{"id":1667,"date":"2011-09-14T10:11:19","date_gmt":"2011-09-14T14:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gadflyonline.com\/wpblog\/?p=1667"},"modified":"2012-07-15T19:56:50","modified_gmt":"2012-07-15T23:56:50","slug":"subtle-honesty-an-interview-with-singer-songwriter-sarah-jaffe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/subtle-honesty-an-interview-with-singer-songwriter-sarah-jaffe\/","title":{"rendered":"Subtle Honesty: An Interview with Singer-Songwriter Sarah Jaffe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 After Sarah Jaffe\u2019s 2010 album Suburban Nature<\/em>, NPR said Jaffe has \u201cthe ability to relate to people\u2019s daily lives and the wisdom to express emotions in new and powerful ways.\u201d Jaffe has admitted surprise at her ability to write courageous songs during high school. Sarah\u2019s new album, The Way Sound Leaves a Room<\/em>, reflects her maturity and experience as a continuation of her bravery as a singer-songwriter. Jaffe\u2019s CD and DVD, The Way Sound Leaves a Room<\/em>, will hit store shelves on September 27. Her newest release is a documentation of her progressing journey, and proof of her relevance.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> You\u2019ve done a mix of songs. You played guitar without much accompaniment, then played songs like \u201cClementine\u201d, which is more upbeat and has an accompanying band. Is there a style you feel more comfortable with?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Not particularly. Suburban Nature<\/em> was a lot of older songs, and I started out playing the acoustics, but I\u2019ve kind of ventured off into experimenting with other instruments, getting more into the electronic side of things. There\u2019s not a side that I\u2019m more comfortable with or inclined to. I\u2019m obviously more familiar with the guitar, but not necessarily inclined to it.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> Have you seen an evolution in your sound, or are you just exploring different possibilities?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> I think so. Again, those songs were about seven years old, so I have to be a different person. So naturally, I\u2019m going to write differently and have different tastes and try what sounds good sonically.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> In the music video for \u201cClementine\u201d, there are a lot of things going on. You have your hood on, almost like a veil; you are being carried away by men, the baptism, and the nosebleed. There is a lot going on and a lot left to stimulate the imagination. Is there a message that you wanted to convey with those visual images?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> A lot of it has to do with this very strong desire to move on and to change, but also at the same time it\u2019s very much acknowledging the past. The past is what puts you where you are. It was involved with the song, but I also wanted to leave some up for interpretation. There\u2019s no set theme; I didn\u2019t want to match it perfectly by any means. I did want something visually that could be open ended, but at the same time have meaning for me as well.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> Do you have a certain set of influences when you write? There are many parallels that can be drawn from your music to other artists, but is there a particular influence that has affected you more than another?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> I think at this point it is one big mesh pot of input. I grew up listening to folk music. My dad really turned me on to James Taylor and George Mitchell, so those were the staples growing up. Now it\u2019s everything from Robyn to Harry Nilsson to Fleetwood Mac, and then back to James Taylor again. It\u2019s hard not to be influenced by it all. There is so much out there and a lot of great music out there.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> Your new DVD, The Way Sound Leaves a Room<\/em>, seems to be a recording of your journey through the whole process. Is that accurate?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Yeah. We recorded the show at the Wyly Theatre, and we just compiled a lot of footage from my tour over the last year and Jon Collins put it all together and put it together beautifully. The promotional video is a snapshot of where I am right now, and I\u2019ll just continue to move on and venture out. In the process of the new album, I was experimenting trying to play different instruments, and so it naturally sounded different because I was coming from a different perspective. In playing an instrument I\u2019m not as comfortable with, I naturally got a different sound. This DVD is showing what has happened since Suburban Nature<\/em> up until now.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> I won\u2019t give away too much of it, but at the beginning and end of the DVD, there are points where it is only you on camera. You are looking into the camera. I got a feeling of loneliness or self-exploration from that. What were you hoping to convey with those still-scenes?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> I\u2019m kind of confused as to what scenes you\u2019re talking about, but honestly in any filming I\u2019m not trying to convey one certain thing. I think my friend was just shooting footage of me and there was no theme or plot. I don\u2019t know; I\u2019m confused what you are specifically talking about.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> Those scenes at the very beginning and very end, in a field\u2026.<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Oh, yes. At the beginning of the album is the song \u201cThe Way Sound Leaves a Room.\u201d That song was generally about isolating feelings. I definitely for that song wanted to capture isolation, so that was a lonely time that was intended. But at the end, my friend, Chris Phelps, just put the footage together and it was a happy accident. That one was unintended. But the title song, \u201cThe Way Sound Leaves a Room,\u201d I definitely wanted to capture the lonely, isolating theme for sure.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> What is lonely about the process?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> At the time I was going through a breakup, and was going through a weird time in my head. My roommate at the time was having a very quiet conversation in the next room, and it just sounded very muffled. I remember feeling really, really isolated, but also very comforted that someone else was there. I was going through a sad time, but was also very comforted that all these things have been done before. So I tied in all these memories of me writing music in my room. I titled it \u201cThe Way Sound Leaves a Room\u201d because I wanted to encompass what was going on. That\u2019s where the lonely feeling comes from.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> Your voice is very light and airy; some would call it a \u201cbedroom\u201d voice. Is this a tone you strive for, or your natural delivery?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> I think it just depends on the song. I feel a lot of times there is more power in subtlety. That\u2019s the beauty of recording. You can be as quiet or as subtle as you want. Live, I think is a little more full-throttle.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> The whole new album has a slow and gentle tone. Was it a decision to make the album like this, or just the nature of the songs and what fit? Are you going away from faster songs?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> No, actually I feel \u201cA Sucker for Your Marketing\u201d and another one I\u2019m playing now live called \u201cHalfway Right\u201d are really sick beats and more upbeat. But I feel like these songs were the first handful of songs I\u2019ve written after Suburban Nature<\/em>. I think they just meshed well and made sense to me. There is no mission. It\u2019s just how they are and how they came out.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> Do you have a favorite from your new album?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Live, I really love playing \u201cA Sucker for Your Marketing.\u201d<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> Would you say your songs are more a reflection of what you are going through at particular times, or do you strive for a universal message that goes across all songs?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> I would say I\u2019ve written more in retrospect. I\u2019ve never been one that can see things clearly in the moment, so I usually write the songs in retrospect, where I gain a little bit more clarity on the situation. I\u2019ve probably drifted off into maybe not writing about myself or relational issues so much. I kind of want to veer away from that now. Especially with this album coming out, I have a clean slate where I can write about whatever I want. I\u2019ve never thought about the writing process like that. I always felt I had to write from personal experience. But the simple idea that you can write about whatever you want, you can make up stories, has given me this freedom.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> You are an up and coming artist who has been around for a bit, but are just now beginning to receive more and more attention. How would you describe the journey that you have been on, and the process of being heard by more and more people?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> It has definitely been a slow progression. I\u2019ve known that I wanted to play music since I was three. That is something that I have always been passionate about. Honestly, I\u2019m really happy where I am right now. As long as I can be writing and get to travel and play in front of three people or 1000 or 2000 people or whatever. I\u2019m really happy. I\u2019m in a good place. It has been a slow progression; it hasn\u2019t been an instantaneous thing. I\u2019ve worked my ass off, and the people who work with me work their asses off. I\u2019ve had a lot of in between jobs and I\u2019m finally getting to the point where I can write full time, and travel full time and play shows. I feel like the years and years of weird, awkward songs are paying off. I finally get to do what I love. I really have no expectations of anything monumental. I love writing music and performing live, so there are no intentions, just want to continue what I\u2019m doing now.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> You just went on tour with the Old 97\u2019s. They are one of my personal favorites. Is there someone out there you would love to go on tour with?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> Old 97\u2019s was definitely one of them. They are amazing guys. They have been in the business forever. They are some of the most humble, gracious group of guys that I\u2019ve ever met. They have every right to be divas because they are badass. They\u2019ve been doing it for about 20 years but they are genuinely amazing people. They were one of my favorites for sure. Every band I\u2019ve ever toured with has been amazing; I\u2019ve really lucked out. But yeah, there are a slew of bands or artists that I\u2019d like to tour with. I\u2019m a big Rufus Wainright fan; I love Magnetic Fields, Stephin Merritt. Yeah, there are a ton, but I feel like I\u2019ve been pretty lucky with who I\u2019ve toured with thus far.<\/p>\n

