax" href="https://news.prairiepublic.org/podcast/the-great-american-folk-show" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">here</a> to catch up on the podcast afterwards.</p><figure class="table" style="width:100%;"><table><tbody><tr>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/d0983b24f160837aeb48d55ed4642cb12956dbcb/original/img-1975.webp/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/aed9612105ef968039075803bf4b6ad3949b6421/original/img-1976.webp/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/9667e77129eea0c6dbe44ea618422c56c94f1004/original/img-1977.webp/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
</tr></tbody></table></figure><p><span>In other news, I’m deeply honoured to be part of </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://bertjanschfoundation1.bandcamp.com/album/80-plays-for-bert-volume-1" rel="nofollow ugc noopener"><i>80 Plays For Bert, Volume 1</i></a><span>, a fantastic compilation album released on December 20th and now available to purchase for download via Bandcamp, curated by Sam Grassie for the </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://bertjanschfoundation.org/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Bert Jansch Foundation</a><span href="https://80plays.bertjanschfoundation.org/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Around The World in 80 Plays project. Huge thanks to Sam and to the Foundation’s Geraldine Auerbach for all their kindness and support, as well as to the aforementioned Martin who recorded my contribution (“When A Man’s In Love”) live in St Buryan Church. Other artists featured on the album include Sam, Dariush Kanani, Charlie McKeon, Robin Adams, John Chandler, Avocet, Ben Walker, Campbell Baum, Naima Bock, Avice Caro, Johnson Hogg and Mike Walker. Check it out here:</span></p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://bertjanschfoundation1.bandcamp.com/album/80-plays-for-bert-volume-1" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><u>https://bertjanschfoundation1.bandcamp.com/album/80-plays-for-bert-volume-1</u></a></p><p>And here’s a screenshot of (and link to) my page on the project website, where you can watch the original video Martin and I made for it:</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://80plays.bertjanschfoundation.org/the-artists/sarah-mcquaid/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/a43bde83972778654e3644930240040d88aaf74f/original/img-1970.webp/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p><p>Meanwhile I’m rehearsing like crazy for a short run of UK gigs starting this Friday with a hometown show at the Acorn here in Penzance! I’m also still in the process of booking gigs for the rest of this year in the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and USA as well as UK — if you’d like to get notifications about shows near you, the best way to do that is to follow me on <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.bandsintown.com/a/213050-sarah-mcquaid" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Bandsintown</a>. Also please do let me know if there are any venues, community halls, churches or house concert presenters that you’d recommend I contact.</p><figure class="table" style="width:70%;"><table><tbody><tr>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/95a5ba0fd9b397be2ad3ddbf6e0e2970b4730c0b/original/img-1978.webp/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
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</tr></tbody></table></figure><p>Hope to see you down the road! Thank you so much for your support.</p><p>All the best,</p><p>Sarah</p><p style="text-align:center;"><a class="no-pjax" href="https://sarahmcquaid.substack.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Click here to subscribe to my newsletters on Substack</a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/73228552023-12-22T16:23:09+00:002024-01-16T17:15:46+00:0080 Plays For Bert, Volume 1<figure class="table" style="width:70%;"><table><tbody><tr>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/0ab63f94d747d9071d057af0a7342faf212c6da4/original/img-5902.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/3af493e3423cea6ddab8d24ca431b7a700bdb235/original/img-5898.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
</tr></tbody></table></figure><p>I’m deeply honoured to be part of <a class="no-pjax" href="https://bertjanschfoundation1.bandcamp.com/album/80-plays-for-bert-volume-1" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><i>80 Plays For Bert, Volume 1</i></a>, a fantastic new compilation album that’s now available to purchase for download via Bandcamp, curated by Sam Grassie for the <a class="no-pjax" href="https://bertjanschfoundation.org" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Bert Jansch Foundation</a>’s <a class="no-pjax" href="https://80plays.bertjanschfoundation.org" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Around The World in 80 Plays</a> project. Huge thanks to Sam and to the Foundation’s Geraldine Auerbach for all their kindness and support, as well as to the wonderful Martin Stansbury of <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Cacophony Cottage</a> who recorded my contribution (“When A Man’s In Love”) live in St Buryan Church. Other artists featured on the album include Sam, Dariush Kanani, Charlie McKeon, Robin Adams, John Chandler, Avocet, Ben Walker, Campbell Baum, Naima Bock, Avice Caro, Johnson Hogg and Mike Walker. Check it out here:</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://bertjanschfoundation1.bandcamp.com/album/80-plays-for-bert-volume-1" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">https://bertjanschfoundation1.bandcamp.com/album/80-plays-for-bert-volume-1</a></p><p>And here’s a screenshot of (and link to) my page on the project website, where you can watch the original video Martin and I made for it:</p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://80plays.bertjanschfoundation.org/the-artists/sarah-mcquaid/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">https://80plays.bertjanschfoundation.org/the-artists/sarah-mcquaid</a></p><p><a class="no-pjax" href="https://80plays.bertjanschfoundation.org/the-artists/sarah-mcquaid/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/e355c95d226de21b74f542b552f577d662cc3dd9/original/80-plays-sarah-mcquaid.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/73348152023-11-02T17:00:00+00:002024-01-16T17:15:46+00:00Autumn leaves ....<p><span style="color:rgb(101,83,61);">What a joy to be back on tour in the USA again for the first time in four years, and to see the kind of autumn colour that New England does so well. Here are just a few photos — see my </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Instagram</a><span style="color:rgb(101,83,61);"> page for lots more:</span></p><figure class="table" style="width:100%;"><table><tbody><tr>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/a3e37bdab195ed14122a300a2a215ae8478ff55c/original/img-1973.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/590468b430512b9cddcc9fa94419b1254f172889/original/img-1972.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/a911a24cd6a540d4d6e07eb0f1243722c89bb4bb/original/img-1971.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
</tr></tbody></table></figure><p><span style="color:rgb(101,83,61);">Speaking of autumn leaves, one of the many highlights of the tour for me was getting the chance to appear on </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://marthabassettshow.com/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">The Martha Bassett Show</a><a class="no-pjax" href="https://marthabassettshow.com/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">,</a><span style="color:rgb(101,83,61);"> a fantastic concert series hosted by an absolutely brilliant singer, songwriter and guitarist called, you guessed it, Martha Bassett, at the historic Reeves Theater in Elkin, North Carolina and recorded for broadcast on 88.5 WFDD Public Radio. The show’s house band — Martha herself and Sarah Howell-Miller on backing vocals, Ben Singer on Hammond B-3, Russell Kelly on electric guitar, show producer Pat Lawrence on double bass, DaShawn Hickman on pedal steel and Rex McGee on fiddle — joined me when I performed “Autumn Leaves”, and what a thrill it was! Thanks so much to the show’s staff photographer Sam Schumacher (</span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.steelstringphotography.com/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Steel String Photography</a><span style="color:rgb(101,83,61);">) for this wonderful photo of me onstage:</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(101,83,61);"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/ce53de9ea158af93861813b0963dd4d323aa93fe/original/sarah-mcquaid-2023-photo-by-sam-schumacher.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(101,83,61);">Having been home now for just over a week, I’m about to set off on the road again — the first gig of my 23-show November-December UK tour is tonight — so I’m busily printing out download code letters and tucking them into my </span><i>St Buryan Sessions</i><span style="color:rgb(101,83,61);"> double LP sleeves, ready for the merch table ... and by the way, it’s Bandcamp Friday tomorrow, when Bandcamp waives its fees to help artists impacted by the pandemic — so if you can’t get to any of my upcoming shows and have been wanting to buy an LP, CD or other merch from me (or anyone else for that matter), tomorrow would be a really good day to do it! Visit </span><a class="no-pjax" href="https://isitbandcampfriday.com/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">isitbandcampfriday</a><span style="color:rgb(101,83,61);"> to check when it starts in your local time zone.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(101,83,61);"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/6b02248db3878c903e7678680af645ed52425a02/original/img-1974.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></span></p><p><span>Keep an eye on </span><a class="no-pjax" href="/tour" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Tour">the Tour page of my website</a><span> for updated information and ticket sales links for all my shows including the UK in November-December and January, the EU in February-March, Ireland in April-May and the USA again next autumn …. and please buy tickets in advance if you possibly can.</span></p><p>Hope to see you down the road!</p><p>All the best,</p><p>Sarah</p><p style="text-align:center;"><a class="no-pjax" href="https://sarahmcquaid.substack.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Click here to subscribe to my newsletters on Substack</a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/72721042023-08-25T16:00:00+01:002023-12-22T16:02:58+00:00Digging deeper ... and heading out on the road<p>Hello there! You may notice that this newsletter looks a little different from previous ones and is coming to you from sarahmcquaid@substack.com rather than my old newsletter@sarahmcquaid.com address. That’s because from here on out I’ll be using the Substack platform to send my newsletters, which will save me a big chunk of money (always a good thing!).</p><p>Unfortunately Substack doesn’t offer the same degree of segmentation as the mailing list platform I was using previously, so I’m no longer able to offer you the option of only receiving newsletters that include tour dates in your part of the world. If you like, you could follow me on <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.bandsintown.com/a/213050-sarah-mcquaid" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Bandsintown</a> instead, which means that you’ll get automated notifications if I’m going to be playing near you. But if you don’t mind getting a chatty email from me a few times a year about all my latest doings, with photos and so forth, that’s wonderful and please do read on! </p><p>I’ve been doing a lot of outdoor work this summer — planting flowers and vegetables, weeding, harvesting, putting in water butts, pulling ivy off walls, laying down mulch and generally trying to reclaim the space around our house from the bramble and bindweed jungle. I’m hoping that once I finish clearing all the layers of rubbish, soil and plant matter that have accumulated around our derelict garage, I’ll be able to start the process of converting it to a home recording studio. Stay tuned for more news about that! In the meantime, here are a few photos — see my <a class="no-pjax" href="https://instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Instagram</a> page for lots more:</p><figure class="table" style="width:100%;"><table><tbody><tr>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/26ec6fe9184cf8835fe1af44f9257a719a69ce65/original/img-1865.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
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</tr></tbody></table></figure><p>And now I’m about to set off on my first US tour since 2019, with a UK tour following hard on its heels and tours of Netherlands/Germany and Ireland coming in the first half of next year. Here are a couple of maps that show where I’ll be playing this autumn – keep an eye on <a class="no-pjax" href="/tour" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Tour">the Tour page</a> for updated information and ticket sales links, and do please buy tickets in advance if you possibly can, as that’s a big help in convincing nervous concert organisers not to cancel:</p><figure class="table" style="width:70%;"><table><tbody><tr>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/6a0b5d41b8b1fba62a4b703e5af784d7e5606c0c/original/img-1843.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
<td><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/e66dbf7a7c3c04e0a0a89851a2458bc3f77451a9/original/img-1844.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></td>
</tr></tbody></table></figure><p>Touring is an expensive proposition these days — I was particularly shocked by the price of renting a car for the US tour, which is more than twice what it used to be. If you’d like to help keep me on the road, please do consider <a class="no-pjax" href="https://ko-fi.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">supporting me with either a one-off donation or a monthly contribution</a> — every little bit helps, no matter how small! I feel strongly that there’s a level of energy and magic that only comes out in a live performance with an audience, so it’s important to me to get out in front of as many audiences as I can. I’m very, very grateful for your support, which enables me to do that and provides a bit of certainty in these uncertain times.</p><p>Hope to see you down the road!</p><p>All the best,</p><p>Sarah</p><p style="text-align:center;"><a class="no-pjax" href="https://sarahmcquaid.substack.com/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Click here to subscribe to my newsletters on Substack</a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/71950522023-04-22T15:38:05+01:002023-08-06T13:29:27+01:00I'll Be Bernie, You Be Elton<p>I’m deeply honoured to be featured on <i>I'll Be Bernie, You Be Elton</i>, a double CD selection of songs co-written by poet <a class="no-pjax" href="http://paulcooksonpoet.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Paul Cookson</a> with artists including myself as well as Don Powell (Slade, Don Powell's Occasional Flames), Miles Hunt (The Wonder Stuff), Henry Priestman (The Christians), Stan Cullimore (The Housemartins), Martin Stephenson (Daintees), Brooks Williams, Plumhall, Michael Weston King, Les Glover, Pete Riley and others!</p><p>My own contribution, “Monochrome To Bronze”, is a poem by Paul in haiku form that I set to music and recorded with the help of the wonderful Martin Stansbury of <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Cacophony Cottage Studio</a>, who not only recorded my vocal and keyboard (and mixed and mastered the track) but also added some rather inspired percussion, including paper crumpled into the microphone and a tiny carved wooden guitar scraped against the side of a papier-mâché Skeksi head (made by my son Eli for a Halloween costume some years ago).</p><p>The album is due out on May 1st and will be launched with a special performance in Retford on Saturday April 29 — sadly I can’t be there as that’s the second night of my UK tour and I’ll be doing a gig of my own down in Somerset! You can order the CD directly from Paul via his website: <a class="no-pjax" href="http://paulcooksonpoet.co.uk/product/ill-be-bernie-you-be-elton-double-cd" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">http://paulcooksonpoet.co.uk/product/ill-be-bernie-you-be-elton-double-cd</a> </p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/75ff7ee91fc90b156051a156d105cd6d4a62ccc7/original/187b32ba-71b8-41a7-a791-d33c6920385d.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/71857832023-04-07T14:29:37+01:002023-04-07T14:29:37+01:00New single and video out today!<p>New single and video out today! I’m very excited about this Bandcamp Friday release in which I join forces with Tim Norman of 1990s acid and ambient dub duo UVX ((Ultraviolet Explorer)) for a new remix of the title track from my 2018 album <i>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</i>.</p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/16a386718e9161ac446f373087046f3b43851544/original/sarah-mcquaid-dub-any-deeper-cover.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><p>It all started with a tongue-in-cheek conversation between myself and my wonderful longtime manager, producer and sound engineer, Martin Stansbury of <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Cacophony Cottage</a>, about a “dub remix” of the album, akin to the Easy Star All-Stars’ classic <i>Dub Side of the Moon</i>.</p><p>The idea continued to pop up from time to time as a jokey reference over the ensuing years — until one day Tim asked Martin to master a dub remix he’d done for a US-based singer/songwriter. This transformed into a simple labour exchange, and “If We DUB Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous” became a reality.</p><p>Tim is best known to music mavens as one half of <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.facebook.com/ultravioletexplorer" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">UVX ((Ultraviolet Explorer))</a>, a Brighton-based duo signed to trance/dub/ambient/psychedelic label Magick Eye Records (also home to Astralasia, Magic Mushroom Band, Another Green World, Children Of Dub, Cybernaut and others). More recently, under the name Many Angled Ones, Tim released <i>Suicide: Songs of Alan Vega and Martin Rev</i>, featuring Guy McKnight (formerly of Noughties indie rockers The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, now fronting The DSM IV) on vocals.</p><p>I’m absolutely thrilled by what Tim has done with the track, and I’m also thrilled with the suitably grungy, lo-fi <a class="no-pjax" href="https://youtu.be/2GEU6p8uCy8" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">video</a> Martin’s created to go with it, especially as it emphasises the environmental message implicit in the original song.</p><p>Click <a class="no-pjax" href="/dub-any-deeper" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="DUB Any Deeper">here</a> to watch, stream and buy – and don’t forget that today (Friday April 7) is Bandcamp Friday, when Bandcamp kindly waives its fees to support independent artists like myself — so if you’re thinking of buying any new music on Bandcamp, including mine, today would be a good day to do it.</p><p>In other news, I’ve got a UK tour starting in just a few weeks! Here’s the tour poster — as always, anything you can do to help spread the word would be massively appreciated (see the <a class="no-pjax" href="/tour" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Tour">Tour</a> page of my website for ticket links and full info):</p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/78adbd4a838144e34b499fa5e60835636bd3bf5e/original/sarah-mcquaid-poster-2023-apr-may-tour.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><p><br>Finally, please do let me know of any music venues, churches, arts/community centres or house concert hosts in your area who might want to book me in future — my autumn 2023 UK and USA tours still have a lot of open dates to be filled, as do my spring 2024 Ireland and Europe tours.</p><p>Many thanks for your support, and I hope to see you down the road!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/71330222022-12-31T00:00:00+00:002023-01-05T09:27:00+00:00They’re back! And I’m looking forward …<p>… to heading out on the road again in the New Year, with tour plans that will take me to Continental Europe and the USA for the first time since Covid, as well as to Ireland and the UK! </p>
<p>But who/what are “back”, you ask? Well — it was really lovely being out on tour in November, even if audience numbers were (with some notable exceptions) much lower than they’d have been pre-pandemic. I imagine the cost-of-living crisis was a factor, and I also think a good few people discovered during lockdown that they quite enjoyed staying in rather than going out. For the sake of the whole industry, I hope that changes soon! But even with the small turnouts, it was fantastic to be performing to live audiences, and I’ll never stop feeling grateful for that. </p>
<p>The only downside was that people kept asking for sizes of my red and black “If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous” t-shirts that I didn’t have. I’d intended to let them go quietly out of stock, to be replaced by St Buryan Sessions t-shirts and in due course by future shirts for future albums … but halfway through the November tour I realised the folly of my ways and placed an order for more Dig Any Deeper t-shirts. And now here they are:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/9d14343c1bcd1c1f4cc06c6334ed76ddb0b78892/original/t-shirts.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I’ve also still got plenty of St Buryan Sessions t-shirts on hand, so do check out the Store page of my website if you’re interested in either shirt (or in CDs, vinyl LPs or one of my 4 remaining tote bags — the tea towels are now sold out!). </p>
<p>Meanwhile, I’ve been doing lots of cooking, as is my habit at this time of year. See my Instagram page for assorted culinary photos, including these ones of peppermint bark as both work in progress and finished product:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/8a5023475341af24384e5387b5625137f5b97548/original/peppermint-bark-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/4682c9123f11a37ad05c5d0475ffc124733c8ffd/original/peppermint-bark-2.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>If you’ve not made it before and have candy canes kicking around the place that need using up, do have a go — it’s incredibly easy! Just melt around 400 grams (or 1 pound) of dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring as it melts. Spread it out on a piece of baking paper on a cookie sheet, throw it in the fridge to cool, then melt an equal quantity of white chocolate. Put your candy canes in a plastic bag and bash them to pieces with a rolling pin (my favourite part of the process). When the dark chocolate has cooled and hardened a little, spread the melted white chocolate on top, then immediately sprinkle the crushed candy canes over, pressing them down a little so that they’re well embedded in the white chocolate. Refrigerate overnight, then break into pieces — I use my grandmother’s old cleaver (also pictured above) to do it, which is nearly as satisfying as the aforementioned bashing with the rolling pin. Highly recommended. </p>
<p>And here’s my new tour poster — as always, anything you can do to help spread the word would be massively appreciated (see the Tour page of my website for ticket links and full info):</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c83782bece173a5d039bff0335295be8faa02686/original/sarah-mcquaid-poster-a2-2023-01-03.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Finally, please do let me know of any music venues, churches, arts/community centres or house concert hosts in your area who might want to book me in future — my autumn 2023 UK and USA tours are still wide open at the moment, as are my spring 2024 Ireland and Europe tours. </p>
<p>Many thanks for your support, and I hope to see you down the road!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/70827822022-10-05T11:00:00+01:002023-01-05T09:22:17+00:00Last sweet peas of the summer – and back to proper touring<p>The wind is lashing the trees outside my window as I type this, and we’ve just ordered in a load of firewood and booked the chimney sweep … but the sweet peas I planted last April are still giving us beautiful flowers, even now that we’re into October. Here’s a photo I took of a few of them on our verandah, with the blue sky reflected in both the window and the vase:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/2130dbd5e6d7fac5612fd70431dd363dd9c05474/original/sweetpeas.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Our apple trees are also delivering a bumper harvest, and interestingly the eating apples seem a bit sweeter than they were last year – maybe due to the warmer, sunnier summer we’ve just had? I don’t know, but they’re awfully tasty. I’ve been using the cooking apples in crumbles, and thinking about trying an apple bread pudding combo, and feeling guilty that I haven’t got round to making any jelly or apple butter or chutney this year. </p>
<p>Elsewhere in the garden, I’m still waging war with the brambles and bindweed, trying to clear space in which to plant more vegetables come next spring … </p>
<p>And once again I’m getting ready to head out on the road. I’ve got two shows in Devon this weekend, followed by a month-long 20-show tour that kicks off on the 4th of November and spans the length and breadth of England, from Cornwall to Cumbria and from the south coast to the North York Moors, finishing in early December. </p>
<p>I’m also looking ahead to next year’s touring. I haven’t managed to get to either Continental Europe or the USA since before Covid, but am hoping that I’ll finally be able to do so in 2023, as well as continuing to tour in Ireland and the UK. If there’s a venue near you that you think would suit me, please let me know – I’m happy performing in a wide variety of settings, from concert halls to churches, community centres, libraries, village halls and private homes! </p>
<p>Times are still tough for all of us musicians, between increased costs and decreased audience numbers, so I’m immensely grateful to my <a contents="Patreon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">Patreon</a> supporters – please do consider joining them if you haven’t already, and don’t forget <a contents="Bandcamp Friday" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://isitbandcampfriday.com" target="_blank">Bandcamp Friday</a>, when you can help me and other independent artists by buying our music (and related merch) on the first Friday of the month, when Bandcamp generously waives its transaction fees on purchases. </p>
<p>Venues need your support, too, so please do keep an eye out for live gigs in your area – again, not just mine! – and buy tickets in advance if you possibly can. </p>
<p>Here’s a poster showing my autumn-winter tour dates; as always, any help spreading the word about these and other forthcoming shows would be very much appreciated. See <a contents="the Tour page" data-link-label="Tour" data-link-type="page" href="/tour" target="_blank">the Tour page</a> for ticket links and full info.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c716714c221e1e7f720c8c0ae80040049f82a124/original/sarah-mcquaid-poster-2022-autumn-tour.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Huge thanks for reading this far, and I hope to see you at a gig down the road.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/70567552022-09-09T15:46:41+01:002022-09-09T15:46:41+01:00UK-EU Commission Report<p>I’m deeply honoured to be cited as a contributor to “The Creative Sector: a UK success story under threat”, a new report produced by the <a contents="Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ukeucommission.org" target="_blank">Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations</a>, alongside heads of <a contents="Help Musicians" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/" target="_blank">Help Musicians</a>, <a contents="UK Music" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ukmusic.org/" target="_blank">UK Music</a>, <a contents="Featured Artists Coalition" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://thefac.org/" target="_blank">Featured Artists Coalition</a>, <a contents="Musicians' Union" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://musiciansunion.org.uk/" target="_blank">Musicians' Union</a> and others. Click here to download and read the report in full and to learn more about the Commission and its work:</p>
<p><a contents="https://www.ukeucommission.org/reports/creative-sector-1" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ukeucommission.org/reports/creative-sector-1" target="_blank">https://www.ukeucommission.org/reports/creative-sector-1</a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/5f17b47293db5e41822634c40c001500d7e28f7f/original/145efe5f-2960-4c45-ba8b-617a70578f4b.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/05239b5fc7994a4f83b6cb7fe41940db2180ed66/original/414bfda9-815e-43b0-8dbf-e87821eee0a0.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/68b9032aee87d7181cb6d8bc262b757fbdba7914/original/da750ae4-ce48-4012-afc3-f6088b829f0e.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/72527562022-06-29T13:00:00+01:002023-08-06T13:43:23+01:00Summer shows! And potatoes.<p>It’s summertime in Cornwall, and we’re reaping a bountiful harvest from those potatoes I was just getting ready to start planting when I sent my last newsletter back at the beginning of April. Here’s a photo – digging up more just like these every few days, and they’re ever so delicious! <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/cd78f2625f67294a4af7c659460f0579807c1ce1/original/9bab6c3890b8038e69ba0061fe0e61bb93789b06e0184edae8049d8b614e31d1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /> <br>There are lots more photos from the garden on my <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Instagram</a> page, where you can also see pics from my April-May Ireland/UK tour and the Cornwall gigs in June that followed it. <br><br>It was so, so good to be back on the road again and performing to real live flesh and blood human beings, and I actually found myself starting to write new songs for the first time since Covid hit back in March 2020. Which was a massive relief, I can tell you – I’d been beginning to wonder whether I had any creative spark left in me at all. I did do lots of work on music composition during lockdown, and had a lovely time setting a poem by <a class="no-pjax" href="http://paulcooksonpoet.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">Paul Cookson</a> to music and recording it for his forthcoming alb<i>um I’ll Be Bernie – You Be Elton</i> (stay tuned for news about that as well as another exciting soon-to-be-released side project). But the songs just didn’t seem to be coming to me … and now they are, and I’m so glad. <br><br>Sadly, audience numbers are still way down on what they were pre-Covid – three gigs early on in the tour were cancelled by the venues due to low advance ticket sales – and between that and drastically increased travel costs (not to mention new expenses for carnets and customs), it’s harder than ever to make a living from touring … so I’m very, very grateful to my kind supporters on Patreon who’ve been helping to make it possible for me to continue doing what I do. Please do consider joining their number for as little as £1/€1/$1 a month – every little bit helps! Here are sneak previews of two of the behind-the-scenes videos from the recent tour that I made for my patrons: <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/4b4af5ac41ef742b5a96ab3b51ab7466cb34b2fd/original/161736a5c783cf0d26c5ae31b5a93d6bcc146459878d468e42d7f11ffeca57b9.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/481b23f449e7fb840d1314f161cd46ab4ddd6680/original/74177111b62743ef4c5f8088737aa8f9a8e50d6c3bac6a1f068541a5b66fdd50.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_m justify_center border_" /> <br>I’ve got a few summer shows here and there, starting this weekend with gigs at the Ashburton Arts Centre in Devon and Melford House in Mayfield, East Sussex; later this month I’ll be making my second visit to Festival At The Edge, the oldest storytelling festival in England, where I’ll be giving a workshop on “Telling Stories Through Songs” in addition to my concert set. And in August I’ll be performing at the Hellys International Guitar Festival in Cornwall and Muddifords Court in Devon. As always, any help spreading the word about these and other forthcoming shows would be very much appreciated. See <a class="no-pjax" href="/tour" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Tour">the Tour page of my website</a> for ticket links and full info, and please buy tickets in advance if you possibly can! <br> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/s:bzglfiles/u/392114/7ee3e2a172dcee1626a79c8ff9dc0d7476c9bb6a/original/ee50fbf3ea07f8d581466ecd74d4500b99ac88a33da53da0e5b7d96041d0b0de.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Finally, can I put in a bit of a plug for my wonderful manager and sound engineer Martin Stansbury, who’s also working hard to try and recoup the earnings he lost to the pandemic. Ch<a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-link-type="url">eck out his Cacophony Cottage</a> website if you’re looking for help with any or all steps involved in releasing music – from recording, mixing and mastering to administering song registrations, dealing with pressing plants and distributors, and releasing both digital and physical product, as well as general artistic direction and business services. Both his audio work and his managerial acumen are first class and highly recommended! <br><br>Huge thanks for reading this far, and I hope to see you at a gig down the road. <br></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/69992132022-06-22T15:12:57+01:002022-06-22T15:12:57+01:00MU Publishes Sarah’s Case Study<p>Delighted that the <a contents="Musicians’ Union" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://musiciansunion.org.uk" target="_blank">Musicians’ Union</a> has published my case study of post-Brexit touring on their website! I do hope it’s helpful for other artists in addition to providing evidence for the MU to use in their advocacy efforts on behalf of all musicians. Click here to read it:</p>
<p><a contents="https://musiciansunion.org.uk/news/navigating-tours-in-ireland-and-europe-post-brexit-and-covid-a-case-study" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://musiciansunion.org.uk/news/navigating-tours-in-ireland-and-europe-post-brexit-and-covid-a-case-study" target="_blank">https://musiciansunion.org.uk/news/navigating-tours-in-ireland-and-europe-post-brexit-and-covid-a-case-study</a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/43bb402bb6ef560ac922a7d9df2d22d05e614f45/original/e7adab74-97dc-4fc5-8e85-e7f3a228d126.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/69437202022-04-08T13:28:00+01:002022-04-08T13:28:00+01:00Climate Change Film Soundtrack<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="CfyhKwb7qdY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/CfyhKwb7qdY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CfyhKwb7qdY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>I’m so, so honoured and delighted that <a contents="Cornwall Climate Care" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.cornwallclimate.org" target="_blank">Cornwall Climate Care</a> have used my music in the soundtrack for “Down The Drain”, a new documentary about fresh water and climate change in Cornwall, which will be launching on April 22 (which also happens to be Earth Day!). </p>
<p>Watch the trailer for it <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfyhKwb7qdY" target="_blank">here</a> and you’ll hear my song “If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous” in the background: </p>
<p>If you’d like to join the virtual film premiere and Q&A at 7pm on 22nd April, make sure to sign up ahead of time on Eventbrite <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/film-premiere-down-the-drain-tickets-314481391307" target="_blank">here</a>!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/69416712022-04-06T00:00:00+01:002023-08-06T13:43:23+01:00Venturing out again<p>Spring has come to Cornwall! The camellias are in full bloom, the crabapple and berberis are starting to blossom, and our seed potatoes are waiting to be put in the ground as soon as we finish reclaiming the future potato patch from the bramble jungle. I’ve also bought some sweet pea seedlings which I hope to plant very soon. Here are a few photos I took yesterday – keep an eye on my <a class="no-pjax" href="https://instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="Instagram">Instagram</a> page for more updates from the garden …. </p><p style="text-align:center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/eddc69ce62a1088a068cd092d06191cca42cb431/original/426d1713-1f1a-4d0c-b46b-a996372dde08.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="20%" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/db807e4cb8195926e383f18fcb493c1bef00507c/original/026f94a7-0ec1-4a38-9d65-5fe5000a54ad.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="20%" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/f377296762a1a9424c54a4f1d9c1a6adbdac90e7/original/fba61dad-1608-4afd-a3a3-db08c23175b3.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="20%" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/bf3006e128c9638e374d6c9b344aad5b56ca5b2a/original/7ab52764-44b3-4af8-bb75-49941ae098b3.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="20%" /></p><p>And I’m getting ready to venture out on the road again. My April-May tour actually starts in Ireland, which means I’ll be leaving the country for the first time since March 2020 … and, sadly, negotiating the new world of carnets and customs duties now that the UK has left the European Union.</p><p>Between those new expenses and increased travel costs generally (not only have fuel prices soared, but hotel and even food prices have gone up in recent months), there’s a lot of financial risk involved – and once again I’m getting emails from venues about low ticket sales: Monroe’s in Galway have already said they may have to cancel my gig as they’ve only sold one ticket thus far!</p><p>So – if you or your friends are thinking about coming to any of the shows, PLEASE buy your tickets in advance. And if there’s anything you can do to help spread the word about the tour, and especially about any concerts that are in your local area, I’d be incredibly grateful. See <a class="no-pjax" href="/tour" target="_blank" data-link-type="page" data-link-label="Tour" contents="the Tour page">the Tour page</a> for details of all shows listed in the image below</p><p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/9f84187184793be6cfe2bced9a9f1c3381c78abc/original/square-tour-list-for-social-media-spring-summer-2022.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p><p>In other news, I was deeply honoured to be invited by the Bert Jansch Foundation to take part in their <i>Around The World In 80 Plays</i> project. Martin and I returned to the beautiful surroundings of St Buryan Church (where we made <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu4p8fF1w0nmI4NfiMUXLCDMCykXQr4nR" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="The St Buryan Sessions"><i>The St Buryan Sessions</i></a>) to film and record me talking about Bert Jansch’s influence on my music and playing “When A Man’s In Love” on a Yamaha LL TransAcoustic guitar that’s one of three instruments making their way around the world from guitarist to guitarist, each playing a song or tune inspired by and dedicated to Bert.</p><p>Check out the video <a class="no-pjax" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkf1_e6Fo_c" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="here">here</a> (the chat is after the song, so do keep watching to hear it) via the Bert Jansch Foundation’s YouTube channel, alongside lovely performances from artists on both sides of the pond including my pals Hungrytown over in the USA! And here are some photos of me with the guitar — in the final one I’m handing it over to my fellow guitarist Gareth Hedges who kindly drove down from Devon to collect it. Looking forward to seeing and hearing his contribution to the project!</p><p style="text-align:center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/d423565262f0786a8f753f87559a8b1ee6514188/original/6094d7ff-b824-4ecc-8335-2c446cfbee76.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="26%" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/fc35cd4597ae16ded0069868253cd6de0ea93000/original/c692a149-6a6f-480e-9813-f1976f7f010f.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="26%" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/61f2576f22d32156548d9f930be2ac4ce115597b/original/50584cff-fb66-471b-9db6-a8e13e924a32.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="26%" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/e3788e0edb0d7f6c4c0e944df638785af3d1b218/original/4773a523-2c01-4c97-82b8-61ff36a5c2db.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="26%" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/d45320904bd9a88cc56ecd0fb69f396aa686ca3a/original/ae447745-58ad-4f45-bed1-d617bb5bfa71.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="26%" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/6d1f91c738bdfa3069416be8fb4cce07e89063ae/original/178eb4e4-d0e4-4172-b64a-631f2355e719.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="26%" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/5ee1547537ad25e4e5db24ad0c6eb3c240fc8766/original/c66b7dd9-af01-4941-91a1-1c31dfc095f9.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="26%" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/243c01829dc953ca61e046df0df5b21125b50086/original/9b033393-cd5c-43e8-96ed-8621f488a2b3.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="26%" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/d289fcd9725166b381c17955b46c7961f1c2d2e8/original/ec771be0-3b46-405c-9610-360606b99674.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_m justify_inline border_" width="26%" /></p><p>Finally, special thanks as always to those of you who’ve opted to join me on <a class="no-pjax" href="https://patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank" data-link-type="url" contents="Patreon">Patreon</a>. These are such uncertain times, and your support makes all the difference in the world to my ability to keep the music coming – so if you haven’t done so already, please do click on the “Become a patron” link below to find out what it’s all about. I hope to see you down the road!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/69271782022-03-20T10:12:48+00:002022-04-03T14:04:49+01:0080 Plays For Bert<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="xkf1_e6Fo_c" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/xkf1_e6Fo_c/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xkf1_e6Fo_c?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="236" width="420" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>I was deeply honoured to be invited earlier this month by the <a contents="Bert Jansch Foundation" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://bertjanschfoundation.org" target="_blank">Bert Jansch Foundation</a> to take part in their <a contents="Around The World In 80 Plays" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://80plays.bertjanschfoundation.org" target="_blank">Around The World In 80 Plays</a> project!</p>
<p><a contents="Martin" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk" target="_blank">Martin</a> and I returned to the beautiful surroundings of St Buryan Church, where I made my recent live album <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em>, to film and record me talking about Bert Jansch’s influence on my music and playing “When A Man’s In Love” on a <a contents="Yamaha" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.yamahamusiclondon.com" target="_blank">Yamaha</a> LL TransAcoustic guitar (the latest version of Bert Jansch’s favourite Yamaha, strung with Elixir strings and accompanied by a G7th capo I was pleased to see) that’s been signed by fellow participants including Richard Thompson, the lovely Katie Spencer, Daragh Lynch of Lankum and my great friend Colin Harper.</p>
<p>It’s one of three instruments making their way around the world from guitarist to guitarist, each playing a song or tune inspired by and dedicated to Bert.</p>
<p>Check out the video <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/xkf1_e6Fo_c" target="_blank">here</a> (the chat is after the song, so do keep watching to hear it) via <a contents="the Bert Jansch Foundation YouTube channel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/BertJanschFoundation" target="_blank">the Bert Jansch Foundation’s YouTube Channel</a>, alongside lovely performances from artists on both sides of the pond including my pals <a contents="Hungrytown" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://hungrytown.net" target="_blank">Hungrytown</a> over in the USA!</p>
<p>And here are some photos of me with the guitar — in the final one I’m handing it over to my fellow guitarist <a contents="Gareth Hedges" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.garethhedges.com" target="_blank">Gareth Hedges</a> who kindly drove down from Devon to collect it! Looking forward to seeing and hearing Gareth’s contribution in due course! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/d423565262f0786a8f753f87559a8b1ee6514188/original/6094d7ff-b824-4ecc-8335-2c446cfbee76.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/fc35cd4597ae16ded0069868253cd6de0ea93000/original/c692a149-6a6f-480e-9813-f1976f7f010f.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/61f2576f22d32156548d9f930be2ac4ce115597b/original/50584cff-fb66-471b-9db6-a8e13e924a32.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/e3788e0edb0d7f6c4c0e944df638785af3d1b218/original/4773a523-2c01-4c97-82b8-61ff36a5c2db.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/d45320904bd9a88cc56ecd0fb69f396aa686ca3a/original/ae447745-58ad-4f45-bed1-d617bb5bfa71.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/6d1f91c738bdfa3069416be8fb4cce07e89063ae/original/178eb4e4-d0e4-4172-b64a-631f2355e719.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/5ee1547537ad25e4e5db24ad0c6eb3c240fc8766/original/c66b7dd9-af01-4941-91a1-1c31dfc095f9.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/243c01829dc953ca61e046df0df5b21125b50086/original/9b033393-cd5c-43e8-96ed-8621f488a2b3.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/d289fcd9725166b381c17955b46c7961f1c2d2e8/original/ec771be0-3b46-405c-9610-360606b99674.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/68774642022-01-23T18:13:46+00:002022-03-20T11:49:17+00:00Tom Robinson’s BBC 6 Music Introducing Mixtape<p>I’m absolutely over the moon that a track from <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em> will be played tomorrow by the great Tom Robinson on his BBC Introducing Mixtape show on BBC Radio 6 Music! And doubly chuffed by his kind words on Twitter in reply to my “Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow!!!” tweet when I saw that my track had been picked for the show. The show will be available to listen again for 30 days after tomorrow’s broadcast via this link: <a contents="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001487m" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001487m" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001487m</a> – also see full tracklisting here: <a contents="https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/introducing/entries/e8dbd7bb-a462-422c-aa19-a70c6a87a933" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/introducing/entries/e8dbd7bb-a462-422c-aa19-a70c6a87a933" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/introducing/entries/e8dbd7bb-a462-422c-aa19-a70c6a87a933</a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/9c6c5b00ffc60e49e7dba8c545ad66e03c799c25/original/7779a37a-df6f-411b-8e3f-9e5909e611ed.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/2c6daf196b01238187737ddf5a0c16d97b20d253/original/5d8e9016-e641-45ef-83f5-b6e437148788.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/3d7c92b16734564c3d1bcced62232194453daa15/original/04fc2714-5d6b-4556-8184-ef852ef45660.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/68663172022-01-12T06:33:04+00:002022-01-12T06:33:04+00:00On the road again ... I hope ...<p>Thanks so much to all of you for supporting my music! It was so, so lovely to be out on tour again in November, playing and singing for other real live flesh-and-blood human beings in the same room as myself. </p>
