KGNU’s Shawna Sprowls chats with Sarah Jarosz, RockyGrass headliner, at the festival. They discuss her latest album, Polaroid Lovers, released in January, and her ongoing tour. Sarah talks about her journey from Texas to Nashville, her band lineup, her first RockyGrass experience at 12 years old, and the inspiration she draws from the bluegrass community (Interview date: 7/28/2024)
Shawna Sprowls: Welcome back KGNU listeners! This is our live broadcast of RockyGrass. We are preempting Blue’s Legacy, generally heard from 6 to 9 p.m., and it will be back next week. Do not be concerned. As always, we are so excited to be up here at Planet Bluegrass and it’s been a fantastic first day. One of my all time favorite musicians is getting ready to take the stage at 7:15, the Del McCoury Band. But I am joined at the moment by another one of my favorite bluegrass musicians, Sarah Jarosz, and she’s going to be headlining tonight’s show. She gets started at nine o’clock, I believe. Welcome, Sarah.
Sarah Jarosz: Thank you so much for having me.
Shawna Sprowls: Yeah, thanks for coming by to say hi. I appreciate it. I always love to tell people that the first time I ever saw you, you were 11 or 12 and you did a little tweener here in between sets. And then late that night you were backstage and 12 to 14 of the most amazing bluegrass mandolin players that I know were all gathered around you wanting to pick with you. It was a fairly rare sighting. It was exciting to me. I can’t imagine being that 12 year old girl.
Sarah Jarosz: It was life changing. This place truly, not hyperbole at all, changed my life. I came here for the first time when I was 11, drove up from Texas with my family. We fell in love with the festival and everyone here and started coming every single summer. The photo that you took, I actually posted today in my story, which was right back here where we’re sitting and it was with David Grisman and Pete Wernick and some other folks. Great memories.
Shawna Sprowls: Yeah, such good times. I remember thinking at that time, wow, I don’t know if her parents are going to be able to fit her head in the car going home. Some people get 15 minutes and I think you’ve gotten 15, 20 years so far.
Sarah Jarosz: I think it speaks a lot to this community. It places importance on community, first of all, and on longevity. Like you said, Del McCoury’s about to play. He’s 85, I think. That’s the goal: to keep making music for a long time and surround yourself with good people. This is where I learned that.
Shawna Sprowls: And the inclusiveness. If you’re an amazing picker, we don’t care who you are, where you’re from, how old you are, male, female. Come pick. We’d love to, right? Y’all come.
So you’ve been busy. I know this because the albums just keep coming out and we keep playing them on KGNU. Such great talent. Right now, are you touring?
Sarah Jarosz: I am in the middle of a long tour, yes. I released a record in January called Polaroid Lovers and I’ve basically been on the road non stop since then. So yeah, just out here playing these songs and I’m so glad that this is one of the pit stops.
Shawna Sprowls: My fingers are crossed for you and hoping that you will see another Grammy nod for you with this new album. Because you’ve had four wins, right?
Sarah Jarosz: That’s right. Yeah.
Shawna Sprowls: Many more nominations. Congratulations.
Sarah Jarosz: Thank you.
Shawna Sprowls: You’re from Texas originally, right?
Sarah Jarosz: That’s right.
Shawna Sprowls: You still live down there?
Sarah Jarosz: No, I’m in Nashville now. Born in Austin, grew up in Wimberley, a tiny little town in Texas, and then went to college in Boston with a lot of the people that I met here at RockyGrass. Then I lived in New York for a long time, and now I make my home in Nashville.
Shawna Sprowls: A lot of musicians seem to like that town.
Sarah Jarosz: It’s a good one.
Shawna Sprowls: So where are you heading next?
Sarah Jarosz: We’re making a stop actually on Sunday at Red Ants Pants in Montana. So that’s going to be fun. I’ve never been to that festival. And then a bunch more shows all over the place throughout August and September. People can check my website and see where we’re gonna be.
Shawna Sprowls: Staying in the United States?
Sarah Jarosz: Yes. This time around right now.
Shawna Sprowls: Your website for people who want to look you up?
Sarah Jarosz: It’s sarahjarosz.com.
Shawna Sprowls: Check out her website. You can find all the albums she’s put out and information about her band. Speaking of your band, have you been with the same band through all these successful past years?
