August 28, 2025 • 45 mins
Journey of a Creative: Sarah Aili on Music, Motherhood, and Personal Growth
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In this compelling episode of the Just Keep Talking podcast, host Brother Love sits down with the multifaceted artist Sarah Aili. Sarah shares her incredible journey from musical theater in New York to her blossoming career as a singer-songwriter in Nashville. They delve into the impact of mental health on creativity, the importance of self-worth, and the challenges of balancing multiple artistic endeavors. Sarah also opens up about her upcoming motherhood, exploring her fears and excitement for this new chapter in her life. This episode is a deep dive into the authentic experience of being an artist and the universal need for connection and belonging.
#mentalhealthpodcast #yourstorymatters #jazzsinger #musicianlife #motherhood #musicianmother #motherover40 #podcast #sarahaili #brotherlove #beseen #beheard #belong #mentalhealth
00:00 Introduction to Just Keep Talking Podcast
01:58 Meet Sarah Aili: Multi-Talented Artist
03:31 Sarah's Journey to New York and Nashville
05:01 The Struggles and Realities of Auditioning
08:34 Transition from Musical Theater to Songwriting
20:01 Creating 'Back in Birmingham' with Radney Foster
24:58 Embracing Motherhood and Creativity
25:58 The Fear of Having a Child
26:21 Wisdom and Selflessness with Age
26:49 Healing and New Beginnings
27:53 Pregnancy and Health
31:22 Navigating Emotions and Mental Health
36:35 Excitement and Apprehensions of Motherhood
39:20 Sarah Aili's Musical Journey
42:22 Speed Round and Final Thoughts
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 7 (00:00):
Telling our stories is the connective tissue of the
collective human experience.
The Just Keep Talking podcast delvesinto the lives and stories of artists.
What is the impact ofmental health on creativity?
What does it mean to bea creative individual?
Someone who feels deeply, experiencesjoy and pain, intensely and
navigates the challenges of lifethrough the creative process.
(00:21):
With each story shared, we explorethe authentic experience of our
basic need to be seen, to be heard,
and to belong.
We are really not so differentfrom one another, nor are we alone.
Together we can inspire, encourage, andenlighten each other to find the true joy
and fulfillment that is within ourselves.
When we Just Keep Talking, we createthe space for gratitude, self-acceptance
(00:46):
and grace in everyday life.
In a world filled with divisiveness,
fostering inclusivity and connection isa powerful way to make a positive impact.
The Just Keep Talking podcast with me,Brother Love, because Your Story Matters.
Speaker 8 (01:03):
Just like a.
Speaker 11 (01:39):
You make.
Larry (01:58):
Hello and welcome to the Just Keep Talking podcast with me, your
host brother, love Your Story Matters.
My guest today is Sarah Aili,singer, songwriter, recording artist,
actor, writer, and soon to be Mom.
We didn't even get to allthe things that you are.
There's so many wonderful things.
(02:19):
Hello, Sarah Aili.
Hello.
Thank you so much.
I'm in your home.
Thank you for having me here.
Sarah Aili (02:24):
It's my pleasure to have you here.
I'm So happy you're here.
Larry (02:26):
Thank you.
I was here just a few weeks ago withyour husband, Matthew Szlachetka.
Sarah Aili (02:31):
Yes.
And what a wonderful interview that was.
Larry (02:33):
Thank you.
You are very kind.
You listened to it, which I'malways amazed if anybody listens.
Takes any time.
Well, thank you.
This, this day and age,everything is so fast, right?
So this is a long form talk show.
But you listened to the whole thing.
I guess it was yourhusband, so you have to
Sarah Aili (02:48):
Right, right.
Larry (02:48):
I don't know if my wife listens to the
episodes anymore
and I don't wanna guilt her at all,but, um, thank you for tuning into
the show with your beautiful husband
Sarah Aili (02:57):
and.
yes,
Larry (02:57):
I love being in your home.
I've been in your home a bunchof times, uh, of playing music
with you guys, and you are justan incredible force of nature.
Sarah Aili (03:06):
Wow.
Thank you.
Speaker (03:08):
As a singer, and as a songwriter, your latest singles, Boundary.
It's over.
These were 2022.
Your last EP 2019 Say, Your GoodbyesNow produced by Radney Foster.
I listened to it today, and yoursongwriting skills are just amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Thank you.
Speaker (03:24):
Your voice is incredible.
You are a jazz singer.
You're an Americana singer,you're a pop singer.
You do so much.
Where do you come from?
You're from the West Coast ofthe United States of America.
Tell us how you got to Nashville
Speaker 2 (03:37):
In a nutshell?
Speaker (03:38):
The nutshell story.
Sarah Aili (03:39):
The nutshell story.
Well, I first came from Venus or Mars,or one of the two, or the moon probably.
Right.
And I dropped into Earthin San Jose, California.
Mm-hmm.
Where I was raised in WillowGlen and Campbell to be specific.
My grandmother was a singer.
I learned how to sing very young with her.
I, quickly got into musical theater.
It was the quickest way to be a performer.
That is what initiallybrought me to New York.
(04:00):
I had a few little detours along the way.
I was gonna move to Canada and sing,om chance , on a commune there for
a while, but instead, right as myboxes were packed to move to Canada, I
auditioned for little Shop of Horrorsand I got , the lead role as Audrey,
which then had me stay in the Bay Area.
Open up to a couple more years of leadingroles, which got me to New York City.
So I went to New York and I wasthere for five years, and I was
(04:22):
auditioning like crazy , as an actor,pounding the pavement as they say.
Speaker (04:26):
What years was.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I moved there in 2008.
Left in 2013.
Speaker (04:31):
Wow.
So you were auditioning andyou were in musical theater.
And , were you pursuingthe singing career as well?
Like as far as writing your own songs?
Yeah.
And I was sort of on a similar path.
Yes.
Because I've.
Always had a band, my artist namedBrother Love, I'm singer songwriter,
rock and roll and all that.
But I was into theaterand I was into acting.
(04:52):
And voiceovers.
Yeah.
And auditioning in New YorkCity the exact same time.
I pretty much left New York closerto when you arrived in New York.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Okay.
Speaker (05:01):
But you talk about hitting the pavement oof.
People don't, I don't thinkthey know I would be working
at restaurant that I worked in.
On the lower east side of Manhattan.
Mm-hmm.
And it would, let's say be, Idon't know, four 30, let's say,
or three 30, and the phone wouldring at work at the restaurant.
And we're just setting up, right?
(05:21):
Yeah.
We're polishing silverware, right?
We're cleaning plates, we're gettingready for the night's service and,
the Larry, there's a phone call foryou and it would be my agent, right?
This is on a phone.
Larry.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Down here.
Speaker (05:33):
That's exactly right.
It would be my agent.
It'd be like, Hey Larry,are you available?
We need you to come to, west27th Street and 10th Avenue.
And You need to be there in 30 minutes.
And you need to read this thing.
Whether it was just a scriptto read or it was on camera.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Yeah.
Speaker (05:49):
And I would tell my boss at the restaurant, I'll be back soon.
And then you run, oh,you run to the subway.
Oh my
Speaker 2 (05:55):
God.
Yeah, and you
Speaker (05:56):
Hope that you can catch the train to go to Midtown, to catch
the other train to go across town.
You get to the auditionand you're disgusting.
Mess.
Yeah.
Especially in the summer,I would go to auditions.
Of course I didn't get it.
You know why?
Because I just ran.
My ass off.
And
Speaker 2 (06:13):
you're out of breath when you get there.
Speaker (06:15):
You're out of breath.
I mean, I would get auditionsbecause of my hair, because
I have like a Jew fro hair.
This thing would be on thefloor by the time I get.
It was so sweaty and disgusting.
And you're on the subway and it'srush hour by the, and your nerves
Speaker 2 (06:28):
are high.
Speaker (06:29):
What was it like for you auditioning?
Oh my gosh.
Sarah Aili (06:31):
Okay.
So the first place I livedwas on 29th and eighth Avenue.
And at the time.
I had all my equity points,but I was holding them.
I was in, what does that mean?
Equity points.
As a stage actor, youbecome an equity actor.
And so you're part of the union.
Speaker (06:44):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
And you collect all of your equity points, or you can join
a show and they give you your card.
When I got to New York, I hadall my equity points, but I
hadn't turned them in yet.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Well, the first week I was there, you stand in line,
you go down to Times Square
for the audition at like.
5:00 AM So you roll outta bed, you go downto Times Square at 5:00 AM you stand in
a big long line full of people until thedoors open at seven and you go in there.
Speaker (07:05):
So this is like a cattle call audition.
It's
Speaker 2 (07:07):
like big, big calls.
You go to, actors equity.com
Okay.
Or whatever.
you look at the auditions and yougo and sing your eight bars, your
24 bars of music, if you as an EMCmember before you become equity,
it's if they have a slot available.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So I did that for a week and I was like.
Yeah, no, I'm gonna justgo become an equity member.
I have all the points.
So what's different, when you'rean equity member, you still get
up at five o'clock in the morning.
You still haul your cookiesdown to Times Square.
Or you know, the middle of June and it's.
Crazy hot at five o'clock in the morning.
You stand there with all the otherpeople in your pajamas, right?
And you, you go in and you get aslot for two 30 that afternoon,
(07:43):
a 10 minute slot if that.
So then you haul your cookies back home.
You get ready, you put all your stuffin your backpack, your sheet music.
If you have work later that day, you gotyour work shoes, you got your work attire.
You have your audition attire.
Then you get back down to Times Square.
You go up there, there'slike a holding room.
Everybody's primping and getting ready.
And then you finally get in thereand you're like, yeah, I'm totally
(08:04):
natural and this is totally fine.
And Hi, how are you?
I'm Sarah.
You're like so spun, right?
Stand on the X in this neo fluorescentlit room that's so unnatural and
the sirens are going off behind you.
And just be natural and go aheadand speak to this stranger piano
player who doesn't, who's neverheard your song before or whatever.
And just do your best Showus your everything, you know.
(08:25):
Eight bars of music.
Wow.
Impossible.
Speaker (08:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
So I did that for a long time.
A long time.
A long time.
And
Speaker (08:31):
this is musical theater to be clear.
Musical theaters to be clear.
Right, right.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
So what got me away from that mm-hmm.
Is that I got to like, I call it theglass wall so many times, got right up to
it and then just, it just didn't happen.
Like I wouldn't get the showor I've done a lot of like
off, off, off Broadway stuff.
So then I was like.
I remember the day I was in anaudition room in a holding tank.
There was a mirror and therewere all these girls primping.
There was someone in a yellowdress, a pink dress, a red dress,
(08:58):
an orange dress and it became likethe veil lifted for me, right?
And I was like, I don'twanna do this anymore.
Like, I'm not gonna fit in
Speaker 5 (09:05):
to what?
I
Speaker 2 (09:06):
have no idea you're looking for.
I'm me and.
It shifted for me and I went andtook a solo show writing class with a
wonderful man named Matt Hoverman, andI started my, I guess, singer songwriter
process, really picked up there.
I wrote my own one woman show.
I performed it.
I wrote songs for it, and allof a sudden I was in open mics.
(09:26):
I started meeting producers, I startedmeeting musicians, and I sort of shifted.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
And then I was in Brooklyn and I was invited to go to this, talk
with a woman named Amanda Williams.
Oh, who's here?
You know Amanda?
Yeah.
And Kim Williams, her father.
Yes.
So she was my introduction to Nashvillein Brooklyn, and I saw her, I, walked
into this bar where she was giving thistalk about her songwriting in music
business conference that she had here.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
And I saw her, she's long red, beautiful hair she's in
Speaker 5 (09:54):
incredible.
And she's wearing
Speaker 2 (09:55):
like bell bottoms and just her vibe.
I was like.
Something's gonna, somethingis shifting in my life.
Like I could feel it.
So I stayed there for her talk.
We totally connected.
She called me two weeks laterand she was like, we're having
a conference here in Nashville.
Come be my guest.
I want you to come to Nashville.
And I was like, yeah, okay.
The south, like the BayArea to New York City.
(10:18):
Right.
I'm from a very diverse family.
Mm-hmm.
The South.
Well, hey, Nashville, Tennessee.
Speaker (10:22):
The fact that Amanda Williams, who is as country as they
come, was in New York City shouldbe enough to tell you, right.
That you could go anywhere.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Totally.
everything about it was like, yeah.
And everything opened up.
I booked the ticket, Iwent to the conference.
I had written like.
three songs at that time that Iwas performing at Open Mics, she
gave me a spot in the showcase.
I performed it.
I was granted an award for likebest female singer songwriter
which gave me, a meeting with apublisher, Bobby Rimer at the time.
(10:49):
Before I left back to New Yorkand he said, I think you might
wanna really consider Nashville.
