Hello Sarah, how are you?
Very well, thank you Del! I’m just in the train on my way back from giving a week-long residential guitar workshop at Halsway Manor, which was fantastic — it was so, so nice, if a little bit scary, to be out interacting with other human beings again. Everyone had tested prior to arrival and I was doing lateral flow tests every morning, which I guess is just going to be part of musical life for the foreseeable future. So far so good!
Congratulations on the release of “The St. Buryan Sessions” how does it feel?
Ah thank you! I’m just so happy that it’s actually seeing the light of day at long last — it’s over a year since I did the recording, so it’s amazing to me that the album is actually going to be out there. And on vinyl, too!
Describe it in three words.
Live, beautifully recorded.
This will be your seventh album, what have you learned since the release of your last one?
Yeah, it’s my sixth solo album and seventh if you also count the album that I made with Zoë of “Sunshine On A Rainy Day” fame under the band name Mama. Not long after I released the last solo album in 2018, I went through a bout of really paralysing stage nerves — I’d be shaking so badly that it was hard to play the guitar, and my teeth would clench and chatter to the point that I could barely open my mouth to sing. I’d been getting up onstage and performing solo for decades, so I don’t know where that sudden loss of confidence came from. But once I managed to find a way through and beyond it — mainly by learning to just focus on the song or piece of music itself, rather than on my performance of it — it seemed like the quality of my performances suddenly jumped up to a whole new level. Which is why my manager and I decided that the time had come to make a live album, to try and capture that quality and get it on record.
It’s a pretty special project, including my track of the week “Rabbit Hills”, what was the inspiration behind it?
Well, as I’ve just said in answer to the previous question, we really wanted to make an album that would capture the quality and atmosphere of a live performance, and that would replicate what I do when I’m out there on tour playing solo as I always do, rather than in a studio with a bunch of amazing guest musicians. I also wanted to find a way to stay connected with people who like my music and would have come to my gigs if they hadn’t been cancelled due to Covid, but I wasn’t at all keen on the idea of live-streaming via Zoom or whatever — I just didn’t think I could reach the same level of intensity performing to a screen in my living room that I can reach when I’m out there with a live audience. But obviously we couldn’t have a live audience, so the idea was to conjure up that same magic by performing “as live” in a beautiful venue with gorgeous acoustics, and to film the whole thing so that I could still put out YouTube videos and stay connected with people that way.
You recorded it in St. Buryan, what was your favourite part of the sessions?
Well, at that point I’d already been off the road for three and a half months — I’d been on tour in Germany when Covid hit — so it was so lovely just to meet up again with my wonderful manager and sound engineer, Martin Stansbury, and to work with him on the recording. He did such a beautiful job of it — in order to capture the natural acoustic of the building, he put pairs of microphones here and there all around the space, and blended those with the mics that I was singing and playing into. It’s such a gorgeously recorded album. I’m very lucky to be able to work with Martin and I can’t wait to get out on tour with him again!
What’s your favourite track from the project?
Oh, that’s a tough one — they’re all my favourite tracks which is why I chose them for this album! The original songs on it are drawn from all five of the previous solo albums I’ve made. But there are also two covers on it that I haven’t recorded previously: the classic jazz standard “Autumn Leaves” and Michael Chapman’s beautiful song “Rabbit Hills”. I guess if I had to pick one song on the album that’s really special to me, it would be “Rabbit Hills”. Michael produced my last album If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous, and he’s been a real musical mentor to me — if it hadn’t been for him I’d never have played electric guitar. I was really looking forward to seeing him in November and handing him a copy of the album with his song on it — and then I got the news that he’d left this world on the 10th of September and I’m still reeling from that. It’s so, so sad, such a loss to so many people, not least his wife Andru who’s also been a wonderful friend to me — my heart goes out to her.
What was the easiest and hardest part of putting it together?
Finding the money! Easiest and hardest, both. I’d always hated the idea of crowdfunding and had vowed that I wasn’t ever going to do it, but then Covid hit and I was suddenly looking at an unspecified amount of time in front of me with no income and certainly no funds to invest in a new recording project. And all the arts funding agencies that I’d normally have looked for grants from were diverting their project grant budgets to getting emergency income support out to artists like myself. So crowdfunding was really the only option. But then once I forced myself to actually do it, the response was amazing — people were so lovely and generous and said such kind things, I was in tears on a daily basis reading the messages that accompanied the donations. And before I knew it I’d reached the goal and had all the money I needed to go ahead with the project and pay the other people involved properly, which is important to me.
You are a singer songwriter how did it all begin for you?
