Videos by American Songwriter
ARTIST: Sarah Blacker
SONG: “Shiver”
BIRTHDATE: 1/11
BIRTHPLACE: Newton, MA
AMBITIONS: To be happy and healthy, to eat well and cook good meals, to spend lots of time in the woods, to make better art all the time, to heal and help others to do the same.
TURN-OFFS: Bad listeners, people who don’t use their blinker when driving, jagged fingernails, loud snoring, cigarette smoke.
TURN-ONS: nice, warm, woodsy smells, dark chocolate, honest eyes, laughter, self-awareness.
DREAM GIG: touring in support of, or singing harmonies with Ray LaMontagne, baby!
TV ADDICTIONS: Law and Order: SVU, Hoarders, Parenthood.
CELEBRITY CRUSH: Jared Leto!
MY FAVORITE CONCERT EXPERIENCE: I’d have to say seeing Paul Simon at what used to be known as GreatWoods in Mansfield, MA with my father. Seeing my dad sitting on the lawn with a glowing smile as I danced with friends, knowing we both remembered when I had danced to Paul Simon on the sunny beach sand at our summer home in Northwood, NH. After the show, we drove with the top down on the way home glowing from hearing all of our favorite songs played by Paul and his unforgettable band! It was a rite of passage for me in a lot of ways. ‘Graceland,’ had been one of the very first explosive musical discoveries for me, thanks to my dad.
THE BOOK THAT CHANGED MY LIFE: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
5 PEOPLE I’D MOST LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Joni Mitchell, Leo Buscaglia, Robin Williams, David Gilmour
I NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT: my iPhone 5 and my black lab, Beasley
I WROTE THIS SONG: as a letter to myself as sort of a pat on the shoulder and a reminder. I think growing up as an artist, you can be chastised for being different, and you aren’t always taught that it’s ok to be yourself, think what you want, dress how you wish, and speak your mind when you feel it right to do so. This song reminds my inner child that I’ve arrived where I am through hard work and self-preservation, meditation, processing and understanding – and I hope that it helps to remind others that we are resilient! We may stumble, but it’s always an option to get back up and take good care of ourselves, in order to keep on keeping on with a bit more know how on our side each time. It is possible to let go, to re-learn, and to build our own perspective to appear exactly how we want it to be.
