Sarah Siskind
Encyclopedia
Sarah Siskind is a singer and songwriter based in Nashville
and grounded in folk and Appalachian roots. Her music has been classified as: rock
, folk
, americana
, and alternative
. Alison Krauss
has championed Sarah and values her songs so highly that she’s recorded two of them, both of which became singles and videos that received widespread airplay. Bluegrass
/Folk legend Tim O'Brien
calls her a rare talent.
, surrounded by not only the bluegrass and old-time her parents played at many jam sessions, but a wide slice of other genres. By 4 years old she was singing and playing piano. She wrote songs starting at age 11, and when she was 14, she completed her first album. Over the next few years she won songwriting competitions and appeared on stage with Doc Watson
and Maya Angelou
. By the time she moved to Nashville at 21, she had released her third recording.
In 2002, Sarah released “Covered." Despite its title, it featured mostly original songs that dealt with love, family and relationships. It included contributions from guest Jennifer Kimball
, whose 1990s vocal duo The Story
with Jonatha Brooke
had been an important influence on Sarah and who supported her development. Sarah invited Bill Frisell
, a modern-day giant of jazz guitar, to anchor the studio band.
She continues to achieve new landmarks. In 2006, she made a keepsake double EP featuring intimate performances from her home, co-produced and engineered by her first husband Brian Siskind, titled "Studio.Living Room." She recently collaborated on the first album by Old Black Kettle, a genre-bending band with friends and fellow artists Julie Lee
and Jodi Haynes. Her song “Simple Love” became the signature single from Alison Krauss’s “A Hundred Miles or More” compilation album of 2007. The recording earned a Grammy
nomination for Best Female Country Performance. In 2006, Sarah signed with Nashville publisher Big Yellow Dog Music, home to such writers as Mindy Smith
and Shawn Camp.
Indie-rock act Bon Iver
was so taken with Sarah's song “Lovin’s For Fools” that the group closed most of their 2008 tour sets with the song each night, and invited her to join them on their December 2008 European tour. In addition, Ireland's artist, Paul Brady
, invited her to join him on-stage for a collaboration in New York City that same year, and had her contribute backing vocals on his new album.
Sarah Siskind’s sixth release, her 2009 album "Say it Louder" is co-produced and engineered by Jason Lehning. The 13-song album narrates a journey through difficult trials, ultimately arriving at a renewed embrace of life. Union Station member Jerry Douglas
contributed guitar licks to “Keep Me Alive.” Siskind also enlisted her longtime Old Black Kettle bandmates Julie Lee and Jody Seyfriend to sing harmonies, and her electric band (Joe MacMahan on guitar, Lex Price on bass and Ian Fitchuk on drums) to play on the recording.
In December 2010, Sarah opened several shows for Over the Rhine, during which she featured songs from her EP, All Come Together Now, containing six holiday themed original songs.
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and grounded in folk and Appalachian roots. Her music has been classified as: rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
, and alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
. Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
has championed Sarah and values her songs so highly that she’s recorded two of them, both of which became singles and videos that received widespread airplay. Bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
/Folk legend Tim O'Brien
Tim O'Brien (musician)
Tim O'Brien is an American country and bluegrass musician. In addition to singing, he plays guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki and mandocello...
calls her a rare talent.
Biography
Siskind grew up in a music-filled household in North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, surrounded by not only the bluegrass and old-time her parents played at many jam sessions, but a wide slice of other genres. By 4 years old she was singing and playing piano. She wrote songs starting at age 11, and when she was 14, she completed her first album. Over the next few years she won songwriting competitions and appeared on stage with Doc Watson
Doc Watson
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
and Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
. By the time she moved to Nashville at 21, she had released her third recording.
In 2002, Sarah released “Covered." Despite its title, it featured mostly original songs that dealt with love, family and relationships. It included contributions from guest Jennifer Kimball
Jennifer Kimball
Jennifer Kimball is a vocalist and songwriter who is notable for being part of the acclaimed folk duo The Story. She is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and has released two albums Veering from the Wave and Oh Hear Us....
, whose 1990s vocal duo The Story
The Story (band)
The Story was an early 1990s folk-rock duo composed of Jonatha Brooke and Jennifer Kimball.-History:The folk-pop duo The Story consisted of Jonatha Brooke and Jennifer Kimball, who first met each other in 1981 while freshmen at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts...
with Jonatha Brooke
Jonatha Brooke
Jonatha Brooke is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Illinois.Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies...
had been an important influence on Sarah and who supported her development. Sarah invited Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
, a modern-day giant of jazz guitar, to anchor the studio band.
She continues to achieve new landmarks. In 2006, she made a keepsake double EP featuring intimate performances from her home, co-produced and engineered by her first husband Brian Siskind, titled "Studio.Living Room." She recently collaborated on the first album by Old Black Kettle, a genre-bending band with friends and fellow artists Julie Lee
Julie Lee
Julie Lee is a singer/songwriter originally from Maryland now living in Nashville, Tennessee. She is also a member of the band Old Black Kettle, with Sarah Siskind, and has collaborated with Sarah Masen...
and Jodi Haynes. Her song “Simple Love” became the signature single from Alison Krauss’s “A Hundred Miles or More” compilation album of 2007. The recording earned a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for Best Female Country Performance. In 2006, Sarah signed with Nashville publisher Big Yellow Dog Music, home to such writers as Mindy Smith
Mindy Smith
Mindy Smith is an American singer-songwriter. Her music can be classified as all of the following: folk, country, Americana, bluegrass, pop, rock, and even alternative. Her voice and music have been compared to that of Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin, Norah Jones, and Alison Krauss.-Biography:Smith...
and Shawn Camp.
Indie-rock act Bon Iver
Bon Iver
Bon Iver is a Grammy nominated folk band founded in 2007 by American indie folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. It includes Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago independently in July 2007. The majority of that album was...
was so taken with Sarah's song “Lovin’s For Fools” that the group closed most of their 2008 tour sets with the song each night, and invited her to join them on their December 2008 European tour. In addition, Ireland's artist, Paul Brady
Paul Brady
Paul Joseph Brady is an Irish singer-songwriter, whose work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age...
, invited her to join him on-stage for a collaboration in New York City that same year, and had her contribute backing vocals on his new album.
Sarah Siskind’s sixth release, her 2009 album "Say it Louder" is co-produced and engineered by Jason Lehning. The 13-song album narrates a journey through difficult trials, ultimately arriving at a renewed embrace of life. Union Station member Jerry Douglas
Jerry Douglas (musician)
Jerry Douglas is an American record producer and resonator guitar player. Called "Dobro's matchless contemporary master," by The New York Times, and lauded as "my favorite musician" by John Fogerty, Douglas is one of the world’s most renowned Dobro players.-Career:In addition to his twelve solo...
contributed guitar licks to “Keep Me Alive.” Siskind also enlisted her longtime Old Black Kettle bandmates Julie Lee and Jody Seyfriend to sing harmonies, and her electric band (Joe MacMahan on guitar, Lex Price on bass and Ian Fitchuk on drums) to play on the recording.
In December 2010, Sarah opened several shows for Over the Rhine, during which she featured songs from her EP, All Come Together Now, containing six holiday themed original songs.
Albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Covered |
| 2006 | Studio Living Room |
| 2008 | Old Black Kettle (w/Julie Lee and Jodi Haynes) |
| 2009 | Say it Louder |
| 2010 | All Come Together Now (download only EP for Christmas) |
Singles
| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
| "Goodbye Is All We Have" | Alison Krauss Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in... |
| "Simple Love" | Alison Krauss Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in... |