<p>I’m hoping to be able to do the same again starting next week … but if you or your friends have been thinking about coming to any of my Jan-Feb UK gigs, PLEASE buy your tickets in advance. I’ve just been told that my Wychwood Folk Club gig on 22nd January is in danger of being cancelled due to low sales — which would be a disaster for me, as I’m counting on it to help defray the travel costs between Penzance and my Fulbourn Arts gig the day before. </p>
<p>Due to quarantine restrictions on top of other difficulties with travel to Europe, I’ve also now had to cancel my entire March-April Netherlands-Germany-Belgium-Denmark tour — so Martin and I have both just lost 5 weeks of work, and with it a big chunk of our income for the first half of this year. </p>
<p>If there’s anything that any of you can do to help spread the word and get people out to the Jan-Feb gigs, I’d be really, really grateful. See the <a contents="the Tour page on my website" data-link-label="Tour" data-link-type="page" href="/tour" target="_blank">Tour</a> page for details of all shows listed in the image below.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/7583665f04c9b4b6a96cc728ba7181b85984c327/original/img-1279.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>On a more positive note, I’m tremendously honoured to be one of three artists shortlisted by <a contents="Fatea Magazine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.fatea-records.co.uk/magazine/news/Nominees2021/" target="_blank">Fatea Magazine</a> for Female Artist of the Year 2021! And in excellent company too. Massive thanks to Neil King and all at Fatea, and great big congrats to my fellow nominees Charlie Dore and Jenny Colquitt as well as to all the superb artists shortlisted for the other categories — <a contents="click here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.fatea-records.co.uk/magazine/news/Nominees2021/" target="_blank">click here</a> for the full list. The winners of the Fatea Awards will be announced during a two hour radio special, this year hosted by <a contents="Blues and Roots Radio" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.bluesandrootsradio.com" target="_blank">Blues and Roots Radio</a>, on January 14th at 8PM UK time. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, my new live-in-lockdown album <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em> (released 15 October 2021 on CD and limited-edition blue vinyl double LP) is still getting rave reviews — see the <a contents="Press" data-link-label="Press" data-link-type="page" href="/press" target="_blank">Press</a> page to read them — and making it onto best-of-2021 lists on three continents. </p>
<p>Needless to say, I’m totally humbled and awed by the incredible response. All credit to my wonderful manager and sound engineer Martin Stansbury, who also produced and recorded the album and whose superb job of capturing the beautiful natural acoustic of the building has come in for mention in a bunch of the reviews. It’s all really heartening to see, and inspires me to keep on trying my best to sustain a career in these financially daunting times. </p>
<p>Among those who included <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em> on their best-of lists for the year were 2ser 107.3fm in Sydney, Australia; the “Ear To The Ground” radio show on Nashville’s WXNA FM; the Netherlands’ “Slim Chance” music blog; and the UK’s “Strummers & Dreamers” show on Cambridge 105 and Blues & Roots Radio. </p>
<p>USA podcast Radio Crystal Blue ranked me as their Top International Artist for 2021 and <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em> as their No. 3 album of the year; Scottish music writer Stuart Hamilton of the “Zeitgeist” blog ranked it No. 1 on his Best of 2021 list, writing “There isn’t a moment here that isn’t beautifully executed. You’ll be hard pushed to hear a better acoustic record this year. In fact, you won’t, which is why you really need to head off and order a copy now.” </p>
<p>Mawgan Lewis’ gorgeous videos of all 15 tracks can now be viewed on my YouTube channel, together with a 9-minute documentary, “The Making Of The St Buryan Sessions”, featuring interviews and song snippets, and a 59-second promotional video about the album. I’ve collected all the videos together into one playlist, with the tracks in the same order as they appear on the album — click <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu4p8fF1w0nmI4NfiMUXLCDMCykXQr4nR" target="_blank">here</a> to check it out!</p>
<p>Thank you so much once again, please do help to spread the word if you can, and I hope to see you down the road.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/68287352021-12-03T08:32:38+00:002021-12-03T08:34:52+00:00The vinyl is here!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/7d4f6e8a3b2adc4b75418c084a56a6c5f33b69e4/original/08fbec19-b7b3-4828-b32e-d4f46961095d.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />It’s Bandcamp Friday! And my lovely limited-edition numbered blue vinyl double LPs of The St Buryan Sessions have finally arrived and are ready to ship out — so this would be a good day to place your order if you haven’t already done so, as Bandcamp is waiving its fees until midnight Pacific time tonight (see <a contents="isitbandcampfriday.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://isitbandcampfriday.com" target="_blank">isitbandcampfriday.com</a> to find out how that translates to your time zone) in order to help artists impacted by the pandemic.</p>
<p>Also available are CDs, T-shirts, tote bags, tea towels and more including the last few ultra-limited-edition sets of test pressings — see <a contents="sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com</a> for all the details.</p>
<p>Huge thanks to Martin Stansbury of Cacophony Cottage Studio for a brilliant job on production and engineering, Mawgan Lewis for beautiful photography, Mary Guinan for gorgeous design, Stuart Bruce for superb mastering, DMS Vinyl for excellent service and a quality product as always, and all the lovely people who’ve already ordered the double LP for your kindness and patience!</p>
<p>There are loads of wonderful independent musicians who have new music out today, so make sure to visit <a contents="bandcamp.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://bandcamp.com" target="_blank">bandcamp.com</a> today to check them all out!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/67880372021-10-22T08:00:00+01:002021-10-27T08:50:03+01:00On the road again!<p>Well, we did it! The St Buryan Sessions has finally seen the light of day, and I’m back on the road for the first time since March 2020. Here are some wonderfully atmospheric (if slightly blurry) photos taken by Martin at the album launch concert in St Buryan Church last Friday (plus a couple I took of churchwarden Fiona Vinnicombe introducing me):</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/2e6407a1c12a7b5cd790649e58d29ee4583b7b2a/original/9be926ff-21b6-40b1-8155-fc58e248f299.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c1c3bb5628ffce5f617dffa84866a23ad46d145e/original/789b4767-904d-4bea-9215-bab56086b53b.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/b937ec13bf800a8cc8788017acccfd2fcb6b0128/original/e066ad3d-2a9f-4190-a065-069b43560dac.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/b2436572f620de51567adef3353e9a30c8bcc0bc/original/263d191b-cb12-4d4e-b3c1-09b0257cdbc1.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/4c5dc75be84c30b789c818f7d15de9e2683699f9/original/7f52440e-c29c-40f5-9902-c24d473f1c9f.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/4220ab11e8fe4cd6ebda0bb6492272ec44b956d8/original/83e7836e-050d-439d-b5b2-fc483fcce7f8.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Meanwhile, the album has been getting some lovely reviews in the music press: </p>
<p>“A wonderful, expressive and intimate live album from a consummate performer.” — Folk Radio UK </p>
<p>“McQuaid has made a lot of good, darkly pensive albums over the years and this might be the best of them all, a quasi greatest hits collection that promises to have lasting historical resonance.” — New York Music Daily </p>
<p>“A starkly minimalist recording of exceptional beauty.” — Ink 19 </p>
<p>“It’s hard not to get lost in the sheer indulgence of this album … with the biggest treat of all being Sarah’s voice. It’s as clear as mountain water but deep and plangent, it’s golden like dusk in summer, as filling as a medieval banquet and as strong as rope. … The St Buryan Sessions is an album that is worth putting your phone on silent for, commandeering the sofa and blocking out time in your calendar to luxuriate in it.” — Joyzine </p>
<p>“An instant classic … truly excellent.” — Acoustic Guitar </p>
<p>If you’d like to check it out for yourself, you might like to have a <a contents="listen on Spotify" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6AzQp7dotpkQ5aDu8CXBgM" target="_blank">listen on Spotify</a> – and maybe follow me on Spotify while you’re at it, if you haven’t already done so, as that would be of immense help in making my music more discoverable by others! </p>
<p>The final bit of news is that I am really and truly out on tour, doing gigs for live audiences, and I can’t tell you how amazing and wonderful that feels. Here are my October-November UK tour dates (stay tuned for news of more tour dates to follow next year in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, USA and perhaps other parts of the world as well – see <a contents="the&nbsp;Tour&nbsp;page here" data-link-label="Tour" data-link-type="page" href="/tour" target="_blank">the Tour page here</a> for details of all shows): </p>
<p>Fri 22 Oct: St Peter’s by the Waterfront, Ipswich <br>Sat 23 Oct: Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Rossendale, Lancashire <br>Thu 28 Oct: The Musician, Leicester <br>Sat 30 Oct: Praa Sands Community Centre, Cornwall <br>Tue 2 Nov: The Miners’ Theatre, Ammanford <br>Thu 4 Nov: Caerleon Arts <br>Sat 6 Nov: Norley Village Hall, Frodsham <br>Sun 7 Nov: The Milton Rooms, Malton <br>Mon 8 Nov: The Lightship, Blyth <br>Thu 11 Nov: MET Studio, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre <br>Fri 12 Nov: Folk at the Falcon, Bromyard <br>Sat 13 Nov: The Wolf Folk Club Cabaret, King’s Lynn, Norfolk <br>Tue 16 Nov: The Roses, Tewkesbury <br>Thu 18 Nov: Snailbeach Village Hall, Shrewsbury <br>Fri 19 Nov: The HopBarn, Southwell, Nottinghamshire <br>Sat 20 Nov: The Green Man Gallery, Buxton <br>Tue 23 Nov: The Blue Lamp, Aberdeen <br>Thu 25 Nov: Crail Folk Club <br>Sat 27 Nov: The Mackenzie Hall, Brockweir, Chepstow <br>Sun 28 Nov: Sterts Studio, Liskeard, Cornwall </p>
<p>Thank you so much for your support, and I hope to see you down the road!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/67727382021-10-11T21:11:42+01:002021-10-11T21:12:22+01:00Americana Highways hosts exclusive video premiere of “If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous”<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/51fd80114c2cac46ff9b3fcbc24b9e0b83b51ad6/original/americana-highways-dig-any-deeper.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Huge thanks to <a contents="Americana Highways" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://americanahighways.org/" target="_blank">Americana Highways</a> for their exclusive premiere today of the video of "If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous", from my new album The St Buryan Sessions which releases this Friday! “Sarah McQuaid’s songs have a slow winding timelessness,” writes Managing Editor Melissa Clarke, “and this popular one is no exception. The harmonies have a symphonic flow, and the video magnifies the enchantment with a live performance.” Click <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://americanahighways.org/2021/10/11/video-premiere-sarah-mcquaid-if-we-dig-any-deeper/" target="_blank">here</a> to watch the video, and do try and get along to one of the gigs on my album launch tour if you can!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/67698922021-10-08T15:53:26+01:002021-10-08T15:53:26+01:00Sarah plays DJ again! This time on WAYO 104.3FM Rochester<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/1f478440dd28403b46c426735bd710c14a398770/original/img-1171.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>On 7 October I got to play DJ again and curate a whole two-hour radio show, thanks to host Brian Sek of <a contents="Introvert Extract" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://wayofm.org/shows/introvert-extract" target="_blank">Introvert Extract</a> on <a contents="WAYO 104.3FM" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://wayofm.org" target="_blank">WAYO 104.3FM</a> in Rochester, New York! Listen back <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.mixcloud.com/brian-david9/introvert-extract-10-7-21/" target="_blank">here</a> (or use the player below) to hear what I had to say about tracks by Lawrence Illsley, Hungrytown, Dayna Kurtz, Michael Chapman, Gerry O’Beirne, Mice Parade, Tom Brosseau, Louise Mosrie, Raina Rose, Jonathan Byrd, Carrie Elkin, Danny Schmidt, Devon Sproule, Jeni Hankins, Sofia Talvik, Rachel Taylor-Beales, Helefonix, Soricah, With Sun, Project Blackbird and Asha McCarthy as well as a few by yours truly! Also, while I have your attention, don’t forget that my new album is still available to pre-order ahead of its release next week and the start of my 6-week album launch tour!<br><br><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://www.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&feed=%2Fbrian-david9%2Fintrovert-extract-10-7-21%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/67678242021-10-06T17:35:32+01:002021-10-06T17:35:47+01:00Punk News Hosts Exclusive Video Premiere of “One Sparrow Down”<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/5acdd421148aee6866196ab8863e00652c1969a6/original/untitled.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Massive thanks to <a contents="Punk News" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.punknews.org" target="_blank">Punk News</a> for their premiere of — and kind words about — the video of “One Sparrow Down”, from my forthcoming album <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em> which is now available to pre-order <a contents="via Bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/the-st-buryan-sessions" target="_blank">via Bandcamp</a> on CD and numbered limited-edition blue vinyl double LP! “McQuaid strips the track back to a chilling, sparse Euro-folk track, propelled by a cold, marching percussion. Meanwhile, McQuaid tells a parable that isn't quite as simple as it seems. It's interesting that the track reaches so far past post-punk minimalism that it comes back around again to something ancient.” Nice! Watch the video <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.punknews.org/article/75692/check-out-the-new-video-by-sarah-mcquaid" target="_blank">here</a>. Recording and production by Martin Stansbury, mastered by Stuart Bruce, video by Mawgan Lewis.</p>
<p> </p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/67640942021-10-02T15:00:36+01:002021-10-02T15:00:36+01:00Sarah plays DJ on Tempo 107.4 FM<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/be5976f08d5290397de78a597ddad59d894f4c07/original/untitled-2.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Huge thanks to Tony Haynes for letting me play guest DJ on his <a contents="FAB Folk and Blues" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/FABFolkandBlues/" target="_blank">FAB Folk and Blues</a> radio show on <a contents="Tempo 107.4FM" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.tempofm.co.uk" target="_blank">Tempo 107.4FM</a> on 1 October 2021. It was lovely to get to choose a selection of music to be played from amongst my fellow travellers, including tracks by Lawrence Illsley, Hungrytown, Dayna Kurtz, Michael Chapman, Jonathan Byrd, Carrie Elkin, Danny Schmidt and Jeni Hankins! Listen back here:<br><br><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://www.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&feed=%2Ftonyhaynes52%2Ffab-folk-and-blues-fri-1st-oct-2021%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/67629152021-10-01T11:35:37+01:002021-10-01T11:35:37+01:00Glide Magazine hosts exclusive video premiere of “Yellowstone”<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/ec7c6fb1ff2bc0d24959cd8f50b1e59143f72c43/original/img-8148.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It’s live! Huge thanks to <a contents="Glide Magazine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://glidemagazine.com" target="_blank">Glide Magazine</a> for their exclusive premiere of “Yellowstone” from my soon-to-be-released new album <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em>! Please do click <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://glidemagazine.com/264131/video-premiere-sarah-mcquaid-performs-moving-folk-song-yellowstone-off-the-st-buryan-sessions/" target="_blank">here</a> to check out the video -- <br>— and it’s Bandcamp Friday, so today would be a good day to visit <a contents="Bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> and pre-order the album, which will be released October 15 on CD and numbered limited-edition blue vinyl double LP, together with T-shirts, tea towels, tote bags and ultra-limited-edition test pressings. </p>
<p>Lots of other artists I rate are also doing special Bandcamp Friday deals, and I’ll be sharing their posts like crazy, so do keep an eye on Facebook and Twitter for those. Many many thanks for your support!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/d9cdc62c92ffef282a025635504e1dd3572d80cc/original/glide-magazine-yellowstone.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/67549112021-09-23T08:58:11+01:002021-09-23T08:58:11+01:00American Blues Scene Hosts Exclusive Video Premiere of “In Derby Cathedral”<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/e34b4c08044c4347374d11d3696f44078d10c8c7/original/015ba8e3-44fa-4512-b162-164408dc9bae.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Huge thanks to <a contents="American Blues Scene" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/" target="_blank">American Blues Scene</a> for hosting this exclusive video premiere of “In Derby Cathedral”, from my forthcoming new live-in-lockdown album The St Buryan Sessions which is now available to preorder via Bandcamp on CD and numbered limited-edition blue vinyl double LP, together with T-shirts, tea towels, tote bags and ultra-limited-edition test pressings! Click on <a contents="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/exclusive-video-premiere-sarah-mcquaids-stunning-in-derby-cathedral-from-the-st-buryan-sessions" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/exclusive-video-premiere-sarah-mcquaids-stunning-in-derby-cathedral-from-the-st-buryan-sessions" target="_blank">https://www.americanbluesscene.com/exclusive-video-premiere-sarah-mcquaids-stunning-in-derby-cathedral-from-the-st-buryan-sessions</a> to watch the video and read what the lovely people at American Blues Scene have to say about the track and the album!</p>
<p> </p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/67455132021-09-14T14:56:25+01:002021-09-16T07:27:28+01:00Guitar Girl Magazine hosts exclusive video premiere of “What Are We Going To Do”<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/77f6c8b79ea8bdbcf2a6ebd611f74b1deb2c1e59/original/untitled.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Many thanks to <a contents="Guitar Girl Magazine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://guitargirlmag.com" target="_blank">Guitar Girl Magazine</a> for their exclusive premiere of the video of “What Are We Going To Do”, from my forthcoming album <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em> which is now available to pre-order <a contents="via Bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/the-st-buryan-sessions" target="_blank">via Bandcamp</a> on CD and numbered limited-edition blue vinyl double LP! </p>
<p>The song is one I co-wrote with the wonderful <a contents="Gerry O’Beirne" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://gerryobeirne.com" target="_blank">Gerry O’Beirne</a>, and was recorded and filmed (as were all the St Buryan Sessions tracks) live in lockdown in St Buryan Church, Cornwall — recording by Martin Stansbury of <a contents="Cacophony Cottage Studio" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk" target="_blank">Cacophony Cottage Studio</a>, mastered by Stuart Bruce, video by Mawgan Lewis of <a contents="Purple Knif" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://purpleknif.co.uk" target="_blank">Purple Knif</a> with additional camera work by John Crooks. </p>
<p>Please do check out the video now on the link below, where you’ll find loads more excellent guitar-related content — I was really happy to see that the most recent edition of the magazine was a special issue dedicated to highlighting women of colour in the music industry. I’m very grateful to editor-in-chief Tara Low and everyone at the magazine for the support they’ve given my music and that of so many other artists.</p>
<p><a contents="https://guitargirlmag.com/news/music-news/music-premiere-watch-the-stunning-performance-by-sarah-mcquaid-of-her-single-what-are-we-going-to-do-from-her-forthcoming-album-the-st-buryan-sessions/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://guitargirlmag.com/news/music-news/music-premiere-watch-the-stunning-performance-by-sarah-mcquaid-of-her-single-what-are-we-going-to-do-from-her-forthcoming-album-the-st-buryan-sessions/" target="_blank">https://guitargirlmag.com/news/music-news/music-premiere-watch-the-stunning-performance-by-sarah-mcquaid-of-her-single-what-are-we-going-to-do-from-her-forthcoming-album-the-st-buryan-sessions/</a></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/87b67ef0f90e70d35634f079852b7732f232899c/original/video-thumbnail-what-are-we-going-to-do.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/67337942021-09-02T11:02:08+01:002021-09-02T11:02:08+01:003 custom-engraved gold G7th capo bundles for Bandcamp Friday!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c7ff54879900f0c0596e4aaf5064e5c63fb5e94d/original/newport-gold-g7th-sarah-mcquaid.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Huge thanks to the wonderful people at <a contents="G7th The Capo Company" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.g7th.com" target="_blank">G7th The Capo Company</a> for kindly donating three 18kt gold plated Newport capos (just like the one I’ve been using onstage for years) engraved by the G7th Custom Shop with my original artwork and logo from the St Buryan Sessions album cover — just in time for #BandcampFriday tomorrow! I’m bundling them up with a copy of either the CD or the limited-edition Double LP, a St Buryan Sessions T-shirt and a 16GB engraved wooden USB stick with the St Buryan Sessions concert film & documentary. There are only three of these, so get ’em while they’re hot! They’ll be available via my Bandcamp page starting at midnight Pacific Time (8am UK time), which not-so-coincidentally is also the start of Bandcamp Friday, when Bandcamp generously waives its fees in order to help artists impacted by the pandemic. </p>
<p>I’ve been using G7th capos ever since my great friend and fellow musician Paul de Grae handed one to me at a gig in Ireland way back in 2009. I was an instant convert, and a few years later I was tremendously honoured to be invited to the home of the G7th’s inventor, Nick Campling, where I had the privilege of trying out some prototypes … including the Newport. I was an instant convert to that, too! Do check out <a contents="g7th.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.g7th.com" target="_blank">g7th.com</a> to learn more about what makes the G7th such a beautifully simple and effective tool, and make sure to visit <a contents="sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com</a> on Bandcamp Friday if you’d like to get your hands on one of these ultra-limited-edition bundles! </p>
<p>There's a 10% discount valid until October 1 on all my Bandcamp merch (including back catalog) for everyone who supports my music with a monthly donation of £5+ on Patreon or via PayPal: just go to my <a contents="homepage" data-link-label="Home" data-link-type="page" href="/home" target="_blank">homepage</a> and click “Donate” or “Become a patron”.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/67086892021-08-06T11:50:17+01:002021-08-14T13:51:00+01:00Album Pre-Orders, “Making Of” Video & “Last Song” Premiere!<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="PHTw4llO4q8" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/PHTw4llO4q8/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHTw4llO4q8?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="236" width="420" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Today’s the day! It’s Bandcamp Friday and <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em> is now available to pre-order at <a contents="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/the-st-buryan-sessions" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/the-st-buryan-sessions" target="_blank">https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/the-st-buryan-sessions</a> on CD & limited-edition blue vinyl double LP, plus test pressings, T-shirts, tea towels, tote bags and the full concert film on a 16GB engraved wooden USB stick. Also out now on <a contents="https://youtu.be/PHTw4llO4q8" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/PHTw4llO4q8" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/PHTw4llO4q8</a> is filmmaker Mawgan Lewis’s short documentary about the making of the album and concert film. And at 6pm UK time (chat open from 5pm) on <a contents="https://youtu.be/sq3TONTumYU" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/sq3TONTumYU" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/sq3TONTumYU</a> I’ll be premiering the video of “Last Song (The St Buryan Sessions)” which together with all 7 singles is included as an immediate “instant gratification" download with pre-orders. Hope to see you there!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/67042802021-08-02T07:30:36+01:002021-08-06T11:57:34+01:00Pre-orders and premiere coming soon<p>Pre-orders for <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em> open on Bandcamp Friday!</p>
<p>To support artists impacted by the pandemic, Bandcamp is kindly waiving its revenue share from midnight to midnight PST (8am to 8am UK time) on Friday, August 6, making that an especially good day to pre-order the album and/or purchase additional merchandise including test pressings with hand-drawn artwork, T-shirts, tea towels and tote bags. </p>
<p>Recorded and filmed live in lockdown in the beautiful medieval church of St Buryan, Cornwall, <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em> will be available both on CD and on a limited-edition double LP on blue heavyweight vinyl in a numbered gatefold sleeve, and the pre-order includes an immediate “instant gratification” download of “Last Song (The St Buryan Sessions)” plus all 7 singles released to date. </p>
<p>I’ll be offering a 10% discount on all my Bandcamp merch (including back catalog) to everyone who supports my music with a regular monthly donation of £5 or more either on Patreon or directly via PayPal, as well as to everyone who contributed to my FundRazr campaign. To get the discount code, just click the “Donate” or “Become a patron” button on my <a contents="homepage" data-link-label="Home" data-link-type="page" href="/home" target="_blank">homepage</a>! </p>
<p>I’ll also be premiering the video of “Last Song (The St Buryan Sessions)” on YouTube on Friday, August 6 at 6pm UK time (chat open from 5pm), so do tune in at <a contents="https://youtu.be/sq3TONTumYU" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/sq3TONTumYU" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/sq3TONTumYU</a> if you get the chance. Hope to see you there!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="sq3TONTumYU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/sq3TONTumYU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sq3TONTumYU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="236" width="420" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/66993212021-07-27T16:57:12+01:002021-07-27T16:58:30+01:00Halsway Manor Guitar Week<p>I’m honoured and delighted to be joining <a contents="Charlotte Carrivick" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.charlottecarrivick.co.uk" target="_blank">Charlotte Carrivick</a> and <a contents="Jenn Butterworth" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.jennbutterworth.co.uk" target="_blank">Jenn Butterworth</a> as a tutor at <a contents="Halsway Manor" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://halswaymanor.org.uk" target="_blank">Halsway Manor</a>'s Guitar Workshop Week, running 20-24 September! There are just 12 places left as of today (27 July), so do book now while you can at <a contents="https://halswaymanor.org.uk/event/guitar-workshop-week-2/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://halswaymanor.org.uk/event/guitar-workshop-week-2/" target="_blank">https://halswaymanor.org.uk/event/guitar-workshop-week-2/</a> – hope to see you there!</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/f3a47b2abe0e7557cf9db14b8f0a93b387103729/original/halswayguitarweek.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/66492872021-06-04T12:23:12+01:002021-06-04T12:26:09+01:00The Sun Goes On Rising (The St Buryan Sessions)<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/2ae4125457fb51ac127aa8a8f5776a95f6ea144d/original/sarah-mcquaid-single-the-sun-goes-on-rising-the-st-buryan-sessions.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJjb250ZW50LnNpdGV6b29nbGUuY29tIn0=/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" />I’m delighted to announce the final single release of <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em>; the remaining eight tracks will only be available for streaming and download after the album is released on 15 October. “The Sun Goes On Rising” feels like a good one to finish the single series with; it’s a bluesy, atmospheric song I co-wrote with Gerry O’Beirne over 10 years ago but still keep coming back to for glimmers of hope in dark times. </p>
<p>Like the previous singles, it’s a pay-what-you-want download via <a contents="Bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> – also see <a contents="this Smart URL" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://smarturl.it/sun-goes-on-rising" target="_blank">this Smart URL</a> for more streaming/download options, and click <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/EwxTx_03kjk" target="_blank">here</a> to join me for the YouTube video premiere tomorrow (Sat June 5) at 8pm UK time (12 noon in LA, 1pm in Denver, 2pm in Chicago, 3pm in Philly, 9pm in Berlin, 7am the next morning in Sydney).</p>
<p>As always, I’ll be hanging about in the chat for an hour beforehand to answer questions and catch up with everybody. </p>
<p>This will also be the last video I release before the album goes on presale in August, so do tune in if you can, and please do consider <a contents="subscribing to my YouTube channel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtube.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">subscribing to my YouTube channel</a> if you haven’t done so already.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/66284022021-05-12T15:10:09+01:002021-05-12T15:11:01+01:00Rabbit Hills premiere and actual tour dates!<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/JBOhwWsGbC0" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/56e2a8c9a4da4f43af26e143e335ac2cf76cac46/original/rabbit-hills-intro-video-thumbnail.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a>For the first time since January 2020, I’ve sent out an email newsletter containing actual <a contents="tour dates" data-link-label="Tour" data-link-type="page" href="/tour" target="_blank"><strong>tour dates</strong></a>, and while I’m feeling mildly terrified at the thought of walking onto a stage in front of an audience for the first time in well over a year, it’s tremendously exciting nonetheless. I’m also very excited about the video I’ll be premiering this coming Saturday, as it’s a song I’ve never recorded or even performed live before. Click <strong><a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/JBOhwWsGbC0" target="_blank">here</a></strong> or on the image above to watch a preview video where I talk about the song and what led me to record it, and <strong><a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/SOvQD3CYFQ0" target="_blank">here</a></strong> to join the premiere itself. The video will go live at 8pm UK time, i.e. 12 noon in LA, 1pm in Denver, 2pm in Chicago, 3pm in Philly, 9pm in Berlin, 7am the next morning in Sydney; but I’ll be hanging about in the chat for an hour beforehand to answer questions and catch up with everybody, so please do show up early if you can. </p>
<p>Even if you can’t make it to the premiere, I’d be much obliged if you could <strong><a contents="subscribe to my YouTube channel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtube.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">subscribe to my YouTube channel</a></strong>. I’m on 720 subscribers at the moment, and if I can bump up that number to 1,000 I’ll get access to all sorts of nifty features, including the ability to run trailers on the watch page before the premiere starts. </p>
<p>Another very helpful thing you could do that’s also free and takes only a few seconds would be to <strong><a contents="follow me on Spotify" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6AzQp7dotpkQ5aDu8CXBgM" target="_blank">follow me on Spotify</a></strong>. Yes, we all know streaming doesn’t pay enough, but if I can get that all-important algorithm working in my favour, it would put my music in front of a lot more listeners and potential concert-goers. </p>
<p>Along with the St Buryan Sessions project, I’ve been working hard on a very different aspect of music writing from the one I’m used to. I was lucky enough to get an Arts Council England grant to cover the cost of weekly online music composition lessons with <strong><a contents="Graham Lynch" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://grahamlynch.uk" target="_blank">Graham Lynch</a></strong>, a wonderful Penzance-based composer whose music has been performed by artists including the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Under his guidance, I’ve been writing two short compositions a week for various combinations of instruments; right at the moment I’m working on a quintet for flute, saxophone, violin, cello and piano! </p>
<p>I’ve also been taking every free music- or music business-related webinar going – and there have been a lot of them, sponsored by a bunch of different organisations I belong to including the Musicians Union, the Ivors Academy, the Americana Music Association UK, the Featured Artists Coalition, English Folk Expo and PRS (Performing Right Society). </p>
<p>I have a theory that this long fallow stretch involving lots of learning will enrich the soil, so to speak, and that when I do start performing and songwriting again, it’ll all kick in and set my quality bar in a higher position, to mix a metaphor or two. </p>
<p>My first gig since March 2020 is scheduled to take place less than two weeks from now, on Tuesday May 25 at the Tinners Moon Festival in Ashburton, Devon … so here’s hoping that a few new songs might start coming to me in tandem with my return to the stage and the road. </p>
<p>Many many thanks as always for your support of my music. I hope to see you at the video premiere this Saturday and at a venue near you in the coming year.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/66098752021-04-19T00:00:00+01:002021-04-21T08:54:24+01:005th St Buryan Sessions Video Premiere<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/v1xtch2bQ2M" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/4131c03633dba77ce574fae2f1292ca568f42c13/original/time-to-love-intro-vid-thumbnail.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a>I’d be thrilled if you could join me on Saturday for the premiere of “Time To Love (The St Buryan Sessions”). The song is one I co-wrote with the wonderful <a contents="Gerry O’Beirne" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://gerryobeirne.com" target="_blank">Gerry O’Beirne</a>. Click <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/v1xtch2bQ2M" target="_blank">here</a> to hear a few words from me about how the co-writing process and what you can expect from the premiere event, and <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/RdkOnZlZoXw" target="_blank">here</a> for the premiere itself. Hope to see you there!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/66098742021-04-17T08:00:00+01:002021-04-21T08:53:57+01:00New Keyboard thanks to Cultivator Grant<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/abcf219f0f09f893c7c08a1a73cc9e6d3b3aa4b0/original/38b26b67-0970-4df8-b412-8944364e1986.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that thanks to a very generous Creative Investment Grant from <a contents="Cultivator" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://cultivatorcornwall.org.uk" target="_blank">Cultivator</a>, part of the umbrella organisation Creative Kernow (which in turn is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Cornwall Council, Arts Council England and H.M. Government) — plus a little help from the very kind people at Korg UK — I now have a keyboard of my very own, and what a beauty it is: a Korg SV2 Stage Vintage Piano with a real live tube valve for that authentic vintage keyboard sound. Huge thanks to the wonderful Ralph Houston for letting me borrow his lovely Roland for the past few years — I’m sure he’ll be delighted to know that it won’t be bumping around the country in the back of a van any more (not that it’s been doing much of that lately anyway!). Also it looks like next month I might actually have a real live gig to play it at — stay tuned for more news about that soon!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/65918642021-04-02T10:42:25+01:002021-04-02T10:45:28+01:00“Sweetness and Pain” single out today, video premiere tomorrow<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/7cf2475870e2d7389a79e7d1e0398031d48c9c12/original/sarah-mcquaid-single-sweetness-and-pain-the-st-buryan-sessions.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" width="50%" />Delighted to announce that “Sweetness and Pain (The St Buryan Sessions)” is now available as a pay-what-you-want download via <a contents="Bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> – also see <a contents="this SmartURL" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://smarturl.it/sweetness-and-pain" target="_blank">this SmartURL</a> for more streaming/download options, and click the bell icon <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/ayBya86TCQc" target="_blank">here</a> to set a reminder to join me for the YouTube video premiere tomorrow (Sat Apr 3) at 8pm UK time (12 noon in LA, 1pm in Denver, 2pm in Chicago, 3pm in Philly, 9pm in Berlin, 7am the next morning in Sydney). </p>
<p>Please show up early if you can — I’ll be hanging about in the chat for an hour beforehand to answer questions and catch up with everybody. </p>
<p>Here’s a short video where I say a few words about the song and what to expect from the premiere: </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="VmD5vC-jick" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/VmD5vC-jick/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VmD5vC-jick?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="236" width="420" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/65361672021-02-01T13:26:31+00:002021-04-02T10:46:58+01:00New single and video out now!<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://smarturl.it/the-silence-above-us" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/94821ebbfc65734de3e19406d9fac47fb32a6651/original/single-the-silence-above-us.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></a>Huge thanks to everyone who tuned in to the video premieres for “The Silence Above Us (The St Buryan Sessions)” on <a contents="YouTube" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/0xyVXMnhkeU" target="_blank">YouTube</a> and <a contents="Facebook" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://fb.watch/3nKATisQC0/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>! Here’s a handy dandy <a contents="Smart URL" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://smarturl.it/the-silence-above-us" target="_blank">Smart URL</a> where you can check out the video, download the track (for free if you like) from <a contents="Bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> and play it on all the streaming services. Please do make use of those streaming links if you can — yes, we all know Spotify doesn’t pay artists enough, BUT by taking a few moments to click the <a contents="Spotify link" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/0bjMzfpTvmGu3bh0YSHVcy?si=t_Q33Pu0Q_qaZzvSiepN4w" target="_blank">Spotify link</a>, tap the heart button to like the track, and follow me as an artist, you’ll be helping to make my music more visible to others, which would make me very happy. Ditto for the other services. THEN go download the track from Bandcamp and you’ll make me even happier! </p>
<p><a contents="https://smarturl.it/the-silence-above-us" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://smarturl.it/the-silence-above-us" target="_blank">https://smarturl.it/the-silence-above-us</a> </p>
<p>The next video premiere is on Saturday February 2020 — click the bell icon at <a contents="https://youtu.be/AQdpmjCMsc0" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/AQdpmjCMsc0" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/AQdpmjCMsc0</a> to set a reminder for that one!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/65231622021-01-17T11:23:45+00:002021-01-25T12:24:21+00:00Video Premiere Coming Soon!<p>I’m so, so excited to announce the forthcoming release of the first video and single of <em><strong>The St Buryan Sessions</strong></em>, with premiere/watch party events on YouTube Saturday January 30 and Facebook Sunday January 31!</p>
<p><em>The St Buryan Sessions</em> were filmed and recorded live (with no audience due to COVID-19) on 1 July 2020 in the beautiful church of St Buryan, Cornwall, parts of which date back to the 11th century. The idea was to recreate the energy, heart, soul and magic of a live performance in a quality production that would stand the test of time. </p>
<p>Thanks to the generosity of the 184 individuals who contributed to my crowdfunding campaign, to <strong>Canon Vanda Perrett</strong> and the St Buryan Parish Council, to the <strong>St Buryan Male Voice Choir</strong> for letting me use their lovely grand piano, to the immense skill of engineer/producer <strong>Martin Stansbury</strong> of <a contents="Cacophony Cottage" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk" target="_blank">Cacophony Cottage</a>, filmmaker <strong>Mawgan Lewis</strong> of <a contents="Purple Knif" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://purpleknif.co.uk" target="_blank">Purple Knif</a>, and camera operator <strong>John Crooks</strong>, and most of all to the church itself, whose glorious natural acoustic we captured with the help of ambient microphones placed around the soaring space – I believe I’ve achieved that aim. I hope you think so, too.</p>
<p>Click the bell icon at <a contents="https://youtu.be/0xyVXMnhkeU" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/0xyVXMnhkeU" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/0xyVXMnhkeU</a> to set yourself a reminder to join me for the YouTube video premiere of “The Silence Above Us” on Saturday, January 30 at 8pm UK time (12 noon in LA, 1pm in Denver, 2pm in Chicago, 3pm in Philly, 9pm in Berlin, 7am the following morning in Sydney). I’ll be on hand in the chat during and after the premiere to answer questions and respond to comments, and would love to have your company and your feedback. Please share the link with your friends! </p>
<p>And then on Sunday, January 31 (or Monday if you’re in Aus/NZ) I’ll be hosting a similar premiere/watch party event on Facebook, with the same timings, and once again hanging out to chat with you during and after the premiere. Click on <a contents="https://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/posts/10158036813464016" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/posts/10158036813464016" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/posts/10158036813464016</a> and then on “Get Reminder” to sign up for this one, too, and once again, please share!</p>
<p>The single will be available as a pay-what-you-want download via <a contents="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> from Friday, January 29 onward – so you can have it for free, although of course I’d be very grateful for any contribution you feel able to make. </p>
<p>Coincidentally, the same day sees the release of the first singles from new albums by two great friends and sometime collaborators of mine: “Ogres” (which includes backing vocals from yours truly), the first single from <a contents="Lawrence Illsley" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.lawrenceillsley.com/" target="_blank">Lawrence Illsley</a>’s forthcoming album <em>Trees</em>; and “Planta Curandera”, the first single from the soon-to-be-released album <em>Lago Ausente</em> by the great <a contents="Zoë Pollock" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.zoepollock.com/" target="_blank">Zoë Pollock</a> of “Sunshine On A Rainy Day” fame, with whom I made the <a contents="Mama" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://mamamusic.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Mama</a> album way back in 2009. Both Lawrence’s and Zoë’s albums will be available for pre-order via Bandcamp very soon — look out for more news of that! </p>
<p>I’ll be continuing to roll out singles and videos over the coming year, and hope to release <em>The St Buryan Sessions</em> as an album on CD and double LP, with accompanying concert film, in late summer 2021. The next single and video are set to go out the weekend of 19-21 February. </p>
<p>If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to <a contents="https://youtube.com/sarahmcquaid" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtube.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">my YouTube channel </a> to be notified of future releases. Please also consider joining me on <a contents="https://patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">Patreon</a> for as little as £1, $1 or €1 a month, and click <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://btn.ymlp.com/xgqmhmsugmgj" target="_blank">here</a> to sign up to my newsletter mailing list. </p>
