Sarah Swanson: News

All right! Two more studio sessions and "This Side of Madness" is off for mastering! We are so excited and ready and a little nervous to share this baby with you and the world. We entered Big Sky Recording on March 3, 2011 for our first session for this project. I've kept a journal entry of every night we've worked in the studio, and it's (mostly) been a complete riot! You would not believe the goofy things that are said and done in making an album! I just might have to make a book out it. I'm not saying it's never stressful, but the creative process and the joy we've experienced in writing, playing, dreaming, and scheming is hard to express and is irreplacable satisfaction in my world. We've worked really, really hard on this CD, and we're hoping you will listen, share, embrace, and thoroughly dig the music coming soon to your ears. Release should be around late April or shortly after. Keep watching for updates and thank you from every inch of my heart (our hearts!) for your kindness and support. xoxo ss

I can't believe how long it's been since I updated the NEWS. Yikes! Time is flying, but we're having a great time recording "This Side of Madness" at Big Sky Recording in Ann Arbor. We are now closing in on finishing the tracks, and with all luck will release this baby in early February 2012. Even though it seems like it's taking forever, we anticipate from start to finish will be about 11 months. "Dark Sunshine" took nearly 3 years (!) so when we feel truly frustrated we try to keep things in perspective :)

This new CD has just been a BLAST to write and record. This is a rock and roll album! Not everyone is going to groove on this heavier sound, but we are over the moon happy and proud of what we are working on. We're looking forward to booking shows as we head into the New Year and getting some of these new tunes on the radio. Hope you will join the ride!

In the meantime, we'll play a show December 17 at Crazy Wisdom in Ann Arbor just because we miss the live action and we really miss the band~ Chuck, Rod, Jim, and Jennifer. Please join us! See CALENDAR for details.

We also have a bunch of new pictures coming as well as new videos so please stayed tuned (added a couple misc. pics today)! The website is getting a makeover soon(finally!). Since I'm not a computer techie, please have patience with me on this one.

Thank you for visiting our website. Please spread the word about our music. We really appreciate all of your support. 2012 is going to be an amazing music year. I can just feel it. peace and love to you, sarah

Wow~ it is just me or is this summer flying by? What an amazing time we've had so far! We have been in the studio every week working on the new CD "This Side of Madness". Ironically, creating this CD has not been nearly as maddening as recording "Dark Sunshine"! I guess we learned a few things along the way. "This Side of Madness" is turning out to be a rock CD with a tinge of blues. Patrick and I collaborated a bit more on the songwriting and used some different creative approaches, and we're both really excited about the tunes that have emerged. Songs range from Zep to Carole King to Sheryl Crow stylistically, but I'd still say we have our own unique sound, which Geoff Michael of Big Sky Recording has captured so incredibly well in both his engineering and producing roles. This guy is AMAZING!

Patrick and I could not be more pleased with the contributions from bassist Rod "Musical Genius" Capps and drummer Chuck "Bonham" Mauk. Not only are these guys a riot to work with, they are of course extraordinary musicians. And Patrick's work on this CD is out of this world. So I may be a little biased, but the consensus from others is the dude can play that guitar! We're both feeling free on this new CD, and you will really be able to hear the range Patrick has from his sweet guitar parts to his rocked out jams. Gives me chills!

All this said, the CD probably won't be released until early January 2012, a little later than we anticipated, but I promise you it will be worth the wait!

In the meantime we have a few gigs lined up this summer because as busy as we are, we miss playing live. The next two gigs will feature Patrick, Chuck, and Jennifer Buehrer as well as new additions Dave Sharp on bass and Jim Gillette on guitar. We're very honored to play with this amazing and talented band.