Speaker (10:54):
Wow.
And what year was this?
2013.
So you spent a good amount of time in NewYork kicking around, doing your thing?
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
13, so I guess it was 2012 when I went to that conference.
And on the way back from Nashville.
I was in a relationship at the time.
And it was already kind of like, youknow, you can feel when it's ending.
Yeah.
I said to the universe on the planeon my way back to Brooklyn, okay,
send me a sign and make it reallyloud, because I wanna hear it.
What am I supposed todo here in Nashville?
I'm moving to Nashville.
(11:22):
What?
Like, I live in New York.
I go to dance classes here.
I'm all involved in the community.
But I was sort of floating'cause I didn't wanna do the
musical theater thing anymore.
My solo show was written.
I had performed it.
I was like looking for the next thing.
And on the way back I got home toour place in Brooklyn and there was
a foreclosure notice on the door of
Speaker (11:40):
your building.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
yeah, it was like an old bank building and we lived in the top
unit and then I walked in and Mike,my partner at the time was like.
I got a job back in California.
I'm moving back to California,and I was like, right on.
I'm, I'm moving to Nashville.
And then it all just like opened up Wow.
And moved to Nashville.
It was amazing.
Speaker (11:58):
Well, some of the key things that you were saying was, and I talk
about this a lot on this show, and Ibring up my hero, Brené Brown, and she
talks a lot about, the difference betweenfitting in and belonging there, you were.
I mean, at an audition for musicaltheater, that is the hardest
business to be in musical theater.
I'm born and raised in New York.
(12:19):
I worked in restaurants and I alwayswas not into the musical theater, but
everybody that I knew and was friendswith and girlfriends and guy friends,
they all were in musical theater.
And I just remember being like, wow,all you're doing is changing and chasing
and primping posing and all you're doingis, everything but being who you are.
(12:42):
Yeah.
You really are chasing and you'reproving, and you're performing and
you're pleasing just to fit in.
You're changing who you are tobe just like everybody else.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
And nobody knows who.
What they want.
just saying that I was gifted, uh.
an opportunity when I was in NewYork still, I was taking a class
with a wonderful guy named MarkSimon, who was a great director.
And he was casting a Broadwayshow and he said, Sarah, do you
wanna come be behind the table?
I was like, yeah, I wanna, wow.
Yeah.
What I learned there was Amazing.
People walked in one after theother, the conversation was like,
(13:15):
, the dress is not gonna fit her.
The wigs not gonna work.
She has size eight shoesand , we need size seven.
Speaker 5 (13:21):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
It was so much not about the talent.
Yeah.
It was about how it's gonna fit inbudget, money, you know, it costs a lot
of money to put on a show, you know.
Speaker (13:30):
People spend their whole careers going through this day in and day out.
Yeah.
I mean, we do the samething differently here.
Like for myself, let's say beingin a rock and roll band, trying to
figure out how do we get more likes or
how do we get more peopleto listen to our music?
But I can digest all that and beall right with it because It was
a lot more than just how I look.
, As far as musical theater goes,it's so much about how you look.
(13:53):
Yes.
The talent, like you said,the talent has gotta be there.
Yeah.
I just, it was too stressful for me
And I would remember being on thesame lines and I would have an
appointment 'cause I had an agent.
Mm-hmm.
And my agent would be like, youhave to try out for this show.
It's Jesus Christ Superstar,Larry, you could do this.
And I'm like, I hate this.
I don't want to do this.
And truthfully, I would go in anda lot of times I would get no love.
(14:17):
A lot of times because the guybefore me who was gay and the casting
director was gay, loved each otherand hugged on each other and like,
had 10 minutes of a conversation.
And casting director had zeroto say to me and really kind
of could care less about me.
And I remember thinking,it's not personal.
I was like, wow, you don't like me?
I don't, we don't know each other, but.
You just gave so much love to, I justwatched you hug and have a conversation
(14:38):
with three other guys in front of meand I don't feel welcome here at all.
And I'm like, all right, well,the hell with this, you know,
Speaker 2 (14:45):
It's a bit of a club.
I mean, everything is a club.
It's like, you know what we do herewith our club of people, to kind
of piggyback on what we're saying.
Yeah.
got an opportunity to do, Ahrens andFlaherty who wrote Ragtime and Seussical
and Once On This Island and Anastasia.
So I originated a role in their showthat they're doing called Knoxville.
And that did not come until I was fullybeing just who I am, living in Nashville.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Writing songs.
To be honest, the way I gotthat, I had, my husband now
Matt, who you just interviewed.
We were on a breakup and Iwas sad and going through it
and healing and strengthening.
I didn't even know howmuch I was strengthening.
And I, ended up playinga little Beatles song.
I've just seen a face.
A little tiny blue light me and likeglasses and no makeup, playing guitar.
And the next day I got a callfrom a girlfriend who was involved
(15:30):
in the show and she's like, Hey,I'm not doing the show anymore.
Do you have something I can send toAhrens and Flaherty ? Do you have
like a singer songwriter little clip?
I'm like, yeah, actually Ijust recorded one last night.
Sent it off, sent my headshot and resume,got a call the next day and got an offer
to fly to Sarasota, Florida to originatea role with an all studded Broadway cast.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
We had a world premiere , the pandemic came and it was a two year wait.
This is a whole saga, wonderful dramastory that was meant to happen with
this gorgeous show, called Knoxville.
That I wasn't even looking for.
I was just being who I was.
And it comes along.
Speaker (16:04):
So why do you think that is?
You felt a sense ofcomfort in your own skin.
You are very much in your own skin.
You were very much a motherearth, in a lot of ways.
And you are a mother to be.
How do you feel aboutthe difference between.
I spent a lifetime chasing to justbeing and becoming because it's hard
to just say, alright, I'm not gonnachase, I'm just gonna be who I am.
(16:27):
People say that all the time.
Mm-hmm.
And it's sort of like a chip onthe shoulder thing a lot of times,
which works for a lot of people.
But when things naturally occurand they naturally flow, we
don't even realize it's happeningbecause we're right in the moment.
Was there a moment?
maybe that was the moment, but
Speaker 2 (16:43):
yeah,
I feel a little emotionalabout this because it's like,
there's no sadness with it.
It's almost like, howmuch time we spend trying.
But it's such a part of it.
It's part of becomingwho we are, you know?
Right.
If I didn't run down and pave thepavement that's the push and pull
that brought me to my center.
And I think that like.
In addition to all of this, I've alwaysdone a practice called Five Rhythms,
(17:05):
which is a movement meditation practice.
Throughout my whole New Yorkexperience, I was dancing with
this incredible tribe of people.
And it was like, mm, free spirit dancing.
I became a sweat space holder andbrought it to Nashville and was
offering classes in it for a while.
Wow.
'cause I couldn't live without it, butI'm telling you, I couldn't have had
my New York experience with all therejection that came from auditioning.
(17:27):
All the hemming and hawing andself-worth conversations in my
own head and back and forth...
and, The beauty of all of that,through the struggle of all of that.
Mm-hmm.
without having an outlet to letit out through my limbs, through
my vocal, like self-expression andconnection and sweating it out.
I think that it took all of thosethings that push and pull and
(17:47):
push and pull and family stuffthat was going on and all of this.
It's like I was so shaken by choiceit keeps landing me in my center
and I, I get emotional about it.
'cause where I'm at now, you know,married to an incredibly successful,
passionate, committed, dedicated man,that we get to be creative together
(18:08):
in this life in the ways that weorganically are creative and in Nashville.
I'm looking around, we're sittingin my design studio right now.
I really have created this life.
I get to sing, I get to act, I get towrite, I get to design, I get to connect
with wonderful friends, and now I get tobe a mama and I get to be with a beautiful
partner that supports all of those limbs,reaching out in these different places.
(18:31):
I could never be who I am withoutall of those things, right?
And forever, I've told myself,I've heard it from other people.
Choose one.
Choose a path, right?
Be the ingenue.
Be the rock singer.
Be the jazz singer.
You can't do it all, but you know what?
I, for me, have to be able to access allof those things to be fully who I am.
And I think that's what makes meemotional is giving myself the freedom
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
To really express and be, and live in the space
and it's risky business, right?
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Being an artist is a little bit risky, however, it's the
most rewarding thing ever for me.
Speaker (19:05):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
So it's nice to be able to have the space to,
Speaker (19:09):
to talk about this stuff.
To talk about this stuff.
Yeah.
I mean, thank you.
You're welcome.
Thank you.
, Part of your bio is praising the factthat you do a lot of different things.
And I'm always amazed at how manythings , you do and you do them well.
You are 42, right?
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 5 (19:25):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker (19:26):
You have a jazz record coming out.
The Sarah Aili Sextet.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker (19:29):
Right?
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Yep.
Speaker (19:30):
It's
Speaker 2 (19:30):
called All of Me.
Speaker (19:31):
It is called All of Me.
Yeah.
You are performing, jazz shows.
You have a regular residency atAnalog in Nashville, Tennessee.
you are also writing.
And involved in, a showcalled Back in Birmingham.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yes.
With Radney Foster.
Speaker (19:47):
Back in Birmingham, tells the story of three generations of women, from
grandmother to daughter to granddaughter,and travels through the patterns of
love loss and everything in between.
So tell me a little bitabout back in Birmingham.
What this show is and how it came about,came about because once again, you're
back in the musical theater realm.
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Yeah.
We just did a Waitress with TPACwith Nashville Repertory Theater
and Indecent this last year.
Right.
Well, last year and a halfwith them, which was wonderful.
Sara Bareilles.
Yeah.
Wrote the music to Waitress and it'sjust like, for me, waitress was, I,
I could do that show forever, right.
I played Jenna, Sarah Les's role.
And it's the perfect marriageof singer songwriter land and
(20:28):
storytelling and musical theater.
Wow.
The music is so good.
It is
Speaker (20:31):
so good.
And my wife got to playdrums with Sara Bareilles.
On one of the late nightshows a couple of years ago.
Yeah it was incredible.
And, she was wonderful to meet.
So you, did waitress, now you'redoing your own show mm-hmm.
Back in Birmingham.
What is that like?
What is it about?
Speaker 2 (20:44):
So Radney and I started that process probably six years ago.
Tell us who
Speaker (20:50):
Radney is.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Radney Foster is a force of nature.
He's also a Renaissance man.
Many people who would know Radney for his,music would know him as a country artist.
He has many, many hits out in the world.
He is got , his own artist career.
He's been touring forever,uh, from Del Rio, Texas,
Speaker (21:06):
Keith Urban, The Chicks, yeah, Brooks & Dunn.
Kenny Loggins, I mean, he'swritten songs For everybody.
And number one hits.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
He is a gem.
A star.
A Renaissance man.
He's a superstar.
Yeah.
Also, turns out he's an actor.
Turns out he's a script writer.
He's writing a movie with his wife now.
And the way we found this out, to behonest, here, I am moving to Nashville,
not being the biggest country music buff.
. I knew some country, my brotherhad listened to country off and on,
but I didn't know, I don't know allthe nitty gritty of country music.
(21:33):
So here I am, I'm on a,um, project called Trio
by this woman named is Sherry Smith,
my friend Eric Erdman, who's one of myvery consistent co-writers he introduced
me to Radney and to Sherry, and got ontothis project So every summer for about
three years, I would receive a book.
I'd read it and I'd write a song about it.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
And at the same time, there was a visual artist
creating a piece of art for it.
And there were 13 sets of trios, I think.
And we'd get together and we would tourdifferent bookstores around the south.
Radney Foster was one of thewriters, and there we were in a
bookstore in Marietta, Georgia.
And it was right around the time thatTrump was elected for the first time.
And I was about ready to leave Nashville.
(22:10):
I just wanted to get back to my,cozy little blue pool in California.
Yeah.
And I was about ready to leave and,um, one of my dear friends Gary
said to me, be where your feet are.
So I was dealing with this back and forthof like, I love my life here, but I want
to be back in California where it's comfy.
And in that moment I went to Marietta,Georgia, and Radney sang a song called
California And I sang a song called Wings.
(22:30):
And there was just this kismet, , andI honestly didn't know his history.
his repertoire, his autobiography.
I just saw him as a human and as a spirit.
And we connected in that light.
And his song in California was talkingabout like streets that I knew in
San Francisco and Santa Cruz Wejust got to talking afterwards and
he became my mentor very quickly.
We just had this rapport.
We started writing songs.
(22:50):
It was gonna be country songs, andthen we started speaking in accents
and we started playing around withcharacters and I discovered he was
in a show in Atlanta where he playedthe father role that Christian Bush
was the musical director of, huh.
and he was like, do youhave acting training?
And I'm like, yeah.
I come from the theater world.
And all of a sudden there we were inthe story called Back in Birmingham,
and we wrote, the first song wewrote was, say Your Goodbyes Now.