<p>Here are a few photographs from the sessions (the first five are by Mawgan Lewis and the remaining three are by Martin Stansbury):</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/3dd61e1e6783b630f69bf092d6253e83dc5c55e3/original/sarah-mcquaid-st-buryan-sessions-01-mawgan-lewis-sarah.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c225ddf92b13ebb989adc2d7c1f6c5424a3c4df7/original/sarah-mcquaid-st-buryan-sessions-02-mawgan-lewis-sarah.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/e5c54e722a9023815594e959e5ff1d98b9dbbe01/original/sarah-mcquaid-st-buryan-sessions-03-mawgan-lewis-sarah.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/8f68261ae21346f16c3d5424373aa574c539a79c/original/sarah-mcquaid-st-buryan-sessions-04-mawgan-lewis-sarah.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/5daa8b5b83886f13f3a4c449fab2ec8d61e6912d/original/sarah-mcquaid-st-buryan-sessions-05-mawgan-lewis-sarah.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/2be1384072f7612cb957419da977c997341f1e27/original/sarah-mcquaid-st-buryan-sessions-06-mawgan-lewis-sarah-john.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/5baf95743faf43bb3d784cd3afd3d94e8c3e05b8/original/sarah-mcquaid-st-buryan-sessions-07-martin-stanbury-sarah-mawgan-john-piano.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/339c5f42553ba6382d50fec9fc79bdbf52417f80/original/sarah-mcquaid-st-buryan-sessions-09-martin-stanbury-sarah-mawgan-john-guitar.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/64940522020-12-08T11:41:31+00:002020-12-08T11:54:27+00:00It’s a Christmas song!<p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_48v2BGxsAA" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/d3b7f3e2c7dd2a3ab56a052b74c76432259eb32e/original/shine-your-light-sarah-smile.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a>It’s me! Singing a Christmas song! MASSIVE thanks to the very, very wonderful Colin Harper for unearthing this lost gem of a Bert Jansch song — known only from a single performance at the Landmark Theater in Richmond, Virginia, in 2011 — and commissioning me to record it. Check out the <a contents="video on YouTube" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_48v2BGxsAA" target="_blank">video on YouTube</a> — and please share, share, share! Here are a few photos of the recording process:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/cd906292b917160053562ff5e93b43618a35fb9a/original/sarah-40.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/90812eeaa4603cfb594cb9243624294bf07e287d/original/sarah-37.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/6cb23264c1e6d9ebf26a65f491976f30b82c5d5b/original/sarah-27.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/bbb0c4c7eb900f045f6464595ac07701c858968a/original/sarah-12.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/312ccaaf1e4d3a7cc180453da6169ea89d99896f/original/sarah-07.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/d4c09d29c8679a232c400a1e134b8c20f0911b24/original/roger-07.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/62ad63dd49f08c1d8da827b3278359c014726d3c/original/martin-and-roger-04.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/6e127a3be91361852f58f2941831e1697cbd498a/original/martin-and-roger-01.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/6e6b00ed9647ff0b5123502652b31cd032360c30/original/martin-01.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>The song isn’t currently available for download or purchase, but I do hope to release it on a Christmas album in a future year. Please sign up for the mailing list if you’d like to be notified of that as and when it happens! Huge thanks also to the equally wonderful Martin Stansbury, Roger Luxton and Mark Stratford for their parts in this endeavour — see full credits below: </p>
<p>Sarah McQuaid (<a contents="http://sarahmcquaid.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://sarahmcquaid.com" target="_blank">http://sarahmcquaid.com</a>) — vocals, keyboards <br>Roger Luxton (<a contents="http://rogdrums.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://rogdrums.com" target="_blank">http://rogdrums.com</a>) — drums, percussion <br>Recorded by Martin Stansbury at Goatboy Studio, Wadebridge, Cornwall <br>Mixed and mastered by Martin Stansbury at Cacophony Cottage Studio (<a contents="http://cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk" target="_blank">http://cacophonycottagestudio.co.uk</a>) </p>
<p>Live performance footage filmed by Martin Stansbury </p>
<p>“The Cottage — English Country Garden in Winter” footage courtesy of Steve Poole (<a contents="http://stevepoolemusic.co.uk" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://stevepoolemusic.co.uk" target="_blank">http://stevepoolemusic.co.uk</a>) </p>
<p>Wychwood lights filmed by Mark Stratford / Another Planet Music </p>
<p>Film edited by Another Planet Music (<a contents="http://anotherplanetmusic.net" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://anotherplanetmusic.net" target="_blank">http://anotherplanetmusic.net</a>)</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/64656502020-10-29T12:30:35+00:002020-10-29T12:30:35+00:00Ivors Academy Membership Bursary<p>I’m delighted and honoured to announce that I’ve just been awarded a one-year membership bursary to the Ivors Academy, the independent trade body for songwriters and composers in the UK, home to the Ivor Novello Awards and to Joan Armatrading, Annie Lennox, Kate Bush, Elton John, Paul McCartney and other equally legendary songsmiths! Having already been benefiting from the Ivors Academy’s advocacy on behalf of all music creators, I’m now looking forward to being able to access masterclasses, networking events and other benefits of membership. </p>
<p>The Academy’s history starts in 1944 with the founding of the Composers Guild of Great Britain (CGGB), followed in 1947 by the formation of the British Songwriters Protection Guild of Great Britain, which eventually became the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA). In 1999, the two organisations joined forces with the Association of Professional Composers (APC) to become the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, which subsequently re-branded as the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) and then as the Ivors Academy. </p>
<p>I couldn’t be more proud to be a member of an organisation that campaigns so tirelessly for the rights of songwriters and composers, for inclusivity and diversity, and for a fair share for all those who create music. </p>
<p>See <a contents="https://ivorsacademy.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ivorsacademy.com/" target="_blank">https://ivorsacademy.com</a> for more information on The Ivors Academy.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/64544382020-10-13T09:22:04+01:002020-10-13T09:45:02+01:00What I’ve been up to lately ...<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/532bc945df363a385642c9aafb6d9d11c8f82e5c/original/film-scoring.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/26d04fc1fd6842f590a2715e0521bc3805080c1c/original/pendeen.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Hello there! I hope you’re all managing to stay safe and sane in these bewildering times. Pictured above are two things that have been helping me to get through them. There’s a further explanation below — but before I get to that, I should mention that since sending my previous newsletter back in July, I’ve made a couple more “How to Play ...” and “Story Behind The Song” videos for my <a contents="Patreon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">Patreon</a> supporters, and have also made a “Live From Home” video of my song “The Tide”, which is available for all to watch as a public video on YouTube – so do check it out by clicking <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piBjkWSF5vk" target="_blank">here</a> or on this thumbnail image:</p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piBjkWSF5vk" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c7bd4a181ccd999e651d7a9f3159ce35275c17ef/original/the-tide-sarah-mcquaid-thumbnail.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Back to those two photographs: I was tremendously honoured to be asked by my wonderful friend Lawrence Illsley (whose forthcoming debut album I recorded backing vocals for earlier this year) to compose a score for a short film featuring the first poem in a narrative series entitled <em>A Brief History Of Trees</em>, which is about to be published by the Live Canon Poetry Press and is now available to pre-order from the <a contents="Live Canon website" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.livecanon.co.uk/store/product/a-brief-history-of-trees-pre-order" target="_blank">Live Canon website</a> — highly recommended! </p>
<p>Scoring a film is not something in which I have any training or experience whatsoever, but it IS something I’ve always wanted to do, and it was wonderful to find myself actually creating new music for a change. Since the whole Covid thing started I haven’t even been having ideas for songs, let alone the impetus to write them, and I’d been feeling kind of down about that, but the film score assignment seemed to unleash all my blocked-up creativity: for about two weeks I was in a frenzy of composing, even getting out of bed in the middle of the night to hum bits of music into my phone so I wouldn’t forget them. And I felt totally joyous doing it. </p>
<p>Shot by Sean Lovell and directed by Ben Harris, the film starts and finishes with snippets of songs from Lawrence’s album, and part of the brief was to incorporate melodic themes from those two songs into the score, which made it an even more interesting challenge (and that’s “interesting” in the positive sense, not as in “may you live in interesting times”!). I decided to write for a small ensemble consisting of piano, trumpet, viola and cello, in the hope that the project could eventually become a live multimedia show, with Lawrence, myself and two other musicians onstage (Lawrence plays cello as well as guitar) and the film onscreen behind us. </p>
<p>It was a massive new skill set to try and acquire very quickly, but I’m so grateful to Lawrence for giving me the opportunity. I also need to thank Ralph Houston for the long-term loan of his keyboard, which I’ve been borrowing from him for over three years now and without which I wouldn’t have been able to do this kind of work — it’s got the full 88 keys, same as a grand piano, and they’re weighted, so that when I play loud or soft or use the sustain pedal, all that information is translated to the computer: if I hit the key harder, the note is louder. All this is old hat to proper composers who’ve been working with MIDI (which stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, in case you were wondering) for years, but for me it was totally mindblowing to be able to play a phrase on a piano keyboard and have it come out sounding like a trumpet, a cello or whatever I choose, with the musical notation of what I’ve just played laid out beautifully on the screen. </p>
<p>Also, in a crazy coincidence/serendipity, the scene I was scoring when I took the first of the two photos above has the same shot as a photo I‘d taken the previous day (on the South West Coast Path just above Pendeen Lighthouse, nine miles from my house) when we went for an afternoon family walk. It was the last photo I took during the walk — I only noticed that it was the same setting when I scrolled back through my camera roll. Have a close look at the two photos and you’ll see what I mean. Spooky ... </p>
<p>My longtime manager and sound engineer Martin Stansbury (who also mixed and mastered Lawrence’s album) is looking after sound design for the film and is currently whipping the MIDI files I’ve sent him into shape; as soon as he’s finished with that, he’ll be back to work on the mixing of my St Buryan Sessions recordings. </p>
<p>Speaking of which, it was disappointing to be notified this week that my Arts Council project grant application for funding to complete the St Buryan Sessions project was unsuccessful. Thanks to the lovely contributors to my <a contents="FundRazr&nbsp;campaign" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://fundrazr.com/st-buryan-sessions" target="_blank">FundRazr campaign</a>, I was able to pay Martin, filmmaker Mawgan Lewis and 2nd camera operator John Crooks for the filming and recording in St Buryan Church back in July, and there’s enough left over to pay Martin for the mixing and Mawgan for the editing of the first few song videos; but to get all the videos edited and the album manufactured and released, I’ll need to raise more funds. I’ve already applied to both Help Musicians UK and the PRS Foundation and am hoping for a positive response from one or both, and I’ll also re-apply to the Arts Council, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. In the meantime, if you’d like to make an extra contribution, the FundRazr campaign page is still open, or you can use the Donate button on my <a contents="homepage" data-link-label="Home" data-link-type="page" href="/home" target="_blank">homepage</a>. </p>
<p>As you may already know, I should have been on tour in the USA right now, but that’s not happening, and all but one of my November UK shows have either been cancelled outright or postponed to next year, in some cases even the year after next. I do still have concerts scheduled for Friday 27 November at The Hat Factory in Luton, Thursday 21 January at The Acorn Penzance, and Friday 12 February at the Phoenix Arts Centre in Bordon, Hampshire, with tours of Europe, the UK, Ireland and the USA to follow – see the Tour page of my website for full details — but I’m not holding my breath. It feels to me like it’s going to be a long, long time before I or any of my fellow musicians will be able to get back to full-scale touring. </p>
<p>Which is why I’d be tremendously grateful if you could consider joining me on <a contents="Patreon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">Patreon</a>. For as little as £1, $1 or €1 a month (or more if you can manage it), you’ll get exclusive access to the aforementioned patron-only “How to Play ...” (DADGAD guitar tutorial) and “Story Behind The Song” videos, plus sheet music downloads, artwork, updates and more. I’d also be grateful if you could help spread the word about this platform and see if you can persuade a few more people to join up. I’ve got 40 patrons as of today; if we can bump that figure up to my initial goal of 200 patrons, we’ll have a Zoom hangout/live Q&A online to celebrate. </p>
<p>Now that I have the score finished, I’ll be getting back to making more of those videos; the good news is that with Ralph’s keyboard all MIDI’ed up, I should be able to make my sheet music downloads considerably more quickly and efficiently than before. Other projects I’m hoping to spend more time on include the cover artwork for the St Buryan Sessions album, which we’ll also be using as the intro/end screen of the videos; doing a massive clearout of our bramble-choked garden; and a whole lot of cooking and jam-making — we’ve still have a big glut of apples and crabapples to get through. And hopefully that songwriting train will come along again one of these days ... </p>
<p>As always, massive thanks for all your kindness and support. Please do keep the feedback, comments, shares and reposts coming. </p>
<p>Love, </p>
<p>Sarah</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/64153652020-08-23T12:17:15+01:002020-08-23T12:21:52+01:00New “Live From Home” video<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/piBjkWSF5vk" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c7bd4a181ccd999e651d7a9f3159ce35275c17ef/original/the-tide-sarah-mcquaid-thumbnail.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a>Click <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/piBjkWSF5vk" target="_blank">here</a> to watch a new “Live From Home” rendition of my song “The Tide”! If you’d like to hear me read aloud a few passages from the books that inspired it, download the sheet music (including DADGAD guitar chord diagrams and tablature), or watch a video where I teach you how to play it, please do consider joining me on <a contents="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid</a> — as little as £1, €1 or $1 gets you access to all the aforementioned and more. You can stop or reduce your contributions at any time, and you’ll be joining a fantastic community of people who love my music and want to help me continue making it. Please tell your friends, too — if I can reach my initial goal of 200 patrons, we’ll have a celebratory hangout/Q&A online via Zoom! Thank you so much!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/64044042020-08-07T15:55:40+01:002020-08-07T15:55:40+01:00Songbook & Sheet Music Downloads<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/3c9943adad69b3f0cc7fca1a62c05536226a9c83/original/fullsizeoutput-eaf4.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Here’s what I’ve been working on for the past couple of weeks! I’ve had a bunch of enquiries over the years about the possibility of a “Sarah McQuaid Songbook”, and I always said I’d get around to it one of these days. Now I’m finally getting around to it — with the added benefit that I can also provide my Patreon supporters with PDF sheet music downloads to go with the “How To Play ....” and “Story Behind The Song” videos I’m making for them, including DADGAD chord diagrams and tablature as well as (at the suggestion of one of my Patreon followers — thank you, Andy!) a “lead sheet” showing standard-tuning chords for those who don’t fancy trying DADGAD or who play keyboards or some other instrument besides guitar. Thanks so much to Guitar Pro by Arobas Music for the software that’s enabled me to do this! Now I just have to record the next set of videos — and since I don’t seem to have a video of “The Tide” (which is the featured song this time round) already on my YouTube channel, I’ll also make a public “Live From Home” video of the full song to add to the channel. Stay tuned ... and please do think about joining me on <a contents="Patreon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">Patreon</a> for as little as £1/$1/€1 a month, or more if you can manage it — it’s a great way of staying in touch and making it possible for me to keep doing what I do!</p>
<p><a contents="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid</a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/63845352020-07-13T17:40:56+01:002020-07-13T18:01:33+01:00More new videos!<p>How’s everyone doing out there? I have to admit that I’m struggling a bit – I keep thinking that I’m doing fine and coping well with the situation, and then some totally innocuous thing sends me over the edge. Just yesterday morning I burst into tears while doing the dishes and listening to what was actually a really cheery, upbeat piece of music on the radio: a medley of radio show theme tunes, commissioned by BBC Radio 4’s “Broadcasting House” in response to a listener challenge and recorded by BBC Philharmonic musicians at their various homes in lockdown isolation (you can listen back to it <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08kk8bf" target="_blank">here</a> on the BBC website). Introducing it, presenter Paddy O’Connell explained that it would be followed by “the sound of individual clapping sent to us by Radio 4 listeners, what we think is the first ever ‘applause in isolation’, which is for artists, roadies, stage managers, performers” – and by the time we were a minute or two into the piece I was standing bawling in the kitchen and had to take a break from the washing-up until I’d calmed down and was no longer at risk of dripping tears and snot on the dishes .... </p>
<p>But I do have two pieces of good news, the first of which is that thanks to the 180 lovely people who contributed to my FundRazr campaign, we reached the goal ahead of the deadline and were able to do the recording and filming for The St Buryan Sessions — see photos in my previous news post <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://sarahmcquaid.com/news/blog/it-s-a-wrap" target="_blank">here</a>. Huge thanks to all the contributors, as well as to my longtime manager and sound engineer Martin Stansbury (who’s finally got round to putting up his own Facebook page – check it out <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/martinstansburyaudio/" target="_blank">here</a> and give it a like!), filmmaker Mawgan Lewis, 2nd camera operator John Crooks, to the St Buryan Male Voice Choir for kind permission to use their beautiful grand piano, and to Reverend Canon Vanda Perrett and all at St Buryan Church. There’s still a lot of sound mixing and video editing work to be done before we have any finished videos to put up, and even more funds to raise to get us to the finished album and feature-length film, so I’m leaving the campaign open for anyone who’d like to contribute further. It’s a great feeling to have the raw material “in the can,” though, and I’m so grateful to everyone who’s helped to make it possible. </p>
<p>The other bit of good news is that I’ve now made my second pair of “Story Behind ...” and “How To Play ...” videos, this time featuring my song “Hardwick’s Lofty Towers”. Embedded below is a public ‘trailer’ on YouTube in which I say a few words about them, then sing and play a verse of the song itself by way of a taster. Please do share it with any friends you think might be interested!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="tM0iSppTqJY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/tM0iSppTqJY/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tM0iSppTqJY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>To gain access to the full “Story Behind ...” and “How To Play ...” video series, as well as other exclusive content for my Patreon supporters, you can contribute as little as £1, €1 or $1 a month (choose whichever currency works best for you) via Patreon, for as long as you like; you can stop or reduce your contributions at any time. By contributing, you’ll be helping me to continue doing what I do — writing songs, making recordings and videos, putting my music out there — and I’d be tremendously grateful for any support you can offer, however minimal. </p>
<p>I’m also grateful to Kevin Rogan of the Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls, New York for sending me a wonderful videoof my performance (with live looping by Martin Stansbury) of the classic Bill Withers song “Lean On Me” at the library in October 2019. Here it is:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="yP1UCtnk41Y" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/yP1UCtnk41Y/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yP1UCtnk41Y?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Stay tuned for a couple more live videos from my recent tours that I’ve just been sent and haven’t yet uploaded. If you subscribe to <a contents="my YouTube channel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.youtube.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">my YouTube channel</a>, you’ll be notified of new videos as soon as I put them up. </p>
<p>As always, massive thanks for all your kindness and support, and please keep the feedback, comments, shares and reposts coming. It’s not always easy to stay positive, but it really, really helps to know that you’re out there rooting for me and for all my fellow musicians. I’m determined to keep plugging away for as long as I can, and I hope with all my heart that we’re able to meet at a live concert in a future year. </p>
<p>With love, </p>
<p>Sarah</p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://fundrazr.com/st-buryan-sessions" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/8583987fad2745e5f23bc1b1c85258b25664c400/original/st-buryan-sessions.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/1ee7475a908e79adef13e02174db793334440139/original/f8258e8b-3527-4013-b736-c071e6c62093.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.png" class="size_s justify_center border_none" alt="" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/63736022020-07-02T16:32:12+01:002020-07-02T16:32:12+01:00It’s a wrap!<p>It’s a wrap! I’m delighted to report that we’ve finished the filming and recording for The St Buryan Sessions. Huge thanks to Martin Stansbury, Mawgan Lewis, John Crooks and all the FundRazr supporters who made it possible! Also to the St Buryan Male Voice Choir for kind permission to use their beautiful grand piano, and to Reverend Canon Vanda Perrett and all at St Buryan Church. There’s a lot of sound mixing and video editing work to be done before we have any finished videos to put up, let alone the full album, but it’s a great feeling to have the raw material “in the can,” so to speak. Here are a few photos taken by myself and Martin over the two days of recording and filming:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/07ca5a4d48af09be9ba782bf1c02bdade09d5e2a/original/e5dc4f06-ae63-47a7-b76f-1c73a84abdbb.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/f1036c5325ca7ac6b73f303e61f73019d48ea393/original/38402ab1-24bd-440e-8963-da00b8e635a7.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/6dd8a940cbb9bd3a7c8d3568a78eea6e15de423e/original/f4442f6b-6d67-4a79-8377-9e5612b3b8e5.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/929867aa089e5e020101fbbce690f19d0c483c3e/original/03dd13af-10b6-4264-8ac6-477888d97337.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c94fa790a3a09a7d371472bef3a7282a782351a9/original/4efab9bc-f3bb-442a-978d-4ffcf2f506a1.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/4f2e2f1107f7bd24cd01110c0212c0fb2576ce5c/original/184f28d9-b527-400f-95d6-213ec721ac22.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c8c317c41bab67d1f1998846ff9de6603600ffe8/original/ee9d60f1-bcbf-42d3-9f57-0ad07bdd028e.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/5a1f1244b2f89a8efab8a57a6dc0038f9a41520a/original/c6276a1e-8ca6-4d3c-88b1-0819f61f64a6.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/a4b89046f7bc580fc483445439e34026c4435aac/original/2d0270db-0c1c-49bf-97e2-8ef8b2e342bd.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/a23a3053d2697cc3e5685efdcce76d20db80f9ed/original/04200484-a5c1-46a5-9afc-ed9be896fdb7.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/63419062020-06-04T14:47:48+01:002020-07-13T13:59:39+01:00New “How To Play ...” & “Story Behind The Song” videos, plus thoughts on speaking out<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/27cb11b19ba352ce472844ec5926c74132437fad/original/how-to-play-sun-goes-thumbnail.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Ooof, these are turbulent times, aren’t they? But amidst all the grim news in my daily perusal of the morning papers online, I’m also seeing some glimmers of hope. More on that in a moment ... but first, I want to quickly tell you about the launch this week of the first two in my new series of “Story Behind The Song” and “How To Play ...” (DADGAD guitar tutorial) videos.<br><br>The song featured in these first two instalments is “The Sun Goes On Rising”, which I co-wrote with Gerry O’Beirne and which features on my 2012 album <em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em>. I chose it to start with partly because it felt like an appropriate song for thematic reasons and has an interesting story behind it, but mainly because it’s a really easy song to play, even if you’re a beginning guitarist and have never played in DADGAD before!<br><br>You can get access to the new videos in which I tell the story behind “The Sun Goes On Rising” and show you how to play it by contributing as little as £1 a month to <a href="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">my Patreon page</a>, and you can pay in any currency you like. Click <a href="https://youtu.be/Vm0s9fOLc18" target="_blank">here</a> to watch a public “trailer” video that explains the idea — please share it with any friends you think might be interested! I’d love to have your feedback about this, so please feel free to post your comments on the video or on the Patreon post.<br><br>The other bit of news is that sadly, I’ve just been notified that my grant application for the <a href="https://fundrazr.com/st-buryan-sessions" target="_blank">St Buryan Sessions</a> project wasn’t successful, so I’ve had to raise my <a href="https://fundrazr.com/st-buryan-sessions" target="_blank">FundRazr</a> goal from £4,000 to £5,000, and have extended the deadline to 30 June. Please do contribute if you can ... or if you’ve already contributed, do keep spreading the word, and many, many thanks once again for your generosity!<br><br>Anyway, back to those glimmers of hope. I find it deeply encouraging that so many of us — myself included — who’ve been too silent for too many years are now speaking out publicly about matters having to do with politics, race and social justice. It’s important that we all keep speaking out and taking action where we can.<br><br>“What will happen when the news cycle is over, the social justice memes are no longer posted?” Layla F. Saad asked in an excellent <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2020/jun/03/do-the-work-an-anti-racist-reading-list-layla-f-saad" target="_blank">article</a> in this morning’s <em>Guardian</em>, entitled <em>Do the work: an anti-racist reading list</em>. I’m going to start tackling that reading list pronto, along with the excellent <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic" target="_blank">resource list</a> (including films, articles and books, organisations to follow on social media, etc.) posted by Atlantic Records exec Jamila Thomas and Platoon’s Brianna Agyemany on the webpage for their <a href="https://www.theshowmustbepaused.com" target="_blank">#TheShowMustBePaused</a> initiative, which took place two days ago and gave rise to the news cycle, hashtags and memes cited by Saad in her article. I know that this week’s events have caused pain, damage and anger, but I’d like to think that they also represent the start of something good.<br><br>I still don’t know when I’m going to be back on the road again. It’s become clear that my planned September-October US tour won’t be happening, so I’m in the process of trying to reschedule those gigs, and I have my doubts as to whether any of my UK gigs this summer and autumn will happen either. But I do look forward to the day when I can get back out there, and in the meantime, I’m very grateful to all of you, my friends and supporters, for staying in touch and helping me to keep busy and productive. I’ll do my level best to make it worth your while.<br><br>With love,<br><br>Sarah<br><br><em>Thanks so much to Jörg Detering for the photo below, which he took in March at the Alte Molkerei in Bocholt – one of the last gigs I did before the rest of my spring tour was cancelled.</em></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://fundrazr.com/st-buryan-sessions" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/8583987fad2745e5f23bc1b1c85258b25664c400/original/st-buryan-sessions.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/1ee7475a908e79adef13e02174db793334440139/original/f8258e8b-3527-4013-b736-c071e6c62093.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/63044352020-05-04T19:37:18+01:002020-05-09T08:07:36+01:00Thinking about plans ... and asking for help<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/77eeff4634b36b2fd273f5d34a898b0b002a2e7a/original/sarah-mcquaid-alastair-bruce-photo-for-web.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Sorry, this is going to be a long one. Get yourself a cup of tea before you start reading. I’m going to be asking for your help, but ONLY if you’re able and happy to give it. So many of us are struggling right now, and I know that there are a lot of competing demands for everyone’s generosity. </p>
<p>First of all, let me count my blessings. I’ve still got my health, so far. I’ve got my family around me, we’ve got a roof over our heads, and we’re surrounded by woods and fields where we can go for walks without getting into a car or meeting anyone else. We are fortunate. </p>
<p>But ... I’m still feeling blindsided. I’ve been a full time musician for over twelve years, and it was starting to seem like I was getting somewhere. I really thought that at the end of my 49-show spring tour I’d be able to pay off a big chunk of the debt that I’ve been building along with my career. Now 39 of those shows have been cancelled, and it could be a long, long time before things get back to the way they were. </p>
<p>It’s not just the money worries that are getting to me; it’s the loss of the magic that happens when a bunch of people are in a room enjoying music together, whether they’re listening to a concert or taking part in a singaround, session or choir practice. I miss that magic so much. </p>
<p>And I need to find a way to stay in contact with you — my friends and supporters — while I’m off the road due to the current situation. Live-streaming isn’t a solution for me; I’d never be satisfied with the technical quality, and more importantly, I don’t feel that the magic would be there. So here’s an idea: </p>
<p>If, as seems likely, lockdown restrictions start to be eased well before concerts become possible, I could move forward with a video/recording project that’s been on my mind for a while now: The St Buryan Sessions. </p>
<p>Nearly all my songs have changed and developed over the years since I first wrote and recorded them, and there are a couple of songs I’ve been performing live but never put on an album. I also feel that my recent concerts have reached a new level of energy and intensity that I’d really like to capture. </p>
<p>For the same dozen years that I’ve been making music for a living, I’ve been living just outside the village of St Buryan and singing in the choir of St Buryan’s lovely old church, parts of which date back to the 11th century. I feel so privileged to have been part of that, and would love to be able to give something back. I believe I can recreate the energy, focus and presence of a live gig by filming and recording “as live” — solo, no overdubs, no comps, no endless retakes — in this beautiful, inspiring space. </p>
<p><a contents="Mawgan Lewis" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://purpleknif.co.uk/" target="_blank">Mawgan Lewis</a>, who made a gorgeous <a contents="video" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/4Ye0XnQvh50" target="_blank">video</a> of my song “The Tug Of The Moon” and <a contents="documentary" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/TYlb7XAOYWM" target="_blank">documentary</a> about the making of my last album, will be doing the filming, with assistance from Eden Sessions veteran <a contents="Morgan Lowndes" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://morganlowndes.com/" target="_blank">Morgan Lowndes</a>; my longtime manager and sound engineer Martin Stansbury will be doing the recording, and <a contents="Phil Nicholls" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://rockphotographerscollective.co.uk/pages/phil-nicholls" target="_blank">Phil Nicholls</a> will be documenting the process. The material will be released initially as a series of videos to be rolled out one by one over the coming year, and ultimately as a full-length album to be launched, when all this is behind us, with a benefit concert for, and in, the church. I’d also like to donate a percentage of album sales to the church restoration fund; it’s such a magnificent old building, and needs to be preserved and maintained. </p>
<p>I’m really, really excited about this project. I think both the videos and the album have the potential to surpass, in quality, power and intimacy, anything I’ve done before. But I do need your help to make it happen. So I’ve set up a FundRazr campaign: see the link below for all the info and to make a contribution if you like. Anyone who donates at least £15 will receive a free copy of the album (postage included) when it’s eventually released. </p>
<p>The campaign is purely to cover the costs of making the videos and album, but I’ll need money to live on as well, and I do have other projects in mind that I could be working on while I’m off the road. I’d like to write some new songs and maybe put them out as a series of EPs; to write the long-promised sequel to my DADGAD guitar book, and/or a Sarah McQuaid songbook; to do more drawing, and possibly create animated or semi-animated lyric videos of songs from my last album. </p>
<p>But it’s hard to stay creative and focused when you’re panicking about paying the bills, and that’s where Patreon comes in. I’m hoping that by giving me a bit of financial stability in the form of a steady monthly income that I can count on, this lifeline of a platform will enable me to continue doing what I do best. At the same time, it’ll help me to stay connected with committed supporters who love my work and want to see and hear more of it, and that’ll be an even stronger incentive for me to keep creating. Your encouragement and feedback will be just as much of a help to me as your cash! </p>
<p>You might be struggling as much as or more than I am, or you might have already committed everything you can spare to other artists or to charities that are saving lives. But if you do feel able to give as little as £1 a month (or more if you can manage it), even if it’s only for a few months, I would be infinitely grateful. </p>
<p>My top priority is the <a contents="FundRazr campaign" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://fundrazr.com/st-buryan-sessions" target="_blank">FundRazr campaign</a> for The St Buryan Sessions; I want to be able to get started on the filming and recording as soon as it becomes permissible, so that I can pay these talented pros for their work, put some much needed cash in their pockets and get some new music out there. So please contribute whatever you can to that, and then if you can also make a pledge to my <a contents="Patreon campaign" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">Patreon campaign</a>, that would be amazing. If you can’t, you still have my heartfelt gratitude for your support in the past. I hope we can meet down the road in happier times for all of us. </p>
<p>With love, </p>
<p>Sarah</p>
<p><em>PS: Thanks so much to Devon-based photographer <a contents="Alastair Bruce" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.alastairbruce.co.uk/" target="_blank">Alastair Bruce</a> for the banner photo above, which he took in my garden way back in 2007 — the year I gave up my day job, became a full-time musician and moved to Cornwall. The photo below was taken by Jörg Detering in March at the Alte Molkerei in Bocholt – one of the last gigs I did before the rest of my spring tour was cancelled.</em></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://fundrazr.com/st-buryan-sessions" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/8583987fad2745e5f23bc1b1c85258b25664c400/original/st-buryan-sessions.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/1ee7475a908e79adef13e02174db793334440139/original/f8258e8b-3527-4013-b736-c071e6c62093.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/62572472020-03-21T13:03:57+00:002020-03-21T13:03:57+00:00April-May Tour Cancelled<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/426fd877f58650b2c65ddc75b655ebbb5034eb45/original/cancelled.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Now that I’ve been in touch with all the venues, including The Acoustic Festival of Britain which sadly announced its cancellation yesterday, I can confirm that along with the March dates previously cancelled, my April-May tour dates are now all cancelled as well. These are dark times for all of us in the creative sector – musicians, actors, comedians, technical crew, venue staff. There’s no question whatsoever that saving lives takes precedence over saving livelihoods, but I hope measures will be put in place to help artists and other self-employed individuals recover from this blow. Sending love to all.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/62481102020-03-13T17:56:55+00:002020-03-13T17:56:55+00:00Remaining Euro tour dates cancelled<p><i>Sarah writes:</i></p>
<p>Sadly, tonight’s concert at Zimmer 16 in Berlin will now be the final show of what should have been a 5-week tour finishing at the end of this month. Having received cancellation emails today from 4 of the remaining 11 concerts, including tomorrow’s concert, I’ve had to take the incredibly difficult decision to cut my losses and return to the UK this weekend. I apologise with all my heart to everyone I’ve let down by doing this, especially my wonderful manager and sound engineer Martin Stansbury who’s now lost 3 weeks of work that he was counting on. I know that so many musicians and other self employed people are in the same situation or worse, and it breaks my heart. If anyone out there feels like buying a CD or LP or T-shirt (not just from me but from any musician whose work you admire) or making a donation (again, to anyone, not just me — we’re all suffering), now would be a good time to do it. </p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/62201462020-02-19T14:55:35+00:002020-02-19T15:01:43+00:00Spring Tour 2020 – NL, DE, DK, UK, IE<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/ec948bf7dfd44a9f5bb2c88026d4ccbbd826248e/original/spring-2020-tour.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Sarah is heading out on the road again for a 48-show tour beginning in the Netherlands on 27 February and finishing at the Acoustic Festival of Britain the last weekend in May. The tour takes her through five different countries – something that may become considerably more difficult for Sarah and her fellow musicians from next year onward. </p>
<p>“I’ve no idea what’s going to happen as regards carnets and import duty and so on,” says Sarah, “but I have to say I’m really scared. I looked up the gov.uk website page on travelling to the EU after 1 January 2021, and followed the link there to how to apply for a carnet, and I was horrified to see that in addition to the £300-plus cost of the carnet itself, you also have to put up a security deposit of 40% of the value of all the gear you’re bringing with you. I wouldn’t even be able to come up with 40% of the value of my acoustic guitar, let alone the rest of the kit I tour with! </p>
<p>“I’m desperately hoping that the Musicians’ Union is successful in their campaign for an affordable ‘Musicians’ Passport’ touring visa that covers crew and equipment and eliminates the need for carnets. </p>
<p>“I’m lucky in that I’m an Irish citizen, so I’ll still theoretically be able to work in Europe, but the whole carnet business is terrifying, not to mention the possibility of import duty on CDs and any other merch, T-shirts and so on, which is a big part of what makes a tour financially viable. </p>
<p>“And the worst of it is that there’s absolutely no way of knowing at this point what the reality of the situation is going to be, and meanwhile I’m already having to make commitments for tour dates next year, even though I’m totally clueless as to what hoops I’ll have to jump through in order to be able to fulfil those commitments. </p>
<p>“But in the meantime I’m very glad to be heading out on this year’s tour, and I’m determined to make the most of it! And I do hope that anyone who’s listening supports the MU’s campaign. It’s so important for small-scale, grassroots acts like myself to continue to be able to tour in Europe, and ditto for European acts who tour over here — the UK music scene would be so much the poorer without them.” </p>
<p>For more info on the MU’s campaign and to sign the petition for a Musician’s Passport, click here: <a contents="https://www.change.org/p/government-parliament-let-touring-musicians-travel-support-musicians-working-in-the-eu-post-brexit-workingintheeu " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.change.org/p/government-parliament-let-touring-musicians-travel-support-musicians-working-in-the-eu-post-brexit-workingintheeu" target="_blank">https://www.change.org/p/government-parliament-let-touring-musicians-travel-support-musicians-working-in-the-eu-post-brexit-workingintheeu </a></p>
<p>Her award-winning musicianship, distinctive chocolatey vocals and mastery of the songwriting craft have led reviewers to describe Sarah as a “triple threat”. Add to that a warm, charismatic stage presence, five critically acclaimed solo albums and a battery of instruments including acoustic and electric guitars, drum and piano — and you’ve got a one-woman powerhouse who defies categorisation because there simply isn’t anyone else out there quite like her. </p>
<p>Produced by guitar legend Michael Chapman, Sarah’s fifth solo album <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> is distributed worldwide by Proper on LP as well as CD, and has received rave reviews worldwide: Dutch music magazine <em>Heaven</em> hailed it as “an early contender for folk album of 2018,” the UK’s <em>fRoots</em> said it was “a collection to savour” and the USA’s <em>PopMatters</em> called it “a gateway into a true innovator’s soul.” </p>
