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Emily-Rose Sarkova Talks Her Music Project, New Album, And Tour In Q&A
Emily-Rose and the Wild Things is the folk project from Sydney musician Emily-Rose Sarkova who has recently shared a debut album titled “Upon These Open Skins” and also announced a tour to go with it. The 14 date tour will start in July and go through until August as they travel around, playing the fantastic tracks through each town.
We got to do a little Q&A with Emily Rose and you can read it below!
Can you tell us a little about yourself and what kind of music that you create?
I’m a multi-instrumentalist musician now based in the farthest reaches of South Sydney, around Dharawal country. I grew up playing hard-core classical piano, studying at the Sydney Conservatorium, but all the while doing jazz for all my electives and spending my spare time dancing Argentine tango and playing accordion in the folk scene. I’ve spent more than 10 years playing with progressive folk band Chaika and also studied to become a specialist in Argentine tango music and dance, living in Buenos Aires for months at a time.
All of these influences have brought me full circle, back to composing songs, which was what I loved to do as a teenager. So the kind of music I’m creating at the moment, for my band Emily-Rose and the Wild Things, is based around my love of songs and intricate instrumental soundscapes. The music takes on my experience in jazz, folk and classical, but is influenced heavily by the soundworlds and songwriting of people like Sam Amidon, Hiatus Kaiyote, Joni Mitchell, The Magic Lantern, Bjork, Punch Brothers, Kristin Berardi and Tigran Hamasyan. I write about local landscapes, the importance of the natural world and am very interested in the bizarreness of human social constructs and the psychological mazes we create for ourselves.
When writing music, what do you do to become motivated and what kind of things inspire you to create?
I’ve noticed over the last 4 years that I write many of my best songs in the car on long drives. It’s something about not being able to do anything physically, apart from driving, that allows my mind to examine ideas and thoughts I have about places, people and emotions. I’ll have ideas about words, melodies or instrumental textures that I want to try out. I turn them over and over in my head, often singing them and then voice memo or write them down at the end of my journey.
To be motivated overall to create, I need to have space and time. Time in nature, with others that inspire me and at my instruments, and then space from any busy, stressful periods.
Tell us about your new album - what is the inspiration, what was your creative process like, and what’s your favourite track from it?
My new album is the debut from Emily-Rose and the Wild Things. It’s called Upon These Open Skins, which is a lyric from the song Complex Ships. I think this track is one of my favourites because it came from a period of great change in my life. I decided to remove myself from a toxic life situation and surround myself with more music and people from my beloved folk scene. The song examines us as complex vessels, who travel vast seas, often against the tide, baring our skin for all to see. It is inspired by the many beautiful and unusual humans in the folk festival circuit that we hardly get to know but feel deep kinship with.
We recorded the album mid 2020 in-between lockdowns at my home studio. Over a 10 day period the whole 5 band members stayed in my house and we worked on the arrangements and sound worlds. My partner Nick Henderson (also plays bass) engineered it and Chris Stone (violin) mixed it in his studio in the Araluen Valley. The full album has everything from drum and bass to experimental ballad to afro-beat inspired shout chorus. Road to Bello is dedicated to the NSW regional town Bellingen, Golden Light is about the afternoon sun in my room, Faces is about the New Zealand mosque massacre, Complete as One is a hectic take on the busy-ness of our tech fuelled brains and features amazing drumming from Abby Constable and Secrets from the Sky is a co-write with my guitarist Luke Chapman about the importance of rain. I delve a little more into each one on my bandcamp page for Peppermint Grove Records, so head there if you are curious.
You’ve recently announced an album tour, what venue are you most excited to perform at?
That’s such a hard question, I am equally as excited to play for the little community at Armidale’s Studio Folk Club as I am the beautifully big Brunswick Ballroom in Melbourne alongside the divine Parvyn. I can’t wait to sing about Bellingen IN Bellingen at 5 Church St and be reunited with friends at River Folk in Warbuton. I have to say overall - I’m excited to be seeing humans I’ve been unable to connect with over these past years of the pandemic.
What is something you love about touring and what is something you hate about it?
I love seeing the different natural landscapes across our vast land and making real connections with small communities in regional areas. I hate stressing about the pressure to sell tickets, especially in these difficult pandemic times as an independent musician - this is the main thing that causes me to think about giving up.
What can we expect next from you? Any plans brewing for next year?
I’ve got a stack of new songs brewing for this project, as well as an album with my gentle singer-songwriter duo called Little Clouds. I’m also planning a tour with one of my favourite songwriters Jamie Doe - The Magic Lantern, who will be coming out from the UK.
