Saturday’s edition of the New York Times included a feature on Sarah Jarosz, written by Andy Langer, one of her fellow Austinites.
They talk about her studying at Boston’s New England Conservatory, her upcoming sophomore CD, Follow Me Down, her roots in bluegrass and old time music, and questions about her genre-bending sound.
From the article…
“I grew up appreciating musicians that were kind of on the edge, coming from acoustic folk and bluegrass backgrounds, but also pushing the envelope,” said Ms. Jarosz, who has recently begun charting original music for string quartets, something she learned this semester in school and hopes to apply to her next record. “And because of that, I don’t feel tied down to any genre or history. And yet, I think there’s a difference between not worrying about purists and not respecting that history. I came from that world. But you can respect that world and not be tied down to it.”
While she’s comfortable poking at the ceiling a bit, Ms. Jarosz said she’s not in a rush to figure out just how far away she’ll eventually wind up from her bluegrass and acoustic roots. That “Follow Me Down” is sparking those kinds of discussions before its release suggests that maybe that story line will soon supplant the most obvious one: her age.
“I’m still 19, so I’d understand if people still want to talk about my age,” Ms. Jarosz said. “But here’s the thing: Even if nobody was talking about me at all, I’d still be doing this. School’s taught me so much already about how much I don’t know. It’s made me think about music in a different, deeper way. I think I’m still just scratching the surface.”
Read the full piece online.
We’ll have an interview of our own with Sarah later this month, closer to the May 17 release date of the new record.