<p>See <a contents="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/tour" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/tour" target="_blank">http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/tour</a> for details of all tour dates.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/61389252020-01-21T15:14:40+00:002020-01-21T15:15:26+00:00Update - January 2020<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5fpqzABLpf/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/aa985aac442414843ba931535e5c923d26efbcca/original/home-trees.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong><br>The clump of beeches depicted above are known to most folk down this way as “The Nearly Home Trees.” I took the photo out the window of the van on the 30th of November, the last day of my marathon three-month US and UK tour, as we drove over the border from Devon into Cornwall. I didn’t grow up in Cornwall, but it’s been my home for well over a dozen years now, and the sight of those trees always gives my heartstrings a tug. It was a great tour, on many levels the best one I’ve ever done, but I was so, so happy to spot them rising up on the hillside ahead of us and to know that it was nearly over.<br><br>And it’s been so good to be home. There’s been lots of music, but it’s been participatory rather than performance-oriented: within the space of just one very busy week, I hosted an open singaround/session at the King’s Arms in St Just, sang with the Pipers Choir (a community choir based in my village) at our annual Christmas Concert, sang Handel’s Messiah with the Duchy Singers, and sang with my local church choir at our Nine Lessons and Carols service. Needless to say, I also enjoyed spending time with my wonderful husband and kids and with the lovely friends I’ve made here.<br><br>But now it’s time to get back out onstage again, and I’m really glad to be kicking that off with a concert on home turf. On Thursday night I’ll be performing at The Acorn, a fantastic arts centre here in Penzance, for the seventh time. There’s lots more to follow – see the full list <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/tour" target="_blank">here</a>.<br><br>I’m still booking shows for my tours this year and next, so if there’s a local music venue, theatre, arts centre, community hall, church or house concert where you’d like to see me, please do drop me a line with contact details and I’ll try to make it happen!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60560072019-08-26T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T19:02:54+00:00Update - August 2019<p><em><strong>Sarah writes:</strong></em><br>Well, that summer went by awfully quickly! My kids go back to school next week, which means it’ll also be time for me to head off on my autumn tour — 12 solid weeks of touring, with 35 shows in the USA and 22 in the UK (57 concerts in total), starting on September 6th and winding up back home in Cornwall on November 30th, just in time for the run-up to the holiday season.<br><br>And before I fly over to the States, I’m looking forward to performing at BunkFest in Oxfordshire this coming Friday, August 30th. It’ll be my fourth appearance at this lovely free family weekend of camping, music and dance, but this time round I’ll be playing on the Main Stage as the opening act of the festival at 6pm on the Friday!<br><br>Earlier this month I made a short trip over to Belgium and the Netherlands to perform for the second time at FolkFestival Ham and to play a very special birthday concert for Peter van Zeijl, the genial owner of a gorgeous little venue called Peter en Leni where I’ve had the pleasure of playing many times before — my next visit, in February 2021, will be my sixth gig there! On the way to the ferry, I stopped off to do a live in-studio interview and performance on BBC Gloucestershire (with a bandaged finger, much to my chagrin, as you can see from my face in the photo I posted at the time) and a benefit show for a new roof for Saints Philip and James Church in Cheltenham. Below is a photo taken by my wonderful manager Martin of me onstage at FolkFestival Ham — see my <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic">Instagram</a> page for lots more (incuding the aforementioned bandaged-finger pic).<br><br>Please do help spread the word about the tour if you can. It would be wonderful to see you and/or your friends at one of the shows!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/e7c30877e691a843aaec36adea0f922419895a53/original/sarah-mcquaid-folkfestival-ham2.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" width="100%" /><em>Onstage at FolkFestival Ham, Belgium</em></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60560062019-05-02T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T18:58:11+00:00Update - May 2019<p><em><strong>Sarah writes:</strong></em><br>’Tis the merry month of May! It’s been a busy year, starting with a concert at the Acorn Penzance in January – my sixth time playing there, followed in February by my sixth visit to the Bridge Topsham. Happy to report that both venues have already re-booked me for my seventh respective visits in 2020. I also had a lovely run of village hall gigs in Devon, made my third visit to the Poly in Falmouth, and spent a most enjoyable day recording backing vocals for what’s going to be a beautiful new album by my great friend and fellow songwriter Lawrence Illsley – stay tuned for more news about that!<br><br>In March I headed over to Ireland for concerts and workshops in Limerick and a gig at the Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival. Videos of live performances from both the Belfast and the Limerick gigs are now up on my <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.youtube.com/SarahMcQuaid">YouTube </a> page – do check ’em out if you get a chance, and please spread the word if you can.<br><br>On the way back from Ireland we made a detour to Nottingham to see <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.kevinfegan.co.uk">Kevin Fegan</a>’s stunning play <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.kevinfegan.co.uk/bess-the-commoner-queen/"><em>Bess The Commoner Queen</em> </a> at Nottingham Lakeside Arts. I was seriously honoured to have been involved in the project albeit in a small way, with my 2012 album <em>The Plum Tree And The Rose</em> (which includes my song about Bess, “Hardwick’s Lofty Towers”) featured as pre-show music. See photo below of me with Kevin and director Rikki Tarascas after the performance. I’m looking forward to meeting up with Kevin again this coming Monday, when I’ll be giving a guitar workshop and concert in Kevin’s home town of Belper, Derbyshire, as part of the Belper Arts Festival. Before that, I’ll be making a return visit to The Roses in Tewkesbury tomorrow (!) and playing the Wath Festival in Yorkshire on Sunday. Busy busy! Huge thanks for your support, and I hope to see you down the road ....<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518212/sarah-mcquaid-kevin-fegan-rikki-tarascas.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/190bf5b954cebcf7d9ea25be1a68a09701871193/original/sarah-mcquaid-kevin-fegan-rikki-tarascas.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Kevin_Fegan_Rikki_Tarascas" width="100%" /></a><em>With director Rikki Tarascas (left) and playwright Kevin Fegan (right) at Nottingham Lakeside Arts.</em></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60560052019-02-05T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T19:11:33+00:00Songs featured in national tour of new Kevin Fegan play<p>Sarah is thrilled and honoured to be able to report that award-winning playwright and poet <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.kevinfegan.co.uk" target="_blank">Kevin Fegan</a> has not only decided to feature five songs from her 2012 album <em>The Plum Tree And The Rose</em> – including “Hardwick’s Lofty Towers”, her song about Bess of Hardwick – as pre-show music for his new play <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.kevinfegan.co.uk/bess-the-commoner-queen" target="_blank">Bess the Commoner Queen</a></em> during its forthcoming national tour, but also very kindly offered to have the album available for sale at the venues alongside his published script. Besides “Hardwick’s Lofty Towers”, other songs from the album featured in the pre-show playlist include “In Derby Cathedral”, “Kenilworth”, “Can She Excuse My Wrongs?” and “The Plum Tree and the Rose”. See <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.kevinfegan.co.uk/bess-the-commoner-queen" target="_blank">http://www.kevinfegan.co.uk/bess-the-commoner-queen</a> for the full list of tour dates, starting Saturday 2 March at the Buxton Opera House Pavilion Arts Centre.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/10860fa38da71bf72d20baed5cb19ed725bc5e04/original/bess-commoner-queen.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" width="“100%”" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559982019-01-07T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T22:45:20+00:00Update - January 2019<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong></span><br>Happy New Year to all of you!<br><br>After an incredibly hectic twelve months during which I released my fifth solo album <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous </em>(which has made several “Best of 2018” lists in recent months and was named Album of the Year by the <em>Across The Universal Soundscape</em> music blog) and played 124 gigs in the UK, USA, Ireland, Netherlands and Germany, I’m looking forward to a somewhat quieter start to 2019.<br><br>This coming Thursday I’ll be returning to The Acorn Penzance, where the album had its launch just under a year ago, for my first gig of the new year. It’s always a treat to kick things off with a “hometown” show, and I’m looking forward to dusting off some older material that I haven’t performed live in years (much of which I had to relearn from scratch by listening back to my own recordings and struggling to figure out what I was doing on the guitar!) while continuing to perform tracks from the current album. I’m also getting ideas for new songs and instrumentals, but they need a bit of percolation time before I attempt them in public, so in the meantime it’s nice to stir things up a bit by revisiting some long lost friends.<br><br>Huge thanks for your support, and I hope to see you down the road!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60560042018-12-29T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T19:36:48+00:00“If We Dig Any Deeper” makes Jersey Beat’s Best Of 2018<p><em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> has been included under Paul Silver’s <em>Top 25 Albums of 2018</em> in <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.jerseybeat.com" target="_blank">Jersey Beat</a></em>’s <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.jerseybeat.com/2018-BestOf.html" target="_blank">Best of 2018</a> list. “I’ve fallen madly in love with this album,” Silver writes.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518210/jersey-beat-best-of-2018-screenshot.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/60814e30f0832a782b9efb746170187bb5059414/original/jersey-beat-best-of-2018-screenshot.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Jersey_Beat_Best_Of_2018_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60560032018-12-27T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T19:38:13+00:00No. 15 in Floorshime Zipper Boots Top 20 Artists of 2018<p>Kansas City based music blog <em><a data-imported="1" href="https://floorshimezipperboots.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Floorshime Zipper Boots</a></em> has listed Sarah at No. 15 in their <a data-imported="1" href="http://floorshimezipperboots.blogspot.com/2018/12/floorshime-zipper-boots-top-20-artists_27.html" target="_blank">Top 20 Artists of 2018</a>.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518209/floorshime-zipper-boots-top-20-artists-2018-screenshot.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/0bf9f5ed792b6dff062f441ab706e00ebeab1c06/original/floorshime-zipper-boots-top-20-artists-2018-screenshot.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Floorshime_Zipper_Boots_Top_20_Artists_2018_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60560022018-12-26T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T19:38:42+00:00No. 4 in Floorshime Zipper Boots Top 10 Videos of 2018<p>Kansas City based music blog <em><a data-imported="1" href="https://floorshimezipperboots.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Floorshime Zipper Boots</a></em> has listed award-winning filmmaker <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.brettharvey.co.uk" target="_blank">Brett Harvey</a>’s beautiful <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WjeCEoNHjY" target="_blank">video</a> of Sarah’s song ‘Slow Decay’ at No. 4 in their <a data-imported="1" href="http://floorshimezipperboots.blogspot.com/2018/12/floorshime-zipper-boots-top-10-videos.html" target="_blank">Top 10 Videos of 2018</a>.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518208/floorshime-zipper-boots-top-10-videos-2018-screenshot.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/052024943613386745633b7ca5d5c1d6fd04542d/original/floorshime-zipper-boots-top-10-videos-2018-screenshot.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Floorshime_Zipper_Boots_Top_10_Videos_2018_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60560012018-12-20T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T19:39:00+00:00“If We Dig Any Deeper” makes FRUK Best Folk Albums of 2018<p><em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> has been named one of <em><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.folkradio.co.uk" target="_blank">Folk Radio UK</a></em>’s <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.folkradio.co.uk/2018/12/the-best-folk-albums-of-2018-5" target="_blank">Best Folk Albums of 2018</a>! “A consummate artistic triumph that marks a new phase in McQuaid’s career,” writes FRUK’s Alex Gallacher.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518207/fruk-best-folk-albums-2018-screenshot.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/8f4bae6bc1d6ee1f8180275626ea28fa79b64f80/original/fruk-best-folk-albums-2018-screenshot.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="FRUK_Best_Folk_Albums_2018_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a><br> </p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60560002018-12-17T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T22:42:33+00:00“If We Dig Any Deeper” tops Quiet Revolution’s "Favourite Albums Of 2018” list<p><em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> is top of the list on music blog <a data-imported="1" href="https://adamwilsonsquietrevolution.net" target="_blank"><em>Adam Wilson’s Quiet Revolution</em></a>’s <a data-imported="1" href="https://adamwilsonsquietrevolution.net/2018/12/16/the-quiet-revolution-favourite-albums-of-2018-full-list" target="_blank">Favourite Albums of 2018</a>! And in excellent company ...<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518206/quiet-revolution-favourite-albums-2018-screenshot.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/2183957e5ce262fa9475596cac59a326236b4bd8/original/quiet-revolution-favourite-albums-2018-screenshot.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Quiet_Revolution_Favourite_Albums_2018_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559992018-12-14T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:14:58+00:00Album Of The Year on Across The Universal Soundscape<p>We’re delighted to report that <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> has been selected by UK-based music blog <a data-imported="1" href="http://acrosstheuniversalsoundscape.weebly.com" target="_blank"><em>Across The Universal Soundscape</em></a> as their <a data-imported="1" href="https://acrosstheuniversalsoundscape.weebly.com/album-of-the-year-2018-sarah-mcquaid---if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous.html" target="_blank">Album Of The Year for 2018</a>!<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518205/album-of-the-year-2018-screenshot.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/cb3150fc7b1affcbd3bc5ecfd06ea7131dbbd943/original/album-of-the-year-2018-screenshot.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Album_Of_The_Year_2018_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559952018-11-12T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:12:51+00:00Artist of The Week on Richer Unsigned in Association with Q<p>Many thanks to <em><a data-imported="1" href="http://richerunsigned.com/" target="_blank">Richer Unsigned</a></em> (hosted by Richer Sounds in association with <em>Q Magazine</em>) for making Sarah their <a data-imported="1" href="http://richerunsigned.com/blog/artist-of-the-week-sarah-mcquaid/" target="_blank">Artist Of The Week</a>. “Our choice track “Slow Decay” is a sombre smokey number that perfectly showcases Sarah’s incredible voice as well as her musical dexterity” writes Colin Moir.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518204/richer-unsigned-sarah-mcquaid.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/9597e6fcf52d609eef5d2aac838f01b9183c726e/original/richer-unsigned-sarah-mcquaid.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Richer_Unsigned_Sarah_McQuaid" width="100%" /></a><br> </p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559962018-09-04T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T22:45:53+00:00Update - September 2018<p class="p1"><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong><br>Hello from a conveniently located Travelodge near Heathrow Airport! In just a few hours we’ll be flying over to the USA for my seven-week US tour.<br><br>I realise that this newsletter comes a little soon after the last one, but I wanted to get the word out about my USA and UK tour dates this autumn. I’m in the process of migrating to a new mailing list service that will enable my future newsletters to be targeted geographically, so please do click the link at the bottom of this email to update your info if you’d like to let me know where you are; you can also use the Notes section to let me know what kind of newsletter emails you’d like to receive, and I’ll bear all the info in mind when setting up the new system.<br><br>It’ll be my first time touring the new album material in the USA, and I’m very grateful to Margaret Kennedy for loaning me her Gibson Les Paul Studio electric guitar and my cousin Adam for loaning me a floor tom drum for the US tour! Sadly I won’t be touring a keyboard in the US, but I’ve let the venues know that if they have a piano or keyboard available I’d love to play it.<br><br>I’m not looking forward to the journey over – I hate flying with a passion – but am very much looking forward to the first gig of the tour this coming Friday, at the Green Wood Coffee House Series in Ann Arbor, Michigan – see the full list of tour dates (including my November-December UK gigs) below, and on both my website and my Facebook page you’ll find full details for all the shows.<br><br>Please do share the info on social media and elsewhere – every little bit of extra promotion helps!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559942018-07-23T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T19:55:47+00:00Sarah duets with Dean Friedman on his hit “Lucky Stars”<p>Sarah was thrilled to be invited by songwriting legend <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.deanfriedman.com/" target="_blank">Dean Friedman</a> to duet with him on his 1978 Top 5 hit “Lucky Stars” when Dean played the <a data-imported="1" href="https://theacornpenzance.com/" target="_blank">Acorn Arts Centre</a> in Penzance on 21 July 2018. The invitation arrived by email the day before the show, as Sarah was setting up for her own concert at the nearby Penlee Park Open Air Theatre that evening. “I’ve just got to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed watching/listening to your lovely songs and beautiful voice on your website,” Dean wrote. “If you are able to make the Acorn gig, would you have any interest in joining me on stage to sing ‘Lucky Stars’? Just a thought. I know the audience will enjoy it.”<br><br>“I’d never sung the song before,” Sarah admits, “and I knew that between my own gig on the Friday night and the Lafrowda Festival on the Saturday, I wasn’t going to have much of any time to prepare or even to get the lyrics properly memorised, but I thought if I say no, I’ll just be kicking myself for the rest of my life — so I said yes! It was an incredibly daunting thing to do, and if I’d known somebody from the Acorn was videoing the song I’d have been even more terrified than I already was, but I’m so glad they did. Dean is such a brilliant songwriter and a fantastic live performer, and it was a real joy and a massive privilege to be able to work with him!”<br> </p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qO71JQB-ySI?showinfo=0?ecver=1" width="100%"></iframe></div></div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/52ee6abfc6348d0f3d2d61a1501876c492b4ee49/original/sarah-mcquaid-dean-friedman-lucky-star-2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Dean_Friedman_Lucky_Star_2" width="100%" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/52561e00ac97e47dda927399dd41bebf56f3c93b/original/sarah-mcquaid-dean-friedman-lucky-star-3.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Dean_Friedman_Lucky_Star_3" width="100%" />
<p> </p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559932018-07-20T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T23:16:15+00:00“If We Dig Any Deeper” tops Quiet Revolution’s "Favourite Albums Of 2018 So Far” list<p><em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> was top of the list on music blog <a data-imported="1" href="https://adamwilsonsquietrevolution.net" target="_blank"><em>Adam Wilson’s Quiet Revolution</em></a>’s <a data-imported="1" href="https://adamwilsonsquietrevolution.net/2018/07/20/my-favourite-albums-of-2018-so-far-first-instalment/" target="_blank">Favourite Albums of 2018 So Far</a>! And in excellent company ...<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518203/quiet-revolution-screenshot.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/350062afb37486075c92b3791a49d0f034a66d54/original/quiet-revolution-screenshot.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Quiet_Revolution_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559922018-07-09T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T23:16:59+00:00“If We Dig Any Deeper” makes “Best New Music” blog & “Melancholic Folk” Spotify Playlist<p>Huge thanks to Italian music blogger Guerino Giancola for featuring his wonderful <a data-imported="1" href="https://selectedbyguerino.wordpress.com/2018/07/09/best-new-music-if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous-by-sarah-mcquaid/" target="_blank">review</a> of <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> in the <a data-imported="1" href="https://selectedbyguerino.wordpress.com/category/best-new-music/" target="_blank">Best New Music</a> category on his <a data-imported="1" href="https://selectedbyguerino.wordpress.com" target="_blank">Selected By Guerino</a> music blog, and also for putting “Dies Irae” at the top of his <a data-imported="1" href="https://open.spotify.com/user/selected-by-guerino/playlist/1bTvx2SZotLWGWdslc2aio" target="_blank">Melancholic Folk</a> Spotify playlist!<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518201/selected-by-guerino-screenshot.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/42786477b118d8c0744d1d0b99bf656c8a6a99d9/original/selected-by-guerino-screenshot.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Selected_By_Guerino_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518202/guerino-spotify-playlist-screenshot.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/b5dd892b2dc4387336692a80131fc31715f7d2c9/original/guerino-spotify-playlist-screenshot.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Guerino_Spotify_Playlist_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559972018-07-02T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T22:46:21+00:00Update - July 2018<p class="p1"><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong><br>Huge thanks to all the lovely people who’ve been coming to my gigs so far this year. It’s been great fun touring with all the new instruments, including drum, piano and electric guitar (on loan from Roger Luxton, Ralph Houston and Michael Chapman respectively), and I’m working on figuring out how and to what extent I can translate the new setup to my USA tour this autumn ...<br><br>The new album is still getting some very nice attention in the press: just in the past month, Kansas City based music blog <em>Floorshime Zipper Boots</em> included me in their “Top 10 Artists of 2018 So Far,” Australia’s <em>Green Left Weekly</em> put <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> at No. 1 on their list of “10 new albums that sum up the state of the world,” and it was Album Of The Month for June on UK blog <em>Across The Universal Soundscape</em>, which described it as “an absolutely stunning album. Already an early contender for our AlbumOfTheYear!”<br><br>If you can make it to one of my upcoming shows, it would be great to see you there, and please do help spread the word if you can – I’m always looking for “street teamers” to help distribute posters and flyers, and am also immensely grateful for any shares, retweets and email forwards.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559912018-06-29T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T20:02:26+00:00“If We Dig Any Deeper” makes Floorshime Zipper Boots Top 10 Artists of 2018 So Far<p><em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> has made the <a data-imported="1" href="https://floorshimezipperboots.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-floorrshime-zipper-boots-top-10.html" target="_blank">Floorshime Zipper Boots Top 10 Artists of 2018 So Far</a> list! Also see <a data-imported="1" href="https://floorshimezipperboots.blogspot.com/2018/05/sarah-mcquaid-if-we-dig-any-deeper-it.html%0A" target="_blank">https://floorshimezipperboots.blogspot.com/2018/05/sarah-mcquaid-if-we-dig-any-deeper-it.html</a> for the album’s original review on the site.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518200/floorshime-zipper-boots-screenshot.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/072f88a798dad954a58a559324640e64bdb826a0/original/floorshime-zipper-boots-screenshot.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Floorshime_Zipper_Boots_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559902018-06-29T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T23:18:20+00:00No. 1 on Green Left Weekly’s ‘10 new albums that sum up the state of the world’<p>We’re honoured and thrilled that <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> is No. 1 on <em><a data-imported="1" href="https://www.greenleft.org.au" target="_blank">Green Left Weekly</a></em>’s list of <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/10-new-albums-sum-state-world" target="_blank">10 new albums that sum up the state of the world</a> – and in some very fine company, too! Read the full list <a data-imported="1" href="https://social.shorthand.com/greenleftweekly/3Cibn7KYIx/10-new-albums-that-sum-up-the-state-of-the-world" target="_blank">here</a>. Author Mat Ward also included the album’s title track on his ‘Political albums’ <a data-imported="1" href="https://open.spotify.com/user/1230925694/playlist/4nMCQrnyaK6nS26h9RXJ5i?si=4qLitbl0TwKFIYg2lLGVww" target="_blank">Spotify playlist</a>. Thank you, Mat!<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518198/green-left-weekly-screenshot.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/eca0854f4b218534f65e5f3569f1a540d29869a8/original/green-left-weekly-screenshot.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Green_Left_Weekly_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559892018-06-03T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T23:19:11+00:00Album Of The Month on Across The Universal Soundscape<p>We’re delighted to report that <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> is <a data-imported="1" href="http://acrosstheuniversalsoundscape.weebly.com/june-2018-sarah-mcquaid---if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous.html" target="_blank">Album Of The Month for June 2018</a> on the UK-based music blog <a data-imported="1" href="http://acrosstheuniversalsoundscape.weebly.com" target="_blank"><em>Across The Universal Soundscape</em> </a>! And according to their subsequent Tweet, it’s “an absolutely stunning album. Already an early contender for our #AlbumOfTheYear!”<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518196/sarah-mcquaid-universal-soundscape-june-2018.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/06f9e047311eb93fc23eb12abee9828caa10dd09/original/sarah-mcquaid-universal-soundscape-june-2018.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Universal_Soundscape_June_2018" width="100%" /></a><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518197/sarah-mcquaid-screenshot-universal-soundscape-twitter.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/f2532f41b6603d7c769f7312eb1b323e98497e5f/original/sarah-mcquaid-screenshot-universal-soundscape-twitter.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Screenshot_Universal_Soundscape_Twitter" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559882018-04-15T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T20:06:26+00:00Update - April 2018<p><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong><br>Below is a still from a beautiful <a data-imported="1" href="https://youtu.be/4WjeCEoNHjY" target="_blank">video</a> of my song “Slow Decay” by award-winning filmmaker <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.brettharvey.co.uk/" target="_blank">Brett Harvey</a>, based on the incredibly poignant true story of a man who cycled 1,400 miles to hear his daughter’s heart beating again in the body of its recipient. I was lucky enough to receive grants from Arts Council England and Cultivator Cornwall for the making and marketing of my new album <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em>, including money for the production of videos by two Cornish filmmakers – the aforementioned Brett Harvey and <a data-imported="1" href="http://purpleknif.co.uk/" target="_blank">Mawgan Lewis</a>, who made a gorgeous <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ye0XnQvh50" target="_blank">video of lead single “The Tug Of The Moon”</a> as well as a <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYlb7XAOYWM" target="_blank">documentary video</a> about the making of the album – do watch them if you haven’t already! Brett told me that the lyrics of “Slow Decay” put him in mind of a news article he’d read about Bill Conner, a Wisconsin man who undertook his cycle ride to raise awareness for organ donation and honour the memory of his daughter Abbey, who died at the age of 20. In Brett’s short film, it’s the mother – beautifully played by Mary Woodvine – who makes the journey, intercut with flashbacks of her daughter’s short life. It’s such a gorgeous video and promotes a cause I feel very strongly about, so I do hope you’ll click <a data-imported="1" href="https://youtu.be/4WjeCEoNHjY" target="_blank">here</a> to watch it – and I also hope you’ll be able to get to one of my gigs in the coming year! See details below ... and please spread the word if you can!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/31499d7b7a3ee5b00620fa2fade5fd1afab49f35/original/sarah-mcquaid-slow-decay-4.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Slow_Decay" style="border: 0pt none; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;" width="100%" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559862018-04-08T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T22:47:31+00:00Sarah joins music industry heavyweights at F Word Music Forum<p>Sarah is honoured to have been invited to be a panelist at <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/336100286796775/" target="_blank">The F Word Music Forum</a> in Truro on Tuesday 17 April 2018, alongside an impressive lineup of music industry heavyweights. Founded by a collective of Management students from Falmouth University, the F Word originated as a project to raise awareness of gender equality within the music industry, but its focus has since widened to address issues affecting all music practitioners. Other panelists at the forum include Holly Williams, Head of Marketing and Creative at Island Records; Maxie Gedge, Communications Manager for the PRS Foundation; Tanya Brittain of The Changing Room and the Looe Music Festival; Natasha Maddison, manager to the legendary Maceo Parker (best known for his work with Prince and James Brown); and Sophie Sweatman of Sweet Sound PR and Aardvark Records. The F Word team came along to Sarah’s show at The Poly Falmouth in February and recorded a short video interview which can be viewed here: <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.facebook.com/TheFWord24/videos/364637127339054" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/TheFWord24/videos/364637127339054</a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559852018-03-30T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T21:47:52+00:00Sarah teams up with filmmaker Brett Harvey for video based on true organ donor story<p>Sarah has teamed up with award-winning filmmaker <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.brettharvey.co.uk" target="_blank">Brett Harvey</a> for a <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WjeCEoNHjY" target="_blank">music video/short film</a> based on the poignant true story of Bill Conner, a father who lost his daughter and cycled 1,400 miles to hear her heart beating again in the body of its recipient.<br><br>Underpinned by Sarah’s song “Slow Decay”, the video was released today, Friday March 30, with Conner’s blessings.<br><br>In May 2017, five months after Conner’s daughter Abbey died at the age of 20, he decided to honour her short life by cycling from his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to visit Broward Health Medical Center, the hospital that had recovered Abbey’s organs for donation. 1,400 miles into Conner’s trip, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he met with 21-year-old Loumonth Jack Jr., who’d been given 10 days to live before he was saved by Abbey’s heart.<br><br>After sharing a minute-long hug, Jack pulled out a stethoscope so that Conner could hear his daughter’s heartbeat for the first time since she died. The family made a recording of Jack’s heart for Conner to listen to as he continued his journey to spread awareness about the importance of organ donation, promoting the efforts of <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.donatelife.net" target="_blank">https://www.donatelife.net</a>. The “Slow Decay” video seeks to further his efforts.<br><br>“I was struck by the simple humanity of the act,” says Harvey, “and the notion that we live on through others after we pass away. I had wanted to tell a version of this story for a while, and as soon as I heard Sarah’s beautiful song I knew it was the right fit.”<br><br>“The body fails / These bones won’t last forever / So I ask myself what are the things we leave behind,” ruminates Sarah in the lyrics of “Slow Decay”. The question is answered, at least in part, elsewhere on the album: the bluesy, upbeat “Break Me Down” includes the line “If my organs are of use, I hope they find a happy home.”<br><br>In his beautifully rendered film, Harvey takes up that theme subtly but effectively, as a mother (played by Mary Woodvine, whose credits include <em>Eastenders</em>, <em>Doc Martin</em>, <em>Casualty</em> and <em>Poldark</em> in addition to starring roles in Cornish-language short film <em>Blight</em> and award-winning 2007 psychological thriller <em>The Lark</em>) undertakes a cycle journey intercut with flashbacks of her daughter’s short life.<br><br>Links for the <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.donatelife.net" target="_blank">donatelife.net</a>, <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk" target="_blank">organdonation.nhs.uk</a> and <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.organdonor.gov" target="_blank">organdonor.gov</a> websites appear onscreen after the film’s closing frame.<br><br>Harvey’s first feature film <em>Weekend Retreat</em> won the Golden Chough award at the Cornwall Film Festival 2011, Best Director at the London Independent Film Festival 2012, Best Actress and Best Film at the Bootleg Film Festival 2013, Best Director at the International Film Festival of Wales 2014 and nine awards at the Global Independent Film Awards. His second feature film <em>Brown Willy</em> played in international film festivals and was described by <em>The New Statesman</em> as “Cornwall’s answer to Withnail And I.”<br><br>With the help of financial support from Arts Council England and Cultivator Cornwall, Sarah was able to commission Harvey’s film of “Slow Decay” as well as two videos by Cornish filmmaker Mawgan Lewis: a documentary on the making of <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> and a music video of lead single “The Tug Of The Moon”, both released on Sarah’s <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.youtube.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a> in the run-up to the album launch.<br><br>“I’m so, so glad that Brett came up with this beautiful concept for ‘Slow Decay’,” says Sarah. “It’s something I feel very strongly about, and I hope it’ll inspire anyone who’s not already registered as an organ donor to sign up.”</p> <div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" height="113" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4WjeCEoNHjY?showinfo=0?ecver=1" width="200"></iframe></div></div></div></div>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559842018-03-24T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:20:53+00:00Elmore Magazine Premiere for Brett Harvey Video of “Slow Decay”<p>Award-winning filmmaker <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.brettharvey.co.uk/" target="_blank">Brett Harvey</a>’s video of Sarah’s song “Slow Decay” has been premiered a week ahead of its release by New York-based online music magazine <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.elmoremagazine.com/" target="_blank">Elmore</a>, which featured the video as the top item on its homepage for 24 March. Funded by Arts Council England and Cultivator Cornwall, the video was inspired by the true story of Bill Conner, a Wisconsin father who lost his daughter and cycled 1,400 miles to hear her heart beating again in the body of its recipient.<br><br>“I’m incredibly honoured and delighted that Elmore Magazine has premiered this video,” says Sarah. “Brett did such a beautiful job on it, and I’m so glad that he spotted the connection between the lyrics of my song and the true story he’s based the video on. I think it conveys an important message, and I hope people will be inspired by it to register as organ donors if they haven’t already done so.”<br><br>The video is due to be released on 30 March, but you can watch it now by clicking this link:<br><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2018/03/music-news/sarah-mcquaid-digs-deep" target="_blank">http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2018/03/music-news/sarah-mcquaid-digs-deep</a><br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518195/sarah-mcquaid-elmore-magazine-2018-03.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c6c964c4b4bb5ef872c633b2462a7b4e3b4160c5/original/sarah-mcquaid-elmore-magazine-2018-03.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Elmore_Magazine_2018" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559832018-03-19T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:21:38+00:00Featured Review spot for Dave Cantrell's rave on Stereo Embers Homepage<p>Dave Cantrell’s rave review of <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> is currently holding the “Featured Review” spot on the <a data-imported="1" href="http://stereoembersmagazine.com/" target="_blank"><em>Stereo Embers Magazine</em> homepage</a>, alongside articles about Liz Phair and Elvis Costello. “<em>If We Dig Any Deeper it Could Get Dangerous</em> has a satisfying completeness about it, an expansiveness made concrete. It is, in short, the work of a consummate artist,” Cantrell writes; see <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/press/stereo_embers_magazine___dave_cantrell_mar_2018/" target="_blank">http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/press/stereo_embers_magazine___dave_cantrell_mar_2018/</a> for the full text of his review.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518194/sarah-mcquaid-stereo-embers-screenshot.png" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/48eec889b900d9014dbb0e2f3bdce1bd342b55f5/original/sarah-mcquaid-stereo-embers-screenshot.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Stereo_Embers_Screenshot" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559822018-03-15T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:22:34+00:00"Cot Valley" Chosen For Featured Artists Coalition Spotify Playlist<p>Sarah is delighted that “Cot Valley” has been chosen as one of 12 tracks on the <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.thefac.org" target="_blank">Featured Artist Coalition</a> <a data-imported="1" href="https://open.spotify.com/user/featuredartistscoalition/playlist/3AhhOlUCRWcavryWCsyK8i" target="_blank">Monthly Spotify Playlist for March 2018</a>. The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) was founded in 2009 to support, promote and protect the artist community in the music industry; its Board of Directors includes Imogen Heap, Annie Lennox, Ed O’Brien (Radiohead) and Fran Healy (Travis) amongst others.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518193/wire-tapper-cover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c93194dca8233ecac2cf3eb831ad54cba896cbe8/original/fac-march-2018-spotify-playlist.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="FAC_March_2018_Spotify_Playlist" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559812018-03-10T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T21:50:19+00:00"One Sparrow Down" featured on The Wire Magazine compilation CD<p>We’re highly honoured that “One Sparrow Down” has been chosen for inclusion on <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.thewire.co.uk/audio/the-wire-tapper/the-wire-tapper-46" target="_blank"><em>The Wire Tapper 46</em></a>, an exclusive compilation CD that comes free with the April 2018 issue of <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.thewire.co.uk" target="_blank"><em>The Wire Magazine</em></a>. And in seriously good company, too .... Check it out on <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.thewire.co.uk/audio/the-wire-tapper/the-wire-tapper-46" target="_blank">thewire.co.uk/audio/the-wire-tapper/the-wire-tapper-46</a>.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518193/wire-tapper-cover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/d0df6bf09a9246dfd1438679a4b4ef175f274e3f/original/wire-tapper-cover.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Wire_Tapper_Cover" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559802018-02-27T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:23:46+00:00“If We Dig Any Deeper” makes Daily Music Releases February Top 5<p><em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> has made the <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.facebook.com/dailymusicreleases/posts/2144805725742973:0" target="_blank">February Top 5</a> list on <a data-imported="1" href="https://dailymusicreleases.wordpress.com" target="_blank"><em>Daily Music Releases</em></a>, alongside new albums by I’m With Her, Wade Bowen, Hannah Read and Peter Karp. See <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.facebook.com/dailymusicreleases/posts/2144805725742973:0" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/dailymusicreleases/posts/2144805725742973:0</a> for the Top 5 post and <a data-imported="1" href="https://dailymusicreleases.wordpress.com/2018/02/05/sarah-mcquaid-if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous/%0A" target="_blank">https://dailymusicreleases.wordpress.com/2018/02/05/sarah-mcquaid-if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous/ </a> for the album’s original listing on the site.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518192/daily-music-releases-feb-2018.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/4958d49d0b5b9d972959d9910ad6e6444bc4b0d3/original/daily-music-releases-feb-2018.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Daily_Music_Releases_Feb_2018" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559792018-02-07T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:24:44+00:00“The Day Of Wrath, That Day” Makes Top Ten Songs of the Week List On The Alternate Root<p>Yet more good news for today: “The Day Of Wrath, That Day” has just made <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.thealternateroot.com/topten0207.html" target="_blank"><em>The Alternate Root</em>’s ”Top Ten Songs of the Week”</a>, with the comment “Sarah McQuaid and album guest Michael Chapman give their guitar work center stage as the top shelf players offer an instrumental with “The Day of Wrath, That Day”.”<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518191/sarah-mcquaid-alternate-root-2018.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/b4a172894f91a0fbcbcc2c30d423e33ada767030/original/sarah-mcquaid-alternate-root-2018.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Alternate_Root_2018" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559772018-02-07T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:25:38+00:00“If We Dig Any Deeper” makes fRoots Album Choices Playlist<p>We’re delighted to report that <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> has been included on <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.frootsmag.com/content/issue/charts/frplaylist/" target="_blank"><em>fRoots Magazine</em>’s ”Album Choices” Playlist</a> in their March 2018 issue. “With its classy songwriting, exemplary musicianship and high production values, this is a collection to savour,” wrote reviewer David Kidman in the same issue; see <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/press/froots___david_kidman/" target="_blank">http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/press/froots___david_kidman/</a> for the full text of his review.<br><br><a data-imported="1" href="/files/518190/sarah-mcquaid-froots417-playlist.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/718e2d5e23341f5f889e8ca1ae3e2a58d2856519/original/sarah-mcquaid-froots417-playlist.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_fRoots417_PLAYLIST" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559752018-02-03T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T21:56:21+00:00New Album Makes RTÉ Radio 1 Playlist<p>Two tracks from Sarah’s new album <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> made the “Recommended Album Tracks” list on RTÉ Radio 1’s <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rte.ie/radio1/playlist/#102720037" target="_blank">playlist for Friday February 2</a>, the day of its worldwide release. RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of the Irish national public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann, making this a significant breakthrough for Sarah.<br><a data-imported="1" href="http://www.rte.ie/radio1/playlist/#102720037" target="_blank">http://www.rte.ie/radio1/playlist/#102720037</a><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/c0a4b957e63dc1fa05515264d74084be1ecb3324/original/rtescreenshot-sarah-mcquaid-18-02-04.png" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="RTEScreenshot_Sarah_McQuaid_18-02-04" width="100%" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559722018-02-02T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T22:04:55+00:00New documentary video released!<p>The official release date of Sarah’s fifth solo album also sees the release of a <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYlb7XAOYWM" target="_blank">short documentary film</a> by Cornish filmmaker Mawgan Lewis, generously supported by Arts Council England and Cultivator, about the making of <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em>, featuring interviews with Sarah and producer Michael Chapman together with studio and rehearsal footage as well as clips from Lewis’s <a data-imported="1" href="https://youtu.be/4Ye0XnQvh50" target="_blank">video of “The Tug Of The Moon”,</a> the first single from the album. Released today on both CD and vinyl LP and distributed worldwide by Proper, <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> is now available via iTunes, Amazon and other outlets and can also be ordered directly from Sarah (signed with a personal message on request) by clicking <a data-imported="1" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous" target="_blank">here</a></p>