Sarah Jarosz: Mostly. I’ve had a few personnel changes just for scheduling reasons, musicians are busy all over the place. Today, I’m very happy to have Jeff Picker, my husband, playing bass on the show, Aksel Coe on drums, and my friend Seth Taylor on guitar. Amazing musicians, all of them.
Shawna Sprowls: Are they the same musicians that are on the album?
Sarah Jarosz: No actually, but Jeff, my husband, did play bass on the record. So that is the one consistent.
Shawna Sprowls: Hard for him to sneak away and say he’s busy, right?
Sarah Jarosz: Exactly.
Shawna Sprowls: That is so awesome! Are you thinking about going back into the studio or are you going to ride this out for a little bit?
Sarah Jarosz: I’m gonna play these songs for as long as I can. I’m excited to, hopefully very soon, be making more music with Aoife O’Donovan and Sarah Watkins in our band.
Shawna Sprowls: I was just about to ask about anything coming up with her. Oh, I love that. I really do.
Sarah Jarosz: Yeah. No definitive announcements or anything, but I definitely can say that people can look forward to some new music soon.
Shawna Sprowls: What else have you got going on? Anything else new, exciting?
Sarah Jarosz: I’m just out here doing the thing. We’ve played so many shows this year in a lot of new places that I’ve never been to. It’s special and grounding to be back at a place where it all started, and puts everything in perspective. The fact that I actually get to headline today hasn’t really fully sunk in yet. This is the first time that’s happening for me. Yeah, it’s really special and it’s surreal. I can’t quite believe that I have to sing after Del McCoury, but we’re just gonna go with it.
Shawna Sprowls: Oh, don’t you worry about that. Everybody loves you. I’m so excited for you. That’s fantastic.
Sarah Jarosz: Thanks.
Shawna Sprowls: You have to leave, I assume, after today since you’re on a big tour.
Sarah Jarosz: Sadly, yes, because we have to fly to Montana, but otherwise, I would be out there in the campground jamming and hanging out.
Shawna Sprowls: That’s the downside of not coming with your parents anymore from Texas. You may have a bus and planes, but you’ve got a job and you gotta go.
Sarah Jarosz: It’s true. But at least we’re here now. So that’s all that matters.
Shawna Sprowls: And we are so happy that you are here. Was there anybody in particular today? Have you been here all day?
Sarah Jarosz: Yeah, actually, I got to sit in with Kristin Andreassen and Chris Eldridge earlier, which was so special. I met them both here. I think I saw Kristin play with Uncle Earl at my first or second RockyGrass. And then, obviously, saw Critter play before four Punch Brothers were even Punch Brothers. I have very fond memories of being backstage here with both of them. It was so sweet of them to ask me to sit in and we sang a couple songs, three part harmony. It was special to get to see that and just hang out all day. It’s wonderful.
Shawna Sprowls: Speaking of other bluegrass musicians, Who are a couple of them that are your favorites? I know it’s a lot of great music to draw from.
Sarah Jarosz: Del McCoury is always up there. Tim O’Brien, he’s here on Sunday. I’m going to miss him, sadly. Tim is always going to be the voice and the mandolin player where it all started for me. Chris Thile, Nickel Creek, obviously. Abigail Washburn I saw earlier today, she was one of the first people that was a mentor to me as a singer and a banjo player and a strong woman doing that. She’s always been amazing and so it was sweet to get to see her and Béla earlier. The list is long and a lot of them are here.
Shawna Sprowls: A lot of great women up here in the bluegrass world, which is fantastic because I feel like the early years of bluegrass were dominated by men. These days the women are going strong.
Sarah Jarosz: It is true.
Shawna Sprowls: Last year on Friday we had Sierra Hull. I just love seeing all of you young women rockin’ the bluegrass. We appreciate you coming by, talking to our listeners, putting out so much music that we play.
Sarah Jarosz: Thank you so much for the support. Always love y’all.
Shawna Sprowls: We’re gonna let you get ready for your set. So much fun. Thank you again. I appreciate you taking the time.
Sarah Jarosz: Absolutely. Thanks for having me.
Shawna Sprowls: Once again, Sarah Jarosz, tonight’s headliner at Planet Bluegrass RockyGrass Festival here in Lyons.