AV:<\/strong> You said you don\u2019t have a specific goal for your career so long as you can continue to write and perform, but is there something you want your listeners to take away from your music? Is there a particular feeling you want your audience to have as they walk away?<\/p>\n

Sarah:<\/strong> There\u2019s a certain delivery that has a universal feeling, expressing longing through a song. The fact that a song can instantly change your mood or the way you are thinking is powerful enough. I love that. I\u2019m so lucky to be a part of that. When I listen to a song, when it is honest, I can immediately relate to it. I want to be that kind of artist as well. When you are performing and people are singing along to what you are saying\u2026 there is something really powerful about that. That\u2019s what makes art in general so wonderful. I want people to be able to relate to what I\u2019m saying and know that I am going to be as honest as possible and not try to be anything else. I guess it\u2019s a matter of honesty and delivery.<\/p>\n

Listen to Sarah Jaffe on Youtube, visit www.sarahjaffe.com<\/a> and look for The Way Sound Leaves a Room<\/em> on shelves September 27, 2011.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 After Sarah Jaffe\u2019s 2010 album Suburban Nature, NPR said Jaffe has \u201cthe ability to relate to people\u2019s daily lives and the wisdom to express emotions in new and powerful ways.\u201d Jaffe has admitted surprise at her ability to write courageous songs during high school. Sarah\u2019s new album, The Way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,213],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1667"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1667"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2988,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1667\/revisions\/2988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gadflyonline.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}