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<p> </p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559692018-01-26T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T22:07:01+00:00New Album Première on PopMatters<p>One week ahead of its official release date, Sarah’s new album <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> has been given an exclusive première by international online cultural criticism magazine <em>PopMatters</em>. The magazine’s Jonathan Frahm described the album as “a gateway into a true innovator’s soul”; see <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/press/popmatters___jonathan_frahm/" target="_blank">http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/press/popmatters___jonathan_frahm/</a> for the full text of his review.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/ac75961385315054739a2b043c4d9a1f056636d4/original/popmatters-sarah-mcquaid-18-01-26.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="PopMatters_Sarah_McQuaid_18-01-26" width="100%" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559672018-01-21T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:28:06+00:00Update - January 2018<p><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong><br><br>Not long to go now! I’ll be launching my fifth solo album <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> with a concert at The Acorn arts centre here in my adopted home town of Penzance this week, followed by album launch tours in the UK, Netherlands and Germany, with USA, Ireland and more extensive UK tours to follow later in the year. The official release date is 2nd February 2018 and until then it’s <strong><a data-imported="1" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous" target="_blank">still available to pre-order</a></strong> at discounted prices – plus I’ll have it available for sale on <strong>both CD and heavyweight vinyl LP</strong> (download codes included on request) at all the concerts.<br><br>Produced by guitar legend Michael Chapman, the album’s already been getting some great reviews. Hip New York blog <em>CultureSonar </em>included it in their ‘10 Albums To Look For In 2018’ and called it “An entrancing album” with “dark, sophisticated lyrical imagery and a spare but atmospheric production.” In <em>The Afterword</em>, Colin Harper wrote: “Seeing a shared world in a new way, from a different angle, is the role of the songwriter. Sarah gets a gold star on that front. This is a fabulous album ... Sarah brought the songs, Michael brought the attitude. Together they turned on the electricity.” <em>Folking.com</em>’s David Harley described it as “Spine-chilling ... The songs are exceptional: some of the lyrics here would look equally at home in a volume of poetry, though it would be a pity to deprive them of Sarah’s voice and melodic flair.”<br><br>Now I‘m hard at work rehearsing for the tour, which will see me playing (in addition to my custom-made Andy Manson acoustic guitar) three instruments I’ve never performed on in public before: a lovely Ibanez Artist electric guitar that Michael’s kindly given me on long-term loan, a gorgeous Roland stage piano on loan from my friend and fellow musician Ralph Houston, and a drum on loan from Roger Luxton who plays drums and percussion on the new album! Roger kindly called round to my house the other week to give me my first-ever drum lesson. It’s all rather daunting, but also very exciting ....<br><br>I’m mailing out the pre-orders this week, so do <strong><a data-imported="1" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous" target="_blank">click here</a> </strong>to get your copy if you haven’t already done so, and I hope to see you at one of the gigs. Please spread the word if you can!</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559662018-01-03T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T22:22:14+00:00New Album Makes CultureSonar’s “10 Albums To Look For In 2018” List<p>Groovy New York-based entertainment blog <em>CultureSonar</em> has named Sarah’s forthcoming fifth solo CD <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> as one of its “10 Albums To Look For In 2018” alongside new recordings by the likes of Joanna Sternberg, Matthew Stubbs and Mary Gauthier. Writer Jim Allen described the album as “entrancing,” citing Sarah’s “dark, sophisticated lyrical imagery” and Michael Chapman’s “spare but atmospheric production.” <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/2ddd691b95a9027b9cdff459d9755d7c21de401a/original/culturesonar-sarah-mcquaid-18-01-03.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="CultureSonar_Sarah_McQuaid_18-01-03" width="100%" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559782017-11-16T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T22:23:57+00:00Video - The Tug Of The Moon<p>Thanks to generous support from Arts Council England and Cultivator, Sarah McQuaid was able to commission Cornish filmmaker Mawgan Lewis of <a data-imported="1" href="http://purpleknif.co.uk/" target="_blank">Purple Knif</a> to make a <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ye0XnQvh50" target="_blank">video</a> of her original song ‘The Tug Of The Moon,’ inspired by the leap second added on New Year’s Eve 2016. Released as a single in November 2017, the song also features on Sarah’s fifth solo album <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em>, due out on 2nd February 2018.<br><br>Filmed in St Buryan Village Hall (well known both for its use as a location in Sam Peckinpah’s 1971 film <em>Straw Dogs</em> and as the home of the Pipers Folk Club founded in the late 1960s by celebrated Cornish singer Brenda Wootton), the video features a motley assortment of Sarah’s friends and neighbours dancing and romancing while Sarah performs the song onstage under a papier-mâché moon (made by her friend Sarah Turner) and surrounded by an equally motley assortment of clocks (including a beautiful grandfather clock made in nearby Penzance), many of them supplied by <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.kernowclocks.co.uk/" target="_blank">Kernow Clocks</a>.</p>
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<p> </p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559652017-11-10T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:32:09+00:00LIMITED-EDITION CUSTOM-ENGRAVED G7TH CAPO BUNDLE NOW AVAILABLE WITH PRE-ORDER!<p>News flash! The very lovely people at <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.g7th.com/" target="_blank">G7th The Capo Company</a> have kindly donated two 18kt gold plated Newport capos (just like the one I’ve been using onstage for years – check out the videos on my <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.youtube.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">YouTube page</a> to see it in action!) engraved by the G7th Custom Shop with my original album artwork ... which happens to fit the capo rather nicely, as you can see from the photo.<br><br>To make them extra special, I’m also throwing in a T-shirt, a limited edition hardcover book with reminiscences and pix from the recording session, photo shoot and video shoot, and a pre-order of the new album on your choice of CD with 16-page booklet or heavyweight vinyl LP in gatefold cover.<br><br>There are only two of these, so get ’em while they’re hot! <a data-imported="1" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous" target="_blank">Click here to order</a>.</p>
<p>* UPDATE 11 NOVEMBER: Both capos have gone now! But lots of other goodies are still available – check ’em out <a data-imported="1" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p><a data-imported="1" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/6484dfed7454ec738e0d70cdb79084ad4c1d189c/original/sarah-mcquaid-dig-capo.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Dig_G7th–Capo" width="100%" /></a></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559642017-11-02T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T22:33:54+00:00New Album Available to Pre-Order! Test Pressing LPs, T-shirts & More ... Update - November 2017<p><strong>New album now available to pre-order at discounted early-bird prices – including immediate download of single! Special pre-order bundles include five test pressing LPs with original hand-drawn artwork by Sarah, plus T-shirts and a limited-edition hardcover book.</strong><br><br><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong><br><br>I’m delighted to announce that my fifth solo album <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> will be released on 2nd February 2018 and is <a data-imported="1" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous"><strong>now available to pre-order</strong></a>. Produced by guitar legend Michael Chapman (memorably described in <em>The Guardian</em> as “the godfather of new cosmic Americana”), the album features what I’m convinced is by far my best batch of original songs and instrumentals ever ... plus another co-write with the wonderful Gerry O’Beirne, an arrangement of the medieval chant “Dies Irae” and a cover of Jeff Wayne’s classic “Forever Autumn”. In addition to my custom-made Andy Manson and 1965 Martin D-28 acoustic guitars, I’m also playing electric guitar (a lovely Ibanez Artist model that Michael’s kindly given me on long-term loan) and piano!<br><br>I’d like to be able to release it on LP as well as CD – but I need to be assured of sufficient demand. I’m offering it on 180g heavyweight vinyl in a gatefold sleeve at a discounted price of £15 (rising to £18 on release). I’ll need to commit to the order before the end of this month to have it delivered in time, so <strong>please pre-order your copy as soon as possible. I can’t take the risk without your support.</strong><br><br>In order to help cover the cost, I’m looking for five <strong>Vinyl Sponsors</strong> to contribute at least £300 each – and ideally more. In return, you’ll receive a bundle of goodies including one of the five test pressings in a white sleeve on which I’ll hand-draw a personalised version of my original cover artwork. <strong>There are only 5 of these, and when they’re gone, they’re gone! Get your order in quickly, and please be as generous as you can.</strong><br><br>Other bundle options include <strong>heavyweight 100% cotton screen-printed T-shirts</strong>. Tack on an extra contribution of at least £40 and you’ll also get a <strong>limited-edition hardcover 30-page book – ONLY AVAILABLE WITH PRE-ORDER –</strong> printed on 148gsm Mohawk Superfine uncoated eggshell-finish archival quality photo paper, containing behind-the-scenes photographs and reminiscences from the album recording sessions, photo shoot and video shoot.<br><br>The test pressing, LP, CD and book can all be signed with a personal message on request. Included with all pre-orders is an <strong>IMMEDIATE download of “The Tug Of The Moon”</strong>, the first single from the album.<br><br>I’m very excited about this album, and hope you’ll love it as much as I do. <a data-imported="1" href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/if-we-dig-any-deeper-it-could-get-dangerous"><strong>Click here</strong></a><strong> to get your order in now!</strong> <br><br>
</p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="wrapped wrapped" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z9-yoPlTOaM?showinfo=0?ecver=1" width="100%"></iframe></div></div></div></div> Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559632017-10-27T01:00:00+01:002017-10-27T08:45:48+01:00Live Recording on “The Best Of Folkstage”
<p>We’re delighted to report that Sarah’s 2011 live performance on WFMT’s <em>Folkstage</em> of “Last Song” (a song Sarah wrote about her late mother and recorded on her 2008 album <em>I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning</em>) has been selected by host Rich Warren to feature on <em>The Best of Folkstage</em>, a multi-CD set that will be offered as a pledge gift on <em>The Midnight Special</em>’s pledge drive tomorrow night! Listen live on 98.7 WFMT in Chicago or online at <a href="http://www.wfmt.com/listen/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.wfmt.com/listen</a> – also see <a href="http://www.midnightspecial.org/pledge2017b.htm" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.midnightspecial.org/pledge2017b.htm</a> for more info.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559622017-10-26T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T23:34:45+00:00LIMITED-TIME PRE-ORDER PACKAGES COMING SOON!<p>Produced by guitar legend Michael Chapman, Sarah’s new album <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em> is due out on 2nd February 2018 and will be available to pre-order very soon at discounted earlybird prices!<br><br>Special pre-order bundles include CD with 16-page booklet, heavyweight vinyl LP in gatefold sleeve, T-shirts, five test pressing LPs with original hand-drawn artwork by Sarah, and a limited-edition hardcover book containing behind-the-scenes photographs and reminiscences from the album recording sessions, photo shoot and video shoot.<br><br>These special offers will only be available for a limited time and include an IMMEDIATE download of “The Tug Of The Moon”, the first single from the new album. <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/mail_list" target="_blank">Sign up to the mailing list</a> now to be notified when pre-orders open! In the meantime, you can still order all Sarah’s current albums <a data-imported="1" href="http://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/8e04b054daf8213978cea6f98faf94bab29eeb40/original/sarah-mcquaid-if-we-dig-any-deeper.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_If_We_Dig_Any_Deeper" width="100%" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559612017-09-29T01:00:00+01:002017-09-29T09:30:46+01:00Free EP Now Available on NoiseTrade
<p>While we’re waiting to go live with pre-orders for my new album <em>If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous</em>, due out in the new year, here’s a link for a FREE four-track EP now available on NoiseTrade – including an exclusive uncut, unreleased mix of ‘Sweetness And Pain’ (previously only available as three separate “interlude” fragments on my last album <em>Walking Into White</em>). Feel free to share this with your friends – it’s my sneaky way of nabbing a few more addresses for my email list in advance of the pre-order campaign ... ;-)<br><a href="http://noisetrade.com/sarahmcquaid/noisetrade-sampler-2017" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://noisetrade.com/sarahmcquaid/noisetrade-sampler-2017</a></p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559602017-06-14T01:00:00+01:002017-06-14T01:48:50+01:00Guest Appearance With World-Renowned Choir
<p>Sarah McQuaid will be the special guest of the world-renowned <a href="http://www.mouseholemalevoicechoir.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Mousehole Male Voice Choir</a> at their Midsummer Concert in Paul Parish Church, Cornwall, on Sunday June 25th. Formed in 1909, the choir has featured on numerous radio and television programmes and has performed at venues from the Royal Albert Hall in London to the Cornish Cousins festival in Grass Valley/Nevada City, California. Past guest artists at their summer concerts have included Bryn Terfel and Dame Felicity Lott amongst others. “It's a huge honour to be invited to sing alongside them,” says Sarah. “I’ll be sticking to a cappella material as I feel that’s more in keeping with the event, so it’ll be a nice warm-up to my full-scale concert at the <a href="http://www.penleeparktheatre.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Penlee Park Open Air Theatre</a> in Penzance the following Friday!” See <a href="/tour" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page">http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/tour</a> for details of all Sarah’s forthcoming appearances.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559582017-04-18T01:00:00+01:002017-04-22T10:03:25+01:00Lifetime Achievement Award for Sarah McQuaid at Ards International Guitar Festival
<p>At last week’s Ards International Guitar Festival, Sarah McQuaid was presented with the festival’s annual Lifetime Achievement Award. Previous recipients over the festival’s 20-year history include legendary guitarists Davey Graham, John Renbourn, John Martyn, Arty McGlynn, Martin Simpson, Gordon Giltrap, Pierre Bensusan and Martin Carthy.<br><br>Sarah recalls her initially annoyed reaction when compère Ralph McLean of BBC Radio Ulster and Ernie McMillen of Avalon Guitars came out to present the award:<br><br>“I’d just finished my set and left the stage, and the crowd was calling for an encore, but before I could come back out from the wings, Ralph McLean and Ernie McMillen walked onstage and started talking about the Lifetime Achievement Award.<br><br>“I just thought, ‘Oh, rats, now they’ll bring out some big-name guitarist to accept this bloody award and I won’t get to do my encore!’ Never in a million years did I think it would go to me. I was totally and completely floored. It’s a very, very big deal to be placed on a level with so many of my musical heroes.”<br><br>And she did get to do an encore after all, performing a cover of Ewan MacColl’s ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’, which she also recorded on her fourth solo album <em>Walking Into White</em> (Waterbug, 2015).<br><br>“Every year since 1999, Ards International Guitar Festival has awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award to an artist performing at the Festival,” explains Festival Director Emily Crawford. “There has never been a female recipient of the award, and with an artist of the calibre of Sarah McQuaid on our bill, it was an easy decision to make in 2017!<br><br>“A favourite of local audiences in Ards, Sarah has a true gift and captivates the audience with seamless playing and an effortlessly enchanting voice,” Crawford continues. “She and her guitar become one beautiful sound, and her goosebump-inducing rendition of ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ was the perfect end to an outstanding performance.”<br><br>Ernie McMillen agrees: “It is rare in the guitar world to find a player who displays genius without arrogance, and who shares their hard-won skill and knowledge so selflessly,” he says. “I get to see many specialist guitarists up close, and many over-perform. It’s honey for the soul to witness Sarah McQuaid perform.”<br><br>Sarah McQuaid is currently hard at work writing songs for her fifth solo album, to be produced by folk icon Michael Chapman and released in 2018 (once again on the US-based Waterbug label) with album launch tours in the UK, Ireland, Continental Europe and the USA.<br><br>She also hopes to pen a sequel to <em>The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book</em>, the popular tutor she authored on the alternative guitar tuning she uses exclusively – originally published in 1995 and still the standard reference on the subject, selling worldwide through Novello & Co./The Music Sales Group and Hal Leonard Corp.</p>
<p>In addition to her Ards appearance, April sees Sarah performing at the prestigious Costa del Folk Festival on the Spanish island of Ibiza and donating her services to a charity concert to benefit her local village hall in Cornwall. Summer and early-autumn appearances include an outdoor concert at Penzance’s Penlee Park, the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Stainsby Festival, Evesham Arts Centre, Faversham Hop Festival, Southdowns Folk Festival, Stroud Folk Weekend and Rye Arts Festival.<br><br>Details of all events can be found at <a href="/tour" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page">http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/tour</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/events/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/events/</a>.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559572017-02-19T00:00:00+00:002017-02-19T04:46:23+00:00UPDATE - FEBRUARY 2017
<p><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong><br>Here it is, February already! My autumn tours in the USA and UK seem a distant memory (although you can still look at photos from them on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Instagram</a> if you’re so inclined), and I’m well into what other people keep referring to as my “year off” (as in “Are you enjoying your year off? Having a good time putting your feet up and taking it easy?”).<br><br>Well. It’s a year off from touring as such (although I’m still taking short trips away for festivals and occasional concerts – see the full list on the <a href="/tour" target="_blank" data-imported="1" data-link-type="page">Tour</a> page here or on my Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/events/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Events</a> page), but I’m busier than ever ....<br><br>Mostly, I’m working very hard on writing songs for my fifth solo album, which I’ll be recording next May. The producer this time round will be the great Michael Chapman, legendary singer-songwriter and guitar sage, who was recently profiled in the <em>Guardian</em> in the wake of his superb new album <em>50</em> – you can read the article in full <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/feb/02/michael-chapman-the-man-who-connects-elton-bowie-nick-drake-and-sonic-youth" target="_blank" data-imported="1">here</a>.<br><br>I first met Michael back in 2014 when we both played the Village Pump Festival, and since then he’s become a staunch friend and supporter, even performing as my opening act at a concert he and his wonderful wife Andru organised for me at their local cricket club! He’s also very generously given me his beautiful Ibanez electric guitar on long term loan, so you can expect to hear some interesting new sounds on the new album, which he kindly offered to produce during my last visit to his and Andru’s house in Cumbria. Martin and I will be heading up there again next weekend, after my gig at the Pavilions Teignmouth, in order to work through the material I’m proposing to record – so the pressure’s on as I type!<br><br>I’m also busy booking gigs for my 2018 album launch tours in the UK, Ireland, Continental Europe and the USA – if there’s a venue where you’d particularly like to see me, please do drop me a line and let me know.<br><br>Having said all that, I’m very much enjoying getting to spend more time with my family this year. It’s good to be home.<br><br>Do check out my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Instagram</a> pages for lots more chat, updates and photos. If you’re able to make it to one of the shows, it would be great to see you there, and please do help spread the word if you can.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559562016-08-18T01:00:00+01:002016-08-18T09:47:31+01:00UPDATE - AUGUST 2016
<p><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong><br>Goodness, the summer has flown! It’s been a lovely one: I had a fantastic time teaching a weekend DADGAD guitar workshop at Halsway Manor (known as “The Folk Hogwarts” for good reason – have a look at the pics I posted on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Instagram</a> and you’ll see why!), sang and played at the wedding of my great friend and former Mama bandmate Zoë Pollock (if you come to any of my concerts over the next few months, you’ll get to hear the wedding march I wrote for her), had a wonderful 10-day camping holiday with my husband and kids in Warwickshire and Norfolk, and just last weekend headed over to Belgium and the Netherlands to perform at FolkFestival Ham and Esway Atelier Concerten.<br><br>That was quite a journey: Martin collected me at 10pm last Thursday night and drove us through the night to get to Harwich in time for the ferry; then, after a day-long journey from Harwich to Hook of Holland, we continued on down through the Netherlands and Belgium to the festival. I’m glad to say that it was well worth it: the festival was fantastic, one of the friendliest and most efficiently run events I’ve ever attended, and it was great to meet up there with some old friends from Ireland – the great Sharon Shannon, her longtime manager/sound engineer John Dunford, and guitarist Jim Murray – so good to see them all again after more than a decade! On Monday, after an equally fantastic concert up in the north of Holland, we did the same journey in reverse, leaving Onstwedde at 9am and arriving at Martin and his other half Faye’s house in Wadebridge just before 3am – then, after a short but much-needed sleep, doing a morning interview and live session on BBC Radio Cornwall’s The David White Show before Martin dropped me home!<br><br>I was supposed to be doing an outdoor concert at the Penlee Park Open Air Theatre tomorrow night (Friday 19 August), but sadly the weather forecast is dire, so the organisers have taken the decision to move it indoors to St Mary’s Church on Chapel Street, Penzance. Doors at 7:45 for 8pm show, bar open and curry available from 7pm! Then I’ll have just under two more weeks at home before I set off on a packed three months of touring: three UK shows followed by seven weeks in the USA and four weeks around the UK, finishing with an almost-home concert at the Regal Theatre in Redruth, just up the road from me.<br><br>Next year I won’t be touring as such, in order to be able to focus on writing and recording a new album – exciting news about that to come in due course ... don’t want to say too much just yet, so as not to jinx it! I’m also hoping to pen a sequel to my <em>DADGAD Guitar Book</em>, this time focusing on song accompaniment, and possibly a book of my own songs as well. I will still be doing festivals, local concerts and brief rural touring outings – just not going on any more long tours until the new album comes out in early 2018.<br><br>Do check out my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Instagram</a> pages for lots more chat, updates and photos. If you’re able to make it to one of the shows, it would be great to see you there, and please do help spread the word if you can.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559552016-04-14T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T22:59:49+00:00UPDATE - APRIL 2016<p><em><strong>Sarah writes:</strong></em><br>Well, my Netherlands & Germany tour was a bit more eventful than I’d have liked: amongst other things, I made an unscheduled trip to hospital in Germany due to an ear infection that also forced me to cancel what would have been my fifth visit in as many years to Kofferfabrik, one of my favourite venues in the world. Grrr! Thankfully, I didn’t have to cancel any other shows and am all better now. I’ve had a lovely few weeks at home with the family and am happy to be heading back out on the road again, this time around the UK.<br><br>One of the nicer things that happened during the February-March tour was that I won $300 worth of clothes in an Instagram contest sponsored by <a data-imported="1" href="http://holyclothing.com" target="_blank">Holy Clothing</a>, a fantastic company whose clothes I’ve been sporting on stage for some time. Now I’ll have lots more to choose from! But which one of all these beautiful new tops and dresses to wear at the first gig of the UK tour tonight? Decisions, decisions ….<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/96b1e7c10b9c052d805ed21579a815b518458b16/original/holy-clothing-wardrobe.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Holy_Clothing_Wardrobe" width="100%" /><br><br>Do check out my <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a data-imported="1" href="https://twitter.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a data-imported="1" href="https://www.instagram.com/sarahmcquaidmusic/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> pages for lots more chat, updates and photos. If you’re able to make it to one of the shows, it would be great to see you there, and please do help spread the word if you can.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559542016-02-21T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:00:31+00:00UPDATE - FEBRUARY 2016<p><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong><br>Belated thanks to everyone who came along to any of the 61 concerts on my marathon three-month, two-continent autumn tour. I’ve now had a lovely few months at home and am excited and happy to be heading out on the road again!<br><br>I’ll be warming up for my spring tour by hosting an open session/singaround at Out of the Blue in Porthleven, Cornwall, tomorrow night (Monday), and on Wednesday morning we’ll be setting off for a four-week tour in the Netherlands and Germany, with a UK tour to follow in April and May.<br><br>On the way from Penzance to Harwich (where we’ll be getting the ferry over to the Hook of Holland), we’re hoping to make a lunchtime stop in Bristol so that I can see the <em>Legends of Rock</em> exhibition – which, astonishingly, features an enormously enlarged photograph of me (!) alongside the likes of Amy Winehouse, Björk, The Prodigy and Courtney Love. Crazy, right?<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/57a0076cde1ca214f988f610d50734d5c703ced4/original/sarah-mcquaid-legends-of-rock.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Legends_of_Rock.jpg" width="100%" /><br><br>That’s me in the corner, next to the man with the hat (that would be the late Jam Master Jay from Run-D.M.C.), and you can read the whole story of how I came to be included in this landmark show of work by photographer Phil Nicholls <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/news/rubbing_shoulders_with_the_legends_of_rock/" target="_blank">right here</a>. <br><br>While you’re at it, you might like to have a look round my <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com" target="_blank">newly revamped website</a>, which features gorgeous graphics by Mary Guinan (the artist responsible for all my solo album covers) as well as lots more beautiful photography by Nicholls; his arresting image of paper flowers floating on water in Helston’s Penrose Woods (the same bunch of flowers I’m holding in the pic above) is the background for every page on the site.<br><br>Once the tour gets under way, you’ll find lots of chat and photographs in updates on <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a data-imported="1" href="https://twitter.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. If you’re able to make it to one of the shows, it would be great to see you there, and please do help spread the word if you can.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559532016-02-18T00:00:00+00:002016-02-18T10:41:50+00:00Rubbing Shoulders With The Legends Of Rock
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/57a0076cde1ca214f988f610d50734d5c703ced4/original/sarah-mcquaid-legends-of-rock.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjAweDIwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Legends_of_Rock.jpg" height="200" style=" margin: 0px 10px;" width="200" />A chance meeting at a pub session in Cornwall led to singer-songwriter Sarah McQuaid’s being featured in the <em>Legends Of Rock</em> photography exhibition alongside the likes of Amy Winehouse, Björk, The Prodigy and Courtney Love. As she prepares to set off on tour through the Netherlands, Germany and the UK (with a USA tour to follow in the autumn), Sarah reflects on the mysterious workings of happenstance.<br><br>“I was hosting a singaround at the Blue Anchor in Helston,” the Madrid-born, Chicago-raised, Penzance-based artist explains, “and this very soft-voiced, self-effacing fellow came over and asked very politely if I minded if he took a few photographs. I said ‘Sure, no bother, go right ahead, as long as you don’t use a flash, cos if you use a flash it’s distracting for the musicians.’ He said ‘Oh, don’t worry, I wouldn’t be using a flash anyway.’ I have to admit I feel pretty embarrassed about that conversation now! I had no idea who he was.”<br><br>Originally from Cornwall, Phil Nicholls (<a href="http://www.philnicholls.co.uk" data-imported="1">http://www.philnicholls.co.uk</a>) was a staff photographer for <em>Melody Maker</em> magazine for many years and secured early in his career a reputation as an iconic, gritty rock photographer with a focus on live documentary; he accompanied the Pixies on their first UK tour and has shot album covers for Tindersticks amongst others. His work has appeared in <em>Vogue</em>, <em>Uncut</em>, <em>Q</em>, <em>The Guardian</em>, <em>The Telegraph</em>, <em>NME</em> and many other titles, and has been exhibited in London, Brussels and Tokyo.<br><br>Happily, Sarah’s encounter with Nicholls coincided with the recording of her fourth solo album <em>Walking Into White</em>. “I wouldn’t have dared ask him to take the photographs for it,” she says, “so it’s a good thing he offered!” Nicholls’ photographs appear not only in the CD booklet but also on Sarah’s recently revamped website: his arresting image of paper flowers floating on water in Helston’s Penrose Woods (the same bunch of flowers that Sarah holds in the large-format print featured in <em>Legends Of Rock</em>) is the background for every page on the site.<br><br>Curated by Bristol-based print and photography business Paper Gods (<a href="http://www.papergods.co.uk" data-imported="1">http://www.papergods.co.uk</a>), <em>Legends of Rock</em> brings to light Nicholls’ breathtaking – and in some cases never-before-seen – archival images of Joe Strummer, Leonard Cohen, Massive Attack, Run-D.M.C., Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream and Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead amongst others. The exhibition remains on view at Bristol’s Steam Cafe Bar until the end of March 2016.<br><br>Nicholls isn’t the first high-profile photographer whose interest Sarah has inspired. She was photographed by the late David Gahr (best known for his 1968 book <em>The Face of Folk Music</em>, with its images of everyone from Bob Dylan to Joan Baez to Johnny Cash) while performing at the Philadelphia Folk Festival back in the early 1990s; and much more recently, former Magnum photographer David Hurn (whose iconic photograph of Sean Connery brandishing Hurn’s own Walther LP-53 air pistol became the publicity poster for <em>From Russia With Love</em>) inquired (after buying one of Sarah’s albums online) whether he might take a few photographs before a concert she was doing in Wales.<br><br>“I said to Martin [Stansbury, Sarah’s manager], ‘Some photographer wants to take pics at the gig, can you have a look at his website and see if he’s any good?’,” Sarah recalls. “Next thing, Martin was saying ‘I think you'd better have a look at this,’ and I was looking at David’s portfolio on the Magnum site and seeing pics he’d taken of, oh, The Beatles, Sophia Loren, Jane Fonda .... He came along while we were setting up and soundchecking and took a really gorgeous series of images, and turned out to be a lovely fellow with all kinds of hilarious stories to tell.”<br><br>Released in 2015, <em>Walking Into White</em> was selected as Album of the Month by <em>FolkWords</em>, which went on to nominate it for both Best Album from a Female Artist and Album of the Year. Germany’s <em>Folker</em> hailed it as “Ein mutiges Album mit einem potenziellen Pophit” (“A courageous album that includes a potential pop hit”), while <em>The Musician</em> called it “A work that grows with each listen.”<br><br>“The songs are acutely observed and literate, almost like journal notes set to music. They’re measured and tranquil but they’re never dull because there is always a sense of restlessness and unease behind the poetry.... And it’s all lovely,” wrote Ian Pickles in <em>R2/Rock ’n’ Reel</em>.<br><br>2015 saw Sarah touring extensively and earning rave reviews by performing <em>Walking Into White</em> live in its entirety as the first half of every show. Following one such performance in the USA, <em>The Huffington Post</em> wrote: “Finding treasure feels great, and such is the case with musician Sarah McQuaid. ... I’ve attended hundreds of concerts of all kinds, and her subtle mastery onstage launches her straight into my fave shows ever. One voice, one guitar, and the wondrous reminder of the magic of music. Sarah has the gift.”<br><br>Despite the enthusiastic reaction from critics and punters alike, Sarah says she’s looking forward to getting back to a mixed set after a year of playing the album live. “It’ll be nice to have a bit of flexibility again,” she confides. “It’s fun to be able to chop and change whenever I like, and to be able to play a request straightaway if somebody shouts one out. I’ve also got some new material that I’m looking forward to road-testing!”<br><br>Having been on the road virtually nonstop for the past seven years, Sarah will be taking a twelve-month break from touring in 2017 to focus her energies on writing and recording a fifth solo album, as well as penning a sequel to <em>The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book</em>, the popular tutor she authored on the alternative guitar tuning she uses exclusively.<br><br>“I’d like to do a follow-up book that focuses on song accompaniment and that demonstrates the versatility of DADGAD,” Sarah explains. “A lot of people think of it as a specifically ‘Celtic’ tuning, but I write all my songs in DADGAD, and it’s also great for all sorts of different genres, from blues to classical music to rock ’n’ roll.<br><br>“And I’ve already started writing songs for the next album,” she continues. “I was really happy with the production on the last one – my cousin Adam Pierce co-produced it with Jeremy Backofen, and it was recorded in their studio in upstate New York – so I’m hoping to travel over there in 2017 to do the next one with the same team. It’s exciting!”</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559522016-01-08T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T09:04:45+00:00FolkWords Awards Honour for Walking Into White
<p>We are delighted to announce that <em>Walking Into White</em> prevailed over seriously stiff competition to be one of two runners-up for “Best Album from a Female Artist” in the annual <a href="http://www.folkwords.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">FolkWords</a> Album Awards for 2015, pipped at the post by Ange Hardy’s <em>Essteesee</em> which also won “Album of the Year”. Full list of winners and runners-up <a href="http://www.folkwords.com/2015albumawards.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">here</a>.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559512015-10-09T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T09:06:14+00:00FolkDJ Chart Success
<p>We’re delighted to report that Sarah is the No. 9 artist, <em>Walking Into White</em> is the No. 12 album, and “Canticle of the Sun” is one of the No. 13 songs on the <a href="http://www.folkradio.org/airplay/sep15.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">FolkDJ-L chart for September</a> – and delighted to see that <a href="http://www.waterbug.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Waterbug Records</a> is the No. 4 label!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559502015-08-26T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:18:35+00:00UPDATE – AUGUST 2015
<p><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong><br>I’m appalled to see that this is the first newsletter I’ve sent out since January! Apologies for the long silence, but it’s been a busy time between touring like crazy and the release of my fourth solo CD, <em><a href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/walking-into-white" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Walking Into White</a></em>.<br><br>The album was released in the UK and Europe last February and in North America this month (just in time for my September-October US tour), and it’s had some extremely nice reviews in both countries. Here’s just a small sample of what people have been saying about it:<br><br>“Luminous ... a soft but forceful record whose urgency is sometimes masked by the music’s acoustic serenity.”—<em>The Boston Globe</em><br><br>“The more we spin this one, the better it sounds.”—<em>BabySue</em><br><br>“Jaw-droppingly beautiful ... tender and gorgeous.”—<em>Invisible Ink Music Blog</em><br><br>“Sending out a trembling resonance, this is a collection of songs that feel their way into your being.”—<em>FolkWords</em><br><br>“A work that grows with each listen.”—<em>The Musician</em><br><br>“As frustrating as it must surely be that a greater public recognition has so far eluded her, Sarah McQuaid has clearly held true to her own musical vision and it’s to be hoped that <em>Walking Into White</em> is the album which will bring her the wider commercial success she so richly deserves.”— <em>Folk Radio UK</em><br><br>To be hoped indeed! There’s still time to <a href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">buy the new album</a> directly from me (with a personal dedication if you like) via <a href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/walking-into-white" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Bandcamp</a> before I head off next Monday on my eight-week US tour, which will be followed in short order by a four-week UK tour; see dates at right. I’ll also be selling the CD (along with its predecessors) at all the gigs; and what’s more, I’ll be performing the entire album live, track by track, as the first half of every show (apart from those with shorter formats that don’t allow for a first and second half).<br><br>I performed the album live for the first time at the album’s official launch at <a href="http://www.peterenleni.nl" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Podium Cafe Peter en Leni</a> in the Netherlands last March. It took a certain amount of technological trickery on the part of my long-suffering manager and sound engineer, Martin Stansbury, to make some of the tracks work – notably ‘Jackdaws Rising’, co-written with my great friends Pete Coleman and Clare Hines and described by album reviewer Theo Volk in <em>Johnny’s Garden</em> as “onmogelijk live te spelen” (“impossible to play live”). Click <a href="https://youtu.be/ZcGNbm4yfD4" target="_blank" data-imported="1">here</a> to watch a video of my performance of ‘Jackdaws Rising’ at the aforementioned album launch show; the timing was a little wonky on that occasion (it was, after all, the first time we’d ever done it!), but has improved since, although it’s still akin to walking a tightrope every night. As I’ve often said before about other tracks involving nifty effects: if we don’t get it exactly right, it comes out exactly wrong …. <br><br>Once the tour gets under way, you’ll find lots of chat and photographs in daily updates on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook</a> page and <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Twitter</a> account. If you’re able to make it to one of the shows, it would be great to see you there, and please do help to spread the word if you can.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559492015-03-02T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T09:11:29+00:00Album of the Month on FolkWords
<p>We are delighted to announce that <em>Walking Into White</em> prevailed over seriously stiff competition to be awarded “Album of the Month” on <a href="http://www.folkwords.com/albumofthemonth.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">FolkWords</a> for the month of February 2015! Below is the full text of FolkWords editor Tim Carroll’s announcement and review:<br><br><strong>February 2015 Album of the Month: ‘Walking into White’ from Sarah McQuaid</strong><br><br>The year rolls on and it’s time for another choice for ‘FolkWords Album of the Month’. There were a numnber of contenders put forward by the team this month; the short list included: ‘Songs Of Exile, Love & Dissent’ by Rich McMahon, ‘With The Dawn’ by Bella Hardy, ‘Interloper' from Tom Kitching and ‘Incidents & Accidents’ by Dan Walsh … however, the final choice for February is ‘Walking into White’ from Sarah McQuaid. <br><br>The echoing magic of ‘Walking into White’, the latest album from Sarah McQuaid, seizes you from the first and holds you captured long after the last notes fade. The owner of a distinctive captivating voice, exponent of striking melodic dexterity, Sarah has created an album suffused with slices of exploration and discovery that writes one more mesmeric chapter in the ever-expanding chronicle of her music.<br><br>Sending out a trembling resonance, this is a collection of songs that feel their way into your being, combining to impart breadth and spread coupled with an allure that beguiles you to share the confidences they reveal. From the supremely melodic instrumental ‘I Am Grateful For What I Have’ through the lingering three-part round of ‘Jackdaws Rising’ to the combination of child-inspired innocence and adult insecuritites running through ‘Yellowstone’, a sense of completeness and unity pervades the entire album.<br><br>The hypnotic ‘Low Winter Sun’ pulls you into a moody, synthesized soundscape evoking the chill that accompanies cold winter sunshine, before the potent ‘Where The Wind Decides To Blow’, taking its influence from Arthur Ransome’s ‘Swallows and Amazons’, adds adult nuances to the story’s theme. The references to ‘Swallows and Amazons’ crop up in two more songs, with Sarah using her love of these children's books to expand allegorical reach. ‘The Tide’ explores navigating a ‘safe channel’ through shallow water into the dangers lurking in life’s shallows, while ‘Walking Into White’ expands on another life-parable of finding your way through enveloping fog.<br><br>The truly beautiful ‘Leave It For Another Day’ with its echoing guitars, deeply moving lyrics and haunting vocals is a shiver-inducing song, ‘Canticle Of The Sun’ (better known as ‘All Creatures Of Our God And King’) repeats the splendour, while Sarah’s emotive take on Ewan McColl’s ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ performs the perfect close.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559482015-02-03T00:00:00+00:002020-01-04T23:02:17+00:00Walking Into White is No. 11 on Euro Americana Chart<p>We’re delighted to report that <em>Walking Into White</em> has entered the <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.euroamericanachart.eu/" target="_blank">Euro Americana Chart</a> at No. 11!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/d37f6dfcacfed94a6b55e5bc0ed52c571f3357e5/original/sarah-mcquaid-euro-americana-chart-feb-2015.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Sarah_McQuaid_Euro_Americana_Chart_Feb_2015.jpg" width="100%" /></p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559472015-01-26T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:19:55+00:00Update – January 2015
<p><strong><em>Sarah writes:</em></strong><br>Exciting times ahead: Just one week from today, on Monday February 2nd, my fourth solo album <em><a href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/walking-into-white" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Walking Into White</a></em> will be released in the UK and Europe! It won’t be released in North America until August, closer to my September-October US tour, but even if you’re in the US or Canada you can still buy the album directly from me (see info below).<br><br>It’s already been getting a bit of radio airplay and some nice reviews: Johanna B. Bodde at <a href="http://insurgentcountry.net/reviews-Sarah%20McQuaid%20talks%20about%20Walking%20Into%20White.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">InsurgentCountry.net</a> called it “A combination of seasoned craft and innovative ideas ... Highly recommended,” while Michel Preumont of <a href="http://concerts-review.over-blog.com/article-sarah-mcquaid-walking-into-white-125416108.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">concerts-review.over-blog.com</a> described it as “Original, acrobatique et audacieux ... Un album brillant ouvrant de nouvelles perspectives pour Sarah McQuaid.” (Original, acrobatic and audacious ... A brilliant album that opens new perspectives for Sarah McQuaid).<br><br>It’s a step in a new direction for me, with new producers (Jeremy Backofen and my cousin Adam Pierce) and a very different soundscape and feel to my previous work. It’s also probably the most honest and personal album I’ve ever made, and I have to confess that I’m a little anxious about how it’ll be received by my long-term fans. I do feel strongly that this was the right album for me to make at this point in time, and I hope you like it as much as I do.<br><br>If you do decide to <a href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">buy the new album</a>, you’ll notice that there’s an option to add on to the standard price of £12 Stg. I paid for this album with borrowed money, so if you felt inclined to make an additional contribution, that would be absolutely wonderful and I’d be hugely grateful, although it’s totally fine if you don’t! I’m also very happy to enclose signed posters, handwritten lyrics and the like, if that’s of interest; just let me know what you want from me and I’ll see what I can do. <br><br> In a few more weeks I’ll be heading out on tour in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Ireland (North and South), with the official album launch at Podiumcafé Peter en Leni in Steendam, Netherlands, on Friday March 6th (plus two DADGAD guitar workshops at the same venue on the following day). See tour dates listed at right; I’m sorry that not all of them are listed on my website as yet, but they will be very soon. <br><br>Once the tour gets under way, you’ll find lots of chat and photographs in daily updates on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook</a> page and <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Twitter</a> account. If you’re able to make it to one of the shows, it would be great to see you there, and please do help to spread the word if you can.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559462014-11-05T00:00:00+00:002016-04-27T07:41:21+01:00UPDATE – New Album Available to Pre-Order!
