Sarah McQuaid Bio
Friday 12.55 -
Born in Spain (to a Spanish father and an American mother) and raised in Chicago, Sarah was taught piano and guitar at an early age by her folksinging mother, and remembers being inspired by meeting her distant cousin, well-
From the age of twelve she was embarking on tours of the US and Canada with the Chicago Children’s Choir, and at eighteen she went to France for a year to study philosophy at the University of Strasbourg.
In the mid-
Her brief soon expanded to include album and gig reviews, while Hot Press also enlisted her as a reviewer, regular columnist and writer of longer interview/profile pieces on artists from Alison Krauss to Jah Wobble, Stereophonics and Bentley Rhythm Ace amongst others.
In 2007, she switched roles from interviewer to interviewee, re-
The same year saw her moving to rural West Cornwall, England, and in 2008 she released her second album, I Won’t Go Home ’Til Morning. In contrast to the first album’s focus on Irish traditional songs and instrumentals, the follow-
Not long after her arrival in Cornwall, Sarah struck up a friendship with a fellow mum outside the gates of her children’s school. That fellow mum turned out to be Zoë Pollock, writer and performer of 1991 UK Top 5 hit single “Sunshine On A Rainy Day,” and the pair soon found themselves co-
The collaboration with Zoë proved to be a turning point in Sarah’s career -
Like its predecessors, Sarah’s third album The Plum Tree And The Rose (Waterbug, 2012) was recorded in Trevor Hutchinson’s Dublin studio and produced by Gerry O’Beirne, but it represented a departure from her previous work in that nine of its thirteen tracks were originals. Also featured were medieval and Elizabethan numbers and a cover of John Martyn’s “Solid Air”. The album made it to No. 3 on the Folk-
To record her fourth album Walking Into White (Waterbug, 2015), Sarah travelled from her adopted home in Cornwall, England, to the small town of Cornwall, New York, USA, in order to work with co-
In April 2017, Sarah was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ards International Guitar Festival in Newtownards, Northern Ireland (previous recipients include legendary guitarists Davey Graham, John Renbourn, John Martyn, Martin Simpson, Pierre Bensusan and Martin Carthy) in recognition of her innovative use of the DADGAD tuning and her authorship of the aforementioned Irish DADGAD Guitar Book. She regularly presents workshops on the DADGAD tuning (as well as on songwriting, tour booking and more) at festivals, music schools and venues around the globe, and is working on a follow-
Sarah’s fifth album If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous (Shovel And A Spade, 2018) was produced by cult guitar great Michael Chapman, memorably described as a “granite-
In 2020, with her spring tour cut short due to the COVID-
Produced and engineered by the above-
“McQuaid’s voice, a fragile, starkly resonant alto, has always been a thing of folk-
“There is an audience,” wrote Adrian Jones in Songlines, “-
Videos by Cornish filmmaker Mawgan Lewis of all 15 tracks on the album can be viewed on Sarah’s YouTube channel, together with a 10-
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY:
“One of the most instantly recognisable voices in current music … Shades of Joni Mitchell in a jam with Karen Carpenter and Lana Del Rey.” -
“She reached parts other singers fail to do ... There is emotion, beauty, passion and musically great arrangements and fab playing. It’s a complete package. I loved the show and was very moved.” -
“Captivating, unorthodox songwriting … layered satin vocals ... enthralling, harrowing arrangements … a gateway into a true innovator’s soul.” -
“A semi-
“I’ve attended hundreds of concerts of all kinds, and her subtle mastery onstage launches her straight into my fave shows ever.” -
“A voice as thick and soft as fur.” -
“Sarah was just fantastic -
“Brilliant musicianship, a warm and welcoming stage presence and a voice as rich, matured and knowing as the finest thrice-
“Her rich alto voice is like honey poured into wine -
“Stunning sonic depictions of songs of depth and meaning. … This is about as good as it gets and is an absolute must have.” -
“A consummate artistic triumph that marks a new phase in McQuaid’s career.” -
“Intricate playing, thoughtful songwriting and consistently outstanding vocal performances … McQuaid is an artist who really needs to be sitting at the top table of roots musicians in this country.” -
“A consummate artist.” -
“A work of formidable passion.” -
“I’ve died and gone to heaven, I’ve fallen in love, and any of a million other things I could say to let you know how good this record is.” -
“Een vroege kandidaat voor folkalbum van 2018.” (An early contender for folk album of 2018.) -
“De lo más destacado en lo que llevamos de año en folk.” (A highlight of the year so far in folk.) -
“Ausgesprochen wohldurchdachte Songs und Melodien. Das ist subtile, feinsinnige und ausgetüftelte Arbeit.” (Exquisitely thoughtful songs and melodies, expressing subtlety, sensitivity and meticulous craftsmanship.) -
“Avec ce cinquième album, Sarah McQuaid signe une nouvelle perle.” (With this fifth album, Sarah McQuaid has created a new gem.) -
“Light and dark swirl through If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous … There is a depth to the vocals of Sarah McQuaid, the velvet resonance a match for her talents on guitar.” -
“A powerful album that simply shimmers with nuance, observational depth, and despair ... sure to please fans of The Unthanks, Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, and Tom Waits equally.” -
“Sarah McQuaid’s fifth full length album opens in the smoke and shadow of hanging blues tones, a blistering burn embedded in the rough electric slashes, a steady red-
“A major statement in contemporary folk.” -
“Spine-
“An entrancing album ... dark, sophisticated lyrical imagery and a spare but atmospheric production.” -
“Seeing a shared world in a new way, from a different angle, is the role of the songwriter. Sarah gets a gold star on that front. This is a fabulous album.” -