I think I was about eight years old when I wrote my first song. I actually wrote it all out as sheet music, which I still have in a drawer somewhere! And then I kept writing songs all through my teenage years, and I’d get up and sing them at school assemblies. But for a long time I thought of myself not as a songwriter but as a singer who happened to write an occasional song. It was only when I moved to Cornwall and met Zoë and started co-writing the songs for the Mama album with her that I realised that songwriting was what I wanted to focus on — she taught me pretty much everything I know about songwriting, and the fact that somebody of her calibre and experience — she’d had a Top Five hit single that stayed in the Top Five for 16 weeks — knowing that somebody on that level actually wanted to work with me was what gave me the confidence to start focusing on my own songwriting.
What did you listen to growing up?
I’ve always had wildly eclectic tastes in music. My mother had a big collection of folk music records that I used to listen to on my little Mickey Mouse record player, and then through being in the Chicago Children’s Choir I was exposed to an enormously wide spectrum of music — not just the choir repertoire, which was already incredibly wide-ranging, but also the music other kids in the choir — who came from schools all over the city — were listening to on the tour bus. The very first record I ever bought was “Rapper’s Delight”, by the Sugarhill Gang, and the second one was “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. I still have both of those 12-inch singles!
You are a guitar player and pianist, who are your top 3 guitarists and pianists?
Oh gosh, that’s really hard to answer, because no matter what names I give you I have to leave somebody just as amazing out. Can I just give you a top guitarist and a top pianist? Because in a way it’s easier to choose just one person in each category than to select between all the other incredible musicians I’ve listened to over the years to put in the top three. But if I had to choose just one guitarist it would be Nick Drake — I love the way with his playing it’s like the guitar is playing a duet with the voice, rather than just accompanying it — and if I had to choose just one pianist, it would be Bill Evans — I bought the LP of “You Must Believe In Spring” when I was still in secondary school and used to listen to it over and over and over again. I can still pretty much play through the album in my head.
COVID impacted the creative industry in a big way, what kept you motivated?
I was lucky enough to get a Developing Your Creative Practice grant which funded me for four months of weekly music composition lessons, which was something I’d never have been able to do otherwise and which enabled me to really delve into an aspect of music I hadn’t had the opportunity to explore before. That was fantastic, but it was also a lot of hard work! And of course I was also getting everything in place for the album release and hosting online premieres of new videos in the series. So even though I wasn’t touring, I was busier with music than I’d ever been!
2020 was a time to reflect, what did you learn about yourself?
That I’m far more dependent than I realised on the adrenaline lift I get from performing live. I really missed it desperately — in some ways it felt like a part of me was absent that I could only access when I’m onstage. When I was finally able to get back out and do a few gigs this summer, it was kind of a feeling of “Oh, there I am!”
What are you listening to at the moment?
The news on Radio 4, and it’s bloody depressing! Music-wise, though, I’ve been really loving the new music that Helen Meissner has been putting out under the name Helefonix, combining spoken word with ambient sound samples and various musical instruments. The most recent single, which incorporates the speaking voices of her parents, really gets me emotionally — I choke up every time I listen to it. And then I want to listen to it again.
What are you looking forward to doing next?
Heading out on tour! I have a six-week, 21-date tour booked for October and November and I’m so excited about it. I’m very worried about Covid, obviously, but I’ll be doing lateral flow tests every day and wearing a mask as much as possible. I’m also worried that with smaller audiences and having to book more hotel accommodation because of not being able to stay with friends as I’d normally have done on nights off, I might wind up losing money on the tour — but just to get out performing again will be so wonderful. I can’t wait.
Tour Dates:
Dates for Sarah’s October-November UK album launch tour are as follows:
Fri 15 Oct: Album Launch Benefit Concert in St Buryan Church
Penzance Road, St Buryan, Penzance, Cornwall TR19 6BA
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
Sarah McQuaid will be launching her new album “The St Buryan Sessions” on its release day, Friday, October 15, with a very special benefit concert in — and for — St Buryan Church, where the album was recorded. In order to make it accessible to all in the local community, no entrance fee will be charged, but there will be a voluntary retiring collection for church funds.
Fri 22 Oct: St Peter’s by the Waterfront, Ipswich
St Peter’s Church, College Street, Ipswich, Suffolk IP4 1BF, UK
Tel 01473 225269
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
http://stpetersbythewaterfront.com
Sat 23 Oct: Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Rossendale, Lancashire
Holcombe Road, Helmshore, Rossendale, Lancashire BB4 4NP
Tel 01706 226459
8pm (Doors 7:30pm)
http://lancashire.gov.uk/museums
Thu 28 Oct: The Musician, Leicester
Clyde Street, Leicester, LE1 2DE
Tel 0116 251 0080
8:30pm (Doors 8pm)
This will be Sarah’s second visit to the Midlands’ premier independent music venue — thanks to the wonderful Andy Tuck of FortyTenth Promotions for making it happen! Click on https://ticketweb.uk/event/sarah-mcquaid-the-musician-tickets/10726505to… book advance tickets online.
