Awkward Pose

It’s true. I cheated on writing. I have actually been touring, in a much more awkward format than ever before too; Toute Seule. 

A couple of week long stints in the North East, an upcoming week on the West Coast. I literally have one duffel bag that contains the show: Cables and pedals and a black jumpsuit. Somehow I needed a serious uniform for this scenario. A friend calls it “worker music”.  

It is work, being onstage alone. Choosing silence between songs instead of un-masterful banter. But there’s profundity in playing this strange fiddle music that emerges from my head. It’s odd, scary, captivates me entirely because if it doesn’t, I can’t do it. My bow will bounce off the strings and careen into the bridge, something right turning into something very wrong. That’s what it’s like to have no wall of band to hide behind.

Some of these pieces are very very new, while a couple of them have been around for a year, tweaking and stretching and redefining themselves. I want to make more. Sometimes I wonder if any more minimalist violin jams exist up there, or if they should exist. This kind of Virgo thinking must be stopped with forceful behavior.

Book studio time now. Question the meaning of life later.

So touring, yoga, and Colin Stetson.

The interesting thing about touring with (opening for) Colin Stetson is that he partakes in even more yogic practices than I do. It’s kind of at the center of what he’s doing. My own hour of yoga backstage has always been a good habit, keeping me physically aligned and stable mood-ed. His solo music absolutely requires serious daily pranayama (breath work), meditation, specific poses, and to top if all off, running. He’s a machine.  I’m like Homer Simpson to his Jason Bourne.

Speaking of yoga and studios, I have one now! I believe the last awkward pose entry went something like: holyfuckingshitaaaaaaauuuughthisiswonderfulandamazingandIhaven’tsleptinweeks!!!

And now I’m an experienced Manhattanite business owner. Haha. 

A few things are clear; It’s incredibly inspiring to see these people coming in everyday. I feel like we made a space where we can all let go of the city a bit. They rush in with all the busy-ness bubbling over, and pose by sweaty pose, they find the serenity. It’s so amazing to be a part of that process. Even as preoccupied with certain aspects of the studio as I am, I too walk in the door and breathe deeper.

And speaking of breathing deeper, I am currently taking a few days in Austin Texas before this next little solo tour. It is so perfect here right now. Hot but not murderous. Green and leafy, lush even. The water in Barton Springs is pure cold magic. I’ve fallen in yoga love with Dharma Yoga; a Buddhist leaning sweet and challenging practice. And taco love as always at Izzo’s. And Once Over Coffee to keep my brain crazy, er, sharp.

I’m staying in a house up in the trees that is full of tiny intentional art installations. Last night we hosted an old fashioned community living room show so that my wrist doesn’t fall off on Saturday. A friend’s eight year old son set an intention for all of us before I started playing: “Stay comfortable, confident and listening.”

Thank you, wise little one.

(I’m trying to swear less, but it’s not working right now)

So, just a little announcement to say that all of this working and doing and building is coming to a head this weekend- my 4000 square foot baby is all grown up and open to the public TOMORROW! Hot Damn! 

I promise this blog will return to normal rantings about life and travel and music and coffee and feelings and yoga and jokes very soon.

But for now, reader, I say this. 

Come take my classes!! Saturday the 28th at 2pm and 4pm, Sunday at 10am and 12pm. 

(Moksha Yoga NYC, 434 ave. of the americas, 2nd floor)

That’s all I know, because I can only see 2 days into the future with these dusty madness goggles on!

XO SN

Oh my blog!

It seems as though I began writing an account of the Bridge School benefit, the actual last show of “the tour”, and I hijacked it with my flaky nomadic lifestyle pony. I’m sure it wasn’t the laziness pony, anyway, that’s more aged dog than pony.

Can we pretend this is a movie with a highly effective flashback sequence? Ready? Go:

(And remember, this is three weeks ago now, parts of my hair were shorter/longer, I had one less wrinkle, and a slightly different sparkle in the eyes.)

I’m trying not to crash too hard from the high frequency emotions party that was The Bridge School Benefit this weekend. Something I/we have been hearing about for years, only to be fully understood by partaking. It’s all a bit surreal. There are the hosts, Neil and Peggy, who have been giving their hearts to this for years and years. They make you feel like a part of their family. There are artists like Eddie Vedder who have been doing the show for years and years who, you can tell, are really connected to it on many levels. The event feels like a micro rock universe, less ego, less party, more kids and smiling. The backstage hang is soft and friendly, conversations last longer than usual. The kids from The Bridge School hang out and watch the show on the stage, and they are the real game changer. They take rock world out of itself, and give it this raw…love. I can’t really think of a better word. The expressions of joy when they know the song, or when something gets them going, are totally un-repressed and life affirming. So yeah, a little different from your average rock show.

Then there’s the aspect of actually getting to hear all these powerhouses perform acoustically. Firstly, Neil Young is amazing to watch. First time for me in person actually. So many tears. Oh and playing Helpless with him was the best thing ever. And then, not that I’ve been pining away for the opportunity to hear Dave Matthews play solo (or duo in this case) but actually, it was kind of great. Perhaps especially with him, without the rock band, there’s a chance for the music-person-core to emerge. A big open expressive thing without the layers (funky bass) turning it into something else. Watching Eddie Vedder by himself is this way too, only different for me personally, as I was an adolescent Pearl Jam fan. So it’s this voice that reaches in from those terrible/amazing years and gives you the chills, totally reset in this new context.

