Sarah Jarosz - If Not Now, When?

We are so excited to bring you this conversation with Sarah Jarosz, one-third of the amazing group I’m With Her. Together with Sara Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan, Sarah has created a truly special band. Their new record, Wild and Clear and Blue, is stunning–the harmonies, of course, are magical, but I think the band explored the instrumentation in their music in really interesting new ways. Sarah gives some of the credit to producer Josh Kaufman, but I also think that the length of time these songs had to incubate gives them a richness that some other projects don’t have. As Sarah talks about in our conversation, their first writing session for this album was in 2021, and the songs have a spacious, unhurried feel to them that perhaps was a byproduct of the span of time the band was working on them.

I’m With Her is on tour this summer, both at festivals and with Iron & Wine, and they are all over the country in September and October too. Hope you enjoy this conversation, and be sure to listen to the end for Sarah’s contribution to our BEST SONG EVER playlist!

Palmyra: A Matter of Time

If it’s possible to fall head over heels for a band (and I believe that is possible), then Palmyra is a band that people fall for. Like so many things in life, it appears to come down to authenticity, to that sense that what you’re hearing and seeing and experiencing is genuine. On their new record, Restless, which will be out everywhere on March 28, the band wrestles with questions of time, of speeding up or slowing down, and the accompanying control, or lack thereof. It’s a beautiful record, full of gorgeous harmony. It is also a masterclass in tension and release: songs build to a breaking point, and I caught myself holding my breath, then exhaling along with the songs.

It was such a pleasure to talk with Sasha, Teddy, and Mānoa for the Red Line Roots podcast. Be sure to listen to the end for their contributions to our “Best Song Ever” playlist, and check back soon for my review of their show at Cat’s Cradle on March 29!

If you have never seen Palmyra live, make it a priority–tour dates are here.

Jeffrey Foucault joins the Red Line Roots podcast to dig into his brilliant new record, The Universal Fire. The album has been described as a “working wake” for his late friend and bandmate, Bill Conway. It explores friendship, loss, both the depth and ephemeral nature of music, and the vitality of making something true.

Credit to Joe Navas