Sara B is a musician, maker, and no-BS earth steward living in Eugene, Oregon.
1. If you could throw a party, who would cook or cater, what would the menu be, what three bands would play, and where would it be?SB: If I could throw the ULTIMATE party? THE DREAM is to rent out every room at the Joshua Tree Inn, (in Joshua Tree) and produce a kick ass micro festival. For those who don’t know, this little roadside motel was one of Gram Parson’s favorite places to bring fellow musicians to party and play music together. He partied so hard there that he actually died outside of his favorite room.
There’s a great courtyard with a bandstand, a pool, fountains, gorgeous desert landscape, and a giant guitar shrine to Gram. A little slice of heaven.
I’d have Trejo’s Tacos cater, and in this fantasy, Danny Trejo would of course want to come to this event himself and see what’s up. There’d be tables covered with colorful cloths, full of Asada, Carnitas, beans and rice, everything you could possibly want from a Mexican food spread.
As for bands, the music nerd in me wants to pick my all time favorite bands, but the DJ in me wants to pick the best bands for the party. So... I’d have Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile open up the evening with a Gram Parsons cover set. It’d be a great way to pay tribute to Gram and the space. A mellow start. Next, would have to be a double set (cuz I’m greedy) from Ty Segall & Freedom band, a sure fire way to get the party kicked into rager status. After that, another double set from Khruangbin to take us into the early morning hours, full of danceable grooves and 90s hip hop instrumentals. Glorious.
2. What's your current creative project or projects? What do you want folks to know about it?
SB: A week before shut down my band Coyote played our best set ever. I’m looking forward to getting back to it with these guys. My partner Jeff joined us on bass last year. He has been playing with our drummer Ken Howe for years and years, so the chemistry is just right. I feel like this iteration is - the one. The sound has evolved a lot over the years, and our trajectory is looking pretty good.
I haven’t been in any kind of headspace to be writing lately. I know part of that is because there’s no promise of performing. That’s really what drives me, connecting with people live. So best believe, once things start going again, we’ll be out there.
My other band Sara B3 & 45RPM is such a beast! This project is pure joy. We have the best damn players in town in this line up. I started this project 11 years ago and the line up had changed pretty much every year, until this current one just clicked three years ago. We’ve been unstoppable, until, well, you know.
I can’t describe the feeling of playing these beloved songs, with these particular people, to big crowds. The energy is just so powerful. Everyone’s dancing and SMILING. We have the most fun. I’m not used to that. Coyote is doomy and kinda heady, the live shows are totally different. Still powerful, but different. I’m looking forward to the time when all eleven of us can be playing music in the same room together.
I also make visual art, mostly jewelry. This year I went out of my comfort zone and tried something that I’ve always wanted to, but was timid about - woodworking. I taught myself some carving techniques. I learned how to do inlay as well. I sold a few pieces and people seem to like them. Once things slow down a bit in the garden, I’ll be working on some small cabinetry designs I’ve been cookin up, so keep an eye out for those.
3. What's a brick and mortar business you've always wanted to work at, something you'd even do for free?
SB: I’ve always wanted to own a Mexican restaurant. Remember El Pinche Taco in the Whiteaker? I always loved the feel of that place. About a 30 person capacity, counter service with a few booths and some counter seating, low ceilings, a half wall between the kitchen and the dining room, big front windows, brightly painted walls and kitschy but somewhat tasteful decor, and a few bistro tables outside. I’d have a simple menu, mostly my own recipes, but some of my Auntie Cuca’s as well. She was the best cook in the family. I’d have a small but quality bar program based around agave spirits, a killer happy hour scene with live cantina music, like my Grandfather used to play, a couple days a week. In a place like that I could cook and serve people all day every day and be happy.
4. What does your ideal creative day look like?
SB: That’s a good question. I’ve never really been the type to have a routine, so it could look like a lot of things. I like to be the first one up in the house. I drink some water, make some coffee, and sit outside in my garden, watching the bees buzz around. That shits pretty inspiring. A little later maybe stand in front of the work bench and carve some wood, play some music in the evening.
Lately I’ve been spending all my free time helping my mom establish a food forest from scratch. We build garden beds, out buildings, and scheme about what this spring and summer will look like. It requires creativity and craftiness. We’ve been planting a lot of fruit trees and berry bushes so far. I’m growing like a thousand veggie and flower starts right now. I can’t wait to get them in the ground. It’s been really inspiring work. I’ve always enjoyed working outside, be it with plants, animals, or building shit.
5. What’s your favorite record right now?
SB: Wide Awake! By Parquet Courts. When this band first came on my radar, I hate to say I was pretty dismissive. Their name and look screamed to me “pretentious Indie hipster band”, but I was wrong. This record came out and totally changed my mind about them. You listen to this album and the music is easy to move to, its a good soundtrack for just about anything, but then the lyrics start to hit you. They are so well written and smart, mostly about how it feels trying to be a decent person, to deal and evolve in this fucked up society. It’s really beautiful.
