Americana UK said about Sarah Burton “..full of earthy and earnest sounds coming across at times like Lucinda Williams’ little sister. A little sassier, certainly more energetic but with a voice that leans back against the bar and tells it like it is…” Released in August 2012, Sarah Burton’s Fire Breathers consists of 13 songs spun together by a spaghetti-western love story that follows three imperfect characters: the outlaw, the lady, and the man who was too good, through the torments and the pleasures of the heart. The album is distributed by Fontana North/Universal, courtesy of Tonic Records, Vancouver.
Portraying the “lady” in the Fire Breathers story, is Miss Sarah Burton, and something got under her skin in this new release. From the edgy and fiercely independent sound of her previous album, Mayflower (containing such songs as“Anti Monogamy” and “If This Is A Sin”), Fire Breathers shows more love to the opposite sex with songs like the lead out rocker “Raise The Bar”, the power pop of “Love to Love You”, and the raunchy blues-rock of “My Man”. While softening her lyrical approach, Sarah also raised the bar herself on the sound and feel of this collection. Straight up rock ‘n roll, dirty blues riffs, a little twang, and pop treatments run rampant throughout, thanks to the contributions of “the outlaw”, bass player Luke Stackhouse, and “the man who was too good”, guitar player Jay Swinnerton. Each song is unique while still flowing with style of the album; a piece of Canadiana splendor. Fire Breathers will leave you breathless.
Kerry Doole, Exclaim Magazine said “There’s a slightly rough and ready feel to the instrumentation that suits Burton’s vibrant and versatile vocals.” Sarah Burton tells the tales of life with beauty, strength and weariness, and her sound rocks and rolls with just the right amount of country and pop influence. Sarah’s music was featured in the film “Cabin Fever 2″, and her the song Then Run Away, was named Best Folk Song by Toronto Exclusive magazine in 2009. A relentless road warrior who spends months on the road at a time, Sarah stopped moving long enough to record her debut EP Love is for Pussies in 2007, with Juno winning producer John Switzer, and followed it up in 2010 with her full-length album Mayflower; “a country dusted folk album of steel guitars and sweet sorrow” (Brad Wheeler, The Globe & Mail). Accompanying the Mayflower release is a video for How Good You Are (Feb 2011), thanks to a grant from Videofact, and a second video for the song Gravity (Feb 2012).
John McClure, Victory Music Review wrote “Here is acoustic, rock, bluesy, torch, indie jive, country psychedelic, soul-baring beautiful music that those with a need to hear a new point of view ought to get off their butts and obtain. This album matters.”
Sarah Burton is an exceptional talented Canadian singer. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar, President Women Fitness.
All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You must have started singing at an early age. Your career has seen you play NXNE, Canadian Music Week, Winterfolk, We Are Many Festival, Brandon Folk Festival, North Country Fair, and BC’s Music on the Mountain, in addition to many live music venues across Canada and the US. You also enjoyed radio play across North America. One of the pinnacle of professional success was in August 2012 when you released “Fire Breathers” consists of 13 songs. Tell us about your journey that took you to where you are now in the world of singing?
Ms. Sarah Burton: You could say I started singing early, but I really only sang in secret, making up songs in my diary and singing them to my stuffed animals. I did join the school choir at a young age, which gave me invaluable lessons on how to sing harmonies. I was painfully shy though, as a child, and although I dreamed of performing from the beginning, I always thought of it as something that “other people do.” Eventually when I was 21, waitressing at an italian restaurant in my hometown, a musician friend persuaded me to try performing my songs at an open stage. After that my first show was booked and I never looked back. My album, Fire Breathers, isn’t so much a pinnacle of my success, but it does mark a time when I was hitting my stride. I am about to release a new album, Make Your Own Bed – and although it is my fourth studio release, it feels like my true launch – like everything I did up until now was working towards this release.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have selected a profession of being an singer, songwriter, producer, editing music that requires a lot of hard labor, technical soundness and excellence in different faculties to finally succeed, how do you achieve that?
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Your are a leading singer, songwriter, producer, performer, editing music and as an artist. How you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?
Ms. Sarah Burton: Music is such a broad industry and there is a temptation to do everything yourself, but I believe it is best to focus on your skills, and collaborate with others who excel where you don’t. I focus on writing, arranging and performing, on the artistic side – It’s easy for me to devote time to these tasks because I am so passionate about them and it’s fun for me.
