INTERVIEW
Sarah Gibson knew “right where I wanted to go” with her new song “Long Way Down,” a righteous, joyous rock number in which a forceful woman tells an ass of an ex to go to hell.
Sarah delivers the message in her born-for-rock voice backed by heavy duty guitar work from her boyfriend Derek Thomas and her father, Carl. One can imagine that if the pitiful ex could get the message by listening to the song, the trip down to hell maybe wouldn’t seem so bad.
The song was written out of personal experience.
“It’s simple. He’s from hell, earth without him is heaven, and ‘Long Way Down’ is a great catch line.”
Being a heartfelt message for a specific person may have smoothed the creative process a little.
“I usually start on the piano and pick a chord progression,” she said. “I riff a little bit vocally and see where that takes me. Then I record a snippet with voice memos to hear it back and see if it flows. I am all about improv. I think the best songs are written pretty quickly. The creative process for ‘Long Way Down’ was smooth. I knew right where I wanted to go with each section.”
“Long Way Down” is Sarah Gibson beginning a serious run at a career as a singer/songwriter. It is a good one. The guitar work and the music are superb, but her vocals are in clear command.
She describes her music as “soulful” because “I pour my heart out into everything I play and perform. If I had to put it in a specific genre, it’s more blues rock.”
That commitment is on audible display in “Long Way Down,” and the YouTube video puts it in living color.
Her career as a musical performer began at age 15 on Instagram with short videos of her learning instruments, a career which earned her hundreds of thousands of followers, reaching a point where fans would ask her, “What instrument are you going to play next?”
That was a decade ago. She now plays a dozen different instruments. Along the way, she turned down record deals to maintain the independence to choose her own musical direction.
Now, at age 25, she has committed to a musical career.
“I am still trying to find my sound, so I want to collaborate with producers who can help me channel this,” she said.
She loves performing and dreams of performing in symphony halls with full orchestras, but, “There are a lot of other places to perform. We are totally down to go on the road, traveling to festivals or whatever.”
The “we” includes Derek and her father, and the “whatever” includes opening shows for other artists.
“If you asked me if I could open a show for any artist, who would it be, I would say Guns ’n’ Roses or Bon Jovi.”
Bon Jovi’s song “Wanted Dead or Alive,” as it happens, is her favorite song to perform. Other musical artists she greatly admires are Joss Stone, Jeff Beck , Eddie Van Halen, Aretha Franklin and Etta James.
“I have always been inspired by other musicians. Music has always played a major role in my everyday life. I love classical music, but I have always loved blues and rock. Music allows me to be creative and be myself.”
That final realization is what finally drove her to take the next step toward a career in music — releasing songs — rather than remaining a content creator on social media.
The Internet, she said, has allowed musical artists to enjoy a great amount of freedom and independence even as it “makes it a little harder to be heard.”
Labels in the music industry, she feels, have a regrettable perception that they need to tell artists what people want them to be.
“I believe that a true star is created by being honest and true, and then the audience will choose you. You have to stay true to yourself. Honesty with yourself is the most important path to happiness.”
Next is releasing more singles and building up to the album she is working on. Though she identifies her dominant genre as blues rock, she will not let that limit her independence. Her songs will have “a multitude of genres,” including jazz and metal among the blues and rock.
“I just know I want the album to really showcase me as a musician and writer.”
Follow the showcase as it comes into being. Connect to Sarah Gibson on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
