Wednesday, September 6, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
7
Grammy-winner Sarah Jarosz to play Sisters Folk Festival
By Ceili Cornelius
Correspondent
Americana singer-song-
writer Sarah Jarosz will be
playing as a headliner at this
year’s Sisters Folk Festival,
bringing with her a very
eclectic music background
and influence.
“I come from a bluegrass
background, but today, I more
describe my music as folk and
Americana. I tend to shy away
from genre names because I
feel influenced by so many
different genres. They all find
their way into my music,”
Jarosz told The Nugget.
Jarosz has been involved
in music pretty much her
whole life. She started sing-
ing and playing mandolin at
10 years old and has always
been interested in music as
a career. She attended music
camps throughout her teenage
years.
“When I was 16 was when
I really started to get serious,
and my music career had a
turning point,” she recalled.
“I had my first set at the
Telluride Bluegrass Festival,
and that is where I met Gary
Paczosa and he helped me
get my first record deal with
Sugarhill Records, and now
shares production duties with
me on my albums.”
She signed that first record
COLD LASER
THERAPY
Helps accelerate healing
and eliminate pain.
We welcome all patients,
Workman’s comp., and auto accidents too.
Three Sisters Chiropractic
& Pain Management
Dr. Inice Gough, DC, CCT, CCST
541.549.3583
deal at 16 years old and has
been involved in music ever
since.
Jarosz was born in
Austin, Texas, and grew up
in Wimberley, just outside of
Austin. She lived there until
she went to college.
“Austin was an amaz-
ing place for me to grow up,
with such an up-and-coming
music scene. In Wimberly, I
attended bluegrass jams and
would learn from musicians at
a very young age. My parents
are also big music-lovers and
would take me to live concerts
which was where I caught the
music bug,” said Jarosz.
Asked what her musical
inspirations were, she said
her original inspiration came
from her mother.
“My mom was one of my
first inspirations; she encour-
aged me to write my own
songs when I started showing
interest around 12 years old.
I would see printed lyrics of
hers and would emulate her
form and style while writing
my own songs,” said Jarosz.
One of her biggest influ-
ences was the music of
Gillian Welch, and she based
her songwriting style off her
ways.
“Later on, a lot of my
inspiration came from art-
ists like Paul Simon, Joni
Mitchell, and Bob Dylan.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Sarah Jarosz will play a 90-minute set on the opening night of the Sisters Folk Festival.
As time goes on, I learn new
things about their songs and
about them which helps me
to hone my craft even more,”
said Jarosz. “I try to also listen
to the world around me, and
that usually sparks something
that then becomes a song.”
Her most recent album,
“Undercurrent,” was
released in June 2016. It
won a Grammy Award for
Best Folk Album along
with the song “House of
Mercy” winning the Grammy
for Best American Roots
Performance. It is Jarosz’s
fourth record.
“It is quite different from
my previous three; it is more
stripped down,” she said. “I
did that as a conscious deci-
sion because the songs I was
writing felt like more inti-
mate songs that didn’t need
as much behind it. There are
four songs that are solo, just
me and a guitar.”
On her previous albums,
she said, she spent a lot of
time in the studio adding dubs
and full bands behind her,
and there are still elements
of that on Undercurrent, but
she wanted this album to feel
more personal and intimate.
Jarosz tours with bass
player Anthony da Costa,
a well-known folk and
Americana singer-songwriter.
She will be bringing him with
her to SFF.
“I’ve been hearing about
this festival from my friends
in Oregon in the music scene
and they’ve said it’s one of
the best festivals, so I’m very
excited to be coming for it
this year,” said Jarosz.
Jarosz will be playing
one 90-minute set on Friday,
September 8. For more infor-
mation visit www.sisters
folkfestival.org.
Anytime Getaway
& Great Food
Regenerate in our historic lodge in
the pristine Metolius River Basin
rman.
man.
in Camp Sherman.
541.516.3030
lakecreeklodge.com
Breakfast & Lunch, 8 a.m. to Noon
n
Dinner, 6 p.m. Menu available online
ne