(23:12):
Which is definitely based off of thelast moments I had with my grandmother.
Mm-hmm.
Ethel, Who taught me to sing.
So we went from there and then we startedwriting a song called Back in Birmingham.
So then the story started to come about.
We have the grandmother, thegranddaughter, which is very
much the same and, as my life.
And then we have the daughter.
The daughter role isLucy based off of my mom.
(23:33):
Mm-hmm.
Addiction.
There's a whole story there.
We have a beautiful story ofovercoming addiction and then
there's a lot of creative license.
But the idea is that the grandmotherwas a Jewish vaudeville singer.
Mm-hmm.
She falls in love with a cowboyin Birmingham, Alabama, and
then stays there forever.
She doesn't ever go back to New York.
They fall in love.
It's a southern manmarrying a Jewish woman.
(23:53):
They have a daughter.
The daughter, ends up runningoff to California, being a
hippie, getting pregnant.
Having a baby and not beingable to take care of her.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
So the granddaughter, is raised by the grandmother and the
grandfather and there's all thistension between mom and daughter.
So it's about the generationalblueprint of family.
Mm-hmm.
Kind of what we were talking aboutwhere giving it space to heal.
First you gotta face it.
You gotta talk about it.
You gotta acknowledge what's in the space.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
And that's the only way you can deal and then heal so that
you can be free to be the personwho you are out in the world.
So it's all aboutovercoming, familial shadows.
The dust that's under the rug, sweepingit out, so that you can be free to go
live your life and honor your legacy.
Speaker (24:38):
Oh, that is so cool.
So say your goodbyes now is thefirst song you wrote and that is
the EP that you put out in 2019.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker (24:45):
And so there's a whole bunch of songs on there that are from that time and
that are in the show Back in Birmingham.
In Birmingham.
there are
Speaker 2 (24:50):
two songs on that EP Back in Birmingham.
We Say your goodbyes nowthat are from the show.
So we get a
Speaker (24:55):
taste of what's ahead with that EP.
That's great.
So let's now go to the factthat you are about to be a mom.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah.
Speaker (25:03):
So how are you feeling?
Speaker 2 (25:05):
So amazing.
There's this alien that keepskicking on the inside of my body.
That's amazing.
That also has a second heartbeat.
That amazes me all the time.
What
Speaker (25:12):
do you mean a second has two hearts?
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Well, I have in my body right now, there are two hearts.
Speaker (25:17):
I'm
Speaker 2 (25:17):
like, whoa.
I wake up in the morning sometimesand I'm like, wow, I have two
heartbeats inside of me right now.
Speaker (25:23):
So, wow.
Are the rhythms the same?
Do they match up?
Are they like, is it, doI can, I can't feel the
Speaker 2 (25:28):
baby's heartbeat.
Okay.
I can feel the baby's littlemovements and probably elbow and feet.
Okay.
But just the realization thatthere's a heart in there.
Oh, I can see the hearton the, ultrasound.
Right.
It's the last time we went it was at 1 40.
1 41.
Okay.
BP.
Speaker (25:42):
That's great.
So, what's it like, we'vementioned this a couple of times.
You're 42.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
Yeah.
Speaker (25:47):
We're in a business as creatives in Nashville.
There's a lot of people that aregetting older, like we all do.
Mm-hmm.
If we're lucky, nobody getsout of there were alive.
True.
Nobody gets out.
True.
Exactly.
And the fear of having a child,like I don't, I'm an artist.
I don't have time for a kid.
We're not doing that.
Or now I'm getting tooold to have a child.
(26:08):
I'm pushing 40.
What am I gonna do?
I need to freeze my eggs.
People talk about all of this stuff.
Mm-hmm.
Did you expect to have a kid?
What's the feeling being a 42?
You gotta teach us all.
Yeah,
Speaker 2 (26:19):
teach us all
Speaker (26:20):
wise woman.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Well, so wise wisdom, right?
Yes.
Like there's a wisdom we cometo with age and who I am today.
I feel is more equipped than I'veever been to be selfless enough
to know how to take care of myselfenough to be in a solid relationship,
solid footing to know who I am.
To be able to host another human being.
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
I don't feel like I've got FOMO about anything.
'Cause what I know is thatI'm not gonna lose myself.
Oh, okay.
So to tie it into back in BirminghamRadney and I took six years to get
through this stuff and a lot of it wasreally difficult for me to get through.
Mm-hmm.
' Cause it dealt with a lot ofthe addiction stuff with my mom.
But where we are, my mom andI in our personal life has,
we've had so much healing.
Speaker 4 (27:02):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
I had to go through all that stuff to even write that show.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
Right..
Speaker 2 (27:05):
And we finished the show and it was literally a month later.
Pregnant.
Wow.
It's like I let some stuff go andthere came, there came the baby.
Also, Matt and I decided,we sold the band van.
We were on tour together and , hewas on tour a lot longer than I was.
Yeah.
Solo and with the band.
My father moved here aweek before we found out.
Got a bunch more gigs in town.
Just really got settled, finished Backin Birmingham and it was right then.
(27:29):
That baby was like, now's the timeNow you're gonna be my mom and dad.
Speaker (27:32):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
And we were totally open to it.
We were not, not trying.
Speaker (27:36):
You were in the right, you were not, not trying.
You were in the flow.
We were in
Speaker 2 (27:39):
alignment.
Yeah.
Both of us, like we had said whatwe wanted to create here to get
more grounded and be here more.
And it all just aligned.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
You know, I really, truly believe that.
Speaker (27:50):
Right?
Speaker 2 (27:50):
You can't make that happen.
Speaker (27:52):
No, not at all.
So how is your health, physicallyand how is your mental health.
With all of this stuff.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Physically I feel really good.
Speaker (27:59):
You look great.
Thank you.
I've seen you a lot recently.
I mean, you just vacuumed the floor beforeI came in, so this, you got it going on.
You're in good shape, lemme tell you.
Yeah, I
Speaker 2 (28:07):
I feel in good shape.
I feel like we're 24 weeks.
Okay.
On Saturday.
Right.
And my belly's growing.
It's an amazing phenomenon.
Hadn't noticed at Oh, thank you.
Speaker (28:17):
I got in trouble once I worked, in a restaurant and I said,
congratulations, and the womanlooked at me and she said, for what?
For what?
And I said, oh my gosh.
oh no, I just did.
And I'm staring smiling like, what do you,
Speaker 2 (28:29):
I'm trying to be a nice guy here.
You know?
Yeah.
I
Speaker (28:31):
Couldn't even just let it go and walk away.
Yeah.
She got a lot of free stuff.
Her dinner was very, itwas practically free.
Yeah.
Will you leave me alone already?
I get it.
You messed up.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Oh my God.
Stop feeding me.
I love it.
Speaker (28:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
That's so good.
But it's a beautiful thing.
People love to celebrate love.
Yes.
People love to celebrategrowth and family and there's
a sweetness that comes with it.
There's a togetherness that comes with it.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
There's a wholeness to be part.
I feel like I'm a tribe, partof this beautiful tribe of
women that get to have babies.
It feels really incredible.
Speaker (29:01):
Is there anybody that your friends are close with that is also
having a baby around the same time?
Yes.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
So many.
Really.
I went to a girlfriend, her.
Baby shower.
She, She played Dawn and waitress with me.
We were the two waitresses.
And there were six other pregnantwomen there at her baby shower.
So many people right now at our ageare having children, which is so cool.
Speaker (29:23):
See, there is hope for that I'm convinced and because I speak to
a lot of people, a lot of friends thatare women, that are just like, if I
don't have a baby now, I never will or.
I'm afraid to do it later.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Listen, my mom tell off please.
Her grandma, her mom was 46when she had her in 1954.
Wow.
In the world, in the medical world,there's just a whole big gray area.
When women turn 40, like theyjust dunno what to do with us.
They don't, thyroid stuff popsup all this medical, I mean,
I have a, this all started offwith a thyroid, flare up for me.
(29:52):
As a matter of fact, the day that I foundout I was pregnant, I was on a walk,
I had some thyroid issues going on andthey wanted me to drink this radioactive,
Speaker 3 (30:00):
oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Stuff that , under the X-ray would be neon and
they'd see whatever's happening.
Okay.
I didn't feel anything weird, butI'm like, okay, well if you say I
have thyroid stuff, I guess I do.
I should look into it.
Speaker (30:10):
No, there's a glowing baby in you.
Yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
I mean, that's what it was.
So like, but I'm 40, I'm 41, 42.
And they say generally that's whenthyroid stuff pops up in women.
It's just a general statement.
So I was on a walk with agirlfriend and I was gonna pass out.
I was like winded.
So we sat down in themiddle of the walkway.
It was my friend Bonnie.
And she said, you know, beforeyou go and drink this radioactive.
(30:34):
Stuff, why don't you just goahead and take a pregnancy test?
And I did, and I'm so glad'cause I was pregnant.
If I would've gone to drinkthe radioactive stuff, I
would've been really super bad.
So now that I'm, pregnant, I'mworking with an endocrinologist.
This is very interesting stuff here.
Uh.
Very personal, but
Speaker (30:50):
I'm still here.
This is interesting.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Yeah.
So I give a lot of blood as wellas I go into my OB appointments.
But my numbers are all just fine.
They fluctuate with pregnancy.
Yeah.
And the endocrinologist is wonderful.
Mr.
Singh is his name.
He's from New York.
He's right along with me on thejourney, and I just think that,
that's all we need as women over 40 in themedical world is just some attention on
who we are and what our bodies are doing.
(31:13):
There's a lot of mystery because theyjust don't know, there's not a lot of
information about what happens to women'sbodies between 40 and when you're old
Speaker (31:21):
So, how's your mental health?
We've sort of touched upon allof this right now because you
really are in the flow of life.
You are comfortable in your own skin.
And, you seem very healthy mentallywise, but I mean, things come up.
Emotions happen.
Oh, yeah.
And, to be able to sit back in the seatof yourself and to witness your own
life happen as it's happening mm-hmm.
In the present moment and towatch all the change Yeah.
(31:43):
has got to be astonishingand maybe scary sometimes.
For
Speaker 2 (31:46):
sure.
The other day.
We went to South Hall, which is awonderful place outside of Franklin.
We watched a Colbie Caillat show andMatt was over speaking with someone.
He's gonna start DJing there and,and playing some shows there.
So he was speaking with someoneabout that, And I had put my jean
jacket on this, booth to Save a seat.
And I came back after gettinglike a plate of hor d'oeuvres and
somebody had removed my jean jacketand they threw it into a corner.
(32:08):
There was two people sitting there.
It was a big,, booth.
I said, excuse me, , wasthere a jacket here?
And they said, no, I didn't see a jacket.
And I looked over, I saw it throwninto the corner and I was like,
okay, let's talk about mental health.
In that moment, I could havebreathed fire onto those people.
However, I took the high roadin the moment and I just, I
kind of didn't know what to do.
So I, I bent over this pregnant woman.
I bent over to get my jacket and they'rejust watching me bending over to get
(32:31):
this jacket and they didn't say much,so I went over and I sat somewhere else.
And then I was like, no, I'm gonnasay something to these people.
Yeah.
So I went back and I was like, , I'mnot angry with you, but the next time
you wanna sit somewhere, don't justthrow someone's jacket in the corner.
Just communicate.
Speaker 5 (32:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
Would've been totally fine to say yes.
There's eight of you.
There's two of us for sure.
Enjoy the booth.
But just speak your truth.
Don't be an asshole.
You know what I mean?
Speaker (32:54):
Did you say that?
Speaker 2 (32:55):
I didn't say don't be an asshole.
Right.
I kind of did it under, under currently?
Yes.
And what did they, I said next time,like, please just ask for what you
need, but go ahead and enjoy the booth.
Have a great night.
And what did they say?
They just kind of didn't say much.
Speaker (33:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
See I would, it was so like, but I was pissed.
Like we left pretty soon after that.
Yeah.
Because I was, I told Matt about it, andhe's like, you want me to go talk to them?
Should we talk to somebody?
I'm like, no.
If they're not gonna get it,they're not gonna get it.
Speaker (33:18):
Yeah.
See, I would've pretended tobe like, what was that junior?
And look down at my belly.
I'm sorry, what was that?
Did you hear that?
They'd be like, what?
And I would've made it up.
You don't know if you'rehaving a boy or a girl.
Correct.
Correct.
I would've just made it up like, wow,my daughter says you're an asshole.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Should have, look at that.
I mean, I definitely did some role playingin my head about what I could have done.
Yeah.
Oh, is this your jacket?
Excuse me.
Lemme just throw it in the corner for you.
How does that feel?
Speaker (33:42):
My little son says, you're selfish.
Bye.
I mean,
Speaker 2 (33:45):
bye.
