Friday, September 21, 2007
 

This week is going to end a little different than normal.  Instead of a ramble with a downloadable song or two you guys are getting nine questions with the subject of one of my August rambles, Sarah Blasko. My friends over at Sneak Attack Media set this up, so I would like to thank them for doing so.  Also, super huge thanks to Sarah for taking a moment to answer my questions.  Enjoy.

Sarah, the new album, What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have, seems as if it came together incredibly fast.  Why is that?

It did come together quite fast, I was just ready to sink my teeth into it after doing a  few years of touring.  My opinions had changed about making music, and my vision had broadened and I felt like I had a lot to write about, and I felt that time was of the essence.

What inspired you to use the sea as a way to explore your thoughts and feelings on fate, the main theme of the record?

It happened without me realizing it, but I suppose the sea conjures up feelings of travel, of being lost, of a kind of out of control force that we can't tame.  These things were connected to how I was feeling when I wrote the record. I felt like I was on a journey to somewhere new musically and that I was experiencing some upheaval personally - letting go of old ways of thinking and opening myself up to new possibilities. I felt strong but I also felt quite vulnerable - but vulnerability can be strong too, so 'What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have' expresses that.

You've been making music with Robert F. Cranny for awhile.  Do you two finish each others sentences at this point?

Well, sometimes,  but we're quite different as people, but perhaps that's why we've written so well together - we focus on our own parts of the song and then bring them  together and fine tune them.  We've worked together for about four years  now.

How was it working with Jim Moginie and Victor Van Vugt?  Both have rather daunting resumes that list Australian standouts like: Midnight Oil, Nick Cave and Dave Graney as previous endeavors.

It was great because they're the least scary men you're likely to come across.  They're both very sweet, encouraging people.  Jim was a constant motivator and believer which was wonderful.  Victor came into the project  later and he too was extremely encouraging and enthused.  The record was in good hands.

There are only two dates in the US lined up  for what looks like the rest of the year.  Will there be a more extensive tour in 2008?  Will it include some love for Texas?

I'm hoping  so.  I certainly want to do some touring here.  Hopefully I'll be back in February.

You got your start in a band called Acquiesce, which means to submit or comply silently without protest. Is there any  particular reason you and your former bandmates picked that name?   It's kind of wimpy.

I know, it's a funny name for a band, and unfortunately the title was appropriate for our sound..very safe, apologetic music! It was my idea! I like the sound of the  word, and I enjoyed seeing people misspell it in advertising and on posters all the time!  I don't know what I was thinking really...

On your fan website, sarahblaskofan.org,  it says that you once went through a rap phase, and that as a child a  teacher told you that you did not have "a musical bone in your body."  Is this stuff true?  If so, would you care to share a sweet rhyme that thanks that teacher for the inspiration?

Yeah, I listened to Christian rap (!) and my music teacher did in fact say that I didn't have a musical bone in my body.  I'm sure I'll write a song for her one day, but when the time is right.  I think it could go number 1 in  the charts.

Seriously though, when you look back at the different things that got you to this point, what do you feel was the most important?  In other words, what was moment when you felt that being a musician was your path?

I'm not sure,  it's hard to pinpoint...but I do remember when I went to France as a teenager on an evangelistic kind of "crusade" (!) with the church and we were singing and it dawned on me the effect that music had on people regardless of the language barrier.  When I started getting into really self-expressive  music like Kate Bush, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey and Bjork that's when it all started to make sense to me more in terms of wanting to be a "writer".

One last question, what are you listening to these days?

I'm listening to all kinds of things at the moment - M Ward, Feist, New Buffalo, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra.

- John Laird -



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