I did manage to make a solo album this winter, but I had no plans on playing live until my friend Sara Zahn asked me to be on a bill with the amazing Future Twin from San Francisco. I thought they were so cool that I said yes before my logic could intervene (aka "you're a busy girl!" "you have enough going on!"). I definitely experience some stress leading up to the show, because since I don't usually play under the Sasha Sylvanaut moniker, I didn't initially know exactly what I was going to do.
I considered trying to recreate songs off of my latest album, but sitting on stage working a bunch of pedals just didn't seem visceral enough for this rising Spring energy that's all around and in the air and in my blood. Eventually I decided that stripping it down to the absolute basics felt like the strongest performance option. I write songs on the acoustic guitar, but it is very rare that I get up in front of anyone and play it. I've done it around the late night campfire at the Northern California Women's Herbal Symposium, which is pretty much the most supportive and nurturing environment on earth, but I just never really considered doing it on a stage.
The guitar you see here is my old and trusted friend, known as The Mardou. She is named after the girlfriend in the Jack Kerouac book The Subterraneans, so I guess you could say she respresents the (often-unsung) women's perspective on the world.
My dress is also an old favorite- 1960s Hawaiian psychedelic. The head piece is a vintage devil mask with added fringe.
My friend Mike Meals filmed this number, which is a somewhat Americana-flavored piece called "Oh! Marianna":
For more of my work, both solo and with backing musicians, you can visit the Sasha Sylvanaut Bandcamp site.
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