Please check in for updates and share this website with others. Thank you for being here, and we look forward to seeing you soon! xoxo sarah

Hi Everyone~ News is somewhat slow on the webpage, but is busy in "real life". We're working hard on the new CD tentatively entitled "This Side of Madness." We're again working with music geniuses Chuck Mauk, Rod Capps, and the great Geoff Michael. So far, this CD has a true band feeling and is coming together in ways I could only dream of it being. We're stretching our wings a little, working hard, and hoping to give you our very best. Please check in here from time to time to see our progress. We won't be playing out much during this intense process, but hope to hit the stage again in the fall. We really hope to see you then, and as always thank you immensely for your support and love. Dreams really do come true... love, sarah

It's hard to believe that Saturday, February 26 is almost here! The band has been rehearsing specifically for the show at Creative 360 and is excited about rocking out my hometown of Midland. This is really a dream come true... I imagined as a young girl that someday I would stand on a stage and sing my songs with a fantastically cool band, but I never realized this would actually come true!

I don't normally get too nervous about gigs, but I'll admit I have a few butterflies for this show. I know there will be childhood friends, mentors, my English teacher, new friends, and my mom in the audience. That's a lot of pressure! Ha! Ha!

Once we get on stage and feel all the love and groove, the worry disappears. I can't remember wanting to rock a show so much! This is really a big deal to me. If you are reading this, I hope you can come to the show this Saturday, 2.26 at Creative 360 on Bayliss (BYOB). This will be one of our last gigs for a while as we head back into the studio to record our next CD in early March. See specifics about the show under the CALENDAR link.

We'll have our awesomely talented band with us this weekend~ Patrick Thomas (guitar), Rod Capps (guitar), Chuck Mauk (drums), Don Beyer (bass), and Jennifer Buehrer (backup vocals & percussion).

Hope to see you soon! xoxo~ Sarah

Wishing you a spectacular 2011 and hoping that the holidays have been joyous and full of love and excitement, but not so much that you are headed for the loony bin!  Crazy times, yes? We've had a wonderful season with our family and friends. Loved playing Crazy Wisdom in Ann Arbor on December 18. Thank you to the beautiful crowd that filled up that spectacular venue! We were honored to have my mom and my nephew in the audience~ Mom had never seen our performance. I think she'll now be a fixture at every show!

We're playing every month now and will spend concentrated time in January hammering out the songs and demos for the next CD! We hit the studio in February and hope for a new release this spring. We're very, very excited about sharing our new songs with you! If you know of any places we can play, please let me know! We love playing live and want to support the new CD as much as possible.

We're immensely happy with Dark Sunshine and thrilled that we've been nominated for the WYCE Jammies Awards ~ Best Solo- Female and Best Rock/Pop (www.wyce.org). Reflecting back on this year, we can't believe all that has happened with this CD, the little "get it out of your system" project. We thank everyone who has helped us along.

We especially thank YOU for your kind messages, attendance at gigs, and support of Dark Sunshine. We truly hope you will dig the next CD!

Peace to you always~

Love, Sarah

Hi Friends~ Sorry for being so out of touch. Personally, it's been a crazy fall, moving much too fast. With the cooler weather setting in, we've been busy writing new songs for the next CD. I have the sense this next project is going to be quite bluesy. Patrick and I are feeling an intense excitement about this creative process... can't wait to share it with you. In the meantime please join us for our upcoming live shows. We hope to introduce some of the new tunes into our sets here and there. Looking forward to seeing you and please let me hear from you! Love, Sarah

Hi Friends~  the summer buzzed by so fast. We've played some Ann Arbor shows. Had a lot of fun during the incredibly hot, sunny days. Love the summer, but here comes gorgeous fall in Michigan, ready or not.

We have a show coming up December 18 at Crazy Wisdom in Ann Arbor with the band. Really look forward to that gig. And we're finally putting together a gig in my hometown Midland. Very excited about that too. Maybe early January. Will keep you posted! We've been invited to WI, MN, NM, OR, etc. recently for radio interviews and performances... now if only I could figure out the logistics because we'd love to do them all!