Minutemen fans will hear some D Boon influence in there. I hear some X and John Doe as well, but it’s definitely not a straight rip off. It comes through with the band’s own style and sound. This song Tenderness hits me the hardest, fucking puts tears in my eyes.
Tenderness
We've come to replace your clock's old stubborn hands
We are the answer to why
They never had a chance
It was not so long ago
That the world was mostly slow
The age of iron, steam and speed
Turned a stroll to a stampede
But we've come to increase time in between ticks
And there is romance in the slow dances
Because they're fertile in hush
Futile in haste
These are your nerves
This is how they taste
Well I can't count how many times I've been outdone by nihilism
Joined the march that splits an open heart into a schism
I cower at the thought of other people's expectations
and yet still
Hand over mine to them
Travel where you are
Tourism is sin, these are the ruins we left behind
You can't take pictures of them
If what they say is true,
Then you become what you chew, if it decays spit it out
Affectation is a drought
That you wait through when you hate everything that you do
You wanna live outside the groove,
Then fine, but it's there like a flower
Blooming in your ear
Open up your mouths
Pollinate your peers
Nothing reminds the mind of power
Like the cheap odor of plastic leaking fumes
We crave, consume, the rush it feels fantastic
But like power turns to mold
Like a junkie going cold, I need the fix
Of a little tenderness
6. What's the last book you wanted to buy 100 copies of and pass out to friends?
SB: I’d have to say Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. I read that book my freshman year of high school and it cracked the world wide open for me. From there I started getting into environmental activism and being more critical of the world around me and how it functions. I found out about it through Pearl Jam (they were my favorite band back then). Eddie Vedder wrote most of the lyrics for the album Yield based on this book. So I read it. A telepathic gorilla teaches a man about the ethical dilemmas within our consumer culture, sustainability, the absurdity of capitalism, among other topics. It’s really well written and easy to digest. The subject matter is very powerful and the way its presented makes you question pretty much everything about how you’ve been living your life. Anyone can benefit from reading this book.
7. It’s a hot summer night and there’s beer in the cooler. What movie would you most like to show in your back yard or on a wall in a public space?
SB: Shoooot. I’m terrible when it comes to movies. I appreciate the art form and that it can be used to tell these nuanced stories or whatever, but really I just wanna watch something funny. Stupid and funny. Always. I’d have to say Friday, or maybe Spaceballs, something where you wanna say the punchline along with the characters, and everyone is just laughing. That’s the best.
8. How do you take care of your creative practice and stay inspired and energized?
SB: I don’t know, really. Saying it’s been a tough year is a big fat understatement. I’ve definitely felt a shift. I’ve always used music to express my feelings about how badly systems are failing us, but at this point, I’m feeling like expressing my feelings just isn’t cutting it. I have to devote more time to making real changes. That’s where this urban farming with my Mom is saving me. I always wrote about how important it is that we wake up and realize we are destroying the Earth, and ourselves. Honestly, if people don’t get it by now, why waste my breath? Why should I keep focusing my energy on feeding my ego, worrying about getting more likes, more follows, and keep dreaming about touring and gaining recognition? I don’t need it. I’m tired, and I’m tired of waiting for things to get better. We should have had these community farm systems in place all along.
When people grow their own food and medicine, the things you learn are endless. You learn how bullshit food supply chains are, they’re unstable, they’re raping the planet. You learn how important it is to keep the water and the soil clean, how egregiously polluted everything has become. We need to get our collective shit together. Our government keeps us weak and reliant - and we need to be the opposite of that. This is how we regain some of our power. I’ve always written about these themes, but that all seems pointless now. Kill your Ego - Save Yourself. I owe it to myself to heal my relationship with my food, my medicine, and our Earth Mother. Being inspired to me now means taking care of my family and my community. I guess that’s how I’ll be staying inspired and energized now. Of course, I cant wait to get back to performing. I’ll always create art and music, but there’s definitely been a huge change in how I want to put it out into the world and why.
9. What made you laugh the hardest this week?
SB: Probably some dumb meme about how tragic modern life is.
10. How would you have handled winning the recent ONE BILLION DOLLAR powerball jackpot?
SB: I would buy a huge piece of land outside of town. I’d build my dad his own place so he wouldn’t have to worry about housing. I’d get my parents the best doctor around, have them eat the best foods. I’d set up a non profit. Have people from all backgrounds come to our place and learn about sustainable agriculture, land rehabilitation, natural building techniques, green energy systems, and nutrition. These programs would be free for any Indigenous person. Indigenous people who complete these programs would be given the money to implement them in their own communities. I would hire any friends and community members who wanted to work the land or share their knowledge. They’d be able to build their own tiny house on the property and live without having to worry about working for some soul-sucking capitalist. I’d buy as much land as possible in the Western and Southwestern states. That land would be handed over to local tribes and Indigenous stewardship programs. If those programs didn’t exist, we would work with local tribes to establish them. I would donate money to inventors and entrepreneurs working to clean up pollution. I would donate money to establish more urban community farms, outdoor education programs, and provide scholarships to people who want to go to school and learn a green trade. That’d be a good start.
