7 Questions for Sarah Sample.

Sarah will be here in less than a week and I thought it would be nice to get to know her a little better. 

She answered seven questions to help us understand who she is, where she comes from, and why music is so important to her.

1. Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like?

I was raised in Santa Barbara, California. I have always had a very supportive and artistic family. My mother seemed to infuse the belief that we could do or be anything that we wanted with ease. I could feel her love and support with every new song or strum on my guitar, her joy in our creative efforts were palpable. Besides music, my childhood was filled with dance. I was in a ballet company till I was 17 when my family moved.

2. What artists have influenced you musically?

I have always been attracted to great singer/songwriters. 

-patty griffin

-the swell season

-gillian welch & david rawlings

-josh ritter

-buddy miller

-darrell scott

-over the rhine

-tift merritt

-lyle lovett

-shawn colvin

-emmylou harris

on and on.

3. How long have you been performing?

I have always loved performing, and feel very joyful when I am on a stage. I started playing music at church events or open mics in my early teenage years. While attending college I released my first album and started performing my own concerts of original songs. My fan base really started growing on a regional level during college, after college I continued to release albums and my touring expanded to a national level. 

4. What albums have you been listening to lately?

My sister gave us 2 vinyl records for christmas:

Mumford & Sons- sigh no more

Iron & Wine

My brother gave me:

The Tallest Man On Earth- the wild hunt

5. Besides your music, what do you like doing for fun?

I love to create. I love beautiful things. I am always up for a project, especially something I can make with my hands. In the last few years I have started sewing a lot more. I love fabrics and paper and ribbon. 

I love to eat good food. My husband and I lived in Seattle for 3 years, and I was in heaven. So much amazing food. I love to dress up and go to dinner and a movie. 

I love the women in my life, I feel having good women friends is crucial to my happiness. 

6. In what ways has becoming a wife and mother affected your songwriting?

The purpose of songwriting is to be a witness to life and relationships around you. My relationships as a wife and mother are the most essential in my life. I try to be very present in them, and therefore the truths I learn from being a wife and mother surface in my songs all the time.

7. Do you have a favorite song from your new album?

I have been working for years to find my true writer's voice. I think this album hits the mark in many ways. People can feel truth around them, these songs are full of truth---as joyful and heart-wrenching as truth sometimes can be. I think connection is made with music when we feel the honesty of a song. I am trying to be true in my writing, even when it is not pretty. The song "Calling Your Name" hits my heart almost every time I sing it. I also love how I feel when singing "Every Time I Go" which I wrote for my daughter.

Thank you Sarah, for sharing a bit more of yourself with us! We look forward to your show here next week. 

Friends, if you would like tickets, there are just 20 left. 

Buy them here. 

P.S. To celebrate Sarah's new blog makeover, she is giving away a free download of "Shadows of a Song". Read more here.

*image by Ryan Tanner