It was a night of musical vulnerability.
Gathered in Lipscomb’s Contemporary Music House Wednesday evening, senior Sarah Wood, along with her band The Arcadian Wild and producer Vian Isak, presented a single from her upcoming concept album Through Juniper Vale.
The song is called “The Last Time” and the inspiration stems from feelings of nostalgia for a simpler time living at home.
“I was missing home a lot,” Wood said, recalling her former residence of Boulder, CO. “I was in Fanning Hall and I taped ideas on pieces of paper to my wall. I realized all these pages on my wall pointed back to home. Home is the concept.”
Through Juniper Vale is a fictional story following characters Sarah Jane and her turtle Senalala in a dystopian, overgrown world called Juniper Vale. There is symbolism in the turtle, who carries his shell-home with him always and supports a tent-home for Sarah Jane as they search for what it means to be home.
Wood explained that the concept album is a way to blend many forms of art. Each month there will be a new visual art piece and blog post on the album’s website to correlate with the theme of home.
“Last year, I carried a notebook, and any time anyone said something that gave me a glimpse of home, I wrote it down,” she said.
Wood credits her decision to publish an album to her friend and fellow musician Nordista Freeze, who consistently releases music online. Wood also said that the creation of the album wouldn’t have been possible without each person contributing to the notes in her notebook.
“I’m so excited to figure out what home means with all of you,” Wood said.
To find out more, visit Wood’s website at http://throughjunipervale.