Speaker (33:46):
Oh my
Speaker 2 (33:46):
goodness.
But it sent me, to be honest, it sent meon a little, tunnel of thought about , oh
my God, I've gone over the hill now.
I'm gonna be a mom forthe rest of my life.
I'm not noticeable, like I'm fat,I'm ugly, I'm this, I'm that.
I'm unimportant.
People are just shoving me off becausenow I'm just a woman with a baby,
like, you know, and before I wasn't.
Right.
Right.
It was just something different.
And, you know, Matt, he, letme just say it all and he.
(34:08):
Threw his arms around me andhe's like, you're beautiful.
I love you.
It's all good.
It's a moment.
But I let myself, it wasdefinitely a tunnel of thought.
And all this stuff came out.
Speaker (34:18):
Wow.
And that's the past.
That's what you lived, that's somethingthat naturally came in the moment.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Yeah.
Speaker (34:24):
And then looking at your story, hearing you and looking at
you, it's like, well, wait a minute.
No, you're a mom.
You are gonna be taking careof somebody else other than
yourself, which is what you said.
And you taught that baby inyou to take the high road.
You literally, I mean, We allknow this, but I don't think
we understand or remember it.
(34:45):
And I can't say any of thisbecause I'm not ever gonna have
a child as far as you know.
I'm a man
Speaker 2 (34:50):
in your body.
Yes, in
Speaker (34:51):
my body.
But if you had gone and lashed out,that would've affected your biology
that would've affected your chemistry,that would've affected your mood,
your emotional, impact on this child.
Now, maybe the fact that you were a littleunderhanded and you were clever about
it, maybe that's what you'll pass on.
Maybe they'll understand, maybe.
But the fact that you kept your cool,you know, that you didn't lash out,
(35:14):
that you weren't, uh, make, makea scene, you weren't reactionary.
Hmm.
You were able to thinkabout it for a second.
And then make the choice to say somethingso that you didn't bottle it up.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker (35:24):
And then go and just seethe and be angry and keep that
in because we transfer that stuff.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Absolutely.
I so good for you.
Yeah, thank you.
You're welcome.
I mean, It might've felt reallygood to lash out and throw their
jacket in the corner, you know?
But at the end of the day,what's that gonna communicate?
Right?
What are they gonna be left with?
What am I gonna be left with?
Right.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
But if I can say it all.
Yeah.
We were talking about just let it out.
And let it pass.
That's the only way to let it pass.
Yes.
You gotta walk through it to get to it.
That's right.
Isn't the phrase it's true.
That's fantastic.
And about being a mom, there's amillion and bajillion things that
I have no idea that I'm gonna learnor to how to know how to navigate.
Yeah.
I'm trusting the path.
Honoring where I'm at in the moment.
(36:04):
Mm-hmm.
I'm working diligently tolike take a nap if I'm tired.
'Cause I'm so used to justgoing, going, going, going.
And I'm finding out that it'sdetrimental at the end of the day.
If I don't like go and rest my body
Speaker (36:15):
mom is enough.
Super hero mom is not necessary.
Right.
Yeah.
Mom is enough.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
I'm out of breath going up and down the stairs, which is so funny.
It's like.
I'm so used to just like gettingup, going to the gym in the morning.
Yeah.
Having the day being atfull packed from, seven to,
. Midnight.
But I just, I have to honor whenI'm like, no, I don't actually have
the capacity to spend the energy.
Speaker (36:35):
What are you most excited about?
About this pregnancy?
About being a mom?
Speaker 2 (36:40):
I'm really excited to meet this little being and I'm
really like can't wait to just.
Hear who they are, see whothey are to listen to them.
Yeah.
To look at them.
Yeah.
And you don't know whatyou're, just be with them.
Yeah.
Wow.
I mean, I'm being with themnow, but To actually like hold
a brand new life in my hands.
Speaker (37:00):
Yeah.
Are you afraid of anything?
Anything scary?
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Birth.
Speaker (37:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
It's pain.
I'm not a big pain.
I don't love pain.
But what I know is that every human beingwalking around on the planet, we've been
through this on one side or the other, weeither given birth or have been birthed.
Yeah.
And those of us walkinghave survived that.
So I have a lot ofconfidence in the journey.
What else am I scared about?
I'm scared about like, I'm in Taurusand I like to be in somewhat of control,
(37:28):
about my environment, my feelings,the vibe, the energy, the mood.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
The baby's life.
I know they're gonna beliving their own life.
They're on their own path,but they're gonna be with us
for a while to like shape.
Speaker (37:41):
I hope so.
Help
Speaker 2 (37:42):
shape, you know, you're five now Junior, get out.
Well for sure get out.
I see ya.
Speaker (37:46):
get a job.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
But just to let them be who they are, but not hover over them with
so much protection that they don't getto live and experience and get dirty.
Speaker 5 (37:54):
Right.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
But is a balance.
And I think, I'm not afraid of it.
I'm curious about it.
I'm a little.
Apprehensive 'cause I'venever done it before.
I mean, I've been a child, I have parents.
I've watched this happen.
But doing it,
Speaker 4 (38:07):
yeah,
Speaker 2 (38:07):
So maybe I'm a little afraid of . The control that I'm gonna
wanna have, and I'm gonna just, that'sgonna have to be a consistent Yeah.
Conversation.
Speaker (38:14):
Right on.
Does that make sense?
That makes all the sense in the world.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Because freedom means also structure, but to create
structure in order to have freedom.
Or else you're just aballoon with a hole in it.
Like going everywhere andeverywhere and everywhere.
Speaker (38:26):
Right.
You're very in tune with what's going on.
You're very in tune with yourself and"There is a vitality, a life force that
is transmitted through you into action.
And because there is only one ofyou in all of time, this expression
is unique and if you block it,it will never exist through any
other medium, and it will be lost.
(38:47):
The world will not have it.
It is not your business to determinehow good it is, nor how valuable nor
how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business to keepit yours clearly and directly,
and to keep the channel open."
I did not write that.
Martha Graham, American ModernDancer and choreographer, yes, to
Agnes Demill, who was also a dancer.
(39:09):
I love that quote.
Speaker 3 (39:10):
Beautiful.
Speaker (39:11):
Reminded me of you as I was driving over here today, and I thought
this is the quote for this episode.
Speaker 3 (39:17):
Oh, love
Speaker (39:18):
You are fabulous.
You do so much.
You are a singer.
You are a songwriter.
You're a recording artist, actor, writer.
You have a merchandise company.
Lily Bunk Design is where we havebeautiful, customized heirloom projects.
You Sarah Aili, the Sarah AiliSextet on Thursday, September 25th
is your next show at Analog Analog.
(39:39):
Tell us a little bit about thisendeavor, your show in September
and you have more coming up.
Speaker 2 (39:44):
Oh yeah.
Right.
Speaker (39:45):
When does this baby do, by the way?
Because you have a show in September
Speaker 2 (39:47):
And in November.
I'll be very big by then.
baby is December 13th is their landing.
Speaker (39:53):
December 13th is my wedding anniversary.
Ah.
My wife and I, it is our 10year wedding anniversary.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
Beautiful.
Speaker (40:00):
December 13th.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
Oh, I love that.
Speaker (40:02):
So what a great day yes.
to be alive.
Yes.
To give birth to love.
So, wait a minute, howare you gonna do all this?
So you have shows, you have aresidency, we keep talking about this.
Yep.
So explain your jazz residencybecause I love this about you,
because this is what's coming up.
So tell us what's coming up.
Sarah Aili.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
Yes.
Jazz.
My grandmother, who we'vetalked a lot about today.
Ethel taught me how to sing with,American Songbook standards.
Yes.
And it's been my favoritemusic to sing forever.
Here we are.
Analog is like my favorite venue in town.
Meredith, who's the booker there.
Mm-hmm.
And the curator of the wholespace is wonderful and delightful,
and we've become friends.
I was performing there a couple timeswith other kind of acts and I was like,
(40:42):
what if I just sang some jazz here?
I started at The 58.
Yeah where we do GreasyChicken and it was wonderful.
But not exactly the vibe forwhat I want for a jazz show.
Correct.
Speaker 4 (40:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
And then we aligned with Meredith.
Ty Bailey is Keys.
We've played with him for a long time.
We've talked about doing jazz for years.
Yeah.
Uh, Finally we got to do that.
Jimmy Sullivan is the upright bass player.
We were friends a long time ago,through songwriting, and then
we got back together at Rudy's.
Actually, he asked me to be a gueston his Sunday swing and supper show.
Ty was playing the keys that night.
(41:10):
Derek c Phillips was on drums and AndrewCarney was on the horn, and it was so fun.
We're like, well, let's do that again.
So we did, and then throughthat, this band that is now
The Sextet has come together.
So Marlon Patton on The Keys.
Andrew Carney on Trumpetand Timothy Kreis.
Speaker 5 (41:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
On saxophone.
And we have been having the besttime, so we were performing at 58.
Bobby Holland was in the audience.
Mm-hmm.
He came up after and said,do you wanna recorder?
A jazz record.
Yeah.
He's a producer,songwriter, brilliant human.
We love Bobby at Pentaverit Studio.
It's a studio.
He said, do you guys wannarecord a jazz record?
I said, more than anything.
He's like, I want you to come to Pen tt.
(41:47):
I'm going to give you the studio,but you have to have these guys and I
want co-producer it with your husband.
Let's do it.
Speaker 4 (41:52):
Hmm.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
So we went and, recorded this jazz record.
The same weekend right beforeour first show at Analog, and
we've just been going ever since.
It's been just these fun, wonderful shows.
You were a guest at the last show.
That's
Speaker (42:03):
Right.
I love singing the Sinatra tunes.
Oh, we
Speaker 2 (42:05):
Had so much fun.
As a matter of fact,
Speaker (42:07):
we are going to do our own show.
Let's duet.
We shall in
Speaker 2 (42:11):
February.
Speaker (42:11):
I know At the analog.
You're gonna be a mom,this is gonna be so great.
We're gonna sing to your little child.
That's so fabulous.
So you have all these shows.
Yeah.
That is fantastic.
Yeah.
So fun.
Oh my goodness.
I'm so excited for you.
Are you ready for myspeed round of questions?
Speaker 2 (42:25):
Yes.
It's very
Speaker (42:26):
simple stuff.
Okay.
And we've kind of touched upon so much ofthis, but What Fascinates You, Sarah Aili?
Speaker 2 (42:32):
This moment right here?
This presence.
The presence in the moment?
Yeah.
Collaboration.
Speaker (42:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Like what's here, what's here?
What can we, what are we carving?
I love that.
Speaker (42:41):
What angers you?
What pisses you off?
Sarah Aili.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Non consideration for other people in the space.
Speaker (42:47):
Yeah.
Throw your jacket on the floor.
Let a pregnant lady pickup her own darn jacket.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Yeah.
Like, just like a aloofness.
You know what I mean?
Speaker (42:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
Non non awareness.
Speaker (42:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Really gets my goat.
Speaker (42:58):
What brings you joy?
Speaker 2 (43:00):
Delicious things.
Even rugs, like delicious material.
Material brings me a lot,texture, brings me a lot of joy.
Speaker (43:07):
What kind of texture?
Speaker 2 (43:08):
Like I'm looking at this rug right here behind
you, this texture of rug.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, also like flavors and food.
Mm-hmm.
Um, cashmere.
Brings me a lot of joy.
It's the feel.
Feels good.
Feels bring me a lot of joy.
Does that make
Speaker (43:21):
sense?
That makes all the sense in the world.
Speaker 2 (43:23):
the feels.
Speaker (43:24):
If you had a magic wand and you could change something, or let's
say fix it, okay, make it better.
Make it the way you would like it.
Whether that's better or worse?
you could fix anything orchange something to your liking,
Sarah Aili, what would it be
Speaker 2 (43:38):
in the world?
Speaker (43:39):
In the world, in the universe.
You have a magic wand.
I can do what I want with this right now.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
It would have everyone know their self-worth.
Wow.
To let everyone knowthat like you are loved.
Speaker (43:49):
Alright.
Now the hard one.
Toilet paper.
Over or under?
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Over.
Speaker (43:54):
Thank goodness.
You know, there's a lotof lunatics out there.
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
Yeah.
Speaker (43:58):
Well, you're gonna teach this child everything
that he or she needs to know
Sarah Aili, where do we find you?
You do so many things andjust give me the commercial.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
Sarah Aili.com
Okay.
Will lead you to all thosedifferent places, right?
The social media, all thedifferent websites, all the things.
Speaker (44:12):
Oh, that's fantastic.
Sarah Aili, singer, songwriter, recording,artist, actor, writer, mom to be.
You are a creator on so many levels.
You are a true artist on so many levels.
