Despite flying in from her home in England the day before our phone conversation, Sarah McQuaid sounds remarkably chipper. “I got in yesterday and I’m not even jet lagged, I guess that’s because I went to bed at 7 o’clock in the evening local time and slept until 5 in the morning ,” she said with a laugh.
McQuaid is going to need all the rest she can get because she’s about to embark on a U.S. tour that will last until late November and will take her all over the Northeast and Midwest with a few days off between nightly gigs. The tour will make a stop at Dancing Fiddle Farm in Charlemont on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. One of her final tour stops will be at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m.
“It’s a pretty packed tour, which is fantastic because I love the USA and it’s a great country to tour because you can pack out tours by doing concerts in places like libraries, which you really can’t do in England,” McQuaid said.
McQuaid loves performing in small rooms as they provide the opportunity to really connect with her audience. That will certainly be the case at Dancing Fiddle Farm, a home and farm restoration project that hosts about six house concerts a year as well as weekly jam sessions.
McQuaid is no stranger to the U.S., having grown up in Chicago. She later moved to Ireland, eventually settling in Cornwall, England. She began playing the piano and guitar at a young age, but her journey to pursuing a career as a solo singer-songwriter encountered some detours. When she first moved to Ireland in the mid-1990s, she wrote “The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book,” which led to her working as a music journalist.
In 2007, she switched from writing about music to being a full-time musician. She moved to England and soon became part of the musical duo Mama with singer-songwriter Zoe Pollock. It was during her time with this project that she truly found her voice as a songwriter and went on to release a series of albums.
McQuaid’s music is a testament to the rich tradition of folk, often drawing comparisons to the likes of British folk musician June Tabor and Sandy Denny. Her voice, warm and rich, is the perfect vessel for delivering her deeply reflective lyrics. Accompanying herself on guitar, keyboards, and drums, McQuaid’s music resonates with a captivating depth of emotion.
It has been a hectic summer for McQuaid, who spent time converting her garage into a home studio, a dream of hers made possible by crowdfunding. She also toured England, released a live recording of one of her most successful albums, “Walking Into White,” wrote new songs for what will be her eighth album, and started a video series featuring the latest material, called “Garage Sessions.”
“My current concert will be a mix of songs that I’m going to start recording in December, then the rest will be a mix of material from all of my albums,” she said, including some of the material off the recently released “Walking into White Live in Rapid City.”
One of the garage sessions’ songs is a bluesy number called “I’m Slowing Down as I Get Older (And That’s Good),” in which she sings: “It’s only when I slow down that I get to see the world the way I should.” I pointed out that she does not seem to be slowing down, and she agreed.
“Well, aspirational slowing down,” she said with a laugh. “But I do think your attitude changes as you get older. You learn to value what’s actually important.”
Another in the video series is her cover of “Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead.
“I was in the car with my manager, Martin, and the song came on and I started singing along,” McQuaid recalled. “I realized the actual key Thom Yorke sings in perfectly suits my voice, and after I finished, Martin said, ‘You really should cover it.’”
McQuaid has been performing the song in concert, and it has quickly become an audience favorite. She usually includes at least one cover on each album, starting with her haunting version of “Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry that appeared on her second album.
“I think it’s a good exercise as a songwriter – try to see what you can bring to somebody else’s song and make it your own,” she said. “Without taking anything out of it and without messing it up.”
You can view all the “Garage Sessions” videos and more on her website, sarahmcquaid.com.
For tickets to the dancing Fiddle Farm show and more information, contact Steve Howland at Showland@mac.com.
Ben Tousley and special guests at the Great Falls Discovery Center Coffeehouse
Folk singer/storyteller Ben Tousley will perform at the Great Falls Coffeehouse located in the great hall at the Discovery Center in Turners Falls on Friday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. Tousley will be joined by special guests Cindy Mapes, Jim Frances and Brett Jackson.
Tousley, a graduate of the Harvard School of Divinity, combines the personal, spiritual, and political in his concerts. A veteran of the Boston folk scene who now resides in Leverett, he has released seven albums of original material.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. A suggested sliding scale donation of $7 to $20 applies; admission is free for children. No one is turned away due to lack of funds.
Donations enable the Friends of the Discovery Center to offer free nature and historical programming to the public. For more information, call the Discovery Center at (413) 863-3221 or visit them online at greatfallsdiscoverycenter.org.
Música Franklin concert with special guest Zaccai Curtis
Música Franklin will host its first community concert of the year on Thursday, Oct. 16, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 25 Church St., in Greenfield. The concert will feature the students of Música Franklin performing from their string and choral repertoire, as well as special guest pianist, composer and bandleader Zaccai Curtis.
Música Franklin is a free music and social justice afterschool program in Greenfield, where students in grades 1 to 12 learn to sing, drum, play violin, viola, cello, or bass. A group of teaching musicians leads the classes. The students also engage in discussions about social justice and learn about the role of music in social change. The classes are open to all, there are no auditions, and the instruments are provided.
The first concert of the season welcomes Zaccai Curtis, who won the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz album for his album “Cubop Lives!” This is one of his many accomplishments, which also includes being a three-time ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award winner. In 2020, he was named a Rising Star in the Downbeat Critics Poll.
The concert is free and family-friendly. Following the concert there will be a community meal.
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.