Many thanks to WBSD FM in Burlington, WI who have given us so much support through the special interviews on "Album Hour" and "Women in Rock" recently. They have also included us in the New Music show and Folk Rock County, USA. We LOVE WBSD and think you will too! Tune in via computer anywhere in the world: http://www.WBSDFM.com

We're still being added to radio stations here and there including Internet stations like Women of Substance Radio (http://www.WomenofSubstanceRadio.com) on Live 365 and Radio Free Americana (http://www.RadioFreeAmericana.com). Please visit our Radio Station link and send in your requests for your favorite Dark Sunshine songs.  

And (big Chuck Mauk-style drum roll)... It's time, my friends, to get the ball rolling for the next CD, possibly titled "This Side of Madness" because after all, it is! We'll record at Big Sky here in Ann Arbor again. We are unbelievably excited and ready to start this new project. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, please keep Dark Sunshine alive! Tell your friends, your high school teacher, your dog for goodness sake.  

Finally, if you are reading this thank you for all of the happiness you've brought to our world! We truly, truly appreciate any support and life you have given not just to our music, but to all music out there. It's the air we breathe.

 xoxo, ss

Hey Friends~ What a great summer of music! We've seen many concerts, both national (Buckcherry, Alice Cooper!) and local (Khalid Hanifi, Nathan K, Annie and Rod Capps!), and I'm thankful beyond words that we have so many wonderful musicians to hear all around us!

We hope to see YOU on Friday, 8.13 at noon in downtown Ann Arbor! We'll be playing on the corner of Liberty and Fifth on the AnnArbor.Com patio. It's a groovy little set up, and it's FREE! The whole band will be there-- Patrick Thomas, Chuck Mauk, Alex Anest, Don Beyer, and Jennifer Buehrer.

We've been getting asked more and more to play shows and do radio interviews. I wish we could do every one of them... Please watch the CALENDAR for all of our new events. We want to see you there!!!

And it's true. We're starting to think about the next project, writing new songs... I'll keep you posted. The cold, winter months are perfect for writing and recording. And we miss Big Sky so much!

Thanks again to the many radio stations supporting us. We are amazed at how widespread "Dark Sunshine" has gone. Check out the Radio Station link, and if you see a fave there please support the station. Also feel free to request songs from "Dark Sunshine". That really helps get the word out there about the CD!

Thanks for every kind word, note, smile you have shared with us. We really, really appreciate every bit of support and enthusiasm. Let me hear from you! xoxo, sarah

Summer is officially here, and we've just played our show at the ABC Tap Room in Ann Arbor. Spectacular night of high energy and wild storms. How interesting that the power flickered on and off during our version of "Hurricane"!

Anyone in music reading this knows that one's head can spin fast trying to simply share the songs... gigs to book, radio to track, promotion to master. If you are not careful, all of these things will tear you away from the music you really love... playing, writing, performing. Doubts can trap you, but the stage will free you. Playing music is the ultimate high. Making something out of nothing and being surrounded by those who love music as much as you do trumps all the pain and worry...

That said, please continue to support indie artists by showing up to gigs, requesting tunes on the radio, and purchasing the music. It's a hard, expensive, and trying road to travel at times.

We hope to see you soon, and thank you truly for supporting DARK SUNSHINE! We love you for this... xoxo, ss

Hey Everybody~ Spring has sprung, and crazy days are upon us!

Join us for Ann Delisi's Essential Music show on WDET Sunday, June 13 between 11 a.m.-1 p.m. We are **so** excited about being invited to perform here. Ann is amazing! She plays what she wants, knows music inside out, and is just super cool. We are honored about being on the show. Listen LIVE from any city... great sound quality and easy to connect! We'll play two songs live with the band. One will be FREE for sure!

This leads into our upcoming gig on Friday, June 18 at the Tap Room next to Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor. See the calendar for details. We can't tell you how much we would love to see you it this cool little venue!

AND Artist Airplay Advisors continue to amaze us with their miracle working! "Dark Sunshine" is making its way all over the country little by little. It's daunting to us that our little tunes are being heard by folks not related to us :) We are humbled and grateful and happy. And we're very, very thankful for our promo team in Cali working so hard on our behalf.

