WDVX is excited to welcome Sarah Jarosz Friday afternoon, July 22nd for an in-studio interview and special solo performance. Tune in online or on the radio to catch the show. Sarah will be taking the stage later Friday night at the Bijou Theatre so get your tickets now!
Sarah Jarosz grew up in Wimberley, Texas, and began singing during early childhood. She got her first mandolin for Christmas when she was just nine years old. Even at that tender age, she dedicated herself to mastering the instrument, along with the guitar and clawhammer banjo. At the ripe old age of eleven, she performed at the first bluegrass festival and quickly earned a reputation as a young phenom on the festival circuit. She quickly soaked up all the traditional influences surrounding her in that environment and merged her own unique sense of songwriting style with what she learned.
Says Sarah: “From an early age, I’ve had a strong desire to create music. I was also fortunate to be surrounded by older, accomplished musicians who were my mentors. From the very beginning, all of my heroes looked out for me and challenged me in the best ways. It was great being raised in music that way. I always felt completely supported, and I think that that attitude affected the way I approach music now.”
In the summer of 2007, she met Sugar Hill Records A&R representative Gary Paczosa after performing at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado. He was impressed enough to invite her to Nashville to do some recording. The next year when she was only sixteen years old, Sarah got the opportunity to sign with Sugar Hill and began the work on her 2009 debut album Song Up In Her Head. Her second album, 2011’s Follow Me Down grew her fan base and her relentless touring earned her fans from across the musical spectrum.
By 2013, Sarah had released her third album, Build Me Up From Bones, which earned her Grammy nominations for Best Folk Album and Best American Roots Song. Sarah toured for much of 2014, criss-crossing the United States and even making trips to England, Ireland, and Scotland. She also made an appearance at the Cambridge Folk Festival.
In 2015 Sarah toured as part of supergroup I’m With Her, which includes Sarah Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan.
“After singing my own songs for so many years, it was eye-opening to shift gears and be a part of something different. We’ve only been a band for a year, but I’ve learned so much from it already, and I definitely brought some of those lessons to Undercurrent,” says Sarah.
“I’m just trying to become more focused and more honest, and trying to be a better listener and observer of the world around me,” says Sarah. “That’s what I tried to do on Undercurrent, and I’m really pleased with how true this record feels to me. In some ways, it feels like my first record, in the sense that it was the first time I could focus all of my energy on it. Everything felt like it was leading to this moment.”
Don’t forget to listen to Sarah on WDVX for the live in-studio performance, July 22nd!