I'm so grateful to know you, and I reallyappreciate you being on the Just Keep
Talking podcast with me, Brother Love,because Sarah Aili, Your Story Matters.
Speaker 2 (44:34):
Thank you so much.
What an honor to be with you today.
Speaker (44:37):
Yeah, until next time, we'll see you again soon folks.
Absolutely.
Bye bye.
Speaker 6 (44:41):
You can personally support this show simply by clicking
the tip link in the show notes.
The Just Keep Talking podcast is nowavailable on all podcast platforms.
Please like, share, and subscribe.
Visit our website@justkeeptalking.com,
our YouTube channel.
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(45:02):
We all just want to be seen,to be heard and to belong.
Thank you so much for supportingmy mission and the Just Keep
Talking podcast with me, BrotherLove, because Your Story Matters.
Telling our stories is the connective tissue of the
collective human experience.
The Just Keep Talking podcast delvesinto the lives and stories of artists.
What is the impact ofmental health on creativity?
What does it mean to bea creative individual?
Someone who feels deeply, experiencesjoy and pain, intensely and
navigates the challenges of lifethrough the creative process.
(00:21):
With each story shared, we explorethe authentic experience of our
basic need to be seen, to be heard,
and to belong.
We are really not so differentfrom one another, nor are we alone.
Together we can inspire, encourage, andenlighten each other to find the true joy
and fulfillment that is within ourselves.
When we Just Keep Talking, we createthe space for gratitude, self-acceptance
(00:46):
and grace in everyday life.
In a world filled with divisiveness,
fostering inclusivity and connection isa powerful way to make a positive impact.
The Just Keep Talking podcast with me,Brother Love, because Your Story Matters.
Speaker 8 (01:03):
Just like a.
Speaker 11 (01:39):
You make.
Larry (01:58):
Hello and welcome to the Just Keep Talking podcast with me, your
host brother, love Your Story Matters.
My guest today is Sarah Aili,singer, songwriter, recording artist,
actor, writer, and soon to be Mom.
We didn't even get to allthe things that you are.
There's so many wonderful things.
(02:19):
Hello, Sarah Aili.
Hello.
Thank you so much.
I'm in your home.
Thank you for having me here.
Sarah Aili (02:24):
It's my pleasure to have you here.
I'm So happy you're here.
Larry (02:26):
Thank you.
I was here just a few weeks ago withyour husband, Matthew Szlachetka.
Sarah Aili (02:31):
Yes.
And what a wonderful interview that was.
Larry (02:33):
Thank you.
You are very kind.
You listened to it, which I'malways amazed if anybody listens.
Takes any time.
Well, thank you.
This, this day and age,everything is so fast, right?
So this is a long form talk show.
But you listened to the whole thing.
I guess it was yourhusband, so you have to
Sarah Aili (02:48):
Right, right.
Larry (02:48):
I don't know if my wife listens to the
episodes anymore
and I don't wanna guilt her at all,but, um, thank you for tuning into
the show with your beautiful husband
Sarah Aili (02:57):
and.
yes,
Larry (02:57):
I love being in your home.
I've been in your home a bunchof times, uh, of playing music
with you guys, and you are justan incredible force of nature.
Sarah Aili (03:06):
Wow.
Thank you.
Speaker (03:08):
As a singer, and as a songwriter, your latest singles, Boundary.
It's over.
These were 2022.
Your last EP 2019 Say, Your GoodbyesNow produced by Radney Foster.
I listened to it today, and yoursongwriting skills are just amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Thank you.
Speaker (03:24):
Your voice is incredible.
You are a jazz singer.
You're an Americana singer,you're a pop singer.
You do so much.
Where do you come from?
You're from the West Coast ofthe United States of America.
Tell us how you got to Nashville
Speaker 2 (03:37):
In a nutshell?
Speaker (03:38):
The nutshell story.
Sarah Aili (03:39):
The nutshell story.
Well, I first came from Venus or Mars,or one of the two, or the moon probably.
Right.
And I dropped into Earthin San Jose, California.
Mm-hmm.
Where I was raised in WillowGlen and Campbell to be specific.
My grandmother was a singer.
I learned how to sing very young with her.
I, quickly got into musical theater.
It was the quickest way to be a performer.
That is what initiallybrought me to New York.
(04:00):
I had a few little detours along the way.
I was gonna move to Canada and sing,om chance , on a commune there for
a while, but instead, right as myboxes were packed to move to Canada, I
auditioned for little Shop of Horrorsand I got , the lead role as Audrey,
which then had me stay in the Bay Area.
Open up to a couple more years of leadingroles, which got me to New York City.
So I went to New York and I wasthere for five years, and I was
(04:22):
auditioning like crazy , as an actor,pounding the pavement as they say.
Speaker (04:26):
What years was.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
I moved there in 2008.
Left in 2013.
Speaker (04:31):
Wow.
So you were auditioning andyou were in musical theater.
And , were you pursuingthe singing career as well?
Like as far as writing your own songs?
Yeah.
And I was sort of on a similar path.
Yes.
Because I've.
Always had a band, my artist namedBrother Love, I'm singer songwriter,
rock and roll and all that.
But I was into theaterand I was into acting.
(04:52):
And voiceovers.
Yeah.
And auditioning in New YorkCity the exact same time.
I pretty much left New York closerto when you arrived in New York.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Okay.
Speaker (05:01):
But you talk about hitting the pavement oof.
People don't, I don't thinkthey know I would be working
at restaurant that I worked in.
On the lower east side of Manhattan.
Mm-hmm.
And it would, let's say be, Idon't know, four 30, let's say,
or three 30, and the phone wouldring at work at the restaurant.
And we're just setting up, right?
(05:21):
Yeah.
We're polishing silverware, right?
We're cleaning plates, we're gettingready for the night's service and,
the Larry, there's a phone call foryou and it would be my agent, right?
This is on a phone.
Larry.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Down here.
Speaker (05:33):
That's exactly right.
It would be my agent.
It'd be like, Hey Larry,are you available?
We need you to come to, west27th Street and 10th Avenue.
And You need to be there in 30 minutes.
And you need to read this thing.
Whether it was just a scriptto read or it was on camera.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Yeah.
Speaker (05:49):
And I would tell my boss at the restaurant, I'll be back soon.
And then you run, oh,you run to the subway.
Oh my
Speaker 2 (05:55):
God.
Yeah, and you
Speaker (05:56):
Hope that you can catch the train to go to Midtown, to catch
the other train to go across town.
You get to the auditionand you're disgusting.
Mess.
Yeah.
Especially in the summer,I would go to auditions.
Of course I didn't get it.
You know why?
Because I just ran.
My ass off.
And
Speaker 2 (06:13):
you're out of breath when you get there.
Speaker (06:15):
You're out of breath.
I mean, I would get auditionsbecause of my hair, because
I have like a Jew fro hair.
This thing would be on thefloor by the time I get.
It was so sweaty and disgusting.
And you're on the subway and it'srush hour by the, and your nerves
Speaker 2 (06:28):
are high.
Speaker (06:29):
What was it like for you auditioning?
Oh my gosh.
Sarah Aili (06:31):
Okay.
So the first place I livedwas on 29th and eighth Avenue.
And at the time.
I had all my equity points,but I was holding them.
I was in, what does that mean?
Equity points.
As a stage actor, youbecome an equity actor.
And so you're part of the union.
Speaker (06:44):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
And you collect all of your equity points, or you can join
a show and they give you your card.
When I got to New York, I hadall my equity points, but I
hadn't turned them in yet.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Well, the first week I was there, you stand in line,
you go down to Times Square
for the audition at like.
5:00 AM So you roll outta bed, you go downto Times Square at 5:00 AM you stand in
a big long line full of people until thedoors open at seven and you go in there.
Speaker (07:05):
So this is like a cattle call audition.
It's
Speaker 2 (07:07):
like big, big calls.
You go to, actors equity.com
Okay.
Or whatever.
you look at the auditions and yougo and sing your eight bars, your
24 bars of music, if you as an EMCmember before you become equity,
it's if they have a slot available.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So I did that for a week and I was like.
Yeah, no, I'm gonna justgo become an equity member.
I have all the points.
So what's different, when you'rean equity member, you still get
up at five o'clock in the morning.
You still haul your cookiesdown to Times Square.
Or you know, the middle of June and it's.
Crazy hot at five o'clock in the morning.
You stand there with all the otherpeople in your pajamas, right?
And you, you go in and you get aslot for two 30 that afternoon,
(07:43):
a 10 minute slot if that.
So then you haul your cookies back home.
You get ready, you put all your stuffin your backpack, your sheet music.
If you have work later that day, you gotyour work shoes, you got your work attire.
You have your audition attire.
Then you get back down to Times Square.
You go up there, there'slike a holding room.
Everybody's primping and getting ready.
And then you finally get in thereand you're like, yeah, I'm totally
(08:04):
natural and this is totally fine.
And Hi, how are you?
I'm Sarah.
You're like so spun, right?
Stand on the X in this neo fluorescentlit room that's so unnatural and
the sirens are going off behind you.
And just be natural and go aheadand speak to this stranger piano
player who doesn't, who's neverheard your song before or whatever.
And just do your best Showus your everything, you know.
(08:25):
Eight bars of music.
Wow.
Impossible.
Speaker (08:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
So I did that for a long time.
A long time.
A long time.
And
Speaker (08:31):
this is musical theater to be clear.
Musical theaters to be clear.
Right, right.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
So what got me away from that mm-hmm.
Is that I got to like, I call it theglass wall so many times, got right up to
it and then just, it just didn't happen.
Like I wouldn't get the showor I've done a lot of like
off, off, off Broadway stuff.
So then I was like.
I remember the day I was in anaudition room in a holding tank.
There was a mirror and therewere all these girls primping.
There was someone in a yellowdress, a pink dress, a red dress,
(08:58):
an orange dress and it became likethe veil lifted for me, right?
And I was like, I don'twanna do this anymore.
Like, I'm not gonna fit in
Speaker 5 (09:05):
to what?
I
Speaker 2 (09:06):
have no idea you're looking for.
I'm me and.
It shifted for me and I went andtook a solo show writing class with a
wonderful man named Matt Hoverman, andI started my, I guess, singer songwriter
process, really picked up there.
I wrote my own one woman show.
I performed it.
I wrote songs for it, and allof a sudden I was in open mics.
(09:26):
I started meeting producers, I startedmeeting musicians, and I sort of shifted.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
And then I was in Brooklyn and I was invited to go to this, talk
with a woman named Amanda Williams.
Oh, who's here?
You know Amanda?
Yeah.
And Kim Williams, her father.
Yes.
So she was my introduction to Nashvillein Brooklyn, and I saw her, I, walked
into this bar where she was giving thistalk about her songwriting in music
business conference that she had here.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
And I saw her, she's long red, beautiful hair she's in
Speaker 5 (09:54):
incredible.
And she's wearing
Speaker 2 (09:55):
like bell bottoms and just her vibe.
I was like.
Something's gonna, somethingis shifting in my life.
Like I could feel it.
So I stayed there for her talk.
We totally connected.
She called me two weeks laterand she was like, we're having
a conference here in Nashville.
Come be my guest.
I want you to come to Nashville.
And I was like, yeah, okay.
The south, like the BayArea to New York City.
(10:18):
Right.
I'm from a very diverse family.
Mm-hmm.
The South.
Well, hey, Nashville, Tennessee.
Speaker (10:22):
The fact that Amanda Williams, who is as country as they
come, was in New York City shouldbe enough to tell you, right.
That you could go anywhere.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Totally.
everything about it was like, yeah.
And everything opened up.
I booked the ticket, Iwent to the conference.
I had written like.
three songs at that time that Iwas performing at Open Mics, she
gave me a spot in the showcase.
I performed it.
I was granted an award for likebest female singer songwriter
which gave me, a meeting with apublisher, Bobby Rimer at the time.
(10:49):
Before I left back to New Yorkand he said, I think you might
wanna really consider Nashville.
Speaker (10:54):
Wow.
And what year was this?
2013.
So you spent a good amount of time in NewYork kicking around, doing your thing?
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
13, so I guess it was 2012 when I went to that conference.
And on the way back from Nashville.
I was in a relationship at the time.
And it was already kind of like, youknow, you can feel when it's ending.
Yeah.
I said to the universe on the planeon my way back to Brooklyn, okay,
send me a sign and make it reallyloud, because I wanna hear it.
What am I supposed todo here in Nashville?
I'm moving to Nashville.
(11:22):
What?
Like, I live in New York.
I go to dance classes here.
I'm all involved in the community.
But I was sort of floating'cause I didn't wanna do the
musical theater thing anymore.
My solo show was written.
I had performed it.
I was like looking for the next thing.
And on the way back I got home toour place in Brooklyn and there was
a foreclosure notice on the door of
Speaker (11:40):
your building.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
yeah, it was like an old bank building and we lived in the top
unit and then I walked in and Mike,my partner at the time was like.