On the business side, I focus my energy on booking tours, writing marketing plans, and networking. These are admittedly not my favourite tasks, but I find enjoyment in them because they involve connecting with people – which is something I do love. Producing and Engineering I mostly leave up to professionals who focus on that side of the industry, and same goes with publicity, graphic design, and more. I am always looking to build my team so I can focus more on being an artist and making better music for my fans.
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Ms. Sarah Burton: Make your Own Bed (coming Feb. 2015), is a record I have wanted to make for a long time. I sometimes do things a little too quickly but I really took my time with this, and it shows in the quality of performance and recording. Up until now, all my songs have been written and performed on the guitar, but my first instrument was the piano. My first real mentor was a piano teacher I had when I was 13. She showed me there was a world outside of classical and traditional music and pushed me to perform with more emotion.
She was a truly gifted musician, teacher, and person. Sadly, she passed away tragically in a car accident, at just 29 years old. At that time, I was 14, and I tried to move forward with the piano, but at the time it was just too hard for me, so I turned my focus towards the guitar. 10 years later, when I was studying music in Toronto, my room mate had a piano, and I reconnected with the instrument with new energy and love. Over those first years of my professional career I started to write the song that appear on Make Your Own Bed. This album is inspired by and dedicated to my young piano teacher, Ivona, who in just one year, shaped and influenced me for a lifetime.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you shall like to share?
Ms. Sarah Burton: Staying active is the most important thing. I have some recurring injuries in my legs and lower back, and it is absolutely imperative that I walk and stretch every day. Swimming, biking and hiking are my favourite activities. I am so lucky that I get to travel across Canada with bandmates who also love the great outdoors. When we’re driving from one city to another, we take the time to stop for walking trails, and places to swim. This is especially important on tour because we’re forced to sit down for long periods of time while we drive, and then when we arrive at the show we have some heavy lifting to do. So stretching and keeping strong is important to prevent injury. When I’m travelling I bring my Yoga Mat, Foam Roller and an elastic exercise band. This way I can work out anywhere, any time.
Variety is the spice of life, so I love to switch it up, but there are a few exercises I almost always do: squats – wide stance squats, narrow stance squats, one-legged squats. Growing up I had a friend whose father used to say “squats are the core of everything” we used to laugh, but now that I’m grown up, I really believe this! Squats give you a foundation in your legs and your core, and help you maintain balance. On days when I’m in a rush and I don’t have time to work out, I will find time to do squats – they require no equipment whatsoever, so it can be done backstage, in the washroom, or wherever.
Same goes for leg lifts – perhaps leftover from my ballet dancing days as a child, and again, something that can be done anywhere without any equipment – forward leg lifts and back leg lifts. For arms, I use my elastic band – a great invention instead of weights that can fit in a purse. using my feet or a post as an anchor, this is perfect for bicep and tricep curls, lat pulls and more. Finally, my favourite exercise that not only strengthens the full core/abs, but also provides relief from lower back pain, is using the foam roller, lie back on the roller, and gently touch the ground with your elbows to keep balance (but don’t rely on those elbows!), and lift your legs to do a very slow bicycle move, bringing alternating knees up to your chest and extending them. This works the whole core from the top of the ribs to the hip flexor.
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Sarah Burton on WomenFitness: Womenfitness.net is a wonderful resource for all women! There is such a wealth and wide range of information to be offered, catering to women of all ages and lifestyles. It is wonderful that such a versatile and dynamic resource exists, dedicated to women of all kinds, and celebrating the success of women all over the world. It is an absolute pleasure to speak with you and be a part of your world. |
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Sarah Burton: Yes and No. Like I said, variety is the spice of life, and when it comes to food there are so many wonderful culinary delights to experience, and I have a lot of chef friends. As a musician I probably dine out more than the average person, so trying to find the healthy options on menus is sometimes tricky, but I do try. When I’m travelling I make sure to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and sometimes that means making special trips to the grocery store. But these days most restaurants have delicious health-conscious meals that are high veg and protein.
I definitely think it is important to limit wheat and dairy intake generally, and I especially find that avoiding those foods before a performance is important. I also travel with a little jar of grains that can be added to salads or yogurt in the morning, and help keep a vitamin balance. My little concoction includes hemp seeds (for iron, magnesium, zinc and protein), flax seed (omega-3s, fibre and antioxidants), and most importantly chia seeds (omega-3s, iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, fibre). This little mixture keeps me feeling energized and balanced and is a great alternative to multi-vitamins.
