If you'd like to hear these songs you can find them on itunes by clicking the itunes icon at the right bottom of the screen or watch the videos that go with them by clicking the links that follow….Thank you for listening….
▶ Sarah Wheeler – Surrender Or Survive – YouTube
▶ Sarah Wheeler – Open Up Your Heart – YouTube
Open Up Your Heart and Surrender Or Survive are two new tunes of mine that I've released as a pair of singles. Both are up on itunes and both have accompanying videos directed by Mark Cohen (Twilight Series). I am honoured to have had the opportunity to work with Mark. His talent is only surpassed by his kindness. Thank you to Mark and his crew of equally brilliant friends.
Both songs are a departure for me stylistcally and in terms of process. These recordings were truly experimental for me, never having recorded alone before. My intention was to use largely electronic sounds to make something organic with elements of improvisation that reflect my lifelong love of pop music. The artists that have inspired me have always taken the existing modern technology and used it to push the boundaries of what came before.
For me it was a push beyond my own boundaries to experiment with electronic sounds because some modern listening audiences think they can judge the authenticity of music based on whether the sounds used are "real" or "fake". Real being acoustic and fake being electronic. This is an illusion, considering that acoustic sounds can be manipulated in the recording studio just as much as electronic sounds. The sounds are the tools, it's how you use them that matters most. Bob Dylan proved that when he picked up an electric guitar at Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
Surrender Or Survive was a melody that I dreamt one night and woke up singing. I realize how pretentious this sounds, but this is something that has never happened to me before after writing songs since I was a kid.
Open Up Your Heart is a tribute to the life of Glen Freeland, an extended family member of my partner's. He had a heart condition that required more than one heart transplant. Regardless, he lived his life with more bombast than most people I know. He was a jet boat champion, and learned to fly a helicopter even when his condition made aquiring a licence challenging. Although he was a competent pilot, Glen died in a helicopter crash last winter. This song is about the spirit with which Glen lived his life. Full throttle.