Photo by Ryan Nolan
"Inspiration can come and go like the wind." Sarah Loucks writes. "There are times when songwriting feels so fluid that I don’t even feel like I’m a part of it." Sarah carefully carves worlds you can feel out of a landscape you can recognize; the human heart and experience. There is a precision and a wandering to these songs, and if music is the journey, the destination is always two steps ahead of us, "the wind instead of the tree" or both at once, shiver when touched and as we hear these sonic chapters unfold, crinkled turnings of the life-page. In her own words "Writing has always been been my guiding light, the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach and the relief like light rain after a storm. As much as my songs can be serious, I find most things funny and ultimately, I try to rule my life from a place of happiness. I practice thankfulness and I believe that love is the only place I want to live within." AHC: What has this journey in music, so far, been like for you, the highs and the lows, and what sort of life lessons do you feel you've picked up along the way? Sarah: I suppose, in short, you could say that the highs are high and the lows are very low. This journey in music has brought me to so many places that I could never have expected. Like anything you immerse yourself into, it can make you feel like you’re sinking to the bottom but also floating at the surface. It’s hard to regulate but your love for it keeps propelling you forward. I think the most valuable lesson I’ve learned along the way is that nothing comes as you expect it to. That being said, I’ve learned to relax. I’ve learned that you cannot control everything and there are zero guarantees. You need to hold your ground. You need to always throw yourself into it and often you need to just let go. AHC: What first drew you to music and what was your early musical environment like growing up? Were there pivotal songs for you then that just floored you the moment you heard them? Sarah: For as long as I can remember, I just always wanted to play music. It wasn’t like a light went on one day or something caused it to ‘click’. It’s just always been like that. I have a lot of fond memories of being a child and hearing my dad just wailing on his trumpet. It’s probably the reason why I’ve always loved listening to jazz and feel at home listening to artists like Chet Baker. My dad’s love for music was also my love for music. I remember being small and begging for a piano. All I wanted to do was learn how to play. My love for songwriting came later. That love wasn’t born out of another songs inspiration, but came from a sincere desire to communicate. It seemed like the most natural place to speak from. It wasn’t just words or poetry, but you could use your voice to intensify your expression. AHC: Do you remember the first song that you ever wrote? Or that first moment when you picked up a pen and realized that you could create whole worlds just by putting it to paper? Sarah: I remember writing my first song like it was just the other day. I’ve held onto that piano and I still write on it. I was 14 years old and you could say that everything changed in my small world. I realized I could make people feel something between the words and the chords. It was cathartic and I remember thinking that it felt easy. After that first song, I just kept writing. AHC: Which musicians have you learned the most from? Or writers, artists, filmmakers etc? Sarah: I have a hard time narrowing down that list. For every song you learn or listen to, there’s something to be picked up. Creativity is perpetually happening around you and if you look or listen closely enough, there’s a lesson. Sometimes it comes from an unexpected place, but those moments of inspiration are priceless. There’s nothing more inspiring and frustrating when you hear a song and think that you wish you’d written that song and simultaneously think, I need to get home so I can write. Those moments are honestly the best. I should mention that although I hide it well, I’m extremely competitive by nature hence why I find those moments both inspiring as well as frustrating! AHC: What do you think makes for a good song, as you're writing and composing, is there a sudden moment when you know you've found the right mix, that perfect angle of light, so to speak? Sarah: I wish there were a clear answer for this, but usually there is a feeling when things are working. It’s that desired state of flow. Some of my favourite songs have been the ones where I felt like they were just falling into place. It can feel like I’m just there witnessing it come together, as if I really had nothing to do with it. Sometimes it’s not as simple or as easy as that. Sometimes you know you have a section and then you feel pushed out of that flow. Those are the songs that I won’t complete for months or even years. I hold onto those pieces for great lengths of time knowing that at the right time and with the right perspective I can finish them. Completing those songs are very rewarding. Regardless of how the song comes together, I learned very quickly that when it feels done you shouldn’t push it. Just walk away and come back to edit later. AHC: Do you consider music to be a type of healing art, the perfect vehicle through which to translate a feeling, a state of rupture, hope lost and