<p><a href="https://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/album/the-silver-lining-3-track-single" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/7758000cb0a2b1b2194097fbc8a3ddf4969e24ab/original/sarah-mcquaid-the-silver-lining-lr.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTAweCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="CD cover" style=" margin: 4px 0 0 4px;" width="100" /></a><strong><em>IMMEDIATE SINGLE TRACK DOWNLOAD WITH ALBUM PRE-ORDER!</em></strong><br>Pre-order Sarah’s new album <em>Walking Into White</em> and get a FREE DOWNLOAD of “The Silver Lining”, the lead track of the first single from the album (<a href="http://youtu.be/ETAkJCiAXoE" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://youtu.be/ETAkJCiAXoE</a>).<br><br><a href="http://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/e82340959941e50300f7eaafcf2f70ddfa8d0e71/original/sarah-mcquaid-walking-into-white-lr.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTIweCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="CD cover" style=" margin: 0 4px 0 0;" width="120" /></a><em>Walking Into White</em> is due out next year on Waterbug Records (<a href="http://www.waterbug.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">www.waterbug.com</a>) – UK/Europe release date 2nd February 2015, USA/Canada release date 18th August 2015. Package includes full colour 16-page booklet with lyrics and background information on the songs. CD signed by Sarah with personal message upon request. Pre-order includes digital album in your choice of MP3 320, FLAC, or other formats. A link to the download will be emailed to you the moment it’s released. <a href="http://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Click here to pre-order.</a><br><br><strong><em>Sarah writes ...</em></strong><br>Between the eight-week September-October US tour I’ve just finished, the four-week UK tour I’ve already embarked on, and the release this week of the first single from my forthcoming new album, things have been rather hectic just lately. Consequently, this newsletter will be a short one, but you’ll find lots of chat and photographs in the daily tour updates I’ve been posting on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook</a> page, so do have a look at those!<br><br>I’m very excited about the new album, and hope you’ll consider pre-ordering it. If you do, you’ll get an immediate free download of my song “The Silver Lining”, and the album will be sent straight out to you the moment it’s released.<br><br>If you’re able to make it to one of the shows, it would be great to see you there, and please do help to spread the word if you can.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559452014-05-20T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:20:30+00:00Update – May 2014
<p><strong><em>Sarah writes ...</em></strong><br>I meant to send out a newsletter at the start of my UK/Ireland tour, but time caught up with me and we’re now into the final week of the UK leg! I’ve listed the remaining dates at right, anyway, along with the rest of my gigging schedule for the summer.<br><br>I had a lovely five-week tour in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in March – click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152088603214016.1073741835.49836834015&type=3" target="_blank" data-imported="1">here</a> to see a whole slew of photographs from my travels. That tour finished up just in time for me to get home for my kids’ Easter holidays, which lasted two and a half weeks and were just the tonic I needed – lots of walks with the dog, sitting out in the garden, and a few fun adventures as well: notably taking my daughter to see an absolutely brilliant production of <em>Fiddler on the Roof</em> at Hall for Cornwall, with Paul Michael Glaser (who played Perchik in the classic 1971 film version of the musical, although of course he’s better known as Starsky from <em>Starsky & Hutch</em>) as Tevye.<br><br>All too soon the holidays were over and it was time to get back on the road at the end of April. It’s been a really fun tour, chiefly because I’ve been trying out lots of new material from my forthcoming fourth solo album, <em>Walking Into White</em>, which I recorded in January and February in Cornwall, New York (!!) with co-producers Jeremy Backofen (Frightened Rabbit, Felice Brothers, Simone Felice, Andrea Tomasi) and my cousin Adam Pierce (Mice Parade, Tom Brosseau, Múm, Ólöf Arnalds, Gregory and the Hawk). It’s due for release on 2 February 2015 on the Chicago-based <a href="http://www.waterbug.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Waterbug Records</a> label, and I’m very excited about it – I think it’s a major step forward from my previous recordings.<br><br>Keep an eye on the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Calendar</a> page for details of all the gigs and on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Twitter</a> for updates and photos from the road. If you can make it to one of the shows, it would be great to see you there!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559442014-03-04T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:20:43+00:00Update – March 2014
<p><strong><em>Sarah writes ...</em></strong><br>Appalled to see that this is the first newsletter I’ve sent out since last August – grovelling apologies for being so dilatory, and I’ll try to do better from here on out.<br><br>The big news here is that I’ve finished recording a new album which is due to be released on the 2nd of February, 2015. I know that seems like a long time away, but there’s a lot to be done between now and then — mastering, photo session, booklet notes, artwork, design and all the rest, plus the CDs have to be manufactured and ready to send out to press and radio three months in advance of the release date.<br><br>Like my 2012 album <em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em>, the new recording will be released on the Chicago-based <a href="http://www.waterbug.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Waterbug Records</a> label, run by the wonderful Andrew Calhoun – have a look at the list of artists on the Waterbug homepage and you’ll see what good company I’m in! I’m very pleased and proud about that.<br><br>Provisionally titled <em>Walking Into White</em>, it was recorded in Cornwall, New York (which was a source of constant amusement to me during the three weeks I spent there, living as I do in Cornwall, England) and is co-produced by Jeremy Backofen (Frightened Rabbit, Felice Brothers, Simone Felice, Andrea Tomasi) and my cousin Adam Pierce (Mice Parade, Tom Brosseau, Múm, Ólöf Arnalds, Gregory and the Hawk). Guest musicians include Adam and Jeremy as well as Dan Lippel on classical guitar, Gareth Flowers on trumpet, Kivie Cahn-Lipman on cello and pianist Rob King. Martin Stansbury, my wonderful long-suffering manager and touring sound engineer, also contributed guest vocals, air organ and percussion! <br><br>I have to admit that it was a bit daunting to be working with a completely new team. Even though Adam is my cousin, I’d seen hardly anything of him since we were kids, although I’ve been keeping an eye on his musical career and admire his work tremendously – he’s one of those people who seem to be able to pick up any instrument and play it impeccably, and he also writes beautiful songs. When I found out that he was based in a place called Cornwall, I took it as a sign that we were meant to work together ... but I had no way of knowing how it would go.<br><br>And I hadn’t met any of the others before at all, so I was very glad to have Martin with me for moral support! But I needn’t have worried – not only are they all incredibly talented and great to work with, but it actually turned out to be a lot of fun – I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much during a recording project! I’m really excited about the new album, and I’m also very happy that Gerry O’Beirne, who produced all three of my previous solo albums, co-wrote a song with me for this one, so there’s a bit of continuity there.<br><br>I’m really looking forward to trying out the new material over the next few months of touring. I’ll be aiming to add a couple of pieces from the new album to the setlist for every gig, so that by the time it comes out I’ll be well used to playing all of them live. Also in the setlist are also three previously recorded tracks that I’ve never performed in public before: “S’Anc Fuy Belha Ni Prezada” (with shruti box! another first!) from <em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em>, “At The Waterside” from <em>Crow Coyote Buffalo</em>, and “King of the Fairies/The Blackbird” from <em>When Two Lovers Meet</em>. Plus I’ll be resurrecting a few numbers that I haven’t been playing for the past few years. I’m a wee bit nervous about it all, but glad that we’re assured of at least two friendly faces at the first gig, this coming Friday at Podium Café Peter en Leni in Steendam, The Netherlands!<br><br>Keep an eye on the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Calendar</a> page for details of all the gigs and on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/blog.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Tour Diary</a> for photos and stories from the road in the months to come. I’ll be posting updates on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Twitter</a> as well, and if you can make it to one of the shows it would be great to see you there!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559432013-10-15T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T09:24:18+00:00Sarah lands endorsement deal with Elixir Strings
<p>Sarah McQuaid is proud and happy to be an <a href="http://www.elixirstrings.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Elixir Strings</a> endorsed artist, alongside the likes of Richard Thompson and Newton Faulkner.<a href="http://www.elixirstrings.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/0bb6997c9d6c1b7ffdb4815ea7905e1b81e9161f/original/elixir-s-p-d-c.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MTUweCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="elixir_logo" style=" margin: 4px 0 4px 8px;" width="150" /></a> “I love the evenness and clarity of tone of the Elixir strings,” says Sarah. “I'm privileged to play a beautiful custom-made guitar by <a href="http://andymanson.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Andy Manson</a>, and when I use these strings I know they're doing it justice.”</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559422013-08-15T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:19:42+00:00Update – AUGUST 2013
<p><strong><em>Sarah writes ...</em></strong><br>I can’t believe the summer’s nearly over and I’ll be setting off on tour again just over two weeks from now. It’s been a lovely few months at home with the family, punctuated by appearances at the Golowan Festival here in Penzance, Festival At The Edge up in Shropshire and Sidmouth FolkWeek in Devon. All great fun, and such a treat to get to hear so many fantastic fellow musicians and meet lots of old and new friends!<br><br>I’ve been working hard on writing songs for my next album, which I hope to record next year and release early in 2015. Huge thanks to both my husband, Feargal Shiels, and my manager, Martin Stansbury, for being my sounding boards and advisors; we’ve had quite a few discussions round the kitchen table about lyrics, with the kids occasionally proffering opinions as well. Hope they won’t be looking for co-writing credits ....<br><img src="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/listbaby/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/img/smiley-wink.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Wink" /><br><br>Three of the new songs were inspired by incidents in Arthur Ransome’s wonderful <em>Swallows and Amazons</em> series of books, which I’ve been reading aloud to Eli and Lily Jane over the past year, between bouts of touring. I’m also very happy that Gerry O’Beirne and I have once again managed to co-write a song, this time via the Internet, emailing lyrics and MP3s back and forth to each other. It’s a little more difficult and less fun than working together in person, but Gerry and I are both very happy with the result, and I hope you will be, too, when you hear it! I’ll be testing out some of the new material during my autumn tour, and have no doubt that after playing the songs live I’ll feel the need to tinker with them further. That’s the way it goes ....<br><br>It’s going to be a very busy autumn, with 64 shows in three months of intensive touring during which I’ll be crisscrossing the UK from Cornwall to the Highlands, including a showcase at the London Acoustic Guitar Show and several festival performances, then heading over to the USA for eight weeks, playing at the legendary Caffè Lena and at the 10th anniversary of the Rice Festival amongst other appearances.<br><br>On my return to the UK, I’ll be playing a very special concert at St. Mary’s Church in my adopted home town of Penzance, for which I’ll be joined by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/161577620630086" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Blazing Heart Chorus</a>, a 50-strong community choir organised by Vicky Abbott and Mary Woodvine. I love the <em>a cappella</em> choral arrangements Vicky has done of songs by artists like Gillian Welch and the Handsome Family, and I’m incredibly chuffed and honoured that some of my own songs are going to get the same treatment! It’s going to be a fantastic evening, with the Blazing Heart Chorus performing a short set of their own to kick off the show and then joining me for part of my set. I can’t wait. After that there’s one more Cornwall show, at Barley Folk in Liskeard, and then four more gigs up country before I get my winter break.<br><br>Two more local appearances bookend the tour. Tonight (Thursday 15 August) and again on Thursday 5 December, I’ll be hosting open sessions at the always friendly and welcoming Blue Anchor Inn in Helston, just up the road from me. These aren’t concerts, but rather informal singarounds, with fellow musicians and singers of all styles and levels invited to join in. Do come along if you’re in the area, either to take part or just to sit and listen.<br><br>Keep an eye on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Calendar</a> page for details of all the gigs and on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/blog.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Tour Diary</a> for photos and stories from the road in the months to come. I’ll be posting updates on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Twitter</a> as well, and if you can make it to one of the shows it would be great to see you there!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559412013-04-16T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:21:59+00:00Update – April 2013
<p><strong><em>Sarah writes ...</em></strong><br>I’m typing this very quickly, as I’m due to set out in less than two hours on a six-week tour of Ireland and the UK and I haven’t even packed my suitcase yet! It’s been a lovely two weeks at home with the family since I returned from my March tour of the Netherlands and Germany. You’ll be able to read all about that tour very soon in my <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/blog.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Tour Diary</a>, and in the meantime there are a whole bunch of photos from the tour up on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151495931849016.1073741828.49836834015" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook Page</a>.<br><br>I’m particularly excited about this tour, because it includes so much collaborative work with other musicians and singers. In Scotland, I’ll be performing a series of four concerts “in the round” with fellow songwriters <a href="http://billadair.net" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Bill Adair</a> and <a href="http://www.richard-grainger.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Richard Grainger</a>; in Farncombe, Surrey, I’ll be backed on a number of songs by the <a href="http://www.gcgc.org.uk" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Godalming Community Gospel Choir</a>; and later in June, as part of the <a href="http://www.golowan.org/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Golowan Festival</a> in Penzance, I’ll be supported by young songwriters Theo Black, Shania Curnow and Nat Dwelly, all students in the Music MixX programme run by well-known local musician and music educator Luke New at Mounts Bay Academy, where I gave a songwriting workshop earlier this year.<br><br>Being a solo artist, I don’t often get the chance to perform with other musicians and singers, so this will be a real treat. I know the gigs in Scotland with Bill and Richard will be great – I’ve done a couple of ‘in the round’ gigs previously over in the States, at the Bluebird in Nashville and at Anderson Fair in Houston, and it’s really nice to be able to exchange ideas and harmonies in a really off-the-cuff, informal way onstage. And when Julian Lewry at Farncombe Music Club asked me if I’d like to try working with a gospel choir, I was thrilled -- I sang with a children’s choir for many years and still sing with my local church choir, and it’ll be a real honour to have the choir in Godalming joining me on songs I’ve written!<br><br>I’m delighted to report that in addition to Golowan I’ll also be performing at two other festivals over the summer: Festival at the Edge in July and Sidmouth FolkWeek in August. Yet more opportunities to see and hear some of my fellow artists! And a big honour to be invited.<br><br>I’m sure there's more I ought to be telling you, but I really do need to run and pack now, so do keep an eye on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/news.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">News</a> page of my website for, well, news, on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Calendar</a> page for details of all the gigs, and on the aforementioned <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/blog.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Tour Diary</a> for photos and stories from the road in the months to come. I’ll be posting updates on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Twitter</a> as well, and if you can make it to one of the shows it would be great to see you there!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559392013-03-06T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:23:18+00:00Update – March 2013
<p><em><strong>Sarah writes ...</strong></em><br>Once again I must apologise for leaving it so long since the last newsletter and also for falling behind on the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/blog.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Tour Diary</a>! Plus ça change .... I’ll try very hard to keep up with both from here on out, but had better refrain from making any promises. Just in case.<br><br>Following an action-packed autumn that saw me touring like crazy in the US and UK, I’ve had a very nice three months at home with my husband and kids, doing family stuff and catching up with the admin backlog. My biggest achievement was getting up to date with my accounts for the first time in nearly ten years!<br><br>Now I’m heading out on the road again for a three-week tour in the Netherlands and Germany, to be followed in April by a brief tour in Ireland which in turn will be followed by a longer UK tour in May. I’m particularly looking forward to a series of four gigs at the start of May that I’ll be doing in the round with fellow songwriters <a href="http://billadair.net/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Bill Adair</a> and <a href="http://www.richard-grainger.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Richard Grainger</a> – should be fun! <br><br>I’m pleased to report that <em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em> finished out the year in the top 20 of both the <a href="http://folkradio.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1">FolkDJ</a> and <a href="http://www.euroamericanachart.eu/index.php/layout/2012" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Euro Americana</a> charts for the year 2012, as well as making it onto “Best of 2012” lists on both sides of the pond – see the various entries below for all the details. Do keep an eye on the aforementioned <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/blog.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Tour Diary</a> for photos and stories from the road in the months to come, and if you can make it to one of the shows it would be great to see you there!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559362013-01-07T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:33:34+00:00A Favourite on Two Continents
<p>Today saw Sarah featured in “Best of 2012” programmes on community radio stations on both sides of the Atlantic. Host <a href="http://www.womr.org/djbobweiser_html..html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Bob Weiser</a> of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Old-Songs-Home-radio-show/101104369933286" target="_blank" data-imported="1">“The Old Songs’ Home”</a> on <a href="http://www.womr.org/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">WOMR</a> in Massachusetts, USA, played ‘The Sun Goes On Rising’ from <em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em> in his <a href="http://spinitron.com/radio/playlist.php?station=womr&playlist=24" target="_blank" data-imported="1">“Favourites of 2012”</a> show, while over at <a href="http://www.trentsound.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Trent Sound</a> in Nottingham, UK, DJ Roger Williams included Sarah in his “Discoveries Of The Year” list on <a href="http://www.trentsound.com/world.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">“A World Of Difference”</a>. <br><br>Featuring traditional and contemporary folk and acoustic music, “The Old Songs’ Home” airs every Monday from 9:30am to 12:30pm EST on WOMR, Community Radio for Cape Cod and beyond: 92.1 FM Provincetown, 91.3 FM Orleans, streaming live at <a href="http://www.womr.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1">www.womr.org</a>. “A World of Difference” airs every Monday from 7 to 10pm GMT on <a href="http://www.trentsound.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">www.trentsound.com</a>, a community broadcasting service for Nottingham.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559352013-01-06T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T14:26:33+00:00No. 14 for Year 2012 on Folk DJ Chart
<p>Sarah McQuaid’s album <em>The Plum Tree Tree and The Rose</em> finished out the year in the No. 14 place (tied with <em>These Old Dark Hills</em> by Robin & Linda Williams) for 2012 on the <a href="http://folkradio.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1">FolkDJ chart</a>, based on 156,671 airplays from 194 different DJs who host folk and acoustic music radio shows.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559342013-01-03T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:35:12+00:00Double Honour on WDCB’s Folk Festival Faves of 2012
<p>Sarah McQuaid made one US public radio station’s “Best of 2012” list not once but twice! DJ Lilli Kuzma, the weekly show host of Folk Festival since July 2007 (and back-up host for over six years prior), placed <em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em> at No. 10 Album and “In Derby Cathedral” and “Lift You Up and Let You Fly" in a tie for the No. 10 Song in her <a href="http://wdcb.org/programming/programs.php?id=17#Faves2012" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Folk Festival Faves of 2012</a>. <a href="http://wdcb.org/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">WDCB</a> 90.9FM Public Radio broadcasts 24/7 jazz, blues, acoustic/Americana music and news to Chicago, Northeastern Illinois and the world via their iTunes and Windows Media Player compatible audio stream.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559382012-12-30T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:35:38+00:00Concert Broadcast on Roz Larman’s FolkScene
<p>On Sunday, 30 December, 2012, a full-length live concert (two 45-minute sets) by Sarah was the special feature on Roz Larman’s well-known syndicated radio show, <a href="http://www.folkscene.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Folkscene</a>. The concert was recorded by Peter Cutler on 16 October 2012 at <a href="http://fiddlerscrossing.org/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Fiddler’s Crossing</a> in Tehachapi, California, with Martin Stansbury engineering. Click <a href="/files/518189/sarah-mcquaid-concert-fiddlers-crossing.mp3" target="_blank" data-imported="1">here</a> to listen. Now in its 42nd year of live broadcasting, FolkScene is a program of traditional and contemporary music featuring live music, interviews, remote recordings, and the finest in recorded music. Many thanks to Roz and Peter for their kind permission to publish the broadcast here.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559332012-12-27T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:36:45+00:00Sarah McQuaid featured on “Art of the Song”
<p>In October 2012, Sarah travelled to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to record an interview and session for <a href="http://www.artofthesong.org/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Art of the Song Creativity Radio</a>, a syndicated public radio programme heard on over 150 stations across the USA. Each show devotes a full hour to one artist or band’s music and thoughts about creative expression, exploring universal truths through interview segments interspersed with live in-studio recordings and album tracks. Previous artists featured have ranged from Janis Ian to Steely Dan's Donald Fagen. Sarah’s interview, including three album tracks and three songs performed live in the Art of the Song studio, is now archived online at <a href="http://www.artofthesong.org/tune-in/shows/show-416/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.artofthesong.org/tune-in/shows/show-416/</a>. “It's so nice to have had the time and space to give due credit to Martin Stansbury, Gerry O'Beirne, Zoë Pollock, Andy Manson and others who've helped me along the way,” says Sarah. “Big thanks to Vivian Nesbitt and John Dillon for having me on the show – it was an honour.”</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559322012-12-23T00:00:00+00:002016-01-25T10:20:56+00:00The Plum Tree and The Rose No. 19 for 2012 on Euro Americana Chart
<p>We are delighted to report that <em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em> finished at No. 19 for the year 2012 on the <a href="http://www.euroamericanachart.eu/index.php/layout/2012" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Euro Americana Chart</a>!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559402012-12-11T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:37:50+00:00The Plum Tree and The Rose makes WMSC Favorites of 2012 List
<p>Thanks so much to Joltin’ Joe Pszonek, host of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Nowhere-On-WMSC/235987466460392" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Radio Nowhere</a> on <a href="http://wmscradio.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">WMSC</a>, for including <em>The Plum Tree and the Rose</em> in his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/radio-nowhere-on-wmsc/radio-nowhere-favorities-of-2012-wmsc-903fm-joltin-joe-the-mad-scientist-host/448726835186453" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Radio Nowhere Favorites of 2012</a>. WMSC is a freeform college radio station located at and owned by Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, USA. Broadcast on Sundays from 7 to 10pm EST, Radio Nowhere is a mix of folk, blues, roots music and Americana.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559312012-12-07T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:39:29+00:00Blackbird Bookings now booking Sarah McQuaid in Europe
<p>We are very happy to announce that Mathias Heijen of <a href="http://www.blackbirdbookings.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Blackbird Bookings</a> is now looking after Sarah McQuaid’s bookings in Continental Europe. Math limits his roster to six clients, making it completely full with Sarah added to Lucy Ward (UK), Josienne Clarke (UK), Anna Coogan (USA), Kyle Carey (USA), and Christina Martin (Canada). “I’m honoured to be in such fine company,” says Sarah, “and Martin and I are both looking forward to working with Math!” For more information on Blackbird Bookings and Sarah’s European tour dates, visit <br><a href="http://www.blackbirdbookings.com/sm/index.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.blackbirdbookings.com/sm/index.html</a>.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559302012-12-05T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:40:17+00:00“The Plum Tree and the Rose” makes Top 10 List
<p>We are pleased to announce that <em>The Plum Tree and the Rose</em> has made the Top 10 Albums of 2012 list on <a href="http://www.thecrookedroad.com/page10.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Mike Ganley’s Crooked Road</a>, together with albums by Fairport Convention, Cathy Jordan, The Outside Track, Kate Rusby, Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman, Jim Moray, Altan, Show of Hands and Gretchen Peters. Broadcast every Thursday at 8pm on Swindon 105.5FM as well as online via <a href="http://www.themusicwellhome.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">The Music Well</a>, <a href="http://www.thecrookedroad.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">The Crooked Road</a> is now in its 20th year.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559292012-11-12T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:41:58+00:00“The Sun Goes On Rising” featured in Sing Out! Magazine
<p>We are thrilled to report that the new issue of <em>Sing Out!</em> magazine featuring “The Sun Goes On Rising” is finally out ... with Sarah’s name on the cover right under Loudon Wainwright III’s! Founded in 1950 by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and other giants of the folk world, <em>Sing Out!</em> has as a primary mission the presentation of new folk songs for its readers to learn and pass on. “I can remember learning songs from the magazine back when I first started subscribing in my teenage years,” says Sarah. “To have a composition featured in its pages (and on the accompanying CD) is an honour beyond all imagining – and one that’s certainly well deserved by the wonderful Gerry O’Beirne who co-wrote the song with me and produced the album it’s on. Thanks so much to <em>Sing Out!</em> editor Mark D. Moss for featuring the song and to Grey Larsen for transcribing it!” For more information on the magazine or to order a copy, visit <a href="http://www.singout.org/magazine.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.singout.org/magazine.html</a></p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559282012-06-08T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:42:28+00:00No. 6 in the Folk Top 50!
<p>We’re delighted to report that this week <em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em> made it to No. 6 in the <a href="http://acousticmusicscene.com/2012/06/09/roots-music-report-folk-and-roots-country-radio-charts-06-08-12/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Roots Music Report Folk Top 50</a> – just one notch below The Chieftains, and well above such luminaries as June Tabor, Leonard Cohen and Anaïs Mitchell!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559272012-04-17T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:43:02+00:00Update – April 2012
<p><em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em> was released in March on the US-based Waterbug label (<a href="http://www.waterbug.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">www.waterbug.com</a>) and is currently No. 3 on the <a href="http://folkradio.org/airplay/mar12.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Folk Radio Chart</a>, No. 4 on the <a href="http://www.rootsmusicreport.com/index.php?page=intchart&country=UNITED%20KINGDOM" target="_blank" data-imported="1">UK Roots Radio Airplay Chart</a> and No. 5 on the <a href="http://www.euroamericanachart.eu/index.php/archive/2012/177-april-2012" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Euro Americana chart</a>! <a href="http://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Click here to order the album.</a><br><br><strong><em>Sarah writes ...</em></strong><br>I’m typing this missive in the passenger seat of Martin’s van en route from Penzance to Cardiff, where we’ll stay the night before getting the ferry to Ireland tomorrow. I’m particularly excited because this coming Saturday’s gig in Whelan’s marks the official launch of my new album, <em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em>. There’s a certain very special guest who’s told me he hopes to get there on the night ... Fingers crossed ... Saying no more, lest I jinx it!<br><br>The album’s been getting quite a bit of airplay and some wonderful reviews: <a href="http://www.frootsmag.com/content/issue/reviews/" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><em>fRoots</em> magazine</a> described it as a “finely-crafted disc” that “expertly cradles Sarah’s elegantly poised, tenderly expressive singing voice and delicate guitar in quietly monumental arrangements ... Impeccable.”<br><br>I was on tour in Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany for four months in March (you can read all about it in the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/blog.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Tour Diary</a> on my website), then had a couple of much-needed weeks at home with the family while my kids were off school for the Easter holidays.<br><br>Now it’s back out on the road again for a seven-week tour of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK.<br><br>I’ll be taking most of the summer off, then warming up for my autumn USA and UK tours with a gig at <a href="http://www.bunkfest.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Wallingford BunkFest</a> at the end of August.<br><br>Do keep an eye on the aforementioned <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/blog.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Tour Diary</a> for photos and stories from the road in the months to come, and if you can make it to one of the shows it would be great to see you there!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559262012-04-03T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:43:31+00:00The Plum Tree and The Rose reaches No. 3 on FolkDJ Chart
<p>Sarah’s new album <em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em> was No. 3 on the <a href="http://folkradio.org/airplay/mar12.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">FolkDJ Chart</a> for March 2012, and as of the week of March 30 was No. 16 on the <a href="http://www.rootsmusicreport.com/index.php?page=intchart&country=UNITED%20KINGDOM" target="_blank" data-imported="1">UK Roots Radio Airplay Chart</a> published by <em><a href="http://www.rootsmusicreport.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Roots Music Report</a></em>. The album is also still at No. 5 on the <a href="http://www.euroamericanachart.eu/index.php/archive/2012/177-april-2012" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Euro Americana Chart</a>.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559252012-04-01T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:43:53+00:00New album No. 5 on the Euro Americana Chart!
<p>As of this month, Sarah’s new album <em>The Plum Tree and The Rose</em> has reached No. 5 on the <a href="http://www.euroamericanachart.eu/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Euro Americana Chart</a>!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559242012-02-08T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:45:21+00:00Update – February 2012
<p>Lots has happened since my last installment! I’m very happy and excited to be able to announce that I’ve been signed to the US-based <a href="http://www.waterbug.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Waterbug Records</a> label, which will be releasing my new album <em>The Plum Tree and the Rose</em> on March 5th. And if you <a href="http://sarahmcquaid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">pre-order the album</a> between now and the 26th of February, I’ll send you a code that you can use straightaway to download a 3-track single featuring two songs from the album (“The Sun Goes On Rising,” co-written by myself and Gerry O’Beirne, and a cover of John Martyn’s “Solid Air”) plus a bonus guitar instrumental that doesn’t appear on the album and is only available as a download – a DADGAD guitar arrangement of a 16th century lute piece.<br><br>I’m just coming to the end of a wonderful three-month break at home (much needed after all the touring I did last year), and gearing up to go back out on the road again. I’ll be spending most of the month of March in continental Europe, then heading to Ireland in April, the UK in May, doing a few festivals over the summer and then touring the USA in September and October, finishing off with another UK tour in November.<br><br>Keep an eye on the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/blog.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Tour Diary</a> for photos and stories from the road in the months to come, and if you can make it to a gig it would be great to see you there!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559222011-10-27T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:45:51+00:00Update – October 2011
<p>I’ve just returned from the longest tour I’ve ever done: 8 weeks in the USA, taking in the whole country in a great big circle that started and finished in Austin, Texas, via 37 of the 50 states.<br><br>What was nice this time round was the opportunity to perform in so many different settings. For example, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, I did a televised midday concert and then went round to various patient areas as part of their Music at the Bedside programme; and straight after that I did a four-day run of shows in Lincoln, Nebraska, that included an outdoor concert in a park that closed out their season and was attended by over 350 people, plus a visit with 120 nine- and ten-year-olds in a local school. I told them a bit about myself and did a couple of songs for them to sing along to, and for the rest of the hour they just bombarded me with questions – which included a query as to whether there were any kiwi birds in Cornwall!<br><br>Another new experience in Lincoln was a ‘Nine Lessons and Ballads’ church service. It was promoter Lori McAlister’s idea to put together a programme modelled after the Nine Lessons and Carols, only with songs from my repertoire (both traditional and original) and readings that echoed or developed the themes touched on in the songs. It was a beautiful evening of music and readings, and I’d love to try and do the same sort of thing elsewhere. <br><br>You can read all about my USA experience, and look at route maps and loads of photos, in the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/blog.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Tour Diary</a>.<br><br>Now I’m enjoying a much-needed few days at home before I set off on my 4-week UK tour -- see dates listed on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Calendar</a> page.<br><br>Hope to see you at a gig down the road ....</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559232011-08-25T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:46:23+00:00Update – August 2011
<p>It’s been a busy summer! In June I spent two weeks in Ireland finishing off my new album. There’s one day of mixing still to be done, which I have to leave in the extremely capable hands of my producer, <a href="http://www.gerryobeirne.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Gerry O’Beirne</a>, and engineer Trevor Hutchinson. Having already made two albums with this crack team, I know they’ll do a lovely job of finishing it off in September while I’m on the road, and I hope to have the album ready for release early next year.<br><br>Tentatively titled <em>The Plum Tree and the Rose</em>, it’s going to be a bit of a departure from my previous CDs in that the tracks are nearly all originals – three of them co-written with Gerry. To go with all those new songs I’ve got a few very old ones: ‘New Oysters New’, a canon published in 1609 by Thomas Ravenscroft in his <em>Pammelia: Mvsicks Miscellanie</em>, with my old friend Niamh Parsons and baritone Tom Barry singing the other two parts; 16th century Elizabethan composer John Dowland’s ‘Can She Excuse My Wrongs’; and ‘S’Anc Fuy Belha Ni Prezada’, a 13th century “alba” or dawn song in Old Occitan – plus a cover of John Martyn’s ‘Solid Air’. <br><br>Back in 2009, when I first came across ‘S’Anc Fuy Belha Ni Prezada’, I went hunting via the Internet for a transcription of the melody and a definitive version of the lyrics. I managed to track down a copy of a book containing them in the collection of one <a href="http://www.drjoeb.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Joseph Baldassarre</a>, professor emeritus at Boise State University. He very kindly scanned in the music and emailed it to me, then sent me a copy of a lovely album he recorded, as an eventual result of which he’s now scheduled to be the opening act at my gig in Boise on the 5th of October! It’ll be great to finally meet and hear him in person after two years of emails back and forth across the pond.<br><br>Other highlights of the tour include an official showcase at the Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) conference, as well as a gig at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Café, where I'll be performing in the round with <a href="http://www.louisemosrie.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Louise Mosrie</a> (who also has an official showcase at FARM! Louise was my roommate at the International Folk Alliance Conference last February, and she’s a lovely person and a great songwriter, so I couldn’t be more delighted), <a href="http://petercoopermusic.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Peter Cooper</a> and <a href="http://benbedford.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Ben Bedford</a>. All four of us had No. 1 albums on the <a href="http://www.folkradio.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Folk DJ</a> chart thanks to the sterling work of Nashville-based PR ace <a href="http://www.kariestrin.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Kari Estrin</a>, who’s promoting the show.<br><br>The final bit of news is that while I’m definitely going to continue touring as a solo performer, I’ve put a three-piece band together with an eye on next summer’s festival season. At our second rehearsal (in a friend’s converted barn here in Cornwall), we decided to set a few video cameras up on tripods to capture the band look and sound, and I hope to have the results up on the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/music.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Music</a> page within the next week or two, so keep an eye out for that! <br><br>Hope to see you at a gig down the road ....</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559212011-05-06T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:46:54+00:00Update – May 2011
<p>It’s been a very, very busy year thus far – I’ve been touring pretty much nonstop since the end of January, with brief forays home now and again to remind my husband and children who I am, and I won’t get much of any respite until the end of June.<br><br>I’m on the road – literally – as I type this, somewhere in Ohio on my way to a gig in Kirtland, near Cleveland. Having acquired a mobile wifi device and a sunshade for my laptop (not needed in today’s rainy weather, but essential on brighter days), I’m now able to catch up with emails and other admin work while Martin does the driving.<br><br>After the final date of this US tour, on May 24th (see all the remaining dates at right), I’ll be spending a week in Nashville, working on material for my new album, then heading down to Kerrville, TX to catch a bit of the festival there before I fly back to the UK on the 7th of June.<br><br>After that, I’ll have just five nights at home (including a festival gig in Helston, just up the road from where I live) before flying to Ireland on the 12th of June, where I’ll be doing the final recording and mixing work on my new album from the 12th to the 25th.<br><br>Speaking of which, I’m looking for a major sponsor to help me with the recording and production costs. If you know of either a business or an individual who might be interested in supporting this project, please do pass on their contact details!<br><br>Hope to see you at a gig down the road ....</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559202011-01-20T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:49:20+00:00No. 6!