Also, Tony Bennet. What? Wow. That man brings on the old fashioned Christmas tingles. 

And….you’re back in the room. Re-reading that I realize there is NO shortage of hyperbolic language. That’s what happens at the end of summer camp. I mean, that really was the most hyperbolic way to end this last year and a half of summercamp. But Neil Young or not, on that last day the feelings are huge. Then there’s a residual glow, and then a crash. Thankfully I, we, have done this before. I know well the cycles of real life/tour life/crash down boom. (I stole that last thing from a 3 year old- crash down boom- It’s pretty accurate.)

Thankfully I’ve engineered the next phase of life to be similar to a tour schedule, so my talent of riding the wave won’t go unused. After said weekend, I spent a week in LA at the new Moksha Yoga studio. Some great friends of mine opened it, and as our Moksha NYC studio now has ceilings I thought it’d be best to go and visit the burgeoning LA family. They too have ceilings, higher ceilings with skylights. A bit of a barn vibe (which, I would imagine, is a rare find on LaBrea Ave.) and the sweetest staff ever. Taking classes there is a big sweaty hug that leaves you feeling good all over. 

As the band breathes for a moment, I set to work on the little project of opening Moksha NYC. Gotta christen the space with my violin, water the living wall, and do yoga with some New Yorkers. (I swear, those are the only things I have to do.)

So what does this all mean?!

Is New York REALLY a different temperature than Montreal in January? What does it feel like to stay in the same place for more than 4 days in a row? Will I eventually tire of delicious things (coffee) because of the sheer saturation in NYC? And finally, will all the bands I play with start recording at the exact same time and cause me to conduct a cloning experiment?

I can’t pretend that any of these shallow quandaries are of much importance. But I will probably visit these topics on this here blog, over this here winter.

Take care of yourselves.

Sarah.

The culmination of the year and a half long tour cycle was brought home, so to speak. Montreal, still hot in the slow burn of September, POP Montreal madness (there are SO MANY amazing bands packed into a few days, it’s insanity). We were hoarse with it all. Rewinding a few days, there were similar moments of that epic, this is about to be the end of something, feeling. Austin Texas, my home away from home of late, was a cracking 105F. We stewed in hotel pools and ate avocado everything. I was there days early for Bon Iver, a deep clear watery blue compared to our frenzied oranges and pinks. Not to get all water colours on y’all, but Bon Iver makes my heart sing and cry. I lingered in Austin, awaiting our second-to-last-bigshow. And well worth it, I love the place. We tore it off for that show, so sweaty, so fun. My voice was gone from yelling.

Then, no sleep and some airports later we were home. But home with a wrap party, our two last home-town shows and a POP Montreal festival. Groceries and unpacking and general cleanliness would have to wait. It’s funny relating these experiences weeks later. (That’s why the precedent was to write immediately after things happened, damn life.) It’s like trying to make tea from the same bag twice. It’s all still there in my mind, but not as poignant. BUT I’ll never forget that week, that’s for sure. A tiny by our standards show at Metropolis, followed by one of most massive productions yet. A free show downtown Montreal, outside. Masses of people. Everyone we’ve ever seen was there. It could of been 10,000 or 100,000- you can never tell. Apparently it was closer to the latter figure. Last shows can be weird. It’s like goodbyes in general, you kind of want to look away. But this one, there was a warmth going around from the people to us and from us to them that was….unbreakable. It was overwhelming really. My mind was in shreds. In a good way though. (Good mind shreds?) I snuck home relatively early, pounding the coconut water, craving bed. It’s REALLY strange going to your own bed after something like that, reality and unreality having an old fashioned sword fight. 

As an aside I’ll mention that earlier that day I was on the same block, playing music for a free Moksha Yoga outdoor class- in celebration of POP’s 10th birthday, No Car Day, and Kanpe. By playing music I actually mean I was huddled on the ground under a plastic sheet with my friend Patrick, drummer for Stars. We made some amazing new age magic happen while yoga was had, on the grass next to the porta potties set up for our show later that night. THAT is not my average before soundcheck activity. 

And of course, since this is “Awkward Pose” the blog, I must mention that I had such a moment before our last show- in a very narrow trailer I must add. I don’t know if this is easy to picture, but when objects are very close to your face it’s strange performing intense repetitive movements inches away from say, a trailer wall equipped with a vanity mirror, or say, a clothing rack, an overstuffed couch no one will ever sit on, a garbage can full of things that could be recycled. But it goes down anyway, the yoga does. And it always fulfils it’s purpose. To make me feel better than before. Always. 

That’s pretty much it for reporting on that whole situation of a day/week/year. But I do feel inclined to keep “you” posted on a few things. 1. More musical developments. 2. My experiences opening a yoga studio in Manhattan, YES THAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING 3. I have a lot more to say about coffee and other things I really like. 

So, see you soon, Internet.

Sarah.