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for her warm, engaging stage presence, Sarah McQuaid is a versatile and
beguiling performer. Her unique voice delivers a powerful emotional
punch that’s matched by her distinctive, eloquent guitar style. In
addition to her own elegantly crafted originals, she interprets
traditional Irish and Appalachian folk songs, Elizabethan Ballads,
1930s jazz numbers, surprise covers and lively guitar instrumentals.
Her earthy voice delivers a powerful emotional punch that’s matched by
her distinctive, eloquent guitar style. Sarah is also the author of The
Irish DADGAD Guitar Book, described by The Irish Times as “a godsend to
aspiring traditional guitarists,” and has presented workshops on the DADGAD tuning at festivals and venues around the globe.
most recent album The Plum Tree and The Rose has drawn critical acclaim
on both sides of the Atlantic: The UK’s fRoots called it “impeccable,”
Ireland’s Hot Press said it “should feature on many end-of-year
best-ofs,” and Germany’s Folker wrote “Diese Frau hat Stil” (“This
lady’s got style”). In the US, Seattle’s Victory Review hailed it as
“truly profound and deeply emotive …. This is one for the keeping,”
while Midwest Record described it as “low key but glorious and
incendiary.” The album was No. 3 on the Folk-DJ Chart for March 2012,
and by April was No. 5 on the Euro Americana Chart; in June, it was No. 6
on the Roots Music Report Folk Top 50.
by Gerry O’Beirne (Midnight Well, Patrick Street, Sharon Shannon Band)
and engineered by Trevor Hutchinson (Waterboys, Lúnasa), The Plum Tree
and The Rose represents a departure from Sarah’s previous albums in that
nine of its thirteen tracks are originals.
a thread of personal experience is woven into the material, Sarah truly
shines as a teller of parables. Whether she’s recounting the life of
16th century businesswoman Bess of Hardwick or standing in Derby
Cathedral and pondering the immortality of the soul, the specific detail
subtly manifests a universal truth. These are songs that linger in the
listener’s imagination.
Earlier
this year, Sarah travelled from her adopted home in Cornwall, England,
to the small town of Cornwall, New York, USA, where she spent three
weeks recording the new album. Due for release on the US-based Waterbug
label on 2nd February 2015 and entitled Walking Into White, the album
was co-produced by Jeremy Backofen (Frightened Rabbit, Felice Brothers,
Simone Felice, Andrea Tomasi) and Sarah’s cousin Adam Pierce
(Mice Parade, Tom Brosseau, Múm, Ólöf Arnalds, Gregory and the
Hawk). Guest musicians include Adam and Jeremy as well as Dan Lippel on
classical guitar, Gareth Flowers on trumpet, Kivie Cahn-Lipman on cello
and pianist Rob King. Martin Stansbury, Sarah’s manager and touring
sound engineer, also contributed guest vocals, air organ and percussion.