<p>A wonderful bit of news came in just at the start of this month: My double CD (the two solo albums, released together on the North American market as a two-disc package) came in at No. 6 on the <a href="http://folkradio.org/10topalbums.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">FolkRadio</a> chart for 2010, based on playlists from 195 DJs. Have a look at <a href="http://folkradio.org/10topalbums.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://folkradio.org/10topalbums.html</a> – you’ll understand why I was so pleased when you see the company I’m in.<br><br>I’m also honoured that Al Kniola and Norm Mast of WVPE’s The Back Porch included the double CD in their <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3yydzud" target="_blank" data-imported="1">30 Best Albums of 2010</a>, and thrilled that KOPN’s Steve Jerrett listed it in his <a href="http://www.folkalley.com/music/top-albums-2010/folk-djs/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Top 10 CDs of 2010</a>.<br><br>All credit to <a href="http://www.gerryobeirne.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Gerry O’Beirne</a> for his wonderful production and playing on both of the albums that make up the double CD, as well as to publicist <a href="http://www.kariestrin.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Kari Estrin</a> for her sterling work.<br><br>The other big bit of news is that I’ve been selected for an official Performance Alley Showcase at the <a href="http://www.folkalliance.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1">23rd Annual International Folk Alliance Conference</a> in Memphis in February. One of the five largest music conferences in North America, the Folk Alliance draws over 2,000 registered attendees each year. 200 artists are invited for official showcases each year, but of these, only around 20 come from outside the US and Canada, so it’s a great honour for an overseas artist such as myself to be selected. Other artists who will be showcasing in 2011 include Suzy Bogguss, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Mary Gauthier, Eliza Gilkyson, Kieran Goss, Diana Jones, Si Kahn and Raul Malo.<br><br>I had a very intensive 9-week tour of the UK and USA this past autumn, and have barely had time to draw breath since – so I’m afraid I haven’t had time to update the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/blog.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">tour diary</a> as of this writing. I’ll definitely get back to it for the European tour starting next week, though, so keep an eye on it for updates!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559192010-12-13T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:50:04+00:00Sarah McQuaid for Folk Alliance 2011
<p>We are delighted to announce that Sarah McQuaid has been selected for an official Performance Alley Showcase at the 23rd Annual International Folk Alliance Conference (<a href="http://www.folkalliance.org" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.folkalliance.org</a>), taking place between 15th & 20th February in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. <br> <br>One of the five largest music conferences in North America, the Folk Alliance draws over two thousand registered attendees each year, including representatives of venues, festivals, record labels, broadcast and print media, agents and performers. <br> <br>Two hundred artists are invited for official showcases each year, but of these, only around twenty come from outside the US and Canada, so it’s a great honour for an overseas artist such as Sarah McQuaid to be selected. Other artists who will be showcasing in 2011 include such high-profile names as Suzy Bogguss, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Mary Gauthier, Eliza Gilkyson, Kieran Goss, Diana Jones, Si Kahn and Raul Malo.<br> <br>Sarah attended the conference for the first time in 2010, and received several bookings as a direct result of the unofficial “Guerrilla” showcases she performed there.<br><br>Among these was an invitation to appear next April on 'Folkstage', a live concert radio show broadcast by Chicago's public radio station, WFMT. The show’s host, Rich Warren, had previously named Sarah's album ‘I Wont Go Home 'Til Morning’ CD of the week on his nationally syndicated show 'The Midnight Special' (<a href="http://www.midnightspecial.org/syndication.htm" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.midnightspecial.org/syndication.htm</a>).<br> <br>"I'd written to Rich to thank him for the mention and to ask if he'd book me for Folkstage," Sarah explains, "but he told me he never books anyone for Folkstage until he's seen them perform live. I was well nervous when I clocked him in the audience at one of the unofficial showcases I did last year -- the showcases are in hotel rooms, so it's a slightly bizarre setup -- but thankfully he came straight up to me as soon as I finished, took out his diary and said he'd be delighted to book me.<br> <br>"I'm thrilled that the Folk Alliance have invited me for an official showcase next year," Sarah continues, "because those are in big halls, with stage and lights and PA, and they're much better attended than the unofficial ones. It's a big deal to be selected and I'm very excited about it!"<br> <br>Sarah's Folk Alliance appearance will follow hard on the heels of a twenty one date tour of the Netherlands and Germany in January and February 2011.<br> <br>Immediately following the conference, she'll be travelling to Nashville for meetings with two record labels and a co-writing session with well-known songwriter Thomm Jutz, guitarist and producer for Nanci Griffith amongst others.<br> <br>On her return to her home base in Cornwall, she'll barely have time to draw breath before setting off on a densely packed UK tour that fills the month of March, followed by an Ireland tour in April and a five-week USA tour from late April through early June.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559592010-03-24T00:00:00+00:002017-05-29T03:29:15+01:00No. 1 chart success for Cornwall-based artist
<p>As she gears up for her forthcoming UK tour, acclaimed singer/guitarist/songwriter Sarah McQuaid is celebrating her first chart success. Based on playlists from 146 folk radio DJs in the US and Canada, the folkradio.org chart for the month of February 2010 (<a href="http://folkradio.org/airplay/feb10.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://folkradio.org/airplay/feb10.html</a>) shows Sarah as the No. 1 artist and her recently released double CD as the No. 1 album.<br> <br>Combining Sarah’s first two albums, <em>When Two Lovers Meet</em> and <em>I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning</em>, the double CD was released in North America just in time for Sarah’s first-ever US tour in February and March – a real humdinger that took in 20 shows in 23 days, including such legendary venues as Boston’s Club Passim, upstate New York’s Old Songs and Nashville’s Bluebird Café.<br> <br>“Neither album had been released in the US before,” Sarah explains, “so rather than try to bring both of them out at the same time, we just combined them into one package, and I’m delighted with the result!<br> <br>“The tour was exhausting and I won’t have much time to draw breath before I head off again, but the whole thing was a great buzz and I made some brilliant contacts, particularly in Nashville. I’m hoping to spend a week there later in the year, doing some co-writing with people I met during this trip.”<br> <br>For her UK tour dates, Sarah is calling on any singers who plan to attend her concerts to join her in singing a six-part round she’s written. Entitled ‘In Gratitude I Sing’, the canon carries an uplifting message; the sheet music is available for download from Sarah's homepage, www.sarahmcquaid.com, as is a MIDI recording of the melody.<br> <br>Born in Madrid and raised in Chicago, Sarah lived in Ireland for 14 years before moving to Cornwall in 2007. Despite having only been touring as a solo artist for three years, she’s in high demand on the international folk circuit, thanks chiefly to her warm, engaging live performances, as the following website guestbook comments attest:<br> <br>“Pure magic!! We are running our folkclub for 16 years now but I never experienced such a thrilling interaction between artist and audience who rewarded you with three encores!! You have the ability to create an intimate atmosphere with your stories, songs and guitar playing and make the audience part of the gig.” - Piet Snellen, De Fookhook, Sevenum, Netherlands<br> <br>“A brilliant musician and vocalist whose heart and music are of pure Irish gold. Thankfully, one needn't search for the end of a rainbow to discover them. Ádh mór ort agus beannacht Dia tú!”<br> <br>“What a memorable and enjoyable evening at the Carrington Triangle Folk Club. A unique voice and lovely relaxed and intimate set. I am so glad I bought a CD so I can enjoy it all over again.”<br> <br>“Came in from the cold in Lossiemouth last night and left with warm glow which had nothing to do with the peat fire. Keep up the fine fine work & hopefully see you come back to us soon.”</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559182010-01-25T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T10:51:01+00:00Happy Burns Night!
<p>Hello everyone, and Happy Burns Night! Feargal and I attended a terrific celebration hosted by our friends Sarah and Geoff at the weekend, with poems composed for the occasion, some beautiful single malts and delicious haggis. <br><br><strong>CD Baby and Haiti relief</strong><br>For those of you who don’t already know it, beginning today (Monday, January 25th) and continuing for two weeks, the good people at <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">CD Baby</a> are donating US$1 of their cut from every CD sale, and $1 from every download sale over $8.99, to the American Red Cross and to Mercy Corps, a Portland-based relief organization with a large presence in Haiti. So if you’ve been thinking about buying either <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/products-group-30.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">my CDs</a> or any of the other excellent albums available through <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">CD Baby</a> (<a href="http://www.gerryobeirne.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Gerry O’Beirne</a>’s beautiful <em><a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/obeirne" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Half Moon Bay</a></em> and <em><a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/obeirne2" target="_blank" data-imported="1">The Bog Bodies And Other Stories</a></em> spring to mind), now would be a good time to do that. Visit <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">CD Baby</a> for more info.<br><br><strong>Street teamers wanted</strong><br>I’ll be heading off shortly to do a few UK gigs before I leave for Spain and the USA, and could do with a bit of help getting the word out: the organiser of the <a href="http://www.twickfolk.co.uk/guests.php?id=12" target="_blank" data-imported="1">London gig</a>, for one, has just emailed me to say that thus far he’s sold a grand total of one ticket! I’d be hugely grateful if you could have a look down through the list of gigs at the end of this email and pass on the info to any friends of yours in the places I’m passing through, if you think they’d like my music. I also have stacks of flyers listing all my <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">upcoming tour dates</a> from February through April, and would be delighted to send a few out in the post to anyone who’s in an area where I’m going to be playing and has a place to put them.<br><br>The week after the aforementioned London gig, I’m off to Bilbao, Spain, to perform at the grandly named <a href="http://www.euskalduna.net/agenda_detalle.asp?id_espectaculo=446&fecha=14/2/2010&month=2&year=2010&tipo=&find=&pagina=1" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Palacio de Congresos y de la Música Euskalduna</a>, and straight on from there to the USA. I’ll be attending the <a href="http://www.folkalliance.org/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">International Folk Alliance</a> conference in Memphis from February 16-21, then embarking on a whirlwind tour, playing 20 shows in 23 days.<br><br><strong>Double CD</strong><br>Along with my first-ever solo US tour comes the re-release of my first two albums as a double CD for the North American market. The idea for the double CD package came from <a href="http://www.kariestrin.com/bio.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Kari Estrin</a>, an amazing woman in Nashville who’s been manager or tour manager in the past for such illustrious names as Janis Ian, Tony Rice, Suzanne Vega and 3 Mustaphas 3. In the short time I’ve been working with her she’s been a real inspiration. She’s looking after the radio publicity for the US release, and will be sending out 550 copies to stations around the country. The two individual albums have already been getting quite a bit of airplay on folk radio programs over there; I was particularly chuffed when <em>I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning</em> was named “CD of the Week” by WFMT’s <em><a href="http://www.midnightspecial.org/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">The Midnight Special</a></em>, a show I can remember listening to it as a child in Chicago on New Year’s Eve – the only night of the year I was allowed to stay up late enough to hear it!<br><br><strong>Singers wanted</strong><br>The week after my return from the US, I’m going to be playing a double-bill gig with Cornish band <a href="http://www.dalla.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Dalla</a> at Grampound Community Hall in Cornwall ... which leads me to mention that I’m still looking for fellow singers to join me for ‘<a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/music-30.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">In Gratitude I Sing</a>’, the canon I debuted at that same gig back in March 2009. On that occasion, members of <a href="http://www.dalla.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Dalla</a> and fellow Cornwall-based band <a href="http://www.myspace.com/corncrow" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Corncrow</a> bravely volunteered to sing it with me, despite the fact that I’d written the song that afternoon and had only five minutes to rehearse it with the others before the show. Now anyone who wants can download the <a href="/files/518188/in-gratitude-i-sing.pdf" target="_blank" data-imported="1">sheet music</a> and <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/music-30.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">MIDI file</a> from my <a href="http://sarahmcquaid.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">website</a>, so there’s no excuse for not giving it a go. If you’re coming to any of my gigs over the next year or two and fancy joining me onstage, please do look it up!<br><br><strong>New album</strong><br>The new recording is still being tweaked and twiddled as I write. <a href="http://www.mairebreatnach.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Máire Breatnach</a> came in last week to put a few fiddle and viola tracks down, and thanks to the wonders of technology, I was able to listen to them on the computer less than an hour after she’d left the studio, despite the fact that the studio is in Dublin and I’m in Penzance. They sounded lovely and I can’t wait to hear the finished album, but that’ll have to wait until Gerry and Trevor’s hectic schedules once again leave them with a few free days that coincide, like some rare conjunction of the planets.<br><br><strong>New idea</strong><br>When I recorded my last album, I had a grant from the Arts Council of Ireland, which was a considerable help. Now that I’m living in the UK, I’m a much smaller fish in a much bigger pond, and in any case arts budgets are being slashed left, right and centre.<br><br>So I think I’m going to try something new. It’s been suggested to me that I invite people to become sponsors for the new album – helping me out with the recording costs in exchange for various rewards, depending on the amount contributed – for example, a sponsorship credit in the booklet, a concert in your home, signed gifts and memorabilia for you and your friends? This is unfamiliar territory for me, so I’m very much open to advice. If any of you would like to get in touch with me to discuss your thoughts, that would be wonderful.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559172009-09-22T01:00:00+01:002020-01-04T23:07:26+00:00New album in the can!<p>Hello, all. I hope you had a good summer! Mine was hectic, to say the least, mostly due to the ten days I spent recording my new album in Ireland, the frantic period of preparation that preceded them, and the ensuing frantic period of trying to catch up with all the things I’d let slide while getting material ready for the new album.<br><br>It’s going to be called <em>The Plum Tree And The Rose</em>, and features six of my own songs (including the title track) together with nine pieces from the 13th-16th centuries. In the latter category are Elizabethan songs and instrumentals as well as songs in Old French, Old Occitan, Italian, Middle High German and Latin. On advice from Joseph Baldassarre (a professor of music history at Boise State University, who very kindly scanned and emailed pages from several books in his collection), I’d taken the precaution of buying Timothy McGee’s excellent book and CD set <em>Singing Early Music: The Pronunciation of European Languages in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance</em>, and it became my bible for the duration of the recording. I can only hope that I’ve done an adequate job of getting the pronunciation right.<br><br>Like my previous two solo recordings, the new album was recorded at Trevor Hutchinson’s home studio in Dublin, with Trevor engineering and Gerry O’Beirne engineering. It was lovely to be able to work with the two of them once again, and lovely as well to be able to enjoy the brilliant hospitality provided by Trevor and his wife Frances.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/17ec0e844275c77dbe47006e7727280e00e018ba/original/090720-niamh-recording.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Niamh" height="135" style=" margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 3px;" width="100" />Niamh Parsons, who last recorded with me on my first album <em>When Two Lovers Meet</em>, came along to sing on two tracks: my canon ‘In Gratitude I Sing’ and the rather earlier ‘New Oysters New’, written by Thomas Ravenscroft back in 1609. Tom Barry sang on the same two tracks; other guest singers on ‘In Gratitude I Sing’ included Frances Hutchinson (who was roped in at the last minute after being overheard warbling in the kitchen whilst preparing dinner for the rest of us!), Gerry O’Beirne and Emer Ní Bhrádaigh.<br><br>Noel Eccles (of Moving Hearts fame, now principal percussionist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland) arrived with a bewildering array of drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments, which he used to brilliant effect on several tracks.<br><br>Repeat guests from <em>I Won't Go Home ’Til Morning</em> included fiddler Rosie Shipley, Trevor Hutchinson on double bass, and of course Gerry O’Beirne on tiple and classical guitar.<br><br>And I got to try out a new instrument of my own: a Shruti box made by Stefan Cartwright of Stroud, Gloucestershire (see <a data-imported="1" href="http://www.shrutibox.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.shrutibox.co.uk</a> for more info), which we thought worked very well on the Occitan troubadour song ‘S’Anc Fuy Belha Ni Prezada’ by Cadenet (c. 1160-c. 1235), despite the clash of periods and places!<br><br>Amazingly, we managed to finish on schedule at a very civilised 7:30pm on the final day of recording. Here are Gerry, Trevor, myself and Frances raising a glass to celebrate the occasion; unfortunately, all of us except Gerry had our eyes not on the camera but on the antics of Nina – Frances and Trevor’s beautiful and hilarious Irish setter.<br><br>I’m not entirely certain when the album will be out, as it hasn’t even been mixed as yet, but I imagine that it will be sometime in 2010. Watch this space.</p>Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559162009-07-07T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T10:59:24+00:00Tours, vertigo, new album and more
<p>I’ve had lots of adventures since my last missive, starting with a lovely tour of Ireland in April, where as usual the highlights were all furnished by the people I met along the way. There was an impressive take-up to my open invitation for concertgoers to join me in singing my canon “In Gratitude I Sing” (for anyone else out there who wants to give it a go, it’s still up on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Home</a> page). At my show at St. John’s Theatre & Arts Centre in Listowel (to which I’m happy to say I’ll be returning the same time next year), fellow guitarist Paul de Grae went way beyond the call of duty: not only did he organise the choir for the canon, he also loaned me his wonderful G7th capo, then made me a present of it at the end of the concert after telling me the story of how Johnny Cash famously gave his guitar to Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival. “I'm not going to give you my guitar,” said Paul, “but I will give you my capo.” And he did.</p>
<p>On the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/photos.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Photos</a> page, you’ll find a snap taken of myself, Paul and the other two members of “the choir” at the pub later that evening, alongside a photo of the prettiest toilet in Ireland (or so I’m told – have a look and judge for yourself!) and a couple of pics from the final night of the tour – a packed triple bill at the Hawk’s Well Theatre in Sligo with NoCrows and The Unwanted. <img src="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/images/hawkswell1.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="Duet with Cathy Jordan" height="100" style="margin: 3px 6px; " width="151" />Cathy Jordan (of the Unwanted, and of course also of Dervish) joined me onstage during my set for an a cappella duet on Peggy Lee’s “Fever”, and the entire ensemble joined forces at the end of the evening for a grand finale. This latter included the aforementioned canon sung by no less than 13 singers: myself, NoCrows (Felip Carbonell, Steve Wickham, Eddie Lee and Anna Houston), The Unwanted (Cathy, Seamie O’Dowd and Rick Epping) and the four members, plus the conductor, of barber shop quartet Own-A-Chord, who opened the show. For those who weren’t there on the night, my entire 45-minute set, incuding the duet with Cathy Jordan, is viewable from start to finish on <a href="http://sligotv.ie/?view=91" target="_blank" data-imported="1">SligoTV</a>.</p>
<p>In June I had my first-ever gig in Germany, at the Greenfarm Festival near Munich. A superbly run event, where I met up with a few old friends and made some lovely new ones. Now I’m getting ready to set off for various shows around England’s midlands before heading over to Ireland, where I’ll return to Trevor Hutchinson’s Glasnevin studio for the recording of my third solo album, once again with Trevor engineering and Gerry O’Beirne producing. I’m not a little apprehensive about the trip, as I’ve had difficulties with driving for the past three months: it appears that a very nasty cold I had in late March (which forced the rescheduling of my planned gig at the Barley Sheaf in Liskeard to September) has left me with inflammation in my ears that’s causing me to have attacks of vertigo, particularly when I’m driving. Very scary. I’ve managed to organise trains for the UK tour, but I’ll still have to drive from Cardiff over to Ireland and then around Ireland once I’m there. If you spot a red Berlingo trundling along very slowly and carefully in the outside lane, that’ll be me.</p>
<p>On a happier note, Aled Jones played (for the second time!) a track from <em>I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning</em> on his BBC Radio 2 show in May – “A lovely voice this lady’s got,” he said. Very nice.</p>
<p>I’ve also recently had airplay on Fiona Ritchie’s <em>Thistle & Shamrock</em>, Radio ISW-FM in Germany, Folk Radio UK, Roz Larman’s <em>FolkScene</em>, Gene Shay’s <em>Folk Show</em> on WXPN, Death Valley Radio, KVMR, KBCS, WFRG, WPSU and several plays on Karen Miller’s <em>The Miller Tells Her Tale</em>, which can be heard on podcast as well as on kYouRadio.com and Radio Six International – see <a href="http://www.themillertellshertale.co.uk" target="_blank" data-imported="1">www.themillertellshertale.co.uk</a> for more info.</p>
<p>Various reviews have been added to the Press page, including a lovely one from the US folk magazine <em>Sing Out!</em> as well as several reviews in Dutch magazines for which Renee Koopman was kind enough to supply English translations. Listed on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Calendar</a> page are all the upcoming shows I've managed to upload. There are a fair few more still to be added, as I’m struggling to cope with the email avalanche, so do check back in a few months for more – I’m hoping that I can catch up with everything once the new album is recorded!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559152009-03-27T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T11:05:30+00:00Calling all singers! and other news
<p><strong><em>Calling all singers</em></strong><br>A couple of weeks ago, I started writing a song, and realised a few lines into it that it was taking the form of a canon. Luckily, that very evening – 14 March – I was playing a double bill with the excellent Cornish band Dalla (<a href="http://www.dalla.co.uk/" data-imported="1">www.dalla.co.uk</a>) and managed to recruit three of its members, plus Kim Guy of Cornish duo Corncrow, to give it a whirl. Even with only five of the six parts, it sounded lovely, and I'd really like to keep the song in the set ... so I’ll be needing a few more singers to join me! If you’re coming to one of my shows and you're able to sing in parts, please do go to my homepage, <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/" data-imported="1">www.sarahmcquaid.com</a>, where you’ll find a link to download the sheet music (small file, quick download) and see if you fancy having a go.<br><br><strong><em>To tweet or not to tweet?</em></strong><br>A great big heartfelt thank you to everyone who’s sent messages of support, guestbook signatures and comments on my various webpages. I do read everything that comes in, and all those kind words give me a huge lift. I try to write to everyone individually to thank them, but sometimes it’s hard to keep up, between MySpace and Facebook and Twitter and Reverbnation and all the rest. I’m a bit bemused and confused by it all, and have just written a “Guest Blog” on the subject for the excellent online folk music magazine Spiral Earth (<a href="http://www.spiralearth.co.uk/" data-imported="1">www.spiralearth.co.uk</a>). It’ll also be published in the Musicians’ Union “Grass Roots” newsletter, and if you’d like to read it yourself, just click <a href="http://www.spiralearth.com/blogs/blogpost.asp?uid=R9tsqKUZdilPhXvwtvmz6D0N4UIqBZWTM1F8A3wd4ZYfv9mm24" data-imported="1">here</a>.<br><br><strong><em>New videos, new pics, new reviews</em></strong><br>I’ve added loads of stuff to the website since the last of these missives went out. There are seven new <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/press-group-8.html" data-imported="1">videos</a> from concerts I did in Holland in February, including my rendition of the three (three!) Dutch birthday songs, plus a great big hootenany when I joined Dutch bluegrass band the Lazy Taters (<a href="http://www.lazytater.nl/" data-imported="1">www.lazytater.nl</a>) for ‘Mama Don’t Allow’. Lots of new pics (including older ones from March 2008 and November 2008 that I’ve only just got round to uploading, as well as recent ones from January and February 2009) on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/photos.html" data-imported="1">photos</a> page, and some very nice reviews of the new album on the <a href="http://sarahmcquaid.com/press-group-6.html" data-imported="1">press</a> page. Among these are reviews from <em>Living Tradition</em>, <em>fRoots</em>, <em>FATEA</em> and <em>The Irish Times</em> – all good, I’m relieved to say! The Mama CD has been getting some amazing reviews as well, from <em>MOJO</em> and <em>Rock'n'Reel</em> among others; click <a href="http://www.mamamusic.co.uk/press.html" data-imported="1">here</a> to read them.<br><br><strong><em>On the airwaves</em></strong><br>The CD has been getting airplay in all sorts of places, including the USA’s WYSO, WDET, WRFG, KMSU, K-TAOS, Kansas Public Radio, Australia’s Spectrum FM and 2MCE-FM, plus assorted stations in the UK and Ireland. Over in the Netherlands, host Berrie Koetsier of ‘Songriver’ on Omroep IJsselmond 104.1 FM made my version of ‘Ode To Billie Joe’ his ‘Cover Song Of The Week’ in January 2009. The album has also been reviewed in three different Dutch magazines, and I’m looking for translators, please, as my limited Nederlands isn’t quite up to the job!<br><br><strong><em>Coming soon to a venue near you</em></strong><br>Listed on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" data-imported="1">calendar</a> page are all the gigs I have coming up. Many, many thanks for all your support, and I hope to meet you at a gig down the road.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559142009-03-25T00:00:00+00:002016-01-25T10:20:56+00:00On Twittering
<p>I’ve just written a “Guest Blog” for SpiralEarth.co.uk about my bemusement with Twitter and the whole online scenario for musicians in general. Click <a href="http://www.spiralearth.com/blogs/blogpost.asp?uid=R9tsqKUZdilPhXvwtvmz6D0N4UIqBZWTM1F8A3wd4ZYfv9mm24" target="_self" data-imported="1">here</a> to read it if you’re interested!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559132009-01-30T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T11:06:19+00:00New videos, Radio 2 airplay, calendar changes
<p>Hello there! Just a quick note to let you know that I’ve uploaded half a dozen new live concert videos, thanks to one Roy Flitcroft, who made an impressively high-quality recording of my gig at the Perthshire Amber festival in Dunkeld, Scotland, last October and was kind enough to send me a DVD of it. <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/press-group-8.html" data-imported="1">Have a look</a> and let me know what you think.<br><br>In other news, no less a personage than Aled Jones made me the subject of his ‘Sunday Spotlight’ on his BBC Radio 2 show <em>Good Morning Sunday</em> last weekend, saying in his intro to ‘Wondrous Love’ that it was “likely to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck”. If you’re reading this on Saturday the 31st, you’ve still got until tomorrow morning to go to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/goodmorningsun/ontheshow.shtml" data-imported="1">http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/goodmorningsun/ontheshow.shtml</a> and click on ‘Listen Again’ to hear it – it’s about an hour and 25 minutes into the show. You’ll find it on the playlist as well, in amongst the likes of Supertramp, The Proclaimers and Bruce Springsteen ...<br><br>Over at Mama headquarters we’ve got a bit to crow about as well, having achieved that Holy Grail of independent recording artists, a review in <em>MOJO</em>! Reviewer Colin Irwin gave us three stars and described <em>Crow Coyote Buffalo</em> as “a pleasingly maverick mix” that “recalls both the eccentricity of The Incredible String Band and the pastoral narratives of Lal Waterson.” If you’d like to be on the Mama mailing list, do sign up on <a href="http://www.mamamusic.co.uk" data-imported="1">www.mamamusic.co.uk</a>.<br><br>There are also a couple of changes to the tour schedule sent out previously.<br><br>On 22 February at TwickFolk in London, I was originally meant to be playing support to Peter Case, but now that Case is recovering from double heart bypass surgery there’s been a change of plan. Crosby Tyler, a Californian singer-songwriter whose latest album was produced by Case, has taken over Case’s tour dates and the format has now been changed to a double-header, with Crosby and myself each playing a one-hour set and the advance ticket price reduced to £8 from the original £10. Crosby is donating half of his tour proceeds to help meet the extensive costs of Case’s medical treatment, and there will be Peter Case merchandise on sale at the gig in addition to a fundraising raffle.<br><br>And there are two new dates added – one in Wadebridge, Cornwall on February 5 and the other in Liskeard, Cornwall, on March 25 – see the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" data-imported="1">CALENDAR</a> page for details!<br><br>Until the next time ...<br><br>Sarah</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559122009-01-01T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T11:08:25+00:00Happy New Year!
<p>A very happy new year to all of you! The last few months have been busy, to say the least, what with gigs in Holland, Belgium, Ireland and the UK, the release in October of <em>I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning</em> and most recently the launch of <em>Crow Coyote Buffalo</em> – the debut album from Mama, my new band with fellow singer-songwriter Zoë Pollock. Both CDs have been getting airplay around the globe and brilliant reviews; those of you who are on the Mama mailing list will have already seen the press quotes for that one (if you’re not on the Mama mailing list and would like to be, visit <a href="http://www.mamamusic.co.uk" data-imported="1"> www.mamamusic.co.uk </a> to sign up). Here’s a sampling of what the critics have been saying about <em>I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning</em>:<br><br>“Her singing has shades of Baez minus the operatic warble and Gillian Welch without so much Nashville twang.” – <em>Spiral Earth</em><br><br>“Her own songwriting is beautifully spare ... a melancholy but somehow celebratory collection.” – <em>The Irish Times</em><br><br>“One of those rare things, a very lovely personal album but also an incredibly good introduction to Appalachian folk music. Highly recommended.” – <em>Americana UK</em><br><br>“Quietly expressive and supremely affecting performances ... Not a weak link anywhere in earshot ... This is a truly lovely record.” – <em>NetRhythms</em><br><br>“The depth and warmth of McQuaid’s voice is best sampled on the a cappella ‘The Wagoner’s Lad’, while the hymn ‘Wondrous Love’ is truly spine-tingling ... A touching album from a genuine artist.” – <em>Hot Press</em><br><br>The CD has had airplay on BBC Radio 3’s ‘Late Junction’ and ‘World On 3’, RTE Radio 1, BBC Wales, BBC Ulster, BBC Shropshire, BBC Leeds, BBC Cornwall, BBC Gloucestershire, Blast FM (Reading), AllFM (Manchester) and VRN Radio (Kircaldy) among others. It’s been played on WDIY-FM (Pennsylvania), WFDU-FM (New Jersey) and KMSU (Minnesota); and over in New South Wales, Australia, it was the featured album on Bruce Cameron’s 2MCE-FM show ‘Come All Ye’ on 28 December.<br><br>You can read the full text of all the reviews on the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/press.html" data-imported="1">PRESS</a> page, where you’ll also find a nice video from my November show at Toogenblik in Brussels. I’ve also put loads of new photos: some great shots of the gig I did at the Seamus Ennis Centre in Navan with Niamh Parsons and Graham Dunne (and a magical evening it was – the three of us did the gig together, with Graham putting some lovely guitar touches on my songs and me harmonising with Niamh where I could); a friendly cuppa with Colum Sands at Groucho’s in Richhill; brandishing a magnificent Halloween pumpkin with Pamela Wyn Shannon at Woodend Barn in Banchory, Scotland; and playing my heart out at the Ards Guitar Festival despite having spent the previous night being violently ill with a tummy bug!<br><br>I’m heading off this evening for a short run of gigs in Holland, getting the sleeper train to London and then on to Groningen via Brussels. I’ll be at various locations around the UK in early spring, then heading over to Holland again in February and to Ireland in April. As always, tour dates are listed on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" data-imported="1">CALENDAR</a> page. Many thanks for your support, and I wish you a happy and healthy 2009! <br><br>All the best,<br><br>Sarah<br><br></p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559112008-10-01T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T11:09:34+00:00New album now available!
