Canadians have a long tradition in Folk music. Their vast expanses of land are just as vivid as the American West and with it their ranchers, cowhands and various travelers sang of their nation.
Flash forward to the 21st century, a young Canadian rolls the dice and hits the road with her songs. Sarah Burton is that traveler.
Burton joins the traditions of Folk with the craft and focus of Pop music and will be performing at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29 at TBONES Records and Cafe in Hattiesburg.
PBN: What are your influences? What drew you to playing music originally?
SB: I've been making up songs since as long as I can remember - singing to my stuffed animals and writing lyrics in a diary. I started playing piano at 7 and picked up the guitar at 13 and started writing more frequently, but I was too shy to let anyone hear me until I was dragged to an open mic at 21. My influences mostly come from my life experiences and the people I meet - I'm interested in the little life moments that connect us, and the kind of conflicts and life hurdles that we all share. Musically, I grew up listening to everything from classic rock and folk to hip hop and pop... a lot of my favorite stuff was American rock from the 70s and 90s Brit-pop. I grew up in a big city and I didn't discover country music at all until my 20s. I've loved the indie sound that came up in the early 2000s. Artists who had a particular influence were probably Led Zeppelin, CSNY, Elvis Costello, Travis, Gram Parsons, Jenny Lewis, Butch Walker, and Sloan.
PBN: When you were playing for yourself, did you foresee this place where you are now?
SB: I always wanted to perform for a living but I was too shy. I haven't looked back since I started, but I didn't know exactly what it would look like back then. I don't think I ever thought I'd be cruising around the continent in a van trying to sling CDs and make Instagram friends.
PBN: You were always painfully shy, what happened to you that first time you went on stage?
SB: The room was packed, I was super nervous, and I just thought to myself, "it's like diving into the water - keep your form, keep your head down and you'll dive gracefully, but if you put your head up or lose your form you'll belly flop." so I just went for it, everyone clapped and the booker at the club started booking me to play shows and that was it.
PBN: Now you live in Texas, the state that has the greatest appreciation for songwriters. How has your writing changed since being there?
SB: I don't think my writing has exactly changed, but the background and people around me inform my writing in ways that change the product... I definitely identify with and appreciate country and southern rock a lot more since moving south. I spent a few years living in a town that still feels very much like the wild west, and come across the kind of characters many people think only exist in movies. So, the writing hasn't changed so much as the characters and stories.
PBN: When you write songs are you a collector of images (just scribbling good lines in a notebook for consulting later) or do you gather the experiences of your life into actually sitting and writing songs to exorcise ghosts or take on problems?
SB: I do both. Every day I write down whatever comes to me that seems like it might strike a chord - and on days when I have time to, or on days when I just need to in order to get my mind clear, I'll sit down and work it out. Sometimes I just take a few minutes out of whatever I'm doing to write and work out a problem in my head. You can probably hear that in some of my songs... they start out with a problem and end up with some kind of hope or solution. At least, I hope that comes across.
PBN: As you write - do you "write and refine"? When you test a new song in front of an audience, are you constantly tweaking the timing of words to fine-tune their impact and best make the connection with your audience?
SB: Yes, definitely. I edit myself a lot before I take it to the audience, but every now and then I'll take something completely fresh and unfinished to the audience to see what happens. Even last night I had the audience in Mobile pick my next song to be recorded. It's such a gift and a great asset to be able to get this early feedback from the audience. The music is, after all, for them.
PBN: Are you working on an album right now? What do we have to look forward to when you play here next week?
SB: I've just recorded a few new singles and I'm going into the studio next week, so you can expect some new releases in the near future. I also have a video coming soon. This week in MS you can expect to hear all the songs from my current album, Give Me What I Want, a few cuts into my old discography, and a few very very new songs. This will be my first time performing in MS so I'm really excited to share my music with y'all!
For more information on Sarah Burton and to hear her five albums, visit her website at . Join us at TBONES on Wednesday, Jan 29th for her performance at 5:30pm.
