So, About Him...

Him is my new recording. It's my first little toe dip in the water since i became Jude's Mumma. Everything surrounding this EP makes me smile and/or feel emotional and I'd like to share some of the moments with you.

TWO HEARTS - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
I chose six songs, one of which only made it onto the record by sheer luck because i promised my manager Chris I'd only do five. It was a small project and we had a limited amount of time and our budget was little. But if i got this one in one take, could i put it on? Please? Okay he said. And one take, 'Two Hearts' became a member of this ukulele family of songs. I won! I heard this song on a mix-tape some guy made me.. I chose each song because it reminded me of a man in my life.. and all of these songwriters are male. I wanted to interpret their words and their feelings through the eyes of a woman.

JESUS ETC - WILCO
Being a person on stage has it's benefits. Even when it's a small stage like most of the ones I'm on, people still put you on a pedestal. Especially boys. Boys love girls on stage. At the beginning they're all like 'You're so awesome' 'I love that song' 'You're on stage, oh wowsy.' Well they don't SAY 'wowsy' but that's what they're thinking. And the stage lighting, especially if it's the warm tones makes an average girl look like a sexy mama. Kinda. In the right dress...

But it's not real. And it wears off. And you're left with plain old Sarah. I like her. She still writes songs, she is quirky and loving and warm and sometimes gets grumpy but she's cool. But she's nowhere near as cool as the girl on stage that they first met. And she doesn't constantly wear 60's vintage dresses. Sometimes she wear jeans. And the reality sets in. So a song or two on this EP are for one of those boys. The dick boy on stage that liked the girl on stage.

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE - BOX CAR WILLIE
One song is for my Dad. We used to sing this song in the car together when i was REALLY little. He loved Country & Western tapes and would always have one playing in the big brown Ford Falcon that we called 'The Beast.' My Dad and i haven't always been particularly close, he had a lot more in common with my older brothers and they did lots of sporty, blokey things. He spent more time with his home-made BBQ to be perfectly honest, burnt everything to a crisp, the sausage. I also lived with my Mum most of the time, so it was just my Mum and I from when i was nine onwards so there wasn't heaps of Dad time. But we loved each other, in our own confused way. We've gotten a lot closer now that I'm older and he isn't as well. A lot of things have been forgiven, a lot of water under the bridge. Lots of tears, lots of love, lots of singing. He cries every time i sing. It's really hard to not get choked up when my Dad is at a gig.

YOU MAKE-A-MAI DREAMS COME TRUE - HALL & OATES
Another man came into my life when i started to make this EP. I cleverly asked him to take photos of my recording session and then dropped not-so-subtle hints that i thought he was a sex-bomb. Whatever that is. But seriously, he is so tall... We eventually and awkwardly began dating and getting to know each other and he really does make my dreams come true. He's a wonderful, well-rounded, kind and very nice looking man. I should have assigned vomit bags for this post...So i sing that song for him now every time it comes up in the set.

DANIEL - ELTON JOHN
Daniel is another song i used to sing for Jude when he was in my tummy, i thought of naming him Daniel but decided the song was far too sad. I used to put this record on and dance around the house, hand on belly. My best friend lost a friend and his name was Daniel, they played this song at his funeral and it matched word for word how everyone was feeling and the life that this young man had lived. The story and the song stuck with me and i had to put it on here.


BEAUTIFUL BOY - JOHN LENNON
My son. My sunshine. My beautiful boy. When he arrived into my life i couldn't given my guitar, my songbooks, my heart, my life away. I fell in love hard. I was an exhausted, breastfeeding mother functioning on very little sleep. I tried to play, really I did. I tried to gig, really I did. But it just didn't work for me. My life was about the health and well being of my son and myself. All i could do was look after us both, and now when i look back - i know that's more than enough in your first year  of having a baby. I am much gentler on myself now. And toddlerhood brings with it sleeping through the night, a little boy who weaned himself at around 17 months with a shake of the head and a Mummy who is in complete awe of the gorgeous human I've created.

So there he is, Him. Some little stories anyway. If you feel like having a listen or feel like buying my music, you can buy it here or you can download it from iTunes or you can go to any record store (JB-HIFI and ABC shops are my main stockists)

Oh and these are some of the photos Paul took while i made it. Adam Toole (my engineer extraordinaire)  took the last couple.

*I'm aware that a lot of these songs have additional writers and info, however i've just listed the version of the song and artist to keep it simple.

So many hats, hats falling off.

I've felt inspired to join this blogging community for a long time now. I write a little blog on my music page but i've decided to come over here too. You all seem warm and inviting, creative and loving. Forgive me if i'm a little shy at first, it doesn't take long before i open up a bit.

But before i go on with my blog post i will introduce myself...

My name is Sarah, Sarah Humphreys. I make music and two years ago i created my masterpiece, his name is Jude. I loved him the minute i looked into his eyes. I remember being amazed that when he heard my voice, he stopped crying. I have never felt such immense awe in my whole life. I found it hard to get back into gigging and writing and i was hard on myself. I did my first gig when he was three weeks old and wondered why i was such a failure? Why couldn't i cope with being a mother and musician? I now think back to those days and want to give myself a big warm hug and say 'get off the freekin stage and leave yourself alone!' But i can't. I can only smile, sigh and know that when i finally did realise i just needed to learn how to be a Mother for a while. For as long as it took, even if that was forever. And that if there's no band room and you're a breastfeeding mother, don't say yes to the gig.

Peace came with slowing down. I wasn't sure if i'd ever do 'the music thing' again. Well other than the odd gig here and there.  Write songs, show my family, have family jams. And then slowly but surely it came back...I started writing and people wanted to hear what i'd written. I started giving away my non maternity clothes that i'd been wearing for what felt like EIGHT YEARS and pulled out some vintage dresses (and bought a few more late night shopping on ebay.) My marriage ended amicably and my ex-husband and i went back to being what we've suspected we've always been best as - friends. Jude weaned himself at sixteen months with a simple shake of the head, he never went back on. I was equal parts heartbroken and relieved, a chapter of his babyhood was over and i was proud of the commitment i had made to breastfeeding which wasn't always easy/natural/painless. I look back on that time with such fondness. A sweet little bub asleep on the boob, and those night feeds/cuddles. Sigh. Anyway what was i saying? Music! Yes. People wanted to hear my voice again, and my voice was there waiting patiently for me. I signed a record deal with ABC and made a new EP with an album coming out next year. People remembered me. I grew as a writer and as a person. I was broken in half from motherhood and when i put myself back together, i was remade into who i am now. A lady i'm quite proud of. Just when i thought it was all over...

Right now i am going through a time in my life of complete and utter busy-ness. I don't cope all that well with wearing many hats, usually i just wear the one and dedicate my life to wearing it well. My multi-tasking abilities are similar to that of a man and not the sharpest man in the shed. I also have complete and utter tunnel vision when it comes to something i care about. Some days i cope, other days i feel drained, tired and a bit underwhelmed with myself.

I think in two years time i will want to put my arm around who i am today and say 'You're doing a great job. And it's all going to be okay. Promise.'

Yes.

Love & stuff x Sare