<p>The big news for today is that my new album, <em>I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning –</em> with a 24-page (!) booklet including original cover artwork by the lovely and talented Mary Guinan – is now available to friends and supporters in advance of the 20 October release date. You can listen to a selection of tracks on the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/music.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">MUSIC</a> page – or just go straight to the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/products.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">BUY</a> page if you’re already sure you want it!</p>
<p>I’m doing a once-off “early bird” deal for anyone who buys the CD directly from my website in the month of its release. Both <em>I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning</em> and its predecessor can from 1-31 October only be purchased <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/products.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">here</a> for the discounted price of Stg £10.00 – including postage to wherever you happen to be, whether that’s Devon, Dublin or Dakar! And if you’d like me to sign the CD with a personal note to you or whoever the intended recipient is, I’ll be delighted and honoured to do so. Christmas is coming ... think stocking stuffers ... and apologies for this foray into blatant commercialism, which I promise will be brief. From the release date on, the CD will be available through the usual outlets of CD Baby, the Proper Music Store on Amazon, and your local record shop (distributed by Proper in the UK, EMD in Ireland and Super D worldwide including the USA). To take advantage of this offer, just click <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/products.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">here</a>.</p>
<p>On the 12th of September, Zoë Young and I played our debut gig as the band Mama, with special guests Jarvis and Tiffany of the Rosemarie Band, at the St Ives Theatre as part of the St Ives September Festival. The evening was a resounding success, apart from my purse being stolen from the dressing room while we were on stage; it was later recovered from the toilets, minus cash but with cards still present, thank heavens. Artists and punters alike take note: if it’s not locked, it’s not secure. We’re now proud to announce the launch of Mama on the web at both <a href="http://www.mamamusic.co.uk" target="_blank" data-imported="1">www.mamamusic.co.uk</a> and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mamamusicmyspace" target="_blank" data-imported="1">www.myspace.com/mamamusicmyspace</a>. Do pay us a visit when you have time, and sign up to the mailing list there if you’d like to be kept apprised of Mama news, including the release of our debut CD at the end of November.</p>
<p>I have a fairly full gig schedule in the coming months, and there have been a number of changes in the last few days, so please refer to the updated version on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" data-imported="1">CALENDAR</a> page. Among the latest additions is a double bill in January with Linde Nijland, a wonderful Dutch singer I met on one of my early forays to Holland. From now until the beginning of December, Linde and her partner (musical and otherwise) Bert Ridderbos are on an amazing-sounding road trip to Bhutan, with plenty of music along the way – keep an eye on <a href="http://roadtobhutanmusic.wordpress.com" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://roadtobhutanmusic.wordpress.com</a> for all the latest news of their journey! Many thanks for your support – do keep in touch, and feel free to leave comments on either the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/guestbook.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">GUESTBOOK</a> page here or at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sarahmcquaid" target="_blank" data-imported="1">www.myspace.com/sarahmcquaid</a> (or both!) if the spirit moves you.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559102008-08-11T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T11:13:55+00:00Collaborations galore
<p>Hello, all. The album project with Zoë mentioned in the last of these missives is still going strong – we’re nearly finished recording, and expect to release <em>Crow Coyote Buffalo</em> under our band name, Mama, in late November – watch this space for details of both the album and the Mama website, which is still under construction at the moment. Contrary to what I told you last time round, my new solo album, <em>I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning</em>, is now set for release on the 20th October! About time, too. Again, watch this space ....</p>
<p>In the meantime, when I haven’t been collaborating with Zoë I’ve been collaborating with lots of other fascinating and talented individuals. Soon after my move to Cornwall, my fellow music journo/book author/musician/songwriter Colin Harper got in touch with me to ask if I’d be willing to sing a song on a new album he was making, consisting of his compositions performed by various singers and bands. I jumped at the chance, and thanks to today's technology I didn’t even have to travel to Colin’s base in Belfast to do it. He emailed the backing track to the Sawmills Studio just up the road from me in Fowey (a most exotic place, accessible only by either a boat or a precarious walk across a railroad bridge, used for recording by the likes of Oasis, Stone Roses, XTC et al – see <a href="http://www.sawmills.co.uk" data-imported="1">www.sawmills.co.uk</a> for more info), and I spent a beautiful afternoon there putting down lead and harmony vocals on Colin’s song “Three Syllable Time”. The result can now be heard on the new album “Freedom & the Dream Penguin”, released under the collective name The Field Mouse Conspiracy. Besides myself, other artists featured include Judy Dyble (ex-Fairport Convention), Alison O’Donnell (ex-Mellow Candle), Peter Wilson (a.k.a. Duke Special), Susie Young, Joe Echo and Tina McSherry, not to mention numerous others – see <a href="http://www.thefieldmouseconspiracy.com" data-imported="1">www.thefieldmouseconspiracy.com</a> or <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thefieldmouseconspiracy" data-imported="1">www.myspace.com/thefieldmouseconspiracy</a> for the full list! If you’d like to hear a sample of “Three Syllable Time”, the track on which I sang, click here:<br><a href="http://cdbaby.com/cd/fieldmouseconspiracy" data-imported="1">http://cdbaby.com/cd/fieldmouseconspiracy</a>.</p>
<p>In December, I did a double bill with Rob King and Pippa Marland of the excellent trad/jazz outfit Carmina (<a href="http://www.carmina.co.uk" data-imported="1">www.carmina.co.uk</a>) at the Nova Scotia in Bristol. I joined them for four songs at the end of their set, and it went so well that we decided to have another go in June – same lineup, same venue, but this time I’d sat down with their CD for a proper rehearsal beforehand, so was able to contribute harmony vocals and backing guitar for most of their set. It was such a pleasure to work with them, and I do hope that we can do more together in the months and years to come!</p>
<p>In the lead-up to the Alcester Folk Festival, where I played in June, I spotted a familiar name on the bill – Mike Agranoff (<a href="http://www.mikeagranoff.com" data-imported="1">www.mikeagranoff.com</a>), a musician I’d met years before in New Jersey, where he ran a lovely little folk club called the Minstrel Coffeehouse. I sent him a “remember me?” email and was delighted when he not only replied within minutes, but asked if I’d like to play some backing guitar during his set. We met at the festival, had a frenzied three-minute rehearsal, and I duly joined him on guitar when he played “The Temperance Reel” on the concertina, then trotted back up to sing harmonies on his encore rendition of “The Water Is Wide”. It was brilliant fun – as indeed was the whole of the festival – and wonderful to be able to renew an old acquaintance.</p>
<p>A few more collaborations are still in the offing. In November I'll be sharing a bill with Holland-based Irish singer/songwriter Danny Guinan (<a href="http://www.dannyguinan.com" data-imported="1">www.dannyguinan.com</a>) at the Theater Karroessel in Geleen, Netherlands, and in December there’s a double bill at the Séamus Ennis Centre in Navan with the great Niamh Parsons (<a href="http://www.niamhparsons.com" data-imported="1">www.niamhparsons.com</a>). I’ve jammed with Danny at his home place in Ferbane, County Offaly, and Niamh was kind enough to duet with me on my first album, so you never know what might happen .... Meanwhile, the relentless touring continues – see upcoming dates on my <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" data-imported="1">CALENDAR</a>. I’ve got a wonderful new agent now, Bob Butler – see the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/contact.html" data-imported="1">CONTACT</a> page for details – so don’t expect any letup in the near future!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559092008-06-07T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T11:18:06+00:00The West Penwith Hit Factory and other stories
<p>Hello, all. Apologies for the long silence, but it’s been a busy time. I was on the road for most of March, first in Holland and then in Ireland, and since my return I’ve been up to my eyes in a very exciting new project. Living just a couple of miles up the road from me is a lovely and prodigiously talented woman called Zoë, who had a hit single back in 1991 with a song she wrote called ‘Sunshine On A Rainy Day’ – look her up on YouTube and you can see her performing it on ‘Top Of The Pops’! She still has an awe-inspiring knack for coming up with unusual melodies that lodge in the brain and stay there for days on end, but she’s not so keen on writing lyrics, which is where I come in.</p>
<p>We’ve developed a reasonably organised style of working (I’ve taken to referring to it as “The West Penwith Hit Factory”), whereby she gives me a rough demo, sung mostly in nonsense language with the odd intelligible phrase thrown in, and tells me any thoughts she has about where it might go thematically. Those thematic ideas frequently send me to the Internet, where I find myself looking up information on all sorts of topics – the Kathakali dancing tradition of Kerala, the painter Frida Kahlo, the Rider Tarot deck, to name a few. This last item led me in turn to the woman who designed said deck, one Pamela Colman Smith, a fascinating character who was a great friend of William Butler Yeats, illustrated his poetry books and co-edited a literary journal with his brother, the painter Jack Yeats. Interesting stuff.</p>
<p>Thus far we’ve written twelve songs together, with a half-dozen more nearing completion. We’ve started work on an album, which we’re hoping to release within the next year under the band name Mama (a name we chose in part because we both have small children – who’ve become great friends over the past few months!). Zoë has just finished recording a new and very different version of ‘Sunshine On A Rainy Day’, more true in style to what she had in mind when she originally wrote the song, with myself on guitar and backing vocals as well as members of the band Thistletown. Jarvis from Thistletown also plays drum kit, percussion and trumpet on the three Mama songs we've recorded thus far, and we’re hoping to entice him out on the road with us when we’re ready to tour the finished album.</p>
<p>All this activity has put the release of my own new solo album, <em>I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning</em>, on hold until early next year. However, I’ll go ahead and put a few taster tracks up on <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sarahmcquaid" data-imported="1">MySpace</a> as soon as I have the cover artwork to accompany them (Mary, if you’re reading this, I hope your paintbrush is at the ready!). In the meantime, you can hear me performing one of the songs from <em>I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning</em> live on RTÉ Radio 1 by clicking <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/press-group-3.html" data-imported="1">here</a>. On the same page is an interview I did on Dutch radio during the Holland tour – have a listen if you fancy a laugh at my valiant attempts to speak Nederlands! Fortunately for me, the very charming DJ kindly switched over to English after the first few seconds. There are also some new items on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/press-group-6.html" data-imported="1">reviews/articles</a> page, so do check that out as well if you have a spare moment.</p>
<p>In between stints of songwriting and recording, I’ve been doing the odd gig, including a lovely one the weekend before last at the Sandford Festival near Crediton, Devon. For the Saturday evening concert, I was honoured to be on a bill with three great singer/guitarists – Martyn Joseph, Andy Jencara and Kit Hawes – every one of whom played at least one number in DADGAD, for what it’s worth. The sound engineer was none other than <a href="http://www.andymanson.com" data-imported="1">Andy Manson</a>, the maker of my beautiful guitar, and he and his wife Debbie not only put me up in their house but made me a present of a gorgeous blue and grey mug made by Debbie, who’s a wonderful raku potter. It’s been my mug of choice for tea and coffee ever since. That’s all the news for now!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559082008-02-26T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T13:31:01+00:00Lots of firsts
<p>Hello, all. I’m just back from my first-ever tour in Scotland, which was also my first-ever tour with the family in tow ... AND my first-ever tour with my beautiful new guitar, made for me by <a href="http://www.andymanson.co.uk" data-imported="1">Andy Manson</a>. Past clients of Andy’s include such notables as John Paul Jones and Jimi Page (Led Zeppelin), Ian Anderson and Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Andy Summers (The Police) and Mike Oldfield – so I’m in good company! I’ll always have a soft spot for the beautiful old 1965 Martin D-28 that’s been my staunch friend since I bought it way back in 1988, but I have to admit that the trad tunes in particular are a revelation on the new instrument: clear as a bell, every note ringing out strong and true. By comparison with the Martin, it’s a bit like going from dependable riding-school cobs to hacking out on my neighbour’s highly responsive warmblood eventing horse – something else I did for the first time recently! The potential for excellence is much greater, but all my shortcomings are suddenly thrown into sharp relief. Ah well, practice, practice, practice.</p>
<p>You can see photos of the new guitar either on the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/photos.html" data-imported="1">Photos</a> page or on <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sarahmcquaid" data-imported="1">www.myspace.com/sarahmcquaid</a> – and on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/sarahmcquaid" data-imported="1">www.youtube.com/sarahmcquaid</a> as well as the MySpace page, you can even see and hear it live in action, thanks to a very kind audience member who sent me his videos of my gig at the Old Brewery in Cromarty!</p>
<p>I was rather apprehensive about bringing the kids (ages two and four) along on the Scotland excursion, but it worked out much better than I would have expected. Nearly every day we managed to make time for some sort of fun – a lovely stroll in the mountains around Glencoe, a visit to Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness as well as Edinburgh Castle, the new visitor centre at Culloden Battlefield, a walk through the treetops at Landmark Forest Theme Park, a steamboat trip on Ullswater in the Lake District. The kids were surprisingly happy to settle down in different beds every evening – and on the night of the aforementioned Cromarty gig, as our accommodation was directly above the venue, Feargal even managed to sneak down to catch a bit of the concert! Better still, at the end of the night we were both able to enjoy a very pleasant glass of wine (or three) with the wonderfully warm and hospitable proprietors, Mairi and Bill.</p>
<p>Speaking of hospitality, we were bowled over by the kindness and generosity of the welcome we received pretty much everywhere – special mentions are due not only to the above-mentioned Cromarty hosts, but also to David and Anne Fiddes in Strachur, who opened their home to us and plied us with macaroni cheese; to Caroline in Glenfarg, who not only put us up but proffered homeopathic remedies; to all the singers in Glenfarg who made that evening a great listening as well as performing experience; to the superb singer/guitarist George Duff for allowing himself to be railroaded into playing an unplanned support slot before my Leith Folk Club gig as well as joining me onstage for a song ... and generally to each of the many individuals, most of them volunteers, who made all the various gigs possible.</p>
<p>Infinite thanks to Feargal, too, for giving up his holidays to be chauffeur, babysitter and sounding board all rolled into one. The poor man celebrated his birthday – which also happens to be Valentine’s Day – by coming down with a dreadful case of tonsilitis, navigating unfamiliar roads to find a doctor, and then minding the kids in a B&B while I was out doing my gig.</p>
<p>Last Friday I had a hair-rising 60-mile drive through thick fog to Bodmin and back again the same night – but it was well worth it for the pleasure of hearing <a href="http://www.lindenijland.nl" data-imported="1">Linde Nijland</a> and Bert Ridderbos performing songs of Sandy Denny at the Bodmin Folk Club. They’ve just left this morning after spending two nights here with us – last night we had a bit of a session in the kitchen, which I hope will be the first of many!</p>
<p>And talking of sessions, I’ve finally managed to get out to some nice ones locally: at the Globe in Truro and the Blue Anchor in Helston, where I had some great tunes with Neil Davey and Hilary Coleman of the Cornish band <a href="http://www.dalla.co.uk" data-imported="1">Dalla</a>. There's also a new session starting up here in Penzance at the Admiral Benbow, run by Alan and Linda Collins – I’m hoping to check it out next week. In two weeks’ time I’m off to Holland again, and then I’ll be heading over to Ireland – again with the kids in tow, but instead of coming along on the tour they’ll be staying with their granny and granddad while I gallivant around the country. As always, for full details see the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" data-imported="1">Calendar</a>. All the best until next time!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559072008-01-09T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T13:33:21+00:00In de trein
<p>Hello, all. As you can see from the subject line, I’ve been brushing up on my Nederlands (note that the titles of some of the pics on my <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/photos.html" data-imported="1">Photos</a> page have been changed accordingly), and it’s come in very handy over the last few days. I am indeed in the train, somewhere between Rotterdam and Brussels as I type, heading home after three lovely gigs in Holland.</p>
<p>The first gig was in a church that hosts a folk club called, wait for it, ‘The Holy Ground’. A few weeks ago, the organiser sent me an email explaining that it was a tradition for all the artists who appear there to sing the song ‘The Holy Ground’ – not the beautiful song written by Gerry O’Beirne (<a href="http://www.gerryobeirne.com/" data-imported="1">www.gerryobeirne.com</a>), but the tankard-thumping ballad popularised by The Dubliners and their ilk. My initial reaction, as you can imagine, was oh, no, no, no. However, as it happened, a day or so later I was doing a bit of research prepatory to writing a review of a Clancy Brothers ‘Best Of’ compilation, and came across an <a href="http://www.iol.ie/~ronolan/clancys.html" data-imported="1">interview</a> with Liam Clancy in which he explained how the band came up with their signature sound. Back when they first arrived in New York in 1956, they held an informal meeting to discuss what kind of “show” they could put on (remember, at that point they were actors first and musicians second). Liam Clancy was bouncing up and down on a very springy sofa, and suggested to the others that they try singing traditional Irish songs to the upbeat rhythm he was producing with his exertions. Next thing you know, they were sporting their mammy’s hand-knitted Aran jumpers on the Ed Sullivan show ... and the rest, as they say, is history. Fortunately for me, the process works equally well in reverse, and when I took the metaphorical springs OUT of the metaphorical sofa, I discovered that ‘The Holy Ground’ is actually a beautiful song. Having sung it at two of the venues in Holland, I think I might just keep it in the set list. Many, many thanks to The Holy Ground’s Barend van Straten for bringing it to my attention.</p>
<p>On Sunday, I had the best gig of my life thus far. Down in the south of Holland, in the town of Sevenum, Piet Snellen hosts De Fookhook (<a href="http://www.fookhook.nl" data-imported="1">www.fookhook.nl</a>) at De Sevewaeg, an “echt gezellig” (warm, cosy, friendly) bar/restaurant with candles on the tables, brilliant sound and the most appreciative audience I’ve ever played for: two standing ovations complete with stomping feet, and three encores! Here’s a photo taken by Piet (there are a couple more on the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/photos.html" data-imported="1">Photos</a> page): <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/9a5643ccc84dfc58b4f0474af29bfc242cd640a7/original/fookhookweb02.jpg/!!/b%3AW10%3D.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /></p>
<p>Gigs at the Fookhook take place on Sundays from 4 to 6pm – a format I heartily wish other folk clubs would adopt. It’s wonderful, because musicians and punters alike can have dinner AFTER the gig, which for artists means that they don’t have to worry about singing on a full stomach, and for audiences means that they can discuss the pluses and minuses of the concert over a relaxed meal. It’s also good for the proprietors, as they’re getting a drink-buying crowd in at a time that would be quiet otherwise. Venues everywhere, please take note! Piet has a great lineup of acts coming through in the coming months, notably my pals in Carmina (<a href="http://www.carmina.co.uk" data-imported="1">www.carmina.co.uk</a>) on Sunday 6 April.</p>
<p>Monday I visited my great friend Danny Guinan (<a href="http://www.dannyguinan.com" data-imported="1">www.dannyguinan.com</a>) and his wife Tanja in Haarlem, and Tuesday I headed way up north to Friesland, where I not only had a very nice gig at Folk in de Wâlden (<a href="http://www.folkindewalden.nl" data-imported="1">www.folkindewalden.nl</a>) but also met a lovely singer called Linde Nijland (<a href="http://www.lindenijland.nl" data-imported="1">www.lindenijland.nl</a>), who used to be half of the acclaimed duo Yggdrasil and has just released a solo album featuring songs of Sandy Denny. She has a tour coming up in the UK including dates in Devon and Cornwall, so I’m hoping to catch one of her gigs myself.</p>
<p>May I once again extol the merits of travel by train? I’m sorry if I’m becoming a bit of a bore about this, but I’ve just taken the train from Penzance to London to Brussels to Dordrecht to Haarlem to Leeuwarden to Rotterdam to Brussels to London to Penzance, and I wouldn’t for a millisecond have traded the experience for a shorter journey by air, even leaving aside carbon footprint issues. So very nice to be able to stretch my legs, to see the changing scenery through the window, to load my suitcase with books and CDs without worrying about weight issues, and most of all to be able to keep my guitar in my sight at all times. The sleeper train from Penzance to London was particularly nice – a cosy bunk in which to rock to sleep like a baby in a papoose, and a cup of tea brought to my door in the morning – what luxury!</p>
<p>Oh, and if anyone else out there wants to brush up on their Dutch, check out the ever-fascinating “Dutch word of the day” website: <a href="http://dwotd.web-log.nl/" data-imported="1">http://dwotd.web-log.nl/</a> -- great fun to read even if you’ve no interest in learning the lingo. The other bit of news is that the estimable Jean Camp is now looking after my booking in the UK and Ireland, which leaves me more time to practise my guitar chops and learn new songs. If you’d like to contact her directly, she can be reached on <a href="mailto:jean@faymusconnections.co.uk" data-imported="1">jean@faymusconnections.co.uk</a>. I’ll be heading up to Scotland for a week in February, then over to the Netherlands again in March before my Ireland tour in late March and early April. As always, for full details see my <a href="http://sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" data-imported="1">Calendar</a>. Happy New Year to all of you!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559062007-11-19T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T13:37:04+00:00A cover girl at last!
<p>A major surprise in today’s post: I’ve just received the October/November edition of Welsh folk magazine Taplas, only to discover that I’m on the cover! I did the interview with the magazine’s editor, Keith Hudson, some weeks back but had no idea that he was planning to give it such prominence. Check it out on <a href="http://www.taplas.co.uk" data-imported="1">www.taplas.co.uk</a>.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/392114/62d11514b5c1f575644aae1258c10e98d41d8bdc/original/taplascover.jpg/!!/b%3AW10%3D.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /></p>
<p>I was equally chuffed to get my copy of December’s Folk Roots magazine (<a href="http://%20www.frootsmag.com" data-imported="1">www.frootsmag.com</a>) and find a highly favourable review of <em>When Two Lovers Meet</em>, with a big double-column image of one of Alastair Bruce’s lovely new photographs. It’s only a short review in the “and the rest ...” section, so here’s the text in its entirety (you can also read the review and see the photo they used on <a href="http://www.frootsmag.com/content/issue/reviews/" data-imported="1">www.frootsmag.com/content/issue/reviews/</a> – scroll down to the bottom of the page to see it): “Previously lauded in these pages on its original release, Sarah McQuaid’s debut album offers a masterclass in restraint and subtlety. Authoritative singing and quietly insistent arrangements make for a sumptuous whole – recommended.”</p>
<p>In other news, I’m the featured guest on the current edition of Mike Ganley’s show “The Crooked Road” on Radio Britfolk. You can listen to the interview either on the <a href="http://sarahmcquaid.com/press.html" data-imported="1">Press</a> page or, for the rest of this week, at <a href="http://www.radiobritfolk.co.uk" data-imported="1">www.radiobritfolk.co.uk</a>. Speaking of Internet radio, Brian Ó hEadhra – who I know from his work with the group Anam – used my version of ‘The Parting Glass’ as the final track of the current program of his show ‘Acoustic Nation’ on Scottish Internet Radio. To hear the show, go to <a href="http://www.internetradio.co.uk/acoustic_nation.html" data-imported="1">www.internetradio.co.uk/acoustic_nation.html</a> and click on the link for 4th November 2007.</p>
<p>There are a few last-minute additions to the gig calendar, notably a date in Bristol on December 8th as special guest with Carmina (<a href="http://www.carmina.co.uk" data-imported="1">www.carmina.co.uk</a>). For full details see the <a href="http://sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" data-imported="1">Calendar</a> page. All the best until next time!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559052007-10-25T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T13:57:42+00:00Return From Camden Town
<p>Hello, one and all. I’m sitting on the train as I write this, on my way home to Cornwall from the Return To Camden Town Festival (<a href="http://www.returntocamden.org" data-imported="1">www.returntocamden.org</a>) in London, but metaphorically speaking I’m walking on air. The night was nothing short of magical. Singer/guitarist Terence O’Flaherty opened the show, followed by a 40-minute set by my good self, and then four of my favourite artists in the world took the stage. I’d have gladly paid money to see any one of them solo, but there they were all together: Róisín Elsafty, Máirtín O’Connor, Cathal Hayden and Séamie O’Dowd. They fully deserved the hoots and hollers the audience gave them, and for an encore they asked me up for a song, so Róisín and I swapped verses and harmonised on ‘Red Is The Rose’ while the lads vamped along mellifluously. It was a major honour to be in such company – I’ll be holding onto that memory for a long time! I’m happy to say that a photographer was present and has promised to send me a few snaps to put up on the website, so do check back in a few weeks’ time and you might see them.</p>
<p>I had an equally awe-inspiring experience last Friday, when I did some singing in the hallowed premises of the Sawmills Studio – used by Oasis, Stone Roses, XTC et al (for the full list and a gawk at the pictures, visit <a href="http://www.sawmills.co.uk" data-imported="1">www.sawmills.co.uk</a>). My pal Colin Harper had asked me to do a track on a very interesting-sounding project he’s putting together, consisting of 20 songs written by Colin and performed by the likes of Tina McSherry, Roisin Gallagher, Conor Shields and – yes! – me, with featured instrumentalists including Martin Hayes and Duke Special among others. Keep an eye on his website (<a href="http://www.colin-harper.com" data-imported="1">www.colin-harper.com</a>) for news of its release.</p>
<p>The studio was an experience in itself – to get there, you park down in a sleepy little harbour in the village of Golant, ring the sound engineer, and he put-put-puts over in a motorboat to collect you. I only got a quick peek at the comfy quarters enjoyed by bands that take the full residential package, but it looked rather nice – big leather sofas, pool table, widescreen telly, shelves of DVDs and so forth. I managed to get my vocals down in the allotted three hours, but as the tide was out when it came time to leave, I couldn’t take the boat and instead had to walk along the railroad bridge while keeping an ear out for approaching trains!</p>
<p>Speaking of trains, I’ve been using them for as much of my transport to and from gigs as possible – partly to keep my carbon footprint down and partly because it’s just so much pleasanter than flying or driving. I’m even going to take the train when I go over to the Netherlands for my mini-tours there in January and March – overnight from Penzance to London, then Eurostar from London to Brussels and on to Holland. It’ll be an adventure ....</p>
<p>Unfortunately, some venues can't be reached by rail, and that’s where the TomTom comes in. At the Tisbury Folk & Acoustic Music Festival last month, I found myself sitting in the illustrious company of Nancy Kerr, James Fagan, Pete Coe and Bob Fox. It was one in the morning or thereabouts, we were all having a civilised glass of wine and what were we animatedly discussing? Our satellite navigation devices. It couldn’t have been sadder, and then suddenly it was: James and Nancy revealed that THEIR TomTom (a much fancier model than mine) allowed you to record your own instructions. Next thing you know, I was intoning “Go through the roundabout” into the little microphone, and then Bob Fox got to say “Keep right,” or maybe it was “Take the exit” – I can’t remember. Such hilarity. Ah, the high jinks us folk musicians get up to in our spare time.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, photographer Alastair Bruce (<a href="http://www.alastairbruce.co.uk" data-imported="1">www.alastairbruce.co.uk</a>) travelled all the way down from his base in Devon to take pics for the new album; I’ll also be using them for my publicity purposes from here on out, as it was beginning to seem a bit cheeky to be sending out photos taken back in 1996, nice and all as they were. He managed to assemble a lovely bunch of images, all taken in and around our house. You can see a selection of them, as well as some very nice pics taken by Chris Stanbury (<a href="http://www.swallowcliffe.com" data-imported="1">www.swallowcliffe.com</a>) at the aforementioned Tisbury festival, <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/photos.html" data-imported="1">here</a> – check out the one Chris took of the gorgeous black Labrador who supplied brilliant backing vocals to my rendition of ‘In The Pines’! Also newly updated is the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/press.html" data-imported="1">Press</a> page with the text of various recently-published reviews and articles. All the best until next time!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559042007-08-22T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T14:01:04+00:00Wadebridge back on! and other bits and pieces
<p>Hello, all. The good news is that the Wadebridge folk festival this coming weekend is back on again after being cancelled in June (see <a href="http://www.folkweekend.co.uk" data-imported="1">http://www.folkweekend.co.uk</a>), and I’ll be doing a half-hour slot in the Sunday evening concert headlined by Martin Simpson. Also new on the updated calendar is a gig at Ryan’s Bar in Torquay on the 11th of September. <em>When Two Lovers Meet</em> has been getting quite a bit of airplay since its UK release at the end of July. You can hear tracks from it in the August edition of <em>Folkcast</em> – click on <a href="http://www.folkcast.co.uk" data-imported="1">http://www.folkcast.co.uk</a> to download or listen live – and on Mike Ganley’s show <em>The Crooked Road</em> on <em>Radio Britfolk</em> – click on <a href="http://www.radiobritfolkhome.co.uk" data-imported="1">http://www.radiobritfolkhome.co.uk</a> to listen live.</p>
<p>I had a brilliant time at Sidmouth Folk Week earlier this month, gave a very well-attended workshop on the DADGAD tuning (at the close of which I sold every one of the 20 copies of the book I’d brought with me – have now had to order more copies from Music Sales!) and did two concert appearances, one at the Rugby Club and the other at the Bedford Hotel. Dutch fan Karin Pronk took a rather nice photo of me during the latter set – you can see it on <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/photos.html" data-imported="1">http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/photos.html</a>. Also heard loads of great music, notably the wonderful a cappella trio Cockersdale and the lovely Jackie Oates, whom I’d not come across before and whose CD I purchased on the spot.</p>
<p>The CD has been getting some nice reviews recently as well, on <em>NetRhythms</em> and in <em>Folknews Kernow</em>. To read them, click on <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/press.html" data-imported="1">http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/press.html</a> and then on “Read Reviews/Articles”.</p>
<p>Many, many thanks for your support, and feel free to email me with any questions or comments. All the best until next time!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559032007-07-29T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T14:03:36+00:00Singin’ in the rain ... in Cornwall
<p>Hello there. The family and I are now installed in our new home in Cornwall, and the weather is making us feel right at home. I think there’s been at least some rain on every day of the four weeks we’ve been here thus far. We are still neck deep in boxes that need to be unpacked, but it’ll all get done eventually, and things seem to be working themselves out in the most unexpected ways.</p>
<p>For example, the movers managed to rip a chunk of wood off the piano (just trim, nothing that has anything to do with the production of sound, thank heavens) – and the absence of that particular chunk of wood enables said piano to slide with nary a millimetre to spare into the alcove we had earmarked for it. I guess it’ll be staying off, then.</p>
<p><em>When Two Lovers Meet</em> is being released here in the UK tomorrow, 30 July, with distribution through Proper Records – <a href="http://www.properdistribution.com/latest-releases/album-details.php?pg=5&id=2768" data-imported="1">click here</a> for details! I’ve been doing a few interviews to promote it – had a lovely chat with Robbie Shepherd of BBC Radio Scotland today, and with Mike Ganley of Radio Britfolk earlier in the week. I also spoke with Sharon Ní Chonchuir of <em>The Irish Post</em> for a profile that should be appearing in their new entertainment supplement sometime soon. And Gerry (O’Beirne) and Trevor (Hutchinson) are going to be doing the final mixdown of my new album (recorded last May) in Dublin next weekend. I won’t be there, obviously, but am confident that they’ll do a much better job without me hanging about and annoying them with silly questions.</p>
<p>There are lots of gigs in the pipeline now, including a just-confirmed appearance at the Return To Camden Town festival in London, about which I’m very chuffed! See the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" data-imported="1">CALENDAR</a> page for a full list. All the best until next time ...</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559022007-05-28T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T14:11:09+00:00Rediscovering Bobbie Gentry, the Bothy Band and a few other things besides ...
<p>Hello there. I’m on day nine of the recording of my new album, and it’s sounding really lovely so far. All thanks, I must immediately point out, to the good offices of Gerry O’Beirne and Trevor Hutchinson, who are back in the producer’s and engineer’s seats, respectively, just over ten years on from when we recorded <em>When Two Lovers Meet</em>. We’re back in Trevor’s house in Glasnevin, Dublin, where the first album was made as well, and it all feels strange and familiar at the same time.</p>
<p>It’s going to be quite a different album from the last one in terms of the material; the focus this time round is going to be on the American old-timey songs and tunes that I remember from my childhood. But we’re still aiming for the same spare, uncluttered feel. There are two new original songs as well, both written within the last month. The melody for one of them, in fact, was just written last Friday night.</p>
<p>Liam Bradley had been in the studio most of the day, putting down some very cool percussion on three tracks and gorgeous vocals on a fourth. I wish Liam would make an album featuring his singing sometime – he has an amazing high tenor voice that deserves to be heard. Anyway, he finished up, packed up all his numerous bits and pieces (a chunk of stone from Iceland, seashells on a rope, bells and blocks of wood and all sorts, not to mention several huge drums that all somehow fitted into the boot of his car, as if in a reversal of the old circus gag with the dozens of clowns getting out of the Mini) and got back on the road to his house in Donegal, which he’d left at 6:30 that morning, poor fellow ... and then I started to try and record a song I’d written a few weeks back, and it just didn’t seem to be working.</p>
<p>At 8 in the evening or so, Gerry told me he had an assignment for me: I was to go off to the place where I was staying and write a new melody for the song. I went back to my friend Mary's tiny flat behind the Guinness brewery, feeling utterly disconsolate and crestfallen. Fortunately for her, she was working late that night, so didn't have to listen to me moan about how discouraged I felt. Instead, I poured myself a glass of wine, sat down and wrote an infinitely better melody than the one I’d had before, with a completely different rhythm and chord structure. So fair play to Gerry for making me do it.</p>
<p>It’s a song that's very close to my heart – I wrote it for my daughter, who was born in 2005, and my mother, who died in 2004, and on Saturday morning when I tried to play the new version through for Gerry and Trevor, I started crying halfway through the song and had to take a break. But in the end I managed to pull myself together and record it, and it’s good.</p>
<p>I’ve also recorded one cover – ‘Ode to Billie Joe’ by Bobbie Gentry. Gerry wanted to hear the original version of the song for comparison purposes, so I went onto Amazon and ordered a brilliant compilation called <em>Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry</em>. Having now listened to it several dozen times over, I’m going to order every recording she’s ever made. She’s a phenomenally talented woman and has supplanted Ella Fitzgerald as my favourite singer of all time.</p>
<p>She wrote (and that’s wrote, not co-wrote) nearly all of the 23 songs on the compilation I have, and the one thing they have in common is the excellence with which they’re crafted. The styles of the individual songs vary wildly, but in terms of lyrics, melody and structure, they’re hard to beat. She’s a nifty guitar player as well, and even produced one of her own albums – most unusual for that era. And then there’s that voice, raw and husky but always perfectly controlled, with an incredibly elastic range.</p>
<p>Born in 1944 in rural Chickasaw County, Mississippi, and raised mostly by her grandparents in a house with no electricity or indoor plumbing, Gentry set off for Las Vegas after graduating from secondary school and found work dancing at a casino in a Folies Bergere-style revue. In the mid-60s she moved to California, where she reportedly studied philosophy at UCLA (something this philosophy graduate was intrigued to discover), then transferred to the LA Conservatory of Music and started doing gigs at a club in Pasadena. That led to a publishing deal and then to the release of ‘Ode To Billie Joe’ as her debut single on Capitol Records in July 1967. Four albums followed, and Gentry eventually became a fixture on the stages of Las Vegas and Reno casinos (and was briefly married to gambling-hall tycoon Bill Harrah). There’s a great quote in the compilation CD’s liner notes from Tom Jones, who reminisces about how he, Gentry and Elvis Presley would congregate in Elvis’ hotel suite after their gigs and stay up singing and jamming together until dawn. Those must have been some sessions ....</p>
<p>And yesterday (Sunday), Máire Breatnach came in and put down some utterly beautiful fiddle and viola tracks. I feel so very privileged to have had her on this recording – she’s a lovely person and a brilliant musician; I’m in awe of her ability to hear a song for the first time, sense instinctively what it needs, translate that to her instrument and get it spot-on in one take. Respect, as Ali G might say.</p>
<p>Speaking of respect – Gerry and I were talking with Máire about Omos, the concert at Vicar Street in honour of the late Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, which we all attended last Thursday night. There were some uproariously funny moments, as when Máirtín Ó Connor introduced a tune as “‘The Tongs By The Fire’ ... without the ‘h’ …” and some deeply poignant moments, as when a reunited Bothy Band – Tríona Ní Dhomnaill, Kevin Burke, Matt Molloy, Paddy Keenan, Paddy Glackin and Donal Lunny – assembled around an empty chair, the unplayed guitar on its stand beside it reminding us why we were there. Earlier, Paddy Keenan had played a powerful solo set on the uilleann pipes, probably the high point of the evening from a musical point of view. And at the start of the second set, Mícheál himself had appeared on a large screen above the stage, in an old clip from ‘As I Roved Out’, over the course of which the camera panned back to reveal Kevin Burke on the fiddle ... and none other than Gerry O’Beirne, in a much younger and rather more hirsute incarnation, playing a 12-string guitar.</p>
<p>I’ll be finishing up in the studio on Thursday, then heading off up to Coleraine on Friday to start the next round of gigs. Have a look at the calendar for an updated schedule; note the change of date for the Bridge Tavern gig, which will now take place on Weds June 13 instead of Tues June 19 as previously announced. The plan at the moment is to wait to release the new album until February or thereabouts, so as not to interfere with the ongoing re-release of <em>When Two Lovers Meet</em>. But in the meantime I might put a taster track or two up on the website – we’ll see. All will be revealed ....</p>
<p>Finally, infinite thanks to my long-suffering husband, Feargal Shiels, who's been doing far more than his fair share of looking after the children while Mummy is away playing her guitar; I’ve been spending two nights out of every three in Dublin, in order to minimise the time I spend driving up and down to Ballycanew. Don’t worry, lads, he’ll get his revenge in due course – he’s already making plans for a long solo holiday on the bike after we move to Cornwall! Many, many thanks for your support, and feel free to email me with any questions or comments. All the best until next time!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559012007-03-30T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T14:14:46+00:00The latest
<p>Hello again. My recent interviews with Pat Kenny, Aine Hensey and Charlie McGettigan are all up on the website now – just go to the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/press.html" data-imported="1">PRESS</a> page and click on “Listen to radio interviews”. If you’ve already had a look there, you might have heard a version of the Charlie McGettigan interview that had a bit of distortion on it. However, Charlie being the true gent that he is, he’s just sent me a replacement sound file that’s crystal clear and has now been uploaded to replace the old one. Thanks, Charlie!</p>
<p>Just a few days to go until my television debut (gulp!) next Tuesday, 3 April. If you can manage to stay up until the last few moments of <em>The View</em>, John Kelly's late-night chat show on RTÉ 1, you'll be able to catch a glimpse of yours truly playing the title track from <em>When Two Lovers Meet</em> behind the closing credits of the show, which airs at 11pm GMT. You can also watch the clip for a week afterwards on http://www.rte.ie/tv/theview/index.html.</p>
<p>And for what it’s worth, the day before yesterday I wrote a song for the first time since 1998. It’s too early to know whether it’s any good or not, but a big relief to have that particular dry spell come to an end.</p>
<p>A few more gigs have been added to the <a href="http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" data-imported="1">CALENDAR</a> page – notably, the good people at the Bridge Tavern in Wicklow Town (where I had a most enjoyable gig last week – nice pub, lovely relaxed crowd) have asked me to come back for three return dates in April, May and June, so I guess they must have liked me. I must say that the response I’ve had since my return to the music scene continues to amaze me. If I’d had any inkling that it would be this good, I wouldn’t have waited ten years to get the album out there! I honestly thought that there couldn't be any market for the kind of stuff I do, so it’s astonishing and wonderful to discover that there is.</p>
<p>We’re pushing on with plans to move over to Cornwall in July, despite having had no bites on our house here in Ireland. If anybody out there knows anyone who might be interested in a four-bedroom semi-D in Ballycanew, please do send them my way. It’s a nice house, really it is. You can even check it out on the web – here's the link: <a href="http://www3.myhome.ie/search/property.asp?id=294380&np=&rt=search&searchlist=" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www3.myhome.ie/search/property.asp?id=294380&np=&rt=search&searchlist=</a> Until next time!</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60559002007-03-16T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T14:15:52+00:00My son, the poet
<p>The day before yesterday, my three-year-old son Eli, while looking at a picture of a tiger, having already observed that said tiger was orange and black, uttered the following: “Tigers are made from fire and they’re made from night-time.” And no, he hasn’t been dipping into William Blake behind my back ....</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60558992007-03-09T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T14:20:52+00:00On the airwaves!
<p>Thanks to all the good work of the supremely competent Bernie at Gael Linn, I’m spending quite a bit of time on the airwaves these days. Charlie McGettigan (<a href="http://www.charliemcgettigan.com" data-imported="1">http://www.charliemcgettigan.com</a>) does a brilliant show on Shannonside/Northern Sound Radio (<a href="http://www.shannonside.ie" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.shannonside.ie</a>) that airs every Saturday from 10am to 12 noon. He was kind enough to have me on the show for a full hour last weekend, during which I managed to get in four songs and lots and lots of chat! I’ve posted the full interview on the website – here’s the link if you’d like to listen back to it: <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/press-group-3.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/press-group-3.html</a></p>
<p>This coming Sunday night, 11 March, I’ll be talking with Áine Hensey on her show ‘The Late Session’ on RTÉ Radio 1. The show airs from 10 to 11pm GMT but can be caught on the web for up to a week after that via this link: <a href="http://www.rte.ie/radio1/thelatesession/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.rte.ie/radio1/thelatesession/</a></p>
<p>On Thursday, 15 March, I’ll be doing an interview and a few songs on ‘Today With Pat Kenny’. The programme is on from 10am to 12 noon GMT, and as with Áine Hensey's show, you can listen to it online for one week afterwards. Here’s the link: <a href="http://www.rte.ie/radio1/todaywithpatkenny/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.rte.ie/radio1/todaywithpatkenny/</a></p>
<p>On Tuesday, 3 April, I'll be making my first-ever television appearance (gulp!) on <em>The View</em>. Hosted by writer and broadcaster John Kelly every Tuesday night on RTÉ 1, the show airs at 11pm GMT and I'll be playing the title track from <em>When Two Lovers Meet</em> at the close of the show. Once again, if you miss the show, you can still watch the clip for a week afterwards on <a href="http://www.rte.ie/tv/theview/index.html" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.rte.ie/tv/theview/index.html</a></p>
<p>Finally, on Sunday, 6 May, I’ll be the guest on June Carley’s show, ‘Best Of Irish’, on Midlands 103 (link for more info about June and her show: <a href="http://www.midlandsradio.fm/page.aspx?page_id=137" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.midlandsradio.fm/page.aspx?page_id=137</a>). The show airs from 11pm to 12 midnight GMT, and you can listen live at <a href="http://www.midlands103.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.midlands103.com/</a> There are a few more gigs in the pipeline, too. See the calendar for an updated list.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60558982007-02-23T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T14:22:40+00:00CD re-release and gigs!
<p>Howdy, folks. The big news is that my album <em>When Two Lovers Meet</em> has officially been re-released today, Friday February 23, with distribution throughout Ireland by Gael Linn Records. Bernie Gillespie at Gael Linn has been doing a brilliant job organising newspaper interviews and live radio appearances up and down the country, and I’ve got a fair few gigs coming up in March and April as well – see details on the <a href="http://ats.sarahmcquaid.com/calendar.html" data-imported="1">CALENDAR</a> page. The good people at Gael Linn have also organised a UK release for July 30, with distribution through Proper Records, so it’s all go. Our house in Ireland is still on the market (any takers for a lovely four-bedroom house in Ballycanew?) but we hope to have moved over to Cornwall by the end of July if not earlier, as I’ll be appearing at the Sidmouth Festival in August and our little boy is due to start school over there in September! He’ll be in a class of seven children – not much chance of that in Ireland … Hope to see you at one of the gigs.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60558972006-11-09T00:00:00+00:002016-01-27T14:23:46+00:00Move to UK
<p>The big news at the moment is that Feargal and I have put our house on the market (a dandy 4-bedroom res in Ballycanew, near Gorey, Co. Wexford, for anyone out there who’s interested). Whenever it sells – which could be many months from now, given all the dismal news reports I’ve been hearing about the slowdown in Ireland’s property market – we’ll be moving lock, stock and barrel to my parents’ house near Penzance, Cornwall. Since my mother’s death two years ago, my stepfather has been rattling around the place on his own, so he’s now in the process of renovating one of the sheds into a little cottage for himself, on the understanding that we and the kids will move into the main house. It’s all a bit scary but should mean a better quality of life for the whole family: we’re harbouring optimistic hopes of growing our own vegetables, keeping chickens and so forth, ‘River Cottage Forever’ style. With a bit of luck, I might even finally finish the novel I’ve been trying to write for the past six years! Again, it may be some time before this actually happens, but if anyone has any handy contacts for gigs, festivals and the like in the UK, do let me know.</p>
Sarah McQuaidtag:sarahmcquaid.com,2005:Post/60558962006-10-01T01:00:00+01:002016-01-27T14:24:39+00:00Back on track
<p>What with having two children in three years and one thing and another, I didn’t actually take my guitar out of its case from the summer of 2003 until the summer of 2006, at which point I received an email from Seamie O’Dowd of the Strandhill Guitar Festival asking whether I’d be interested in doing a workshop on DADGAD with Dick Gaughan. The prospect of joining one of my all-time heroes (musical and otherwise) onstage was daunting, to say the least, especially given the rusty state of my skills. But I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if I’d said no, so I said yes and set about frantically trying to re-learn how to play the guitar. This task was made considerably easier by the discovery that practising tunes was a great way of getting my kids to sleep – if only I’d found that out three years previously!</p>
<p>Anyway, the big day finally came. It was damn scary at first, especially as the audience consisted almost entirely of bored-looking teenagers in Metallica T-shirts. But after a couple of tunes and songs it started to be fun instead of scary, and then it was all over and I was wishing we had time to try a few more numbers. I stood up, feeling a little shaky, and Dick gave me a big hug and told me to promise him that from then on the guitar would come out of its case on a regular basis. I did and it will. Big, big thanks to Messrs. O’Dowd and Gaughan – it’s thanks entirely to the two of you that my album is now reissued and my musical career starting to get back on track. I owe you both.</p>
Sarah McQuaid