I got a job back in California.
I'm moving back to California,and I was like, right on.
I'm, I'm moving to Nashville.
And then it all just like opened up Wow.
And moved to Nashville.
It was amazing.
Speaker (11:58):
Well, some of the key things that you were saying was, and I talk
about this a lot on this show, and Ibring up my hero, Brené Brown, and she
talks a lot about, the difference betweenfitting in and belonging there, you were.
I mean, at an audition for musicaltheater, that is the hardest
business to be in musical theater.
I'm born and raised in New York.
(12:19):
I worked in restaurants and I alwayswas not into the musical theater, but
everybody that I knew and was friendswith and girlfriends and guy friends,
they all were in musical theater.
And I just remember being like, wow,all you're doing is changing and chasing
and primping posing and all you're doingis, everything but being who you are.
(12:42):
Yeah.
You really are chasing and you'reproving, and you're performing and
you're pleasing just to fit in.
You're changing who you are tobe just like everybody else.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
And nobody knows who.
What they want.
just saying that I was gifted, uh.
an opportunity when I was in NewYork still, I was taking a class
with a wonderful guy named MarkSimon, who was a great director.
And he was casting a Broadwayshow and he said, Sarah, do you
wanna come be behind the table?
I was like, yeah, I wanna, wow.
Yeah.
What I learned there was Amazing.
People walked in one after theother, the conversation was like,
(13:15):
, the dress is not gonna fit her.
The wigs not gonna work.
She has size eight shoesand , we need size seven.
Speaker 5 (13:21):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
It was so much not about the talent.
Yeah.
It was about how it's gonna fit inbudget, money, you know, it costs a lot
of money to put on a show, you know.
Speaker (13:30):
People spend their whole careers going through this day in and day out.
Yeah.
I mean, we do the samething differently here.
Like for myself, let's say beingin a rock and roll band, trying to
figure out how do we get more likes or
how do we get more peopleto listen to our music?
But I can digest all that and beall right with it because It was
a lot more than just how I look.
, As far as musical theater goes,it's so much about how you look.
(13:53):
Yes.
The talent, like you said,the talent has gotta be there.
Yeah.
I just, it was too stressful for me
And I would remember being on thesame lines and I would have an
appointment 'cause I had an agent.
Mm-hmm.
And my agent would be like, youhave to try out for this show.
It's Jesus Christ Superstar,Larry, you could do this.
And I'm like, I hate this.
I don't want to do this.
And truthfully, I would go in anda lot of times I would get no love.
(14:17):
A lot of times because the guybefore me who was gay and the casting
director was gay, loved each otherand hugged on each other and like,
had 10 minutes of a conversation.
And casting director had zeroto say to me and really kind
of could care less about me.
And I remember thinking,it's not personal.
I was like, wow, you don't like me?
I don't, we don't know each other, but.
You just gave so much love to, I justwatched you hug and have a conversation
(14:38):
with three other guys in front of meand I don't feel welcome here at all.
And I'm like, all right, well,the hell with this, you know,
Speaker 2 (14:45):
It's a bit of a club.
I mean, everything is a club.
It's like, you know what we do herewith our club of people, to kind
of piggyback on what we're saying.
Yeah.
got an opportunity to do, Ahrens andFlaherty who wrote Ragtime and Seussical
and Once On This Island and Anastasia.
So I originated a role in their showthat they're doing called Knoxville.
And that did not come until I was fullybeing just who I am, living in Nashville.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Writing songs.
To be honest, the way I gotthat, I had, my husband now
Matt, who you just interviewed.
We were on a breakup and Iwas sad and going through it
and healing and strengthening.
I didn't even know howmuch I was strengthening.
And I, ended up playinga little Beatles song.
I've just seen a face.
A little tiny blue light me and likeglasses and no makeup, playing guitar.
And the next day I got a callfrom a girlfriend who was involved
(15:30):
in the show and she's like, Hey,I'm not doing the show anymore.
Do you have something I can send toAhrens and Flaherty ? Do you have
like a singer songwriter little clip?
I'm like, yeah, actually Ijust recorded one last night.
Sent it off, sent my headshot and resume,got a call the next day and got an offer
to fly to Sarasota, Florida to originatea role with an all studded Broadway cast.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
We had a world premiere , the pandemic came and it was a two year wait.
This is a whole saga, wonderful dramastory that was meant to happen with
this gorgeous show, called Knoxville.
That I wasn't even looking for.
I was just being who I was.
And it comes along.
Speaker (16:04):
So why do you think that is?
You felt a sense ofcomfort in your own skin.
You are very much in your own skin.
You were very much a motherearth, in a lot of ways.
And you are a mother to be.
How do you feel aboutthe difference between.
I spent a lifetime chasing to justbeing and becoming because it's hard
to just say, alright, I'm not gonnachase, I'm just gonna be who I am.
(16:27):
People say that all the time.
Mm-hmm.
And it's sort of like a chip onthe shoulder thing a lot of times,
which works for a lot of people.
But when things naturally occurand they naturally flow, we
don't even realize it's happeningbecause we're right in the moment.
Was there a moment?
maybe that was the moment, but
Speaker 2 (16:43):
yeah,
I feel a little emotionalabout this because it's like,
there's no sadness with it.
It's almost like, howmuch time we spend trying.
But it's such a part of it.
It's part of becomingwho we are, you know?
Right.
If I didn't run down and pave thepavement that's the push and pull
that brought me to my center.
And I think that like.
In addition to all of this, I've alwaysdone a practice called Five Rhythms,
(17:05):
which is a movement meditation practice.
Throughout my whole New Yorkexperience, I was dancing with
this incredible tribe of people.
And it was like, mm, free spirit dancing.
I became a sweat space holder andbrought it to Nashville and was
offering classes in it for a while.
Wow.
'cause I couldn't live without it, butI'm telling you, I couldn't have had
my New York experience with all therejection that came from auditioning.
(17:27):
All the hemming and hawing andself-worth conversations in my
own head and back and forth...
and, The beauty of all of that,through the struggle of all of that.
Mm-hmm.
without having an outlet to letit out through my limbs, through
my vocal, like self-expression andconnection and sweating it out.
I think that it took all of thosethings that push and pull and
(17:47):
push and pull and family stuffthat was going on and all of this.
It's like I was so shaken by choiceit keeps landing me in my center
and I, I get emotional about it.
'cause where I'm at now, you know,married to an incredibly successful,
passionate, committed, dedicated man,that we get to be creative together
(18:08):
in this life in the ways that weorganically are creative and in Nashville.
I'm looking around, we're sittingin my design studio right now.
I really have created this life.
I get to sing, I get to act, I get towrite, I get to design, I get to connect
with wonderful friends, and now I get tobe a mama and I get to be with a beautiful
partner that supports all of those limbs,reaching out in these different places.
(18:31):
I could never be who I am withoutall of those things, right?
And forever, I've told myself,I've heard it from other people.
Choose one.
Choose a path, right?
Be the ingenue.
Be the rock singer.
Be the jazz singer.
You can't do it all, but you know what?
I, for me, have to be able to access allof those things to be fully who I am.
And I think that's what makes meemotional is giving myself the freedom
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
To really express and be, and live in the space
and it's risky business, right?
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Being an artist is a little bit risky, however, it's the
most rewarding thing ever for me.
Speaker (19:05):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
So it's nice to be able to have the space to,
Speaker (19:09):
to talk about this stuff.
To talk about this stuff.
Yeah.
I mean, thank you.
You're welcome.
Thank you.
, Part of your bio is praising the factthat you do a lot of different things.
And I'm always amazed at how manythings , you do and you do them well.
You are 42, right?
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 5 (19:25):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker (19:26):
You have a jazz record coming out.
The Sarah Aili Sextet.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker (19:29):
Right?
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Yep.
Speaker (19:30):
It's
Speaker 2 (19:30):
called All of Me.
Speaker (19:31):
It is called All of Me.
Yeah.
You are performing, jazz shows.
You have a regular residency atAnalog in Nashville, Tennessee.
you are also writing.
And involved in, a showcalled Back in Birmingham.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yes.
With Radney Foster.
Speaker (19:47):
Back in Birmingham, tells the story of three generations of women, from
grandmother to daughter to granddaughter,and travels through the patterns of
love loss and everything in between.
So tell me a little bitabout back in Birmingham.
What this show is and how it came about,came about because once again, you're
back in the musical theater realm.
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Yeah.
We just did a Waitress with TPACwith Nashville Repertory Theater
and Indecent this last year.
Right.
Well, last year and a halfwith them, which was wonderful.
Sara Bareilles.
Yeah.
Wrote the music to Waitress and it'sjust like, for me, waitress was, I,
I could do that show forever, right.
I played Jenna, Sarah Les's role.
And it's the perfect marriageof singer songwriter land and
(20:28):
storytelling and musical theater.
Wow.
The music is so good.
It is
Speaker (20:31):
so good.
And my wife got to playdrums with Sara Bareilles.
On one of the late nightshows a couple of years ago.
Yeah it was incredible.
And, she was wonderful to meet.
So you, did waitress, now you'redoing your own show mm-hmm.
Back in Birmingham.
What is that like?
What is it about?
Speaker 2 (20:44):
So Radney and I started that process probably six years ago.
Tell us who
Speaker (20:50):
Radney is.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Radney Foster is a force of nature.
He's also a Renaissance man.
Many people who would know Radney for his,music would know him as a country artist.
He has many, many hits out in the world.
He is got , his own artist career.
He's been touring forever,uh, from Del Rio, Texas,
Speaker (21:06):
Keith Urban, The Chicks, yeah, Brooks & Dunn.
Kenny Loggins, I mean, he'swritten songs For everybody.
And number one hits.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
He is a gem.
A star.
A Renaissance man.
He's a superstar.
Yeah.
Also, turns out he's an actor.
Turns out he's a script writer.
He's writing a movie with his wife now.
And the way we found this out, to behonest, here, I am moving to Nashville,
not being the biggest country music buff.
. I knew some country, my brotherhad listened to country off and on,
but I didn't know, I don't know allthe nitty gritty of country music.
(21:33):
So here I am, I'm on a,um, project called Trio
by this woman named is Sherry Smith,
my friend Eric Erdman, who's one of myvery consistent co-writers he introduced
me to Radney and to Sherry, and got ontothis project So every summer for about
three years, I would receive a book.
I'd read it and I'd write a song about it.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
And at the same time, there was a visual artist
creating a piece of art for it.
And there were 13 sets of trios, I think.
And we'd get together and we would tourdifferent bookstores around the south.
Radney Foster was one of thewriters, and there we were in a
bookstore in Marietta, Georgia.
And it was right around the time thatTrump was elected for the first time.
And I was about ready to leave Nashville.
(22:10):
I just wanted to get back to my,cozy little blue pool in California.
Yeah.
And I was about ready to leave and,um, one of my dear friends Gary
said to me, be where your feet are.
So I was dealing with this back and forthof like, I love my life here, but I want
to be back in California where it's comfy.
And in that moment I went to Marietta,Georgia, and Radney sang a song called
California And I sang a song called Wings.
(22:30):
And there was just this kismet, , andI honestly didn't know his history.
his repertoire, his autobiography.
I just saw him as a human and as a spirit.
And we connected in that light.
And his song in California was talkingabout like streets that I knew in
San Francisco and Santa Cruz Wejust got to talking afterwards and
he became my mentor very quickly.
We just had this rapport.
We started writing songs.
(22:50):
It was gonna be country songs, andthen we started speaking in accents
and we started playing around withcharacters and I discovered he was
in a show in Atlanta where he playedthe father role that Christian Bush
was the musical director of, huh.
and he was like, do youhave acting training?
And I'm like, yeah.
I come from the theater world.
And all of a sudden there we were inthe story called Back in Birmingham,
and we wrote, the first song wewrote was, say Your Goodbyes Now.
(23:12):
Which is definitely based off of thelast moments I had with my grandmother.
Mm-hmm.
Ethel, Who taught me to sing.
So we went from there and then we startedwriting a song called Back in Birmingham.
So then the story started to come about.
We have the grandmother, thegranddaughter, which is very
much the same and, as my life.
And then we have the daughter.
The daughter role isLucy based off of my mom.
(23:33):
Mm-hmm.
Addiction.
There's a whole story there.
We have a beautiful story ofovercoming addiction and then
there's a lot of creative license.
But the idea is that the grandmotherwas a Jewish vaudeville singer.
Mm-hmm.
She falls in love with a cowboyin Birmingham, Alabama, and
then stays there forever.
She doesn't ever go back to New York.
They fall in love.
It's a southern manmarrying a Jewish woman.
(23:53):
They have a daughter.
