Hello there!
As with all of us, I presume, I started this year off with big plans. Then, you know, in mid-March the reality of a global pandemic struck our part of the world and somehow that threw off my goals to make a video every couple weeks.
Can I give you an update of what has been happening since then? I.e. here is where I attempt not to brag or show off my accomplishments but rather to validate my existence with a list of things I did over the past couple months.
I went to my folk’s place and stayed there for about a month and in that time more or less finished up recording the basic tracks for my album of originals that I began recording last September. My dad has a recording studio in their house. Thanks, pa! I also got a wild hair to record about a dozen of my favorite Sara Teasdale poems-turned-songs so guess what there’s not one but two (2!) new albums in the works. And yes they are sounding pretty rad. Pa is producing them and they are sounding. so. good.
While I was up with my family my sister showed me some Miyazaki movies and since then I have made my way through many of the Japanese filmmaker’s works, become obsessed with a Japanese pop singer—Yumi Arai/Matsutoya—whose songs appear in at least two of his movies, and made my way the second “checkpoint” of Duolingo’s Japanese course. I am telling you. It is so exciting to look at a Japanese character and know what sound it makes. I am so excited. It’s like a whole other world (country) is opening up to me.
So this song appears in Kiki’s Delivery Service, a Miyazaki movie that I watched in my youth and one that is my sister’s favorite Japanese pop song. <3 And you know what is so inspiring to me about Yumi Arai? She is a pop star whose career has been going strong for 40 years and she writes her own music! I think that is just so incredibly rad. Apparently Joni Mitchell and Carole King were big influences on her music. I just have the biggest artist’s crush on her right now. Can I now expound upon all the rest of my plans? Thank you, I would love to.
Project 1: Continue learning Japanese
Because once this lockdown is over I need to, like, travel far.
Project 2: Yumi Arai tribute album
Because she is my hero.
Project 3: ABBALELE
Arrange a bunch of rad ABBA songs for ukulele, playing the most recognizable fun parts on ukulele, and singing all those fun ABBA lyrics. Yes, please expect videos of those here.
Project 4: Make vegan icecream
I ordered an ice cream maker, and it is supposed to be delivered to my house today.
Project 5: Sunday night livestreams
I want to do weekly livestreams here at sageharrington.com (or my facebook feed if we are connected there) on Sunday evenings at 7pm. See you in a couple days? <3
Project 6: Make more music videos!
If you want to support me as an independent musician, please consider supporting me at patreon.com/sageharrington. I’ve been inspired by my very very favorite violinist singer-songwriter Andrew Bird, who has been uploading a video on Instagram each day of his original tunes and some covers. I am now planning on making videos much more often. Know that if you make a pledge on my Patreon, you can set a monthly maximum for your pledge so you don’t go over your budget. And of course during a global pandemic I totally understand if money for you is tight right now and it’s not possible for you to contribute. Just please enjoy the tunes all the same. <3
Thanks for sticking with me. I am excited to see you back over the internet-waves. Let me know if you have any special requests of songs to record in video-form <3
-s