Episode 028: Sarah Borges
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Sarah Borges has now won the award for most patient subject I've ever interviewed, as I had numerous technical glitches before we even got started with our conversation (thank you very much, Pro Tools) and she was as gracious and funny about it as one could be.
Borges' debut CD, "Silver City," was released in 2005 by Austin's Blue Corn Music and she's been working her way across the US gaining new fans and wowing critics with her songwriting and live shows. Reviews from both her CD and live shows have helped label her this year's "it" girl and the buzz about her work is so strong that it has spread across the country.
Silver City is the nickname for Taunton, Massachusetts, Borges' hometown and about an hour south of Boston. The moniker is born of Taunton's industrial past when companies produced silver goods throughout the city.
Borges' voice reminds me at times of Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Amy Rigby, Shelby Lynne, and Hope Nicholls of Fetchin' Bones (one of my favorite bands of all-time…I demand a reunion tour!). Borges creates hooks more memorable than most of these folks, though, and "Silver City" is the kind of record that aspires to be played loud in your car as you tool around the town. Her mix of country, blues, soul, and rock has put her in the Americana music camp, mostly because describing her as anything else would sound limiting.
Borges' terrific band, named the Broken Singles since the release of "Silver City," includes Rob Dulaney on drums, Binky on bass, both of whom also perform with Jake Brennan and The Confidence Men. Additional players on Silver City include Mike Castellana on pedal steel, Russell Chudnofsky on lead guitar (with whom Borges performs in his pop opera, Sky Paint), Jimmy Ryan on mandolin (who Well-Rounded Radio interviewed in episode 017), and Steve Malone on pedal steel.
Produced by Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Uncle Tupelo, Dinosaur Jr., Morphine, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Hole, etc.), "Silver City" is a solid record from start to finish. Borges takes on sultry rockers, back porch country ballads, and soul-filled Her lyrics touch upon tales of romance, human vices, and classic American narratives that feel both like old friends and completely fresh all at once.
Borges also covers two songs on "Silver City:" "I’m Going to Live the Life I Sing About in My Songs" by Tommy Dorsey and most known from a version by Mahalia Jackson, and Teenage Fanclub’s "Mellow Doubt." That right there tells you she’s not easy to define...
I recently met with Sarah in Charlestown, Massachusetts to discuss:
* how she made the leap from indie rock to her own blend of Americana
* some of her favorite music and songwriters and how they’ve influenced her in spirit and in action
* how she is approaching the writing of new material for her second CD, to be released in 2007.
And at the end of the interview, the full version of "Belle of the Bar," a song from the "Silver City" sessions that is not on the CD. The band is also on tour through June and July, so catch them if you can.
If you like this interview, give a listen to the Well-Rounded Radio Interviews with Jimmy Ryan and Tarbox Ramblers.
Sarah recommends The New Pornographers, Frank Smith, and CC Adcock.
Well-Rounded Radio recommends Yelp.