The daughter, ends up runningoff to California, being a
hippie, getting pregnant.
Having a baby and not beingable to take care of her.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
So the granddaughter, is raised by the grandmother and the
grandfather and there's all thistension between mom and daughter.
So it's about the generationalblueprint of family.
Mm-hmm.
Kind of what we were talking aboutwhere giving it space to heal.
First you gotta face it.
You gotta talk about it.
You gotta acknowledge what's in the space.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
And that's the only way you can deal and then heal so that
you can be free to be the personwho you are out in the world.
So it's all aboutovercoming, familial shadows.
The dust that's under the rug, sweepingit out, so that you can be free to go
live your life and honor your legacy.
Speaker (24:38):
Oh, that is so cool.
So say your goodbyes now is thefirst song you wrote and that is
the EP that you put out in 2019.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker (24:45):
And so there's a whole bunch of songs on there that are from that time and
that are in the show Back in Birmingham.
In Birmingham.
there are
Speaker 2 (24:50):
two songs on that EP Back in Birmingham.
We Say your goodbyes nowthat are from the show.
So we get a
Speaker (24:55):
taste of what's ahead with that EP.
That's great.
So let's now go to the factthat you are about to be a mom.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah.
Speaker (25:03):
So how are you feeling?
Speaker 2 (25:05):
So amazing.
There's this alien that keepskicking on the inside of my body.
That's amazing.
That also has a second heartbeat.
That amazes me all the time.
What
Speaker (25:12):
do you mean a second has two hearts?
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Well, I have in my body right now, there are two hearts.
Speaker (25:17):
I'm
Speaker 2 (25:17):
like, whoa.
I wake up in the morning sometimesand I'm like, wow, I have two
heartbeats inside of me right now.
Speaker (25:23):
So, wow.
Are the rhythms the same?
Do they match up?
Are they like, is it, doI can, I can't feel the
Speaker 2 (25:28):
baby's heartbeat.
Okay.
I can feel the baby's littlemovements and probably elbow and feet.
Okay.
But just the realization thatthere's a heart in there.
Oh, I can see the hearton the, ultrasound.
Right.
It's the last time we went it was at 1 40.
1 41.
Okay.
BP.
Speaker (25:42):
That's great.
So, what's it like, we'vementioned this a couple of times.
You're 42.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
Yeah.
Speaker (25:47):
We're in a business as creatives in Nashville.
There's a lot of people that aregetting older, like we all do.
Mm-hmm.
If we're lucky, nobody getsout of there were alive.
True.
Nobody gets out.
True.
Exactly.
And the fear of having a child,like I don't, I'm an artist.
I don't have time for a kid.
We're not doing that.
Or now I'm getting tooold to have a child.
(26:08):
I'm pushing 40.
What am I gonna do?
I need to freeze my eggs.
People talk about all of this stuff.
Mm-hmm.
Did you expect to have a kid?
What's the feeling being a 42?
You gotta teach us all.
Yeah,
Speaker 2 (26:19):
teach us all
Speaker (26:20):
wise woman.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Well, so wise wisdom, right?
Yes.
Like there's a wisdom we cometo with age and who I am today.
I feel is more equipped than I'veever been to be selfless enough
to know how to take care of myselfenough to be in a solid relationship,
solid footing to know who I am.
To be able to host another human being.
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
I don't feel like I've got FOMO about anything.
'Cause what I know is thatI'm not gonna lose myself.
Oh, okay.
So to tie it into back in BirminghamRadney and I took six years to get
through this stuff and a lot of it wasreally difficult for me to get through.
Mm-hmm.
' Cause it dealt with a lot ofthe addiction stuff with my mom.
But where we are, my mom andI in our personal life has,
we've had so much healing.
Speaker 4 (27:02):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
I had to go through all that stuff to even write that show.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
Right..
Speaker 2 (27:05):
And we finished the show and it was literally a month later.
Pregnant.
Wow.
It's like I let some stuff go andthere came, there came the baby.
Also, Matt and I decided,we sold the band van.
We were on tour together and , hewas on tour a lot longer than I was.
Yeah.
Solo and with the band.
My father moved here aweek before we found out.
Got a bunch more gigs in town.
Just really got settled, finished Backin Birmingham and it was right then.
(27:29):
That baby was like, now's the timeNow you're gonna be my mom and dad.
Speaker (27:32):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
And we were totally open to it.
We were not, not trying.
Speaker (27:36):
You were in the right, you were not, not trying.
You were in the flow.
We were in
Speaker 2 (27:39):
alignment.
Yeah.
Both of us, like we had said whatwe wanted to create here to get
more grounded and be here more.
And it all just aligned.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
You know, I really, truly believe that.
Speaker (27:50):
Right?
Speaker 2 (27:50):
You can't make that happen.
Speaker (27:52):
No, not at all.
So how is your health, physicallyand how is your mental health.
With all of this stuff.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
Physically I feel really good.
Speaker (27:59):
You look great.
Thank you.
I've seen you a lot recently.
I mean, you just vacuumed the floor beforeI came in, so this, you got it going on.
You're in good shape, lemme tell you.
Yeah, I
Speaker 2 (28:07):
I feel in good shape.
I feel like we're 24 weeks.
Okay.
On Saturday.
Right.
And my belly's growing.
It's an amazing phenomenon.
Hadn't noticed at Oh, thank you.
Speaker (28:17):
I got in trouble once I worked, in a restaurant and I said,
congratulations, and the womanlooked at me and she said, for what?
For what?
And I said, oh my gosh.
oh no, I just did.
And I'm staring smiling like, what do you,
Speaker 2 (28:29):
I'm trying to be a nice guy here.
You know?
Yeah.
I
Speaker (28:31):
Couldn't even just let it go and walk away.
Yeah.
She got a lot of free stuff.
Her dinner was very, itwas practically free.
Yeah.
Will you leave me alone already?
I get it.
You messed up.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Oh my God.
Stop feeding me.
I love it.
Speaker (28:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
That's so good.
But it's a beautiful thing.
People love to celebrate love.
Yes.
People love to celebrategrowth and family and there's
a sweetness that comes with it.
There's a togetherness that comes with it.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
There's a wholeness to be part.
I feel like I'm a tribe, partof this beautiful tribe of
women that get to have babies.
It feels really incredible.
Speaker (29:01):
Is there anybody that your friends are close with that is also
having a baby around the same time?
Yes.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
So many.
Really.
I went to a girlfriend, her.
Baby shower.
She, She played Dawn and waitress with me.
We were the two waitresses.
And there were six other pregnantwomen there at her baby shower.
So many people right now at our ageare having children, which is so cool.
Speaker (29:23):
See, there is hope for that I'm convinced and because I speak to
a lot of people, a lot of friends thatare women, that are just like, if I
don't have a baby now, I never will or.
I'm afraid to do it later.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Listen, my mom tell off please.
Her grandma, her mom was 46when she had her in 1954.
Wow.
In the world, in the medical world,there's just a whole big gray area.
When women turn 40, like theyjust dunno what to do with us.
They don't, thyroid stuff popsup all this medical, I mean,
I have a, this all started offwith a thyroid, flare up for me.
(29:52):
As a matter of fact, the day that I foundout I was pregnant, I was on a walk,
I had some thyroid issues going on andthey wanted me to drink this radioactive,
Speaker 3 (30:00):
oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Stuff that , under the X-ray would be neon and
they'd see whatever's happening.
Okay.
I didn't feel anything weird, butI'm like, okay, well if you say I
have thyroid stuff, I guess I do.
I should look into it.
Speaker (30:10):
No, there's a glowing baby in you.
Yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
I mean, that's what it was.
So like, but I'm 40, I'm 41, 42.
And they say generally that's whenthyroid stuff pops up in women.
It's just a general statement.
So I was on a walk with agirlfriend and I was gonna pass out.
I was like winded.
So we sat down in themiddle of the walkway.
It was my friend Bonnie.
And she said, you know, beforeyou go and drink this radioactive.
(30:34):
Stuff, why don't you just goahead and take a pregnancy test?
And I did, and I'm so glad'cause I was pregnant.
If I would've gone to drinkthe radioactive stuff, I
would've been really super bad.
So now that I'm, pregnant, I'mworking with an endocrinologist.
This is very interesting stuff here.
Uh.
Very personal, but
Speaker (30:50):
I'm still here.
This is interesting.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Yeah.
So I give a lot of blood as wellas I go into my OB appointments.
But my numbers are all just fine.
They fluctuate with pregnancy.
Yeah.
And the endocrinologist is wonderful.
Mr.
Singh is his name.
He's from New York.
He's right along with me on thejourney, and I just think that,
that's all we need as women over 40 in themedical world is just some attention on
who we are and what our bodies are doing.
(31:13):
There's a lot of mystery because theyjust don't know, there's not a lot of
information about what happens to women'sbodies between 40 and when you're old
Speaker (31:21):
So, how's your mental health?
We've sort of touched upon allof this right now because you
really are in the flow of life.
You are comfortable in your own skin.
And, you seem very healthy mentallywise, but I mean, things come up.
Emotions happen.
Oh, yeah.
And, to be able to sit back in the seatof yourself and to witness your own
life happen as it's happening mm-hmm.
In the present moment and towatch all the change Yeah.
(31:43):
has got to be astonishingand maybe scary sometimes.
For
Speaker 2 (31:46):
sure.
The other day.
We went to South Hall, which is awonderful place outside of Franklin.
We watched a Colbie Caillat show andMatt was over speaking with someone.
He's gonna start DJing there and,and playing some shows there.
So he was speaking with someoneabout that, And I had put my jean
jacket on this, booth to Save a seat.
And I came back after gettinglike a plate of hor d'oeuvres and
somebody had removed my jean jacketand they threw it into a corner.
(32:08):
There was two people sitting there.
It was a big,, booth.
I said, excuse me, , wasthere a jacket here?
And they said, no, I didn't see a jacket.
And I looked over, I saw it throwninto the corner and I was like,
okay, let's talk about mental health.
In that moment, I could havebreathed fire onto those people.
However, I took the high roadin the moment and I just, I
kind of didn't know what to do.
So I, I bent over this pregnant woman.
I bent over to get my jacket and they'rejust watching me bending over to get
(32:31):
this jacket and they didn't say much,so I went over and I sat somewhere else.
And then I was like, no, I'm gonnasay something to these people.
Yeah.
So I went back and I was like, , I'mnot angry with you, but the next time
you wanna sit somewhere, don't justthrow someone's jacket in the corner.
Just communicate.
Speaker 5 (32:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
Would've been totally fine to say yes.
There's eight of you.
There's two of us for sure.
Enjoy the booth.
But just speak your truth.
Don't be an asshole.
You know what I mean?
Speaker (32:54):
Did you say that?
Speaker 2 (32:55):
I didn't say don't be an asshole.
Right.
I kind of did it under, under currently?
Yes.
And what did they, I said next time,like, please just ask for what you
need, but go ahead and enjoy the booth.
Have a great night.
And what did they say?
They just kind of didn't say much.
Speaker (33:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
See I would, it was so like, but I was pissed.
Like we left pretty soon after that.
Yeah.
Because I was, I told Matt about it, andhe's like, you want me to go talk to them?
Should we talk to somebody?
I'm like, no.
If they're not gonna get it,they're not gonna get it.
Speaker (33:18):
Yeah.
See, I would've pretended tobe like, what was that junior?
And look down at my belly.
I'm sorry, what was that?
Did you hear that?
They'd be like, what?
And I would've made it up.
You don't know if you'rehaving a boy or a girl.
Correct.
Correct.
I would've just made it up like, wow,my daughter says you're an asshole.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Should have, look at that.
I mean, I definitely did some role playingin my head about what I could have done.
Yeah.
Oh, is this your jacket?
Excuse me.
Lemme just throw it in the corner for you.
How does that feel?
Speaker (33:42):
My little son says, you're selfish.
Bye.
I mean,
Speaker 2 (33:45):
bye.
Speaker (33:46):
Oh my
Speaker 2 (33:46):
goodness.
But it sent me, to be honest, it sent meon a little, tunnel of thought about , oh
my God, I've gone over the hill now.
I'm gonna be a mom forthe rest of my life.
I'm not noticeable, like I'm fat,I'm ugly, I'm this, I'm that.
I'm unimportant.
People are just shoving me off becausenow I'm just a woman with a baby,
like, you know, and before I wasn't.
Right.
Right.
It was just something different.
And, you know, Matt, he, letme just say it all and he.
(34:08):
Threw his arms around me andhe's like, you're beautiful.
I love you.
It's all good.
It's a moment.
But I let myself, it wasdefinitely a tunnel of thought.
And all this stuff came out.
Speaker (34:18):
Wow.
And that's the past.
That's what you lived, that's somethingthat naturally came in the moment.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Yeah.