regained? Does the writing and creating of the song save you in the kinds of ways that it saves us, the listener? Sarah: Absolutely. I started writing as a young teenager and it was the perfect way to work through anything that was going on. It’s still serves the same purpose for me. Some of the most challenging things in life I find difficult to write about, but I know I’ve started to process them once I start writing about them. It’s 100% a method to cope, process and heal. Selfishly, I start writing the songs for my own healing but as they’re being written, I’m hoping I can write it in a way that will speak to someone else as well. AHC: What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town? On-tour, on-the-road? Sarah: I think it’s safe to say that among some of the first things to pop into my mind are the moments I’ve shared with other musicians. It’s moments on stage with other players when everyone is feeling the same thing and you’re connected. That feeling is pretty unparalleled. Other fond memories would include the conversations you have with people after shows. It’s incredibly rewarding when people feel like they know you and will open up to you. It makes me feel like I’m doing more than just singing songs and entertaining people. I’ve often struggled with the vanity of entertaining even though I’m the first one to acknowledge the importance of the Arts as a whole. It’s a personal struggle for me. So when I feel like it can move beyond performing and into building relationships, I’m beyond engaged. AHC: When you set out to write an album of songs, how much does 'where the world is' in its current moment, culturally, politically, otherwise, influence the kinds of stories you set out to tell? Sarah: In this current state of our world, it can definitely play a part and I imagine that the songs I’ll be writing in the near future will be greatly influenced by current politics. Generally, I find that I’m writing from experiences I’m facing first hand and spinning them to have a larger context. The other influencer can be something that I’ve witnessed and feel strongly about. You can write from so many places but I’m typically writing from a first person perspective even though I might just be the outsider. AHC: With the traditional ways that we listen to music rapidly changing, does it affect how you write and put together an album? Too often people are downloading and engaging with singular songs rather than albums as on ordered and thematic canvas, do you regret that your work may not be received in the way it was intended or created? Sarah: I think this is something that nearly every musician is struggling with right now. We’re living in a demanding society that has a very short attention span. As an artist, it’s hard to let go of the traditional concept of an album. I’ve been fighting this for quite some time. I’ve just released a new full-length album and while I was recording it I couldn’t help but feel as though this might be the last time I do things this way. Time will tell and I’m pretty stubborn, however, it’s hard to deny where things are going. There is something magical about listening to an album from start to finish though. It’s just not the same as listening to a single. One of the sweetest things in life is putting on an album that’s nostalgic and you feel immediately transported. There’s no way a single can replace that feeling. Full albums give more opportunity to tell a tale. The thought of losing that feels like an incredibly loss. AHC: Do you have any words of advice for other musicians and singer-songwriters or anyone who is struggling to create something of value out there, who are just starting out and trying to find their voice and their way in this world? What are the kinds of things that you tell yourself when you begin to have doubts or are struggling with the creative process? Sarah: Having been through some ups and some serious downs I can say that it’s hard. It’s really really hard, but if you love it and you know it’s what you’re supposed to do, then continue doing it. It’s a part of who you are and it will always be there. You can even try to walk away for a while like I did, but it will always be there. There was a long time where I couldn’t write a thing and felt like the flame went out. I wondered if that was it for me. So I left music behind to see if music had left me behind. It followed me though. It followed me wherever I went like a great responsibility. At that point I realized that no matter what shape it took, it would always be there. If you have those doubts like so many of us do, just play. If you feel like you can’t write, play songs that inspire you. If you need a break, take a break. If it’s a part of you, it’s not going anywhere. AHC: Do you have any new projects you'd like to mention? Sarah: I recently released my 3rd full-length album, “Without Meaning To”. I recorded it at Little Bullhorn Studios in Ottawa, Ontario. It’s independently released and it’s personal, weighty but hopeful. I worked with Dave Draves on this project and it’s something I’m really proud of. It’s available on Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify and a bunch of other digital retailers. If you still own a CD player, the physical album can be purchased from my website at www.sarahloucks.ca
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