When I’m not on the road, my diet definitely consists of more vegetables – I would say that about 80% of what I eat is vegetable, and that keeps me feeling great, and also makes it easier to allow for indulgences and treats when I feel like it. I am also a big fan of juicing – my favourite go-to recipe is swiss chard, celery, cucumber, grapefruit, lemon, pineapple and ginger.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar: You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Do you take some kind of skin treatment to keep it young and glowing and secondly what you do to your hair to make them look so stunning?
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Advice and motivational words for our inspiring and budding singers who all are your fans, what should they do for their climb to the ladder of success in field of singing?
Ms. Sarah Burton: Everyone’s life is different, so it is important to stay true to yourself and the people around you, and to carve your own path. Hard work, practice and patience are integral to success and I also believe that being nice and good to everyone you meet is very important. Having mentors to maintain your education is also very helpful.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: On your website it is written “Sarah Burton tells the tales of life with beauty, strength and weariness, and her sound rocks and rolls with just the right amount of country and pop influence”. Elaborate on this concept of your own personalised music?
Ms. Sarah Burton: I am obsessed with life, people and relationships. I think about the things that happen in the lives of my loved ones, and I wonder about what happens in the lives of strangers and I try to connect the dots. I like to acknowledge the difficulties and mourn the hardships while celebrating the victories and providing a sense of hope in my writing. Musically, I love so many kinds of music, so you will find me pulling from sounds of country, pop, folk, rock, blues and more. It’s like all these sounds are floating around in the universe and they stick to me. Different sounds and styles go with different emotions and stories, and again, I love variety.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Who has been your inspiration and motivation that led you to your success in the world of singing and as a music performer?
Ms. Sarah Burton: Ivona Kvas, my piano teacher when I was 13, was definitely a huge influence, even though I never performed my material until close to a decade later. She was my first true mentor, who inspired me to do something outside of the ordinary. Throughout my life though, I find new inspiration in the people around me, other teachers and mentors, my family and friends.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Your music was featured in the film “Cabin Fever 2″ and the song Then Run Away, was named Best Folk Song by Toronto Exclusive magazine in 2009. What responsibility these awards bestow upon you in your future efforts and activities in the field of professional singing?
Ms. Sarah Burton: I wouldn’t say that I feel a sense of responsibility from these small successes, but they do give me hope and drive to strive towards the next achievements.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: Tell us about your two video releases of How Good You Are (Feb 2011) and a second video for the song Gravity (Feb 2012)?
Ms. Sarah Burton: I am very grateful that I was able to work with two great teams on these videos. How Good You Are (directed by Landon Ramirez) was made possible thanks to a grant from Much Fact, so it was an honour to be a part of that. Gravity (directed by Alanna Nish) was more challenging because the sound and video were both performed live, outdoors, not an easy thing to do, but Alanna and her team did a great job!
Ms. Namita Nayyar: With exceptional hard work you are credited with all your achievements. Do you believe that does the hand of Providence (Supreme Being) played a role in your success?
Ms. Sarah Burton: I think it is worth mentioning that although what the world sees on the internet and in the media is almost always the good part – the success, the beauty, the awards. But it is important to remember that when you’re a performer you and your team make sure to shed light only on the positive. There are still set backs, failed attempts, mistakes and regrets in (probably) everyone’s careers. Having faith in oneself to pick up and move on, work hard, and move forward is important. I find my peace and faith not so much in a supreme being, but in the love that surrounds me, and in the beautiful planet we live on. The trees, the sky, the sun, the water – I am grateful for them and I want to put love and positive energy back into the world.
Ms. Namita Nayyar: What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Sarah Burton: Womenfitness.net is a wonderful resource for all women! There is such a wealth and wide range of information to be offered, catering to women of all ages and lifestyles. It is wonderful that such a versatile and dynamic resource exists, dedicated to women of all kinds, and celebrating the success of women all over the world. It is an absolute pleasure to speak with you and be a part of your world.
To know more about Sarah Burton, check her out at: http://www.sarahburton.ca/
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Women Fitness Team thanks Sarah Burton for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2016 Women Fitness