Speaker (34:24):
And then looking at your story, hearing you and looking at
you, it's like, well, wait a minute.
No, you're a mom.
You are gonna be taking careof somebody else other than
yourself, which is what you said.
And you taught that baby inyou to take the high road.
You literally, I mean, We allknow this, but I don't think
we understand or remember it.
(34:45):
And I can't say any of thisbecause I'm not ever gonna have
a child as far as you know.
I'm a man
Speaker 2 (34:50):
in your body.
Yes, in
Speaker (34:51):
my body.
But if you had gone and lashed out,that would've affected your biology
that would've affected your chemistry,that would've affected your mood,
your emotional, impact on this child.
Now, maybe the fact that you were a littleunderhanded and you were clever about
it, maybe that's what you'll pass on.
Maybe they'll understand, maybe.
But the fact that you kept your cool,you know, that you didn't lash out,
(35:14):
that you weren't, uh, make, makea scene, you weren't reactionary.
Hmm.
You were able to thinkabout it for a second.
And then make the choice to say somethingso that you didn't bottle it up.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker (35:24):
And then go and just seethe and be angry and keep that
in because we transfer that stuff.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Absolutely.
I so good for you.
Yeah, thank you.
You're welcome.
I mean, It might've felt reallygood to lash out and throw their
jacket in the corner, you know?
But at the end of the day,what's that gonna communicate?
Right?
What are they gonna be left with?
What am I gonna be left with?
Right.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
But if I can say it all.
Yeah.
We were talking about just let it out.
And let it pass.
That's the only way to let it pass.
Yes.
You gotta walk through it to get to it.
That's right.
Isn't the phrase it's true.
That's fantastic.
And about being a mom, there's amillion and bajillion things that
I have no idea that I'm gonna learnor to how to know how to navigate.
Yeah.
I'm trusting the path.
Honoring where I'm at in the moment.
(36:04):
Mm-hmm.
I'm working diligently tolike take a nap if I'm tired.
'Cause I'm so used to justgoing, going, going, going.
And I'm finding out that it'sdetrimental at the end of the day.
If I don't like go and rest my body
Speaker (36:15):
mom is enough.
Super hero mom is not necessary.
Right.
Yeah.
Mom is enough.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
I'm out of breath going up and down the stairs, which is so funny.
It's like.
I'm so used to just like gettingup, going to the gym in the morning.
Yeah.
Having the day being atfull packed from, seven to,
. Midnight.
But I just, I have to honor whenI'm like, no, I don't actually have
the capacity to spend the energy.
Speaker (36:35):
What are you most excited about?
About this pregnancy?
About being a mom?
Speaker 2 (36:40):
I'm really excited to meet this little being and I'm
really like can't wait to just.
Hear who they are, see whothey are to listen to them.
Yeah.
To look at them.
Yeah.
And you don't know whatyou're, just be with them.
Yeah.
Wow.
I mean, I'm being with themnow, but To actually like hold
a brand new life in my hands.
Speaker (37:00):
Yeah.
Are you afraid of anything?
Anything scary?
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Birth.
Speaker (37:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
It's pain.
I'm not a big pain.
I don't love pain.
But what I know is that every human beingwalking around on the planet, we've been
through this on one side or the other, weeither given birth or have been birthed.
Yeah.
And those of us walkinghave survived that.
So I have a lot ofconfidence in the journey.
What else am I scared about?
I'm scared about like, I'm in Taurusand I like to be in somewhat of control,
(37:28):
about my environment, my feelings,the vibe, the energy, the mood.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
The baby's life.
I know they're gonna beliving their own life.
They're on their own path,but they're gonna be with us
for a while to like shape.
Speaker (37:41):
I hope so.
Help
Speaker 2 (37:42):
shape, you know, you're five now Junior, get out.
Well for sure get out.
I see ya.
Speaker (37:46):
get a job.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
But just to let them be who they are, but not hover over them with
so much protection that they don't getto live and experience and get dirty.
Speaker 5 (37:54):
Right.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
But is a balance.
And I think, I'm not afraid of it.
I'm curious about it.
I'm a little.
Apprehensive 'cause I'venever done it before.
I mean, I've been a child, I have parents.
I've watched this happen.
But doing it,
Speaker 4 (38:07):
yeah,
Speaker 2 (38:07):
So maybe I'm a little afraid of . The control that I'm gonna
wanna have, and I'm gonna just, that'sgonna have to be a consistent Yeah.
Conversation.
Speaker (38:14):
Right on.
Does that make sense?
That makes all the sense in the world.
Okay.
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Because freedom means also structure, but to create
structure in order to have freedom.
Or else you're just aballoon with a hole in it.
Like going everywhere andeverywhere and everywhere.
Speaker (38:26):
Right.
You're very in tune with what's going on.
You're very in tune with yourself and"There is a vitality, a life force that
is transmitted through you into action.
And because there is only one ofyou in all of time, this expression
is unique and if you block it,it will never exist through any
other medium, and it will be lost.
(38:47):
The world will not have it.
It is not your business to determinehow good it is, nor how valuable nor
how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business to keepit yours clearly and directly,
and to keep the channel open."
I did not write that.
Martha Graham, American ModernDancer and choreographer, yes, to
Agnes Demill, who was also a dancer.
(39:09):
I love that quote.
Speaker 3 (39:10):
Beautiful.
Speaker (39:11):
Reminded me of you as I was driving over here today, and I thought
this is the quote for this episode.
Speaker 3 (39:17):
Oh, love
Speaker (39:18):
You are fabulous.
You do so much.
You are a singer.
You are a songwriter.
You're a recording artist, actor, writer.
You have a merchandise company.
Lily Bunk Design is where we havebeautiful, customized heirloom projects.
You Sarah Aili, the Sarah AiliSextet on Thursday, September 25th
is your next show at Analog Analog.
(39:39):
Tell us a little bit about thisendeavor, your show in September
and you have more coming up.
Speaker 2 (39:44):
Oh yeah.
Right.
Speaker (39:45):
When does this baby do, by the way?
Because you have a show in September
Speaker 2 (39:47):
And in November.
I'll be very big by then.
baby is December 13th is their landing.
Speaker (39:53):
December 13th is my wedding anniversary.
Ah.
My wife and I, it is our 10year wedding anniversary.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
Beautiful.
Speaker (40:00):
December 13th.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
Oh, I love that.
Speaker (40:02):
So what a great day yes.
to be alive.
Yes.
To give birth to love.
So, wait a minute, howare you gonna do all this?
So you have shows, you have aresidency, we keep talking about this.
Yep.
So explain your jazz residencybecause I love this about you,
because this is what's coming up.
So tell us what's coming up.
Sarah Aili.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
Yes.
Jazz.
My grandmother, who we'vetalked a lot about today.
Ethel taught me how to sing with,American Songbook standards.
Yes.
And it's been my favoritemusic to sing forever.
Here we are.
Analog is like my favorite venue in town.
Meredith, who's the booker there.
Mm-hmm.
And the curator of the wholespace is wonderful and delightful,
and we've become friends.
I was performing there a couple timeswith other kind of acts and I was like,
(40:42):
what if I just sang some jazz here?
I started at The 58.
Yeah where we do GreasyChicken and it was wonderful.
But not exactly the vibe forwhat I want for a jazz show.
Correct.
Speaker 4 (40:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
And then we aligned with Meredith.
Ty Bailey is Keys.
We've played with him for a long time.
We've talked about doing jazz for years.
Yeah.
Uh, Finally we got to do that.
Jimmy Sullivan is the upright bass player.
We were friends a long time ago,through songwriting, and then
we got back together at Rudy's.
Actually, he asked me to be a gueston his Sunday swing and supper show.
Ty was playing the keys that night.
(41:10):
Derek c Phillips was on drums and AndrewCarney was on the horn, and it was so fun.
We're like, well, let's do that again.
So we did, and then throughthat, this band that is now
The Sextet has come together.
So Marlon Patton on The Keys.
Andrew Carney on Trumpetand Timothy Kreis.
Speaker 5 (41:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
On saxophone.
And we have been having the besttime, so we were performing at 58.
Bobby Holland was in the audience.
Mm-hmm.
He came up after and said,do you wanna recorder?
A jazz record.
Yeah.
He's a producer,songwriter, brilliant human.
We love Bobby at Pentaverit Studio.
It's a studio.
He said, do you guys wannarecord a jazz record?
I said, more than anything.
He's like, I want you to come to Pen tt.
(41:47):
I'm going to give you the studio,but you have to have these guys and I
want co-producer it with your husband.
Let's do it.
Speaker 4 (41:52):
Hmm.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
So we went and, recorded this jazz record.
The same weekend right beforeour first show at Analog, and
we've just been going ever since.
It's been just these fun, wonderful shows.
You were a guest at the last show.
That's
Speaker (42:03):
Right.
I love singing the Sinatra tunes.
Oh, we
Speaker 2 (42:05):
Had so much fun.
As a matter of fact,
Speaker (42:07):
we are going to do our own show.
Let's duet.
We shall in
Speaker 2 (42:11):
February.
Speaker (42:11):
I know At the analog.
You're gonna be a mom,this is gonna be so great.
We're gonna sing to your little child.
That's so fabulous.
So you have all these shows.
Yeah.
That is fantastic.
Yeah.
So fun.
Oh my goodness.
I'm so excited for you.
Are you ready for myspeed round of questions?
Speaker 2 (42:25):
Yes.
It's very
Speaker (42:26):
simple stuff.
Okay.
And we've kind of touched upon so much ofthis, but What Fascinates You, Sarah Aili?
Speaker 2 (42:32):
This moment right here?
This presence.
The presence in the moment?
Yeah.
Collaboration.
Speaker (42:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Like what's here, what's here?
What can we, what are we carving?
I love that.
Speaker (42:41):
What angers you?
What pisses you off?
Sarah Aili.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Non consideration for other people in the space.
Speaker (42:47):
Yeah.
Throw your jacket on the floor.
Let a pregnant lady pickup her own darn jacket.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Yeah.
Like, just like a aloofness.
You know what I mean?
Speaker (42:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:55):
Non non awareness.
Speaker (42:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Really gets my goat.
Speaker (42:58):
What brings you joy?
Speaker 2 (43:00):
Delicious things.
Even rugs, like delicious material.
Material brings me a lot,texture, brings me a lot of joy.
Speaker (43:07):
What kind of texture?
Speaker 2 (43:08):
Like I'm looking at this rug right here behind
you, this texture of rug.
Mm-hmm.
Uh, also like flavors and food.
Mm-hmm.
Um, cashmere.
Brings me a lot of joy.
It's the feel.
Feels good.
Feels bring me a lot of joy.
Does that make
Speaker (43:21):
sense?
That makes all the sense in the world.
Speaker 2 (43:23):
the feels.
Speaker (43:24):
If you had a magic wand and you could change something, or let's
say fix it, okay, make it better.
Make it the way you would like it.
Whether that's better or worse?
you could fix anything orchange something to your liking,
Sarah Aili, what would it be
Speaker 2 (43:38):
in the world?
Speaker (43:39):
In the world, in the universe.
You have a magic wand.
I can do what I want with this right now.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
It would have everyone know their self-worth.
Wow.
To let everyone knowthat like you are loved.
Speaker (43:49):
Alright.
Now the hard one.
Toilet paper.
Over or under?
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Over.
Speaker (43:54):
Thank goodness.
You know, there's a lotof lunatics out there.
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
Yeah.
Speaker (43:58):
Well, you're gonna teach this child everything
that he or she needs to know
Sarah Aili, where do we find you?
You do so many things andjust give me the commercial.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
Sarah Aili.com
Okay.
Will lead you to all thosedifferent places, right?
The social media, all thedifferent websites, all the things.
Speaker (44:12):
Oh, that's fantastic.
Sarah Aili, singer, songwriter, recording,artist, actor, writer, mom to be.
You are a creator on so many levels.
You are a true artist on so many levels.
I'm so grateful to know you, and I reallyappreciate you being on the Just Keep
Talking podcast with me, Brother Love,because Sarah Aili, Your Story Matters.
Speaker 2 (44:34):
Thank you so much.
What an honor to be with you today.
Speaker (44:37):
Yeah, until next time, we'll see you again soon folks.
Absolutely.
Bye bye.
Speaker 6 (44:41):
You can personally support this show simply by clicking
the tip link in the show notes.
The Just Keep Talking podcast is nowavailable on all podcast platforms.
Please like, share, and subscribe.
Visit our website@justkeeptalking.com,
our YouTube channel.
@JustKeepTalkingPodcast andInstagram @theJustKeepTalkingpodcast.
(45:02):
We all just want to be seen,to be heard and to belong.
Thank you so much for supportingmy mission and the Just Keep
Talking podcast with me, BrotherLove, because Your Story Matters.
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