Peace to you all~ we would love to hear from you. Let's stay in touch~ ss

Hi from Ann Arbor~

It's been a crazy few months. We've been amazed and shocked, really, at the fantastic support and kindness we've been blessed with from you. Dark Sunshine is finding its way onto radio stations across the nation. Never, ever in my life did I think these little songs would travel over the airwaves one day. The feeling is beyond words!

Truly, Patrick's amazing playing and vision (along with the rest of the band and of course genius engineer Geoff Michael) turned little pieces of glitter into real life dreams. The first "single" FREE was co-written with Patrick. I knew what I wanted the music to sound like, but didn't know what notes I was singing. Patrick found them! His guitar work is spectacular on this CD... I'm still blown away by his talent every time I hear him.

We are working on some shows so we can see you again very soon. We are over the top ready to play! Thanks for your patience... Honestly, sometimes I'm not sure what we are doing!!! Thanks for riding with us... it means much more to us than you will ever know.

peace and rock on~ xoxo, ss

Thanks to Detroit's WDET 101.9 FM! Ann Delisi played "Free" on the Ann Delisi Essential Music show this past Saturday. Amazing!

AND WYCE 88.1 FM in Grand Rapids played "Blue" the first day the CD was added to the station. Double Amazed!

Thanks to WHFR.FM 89.3 FM in Dearborn; they played "Not What You Wanted", "After You Move On", AND "I Know You"!

Hearing your little song on the radio? It's the ultimate thrill ride. Thank you for your support. We are truly honored.

Dark Sunshine made #10 on the Michigan Roots Music airplay chart the week of Dec. 18.

 

http://www.rootsmusicreport.com/index.php?page=statechart&state=MI

 

 

Also, thanks to WHFR FM 89.3 for playing us on their station!

 

"Not What You Wanted", "After You Move On", and "I Know You" have hit the airwaves!

 

More stations to come after the New Year! ZOWIE!! Thanks for all of your support....

We had an AMAZING time at the December 5 concert in Ann Arbor! Being on stage with Patrick, Rod, Chuck, and Alex and having so many wonderful friends there was a dream come true. I can't imagine a better night!

Special thanks to: Kent Gascoyne for sound; Cyndy Cleveland, Lilly Ferguson, and Mary Anderson for set up and yummy snacks; Mary Anderson for handling the door and sales; and Tom and Ann Gladwin for the use of the beautiful venue.

Watch for the next show, and in the meantime get yourself a CD! You can buy it here under the "PRODUCTS" tab...

Thank you from the heart for your overwhelming support. Love, Sarah

Come on out for the December 5 concert! See details on Facebook Events (Sarah's Profile) or on the Calendar page here. We will rock you... you can rock us! Can't wait to see you.... Carpooling highly recommended. Email me with questions (SarahFZM@gmail.com). Peace Out Rock On!

Hey Friends~ *SIX* more days until the Dark Sunshine concert Saturday, Dec. 5 in A2. The band played together last night. People, these guys are GOOD. I'm amazed...you will be too. Come enjoy, relax, sing... think Indoor Woodstock (without the tents and with indoor plumbing and heat).  Groovy time! And at least song that will truly blow your mind! Flowers in your hair optional.

Please join us in support of the Dark Sunshine CD and to support local music. Independent musicians put their hearts, souls, money, and dreams into little silver discs to share with you. Take what you can from it and pass it on.

See CALENDAR DATES for more info/details. Looking forward to seeing you this Saturday!

The Dark Sunshine show is set for Saturday, December 5! Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m.  This is going to be a blast! See CALENDAR for more info. We'll be playing much of Dark Sunshine live along with some very cool covers... mostly classic 70's tunes. Get ready to sing along!

$6 cover to help pay the guys in the band who are working so hard to make this a fantastic show and also to pay for the venue. The Gladwin Barn is a gorgeous sustainably renovated building, a real treat to visit.  Please RSVP: Sarahfzm@gmail.com or on Facebook.

Alcohol OK over 21- BYOB. We hope to have some soda and small snacks if we can swing it. See you there!

Get your tamborines ready! Time to rock this house!