Hitting the Road Again!  Yay!!

It is finally spring, and though I can't feel it outside yet here in chilly Nova Scotia, I can feel it on the inside :) We have big news! We are releasing our new album on April 6th, having a live show to celebrate and then heading across the country on tour!

It has been actual years now since I have seen many of you on this list, and I just want to say, thank you for reading these updates, for updating me back, and for inspiring these grand efforts to make recordings and cross Canada by road again. We can't wait to see everyone! I'm so excited for the trip!!

Album Release Concert

We are having the release show at the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville which is one of my favourite theatres. Not only because it is in my home town and run and cared for by people I adore, but also because it creates a perfect performance and listening experience. The sight lines are wonderful, as is the lighting and we will have our favourite sound engineer, Graham Coldwell making it all sound incredible!

In case you can't hear it in my writing, I am super stoked for the show :)

The doors open at 7:30pm and the show starts at 8:00pm

Tickets are available online at:
https://www.saharajane.com/shows

If you are in the area, it would be wonderful to see you there!!

Something Good - The Album

This album has been an absolute joy to make from the beginning to the end... Last week we finished the final stage of mastering and sent off the final tracks for production and distribution, which wraps up an intense creative time for us!

There are a few things that set this project apart from others that we have made... This is the third Sahara Jane album, and as I was thinking about the past album titles, I realized that in a way, they say it all. The first album came out in 2013, a country folk album called Lonesome Sky, and five years later we did Between Worlds a global fusion album that bounced between Western, Indian and Persian instruments and styles. And the new one is called Something Good. That must be a sign that things are looking up!

It feels to me that this album is less about exploring styles, genre and boundaries, but instead refuses to recognize them at all. It feels integrated. When people hear these songs, they sometimes call our sound trip hop. If that isn't a style you are familiar with, well, I think they are referring to the layering of sounds and styles. It is not an exact description of our sound, but when it is out, have a listen and see if you can help us with our genre problem. We do not actually know what to call it...

Something Good features Ken's beats and bass and my vocals and lyrics, but there are a lot of other layers in it too. It has electronic pads and drones as well as acoustic instruments.  Ken plays the tabla (a pair of drums from India) on a number of songs, and my sarangi (bowed string instrument from South Asia) is featured on a few. Some of my favourite elements are a percussion track that Ken made on a typewriter from the 1940s, and his Udu drum solo. On the first song, we play an interlocking "caruk" pattern on instruments from the Gamelan (a gong orchestra from Indonesia), which gives it a sweet and laid back feel. This project has taken us many places, and likewise it comes from many places. The whole process leaves us feeling so grateful for the years of playing, learning and being blessed with great teachers and great musicians who have encouraged us and inspired us.

We are going to release it on all streaming services, on CD, and we are still thinking about other options, so if you have any strong feelings about vinyl or USB, do let me know. Oh, also, the artwork!! Ken made that. It totally captures the vibe. He really blows me away!! :)

The Tour

I don't even remember where this pic was taken, it just kind of captures that distinctly Canadian on the road feeling... Long highways connecting magical places. I'll be keeping up the socials with photos and stories if you would like to follow along on YouTube and Instagram.

The tour starts in Vancouver area, takes us around the Gulf Islands, then on to the Kootenays, and up through the mountains before heading home with stops in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and many of the most wonderful villages and towns along the way. It will be a relatively fast trip back across the country, as after we leave BC, we are booting it to be home in time for our niece's wedding. Then we will have a few weeks to enjoy being home before flying off again to play some summer shows that will be announced soon! So this is all very exciting for us and we could not be more grateful!

You can see the tour schedule here: www.saharajane.com/shows

There are still new dates being added, so if you don't see us coming to our area, please reach out and ask, or check back to see if we are coming!!

Closing Thoughts

This winter has been a time of intense focus for us. We have been working hard on our album, from recording, to mixing, to mastering it. And we've learned a lot about ourselves along the way, especially in the mastering process, which deals with the most subtle and acute aspects of hearing and interpreting recorded music. We became more aware of how our assumptions affect what we hear, and learned a lot about sound itself. We've also been reaching back out to the world to see who wants to hear the show and share the music, and we've been met with a most loving and welcoming response.

As we've been working through the dark winter months, we've been blessed with invitations to play our new show in some absolutely beautiful intimate spaces full of music lovers. Those concerts, and the people who came out (I'm looking at you The Woodshed in Crousetown and West Brooklyn Speak Easy) have allowed us to try out the new music, share the process and create the show that we are now excited to share with the country.

This winter has made us realize how much we love small spaces in a world that is increasingly looking towards what is bigger and most profitable as an indicator of value. Those ideas never actually factor in for us. We are following the joy. And these current efforts and our communities here in Nova Scotia have brought us so much. I hope the same is true for all of you in all that you do. Thank you so much for being here for us. We appreciate it more than we could ever say. 

Always,
Sahara Jane