Unsigned Spotlight: Gardening, Not Architecture
Gardening, Not Architecture writes melodic, bittersweet songs with punk rock soul.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Sarah Saturday - songwriter, musician, performer (I work with various producers, filmmakers, and other artists on different aspects of the recordings and live performances pieces)
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Gardening, Not Architecture? How long has the band been around?
Gardening, Not Architecture (G,NA) has been releasing music since 2007, and has been performing since 2009. Prior to that, I was in a pop-punk band from Wisconsin called Saving Face.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
The name comes from Brian Eno & Peter Schmidt's "Oblique Strategies" card deck.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
I write all of my own songs (melodies, chord progressions, lyrics), but I rely heavily on producers in the studio to choose and build the sounds, beats, and textures.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Zola Blood
Roosevelt
Doombird
Washed Out
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
I started writing songs for what would eventually become G,NA back in 2003 after hearing Postal Service, which was the first time I heard acoustic + electronic elements combined into indie/pop song structures. I was already writing songs in the indie/pop vein, and creating some loop-based melodies on guitar and piano, but that was a huge inspiration for me to start exploring electronic music and see how I could incorporate that into my sound.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
I try to meditate or at least sit still alone for a few minutes and clear my head, breathe, get centered. I want to be fully present when I perform so that I am being honest and vulnerable with the audience.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
This project has been a very slow-growing thing. When I recorded and released the first EP in 2007, my intention was never to play a show. I just wanted to make fun little songs and give them to my friends and family. Then fans of my old band and new friends in my life at the time encouraged me to perform, which I did in 2009 and really enjoyed. I came up with a crazy idea to build a light wall and create a live performance that was really strange and visually striking, and then I took that on the road for a trial run, which then turned into full-time touring for a couple of years.
I started feeling some attention and momentum, and felt pressure (from within) to try to make G,NA a full-time thing. The problem, I realize now looking back, was that I was trying to force something to happen that was not happening on its own. I forced myself to tour a lot -- too much -- and to depend solely on income from touring, music and merch sales, and fundraisers to make ends meet. T
his was not sustainable, and it was not based in reality, as there was no major interest in G,NA from labels, agents, or managers. This forced approach put me in a very stressful survival mode that quickly started to take a toll on my mental health, which affected my ability to create honestly. By the time I released my second studio album, I was nearing the lowest point of my life, but I was stuck in this idea that I had to make the "starving artist" model work. I failed, of course.
So I would say the biggest highlight of G,NA's career so far was the personal breakdown a.k.a. awakening that I had in 2012, when I realized that I could no longer put my art in the position of being solely responsible for my well-being and survival.
Since 2012 I have had to completely dismantle my belief system around art and what it means to be an artist and have a "career" as an artist. Since then my relationship to recording music and performing live has improved exponentially year after year, and subsequently the quality of the art I'm creating has improved exponentially year after year.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Zola Blood. I've just been really obsessed with that band for the past couple years, haha.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Right now I'm just feeling so grateful for all the people who have continued to support me and collaborate with me over the past 10+ years. I'm realizing now more than ever that art really does connect people, and connection is maybe the most important thing there is.
Sarah Saturday
Official Website - gardeningnotarchitecture.com
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/2EYiQaeGXkR0x0geYW2UzA
Bandcamp - http://gardeningnotarchitecture.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/gardeningnotarchitecture