Sat 30 Oct: Praa Sands Community Centre, Cornwall
Pengersick Lane, Praa Sands, Penzance, Cornwall TR20 9RB, UK
Tel 01736 810181
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
Tue 2 Nov: The Miners’ Theatre, Ammanford
Wind Street, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire SA18 3DN, UK
Tel 0845 226 3510
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
Thu 4 Nov: Caerleon Arts
St Cadoc’s Church, High Street, Caerleon, NP18 1AZ
Tel 01633 430194
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
Sat 6 Nov: Norley Village Hall, Frodsham
High Street, Norley, Frodsham, WA6 8JS, UK
Tel 07770 701069
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
https://facebook.com/AcmeMusicPromotions…
Sun 7 Nov: The Milton Rooms, Malton
Market Place, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 7LX,
Tel 01653 696240
8pm (Doors 7:30pm)
This will be Sarah’s second visit to this lovely arts centre in North Yorkshire. Click on https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/booking/select/LiUXIqKmpQTn to buy tickets.
Mon 8 Nov: The Lightship, Blyth
South Harbour, Blyth, Northumberland NE24 3PB,
Tel 07929 616703
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
This exciting new concert series takes place on one of the oldest floating wooden lightships in the UK. Built in 1879, Light Vessel No. 50 was originally stationed in dangerous waters where lighthouses could not be built. It’s now moored in South Harbour Blyth, renamed Tyne III and serving as the clubhouse of the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club, who kindly allow the Friends of LV50 to host music events on the vessel. There’s a full bar, with free crisps and nuts!
Thu 11 Nov: MET Studio, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre
Eastgate Street, Stafford ST16 2LT, UK
Tel 01785 619080
7:45pm (Doors 7:15pm)
http://staffordgatehousetheatre.co.uk
Fri 12 Nov: Folk at the Falcon, Bromyard
The Falcon Hotel – Mews Banqueting Suite, 2 Broad Street, Bromyard, Herefordshire HR7 4BT
Tel 01885 483425
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
Sarah’s support act at this very special concert will be the wonderful Lawrence Illsley (https://lawrenceillsley.com) to whose beautiful debut album Trees Sarah was privileged to contribute backing vocals. Thanks so much to Roger Pugh, a fine singer/songwriter — not to mention medieval jester/minstrel — in his own right (seehttps://roger-pugh.co.uk for more about that) for organising this splendid concert series!
Sat 13 Nov: The Wolf Folk Club Cabaret, King’s Lynn, Norfolk
Harpley Village Hall, Nethergate Street, Harpley, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE31 6TW
Tel 07470 194200
8pm (Doors 7:30pm)
https://facebook.com/groups/627444587684841…
Tue 16 Nov: The Roses, Tewkesbury
Sun Street, Tewkesbury, GL20 5NX, UK
Tel 01684 295074
8:30pm (Doors 8pm)
Thu 18 Nov: Snailbeach Village Hall, Shrewsbury
Snailbeach, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY5 0NX, UK
Tel 01743 791327
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
https://facebook.com/Friends-of-Snailbeach-Village-Hall-173806955964509…
Fri 19 Nov: The HopBarn, Southwell, Nottinghamshire
Hopyard Farm, Hockerwood Lane, Upton Road, Southwell, Notts NG25 0PZ, UK
Tel 01636 813621
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
Sat 20 Nov: The Green Man Gallery, Buxton
Hardwick Hall, Hardwick Square South, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6PY, UK
Tel 01298 937375
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
Tue 23 Nov: The Blue Lamp, Aberdeen
121 Gallowgate, Aberdeen, AB25 1BU
Tel 01224 647472
8pm (Doors 7:30pm)
https://thebluelampaberdeen.com
Click on https://buytickets.at/thebluelamp/575499… to buy tickets in advance. This event will take place in The Blue Lamp’s cosy upstairs venue
Thu 25 Nov: Crail Folk Club
Community Hall, St Andrews Road, Crail, Fife KY10 3UH, UK
Tel 01333 450572
8pm (Doors 7:15pm)
This will be Sarah’s second visit to this lovely club! Click on https://ticketsource.co.uk/crailfolkclub to buy tickets.
Sat 27 Nov: The Mackenzie Hall, Brockweir, Chepstow
Mill Hill, Brockweir, Chepstow, NP16 7NW, UK
Tel 07771 988542
8pm (Doors 7:30pm)
https://brockweirvillagehall.co.uk
Advance tickets will be available for purchase from the Brockweir Village Shop or by emailing events@brockweirvillagehall.co.uk or ringing 07771 988542.
Sun 28 Nov: Sterts Studio, Liskeard, Cornwall
Upton Cross, Liskeard, Cornwall PL14 5AZ, UK
Tel 01579 362382
7:30pm (Doors 7pm)
See https://sarahmcquaid.com/tour for details of all shows.
