CZ: I find it so interesting to hear it doesn’t feel particularly natural to you. To hear you play and your catalogue of work – all of these vast arrangements – it has such fluidity.
SG: I think once I get it, it’s all there, you know? And also, I think the way that I recorded this record particularly, it was different from the other ones as I wanted to play the songs live and have the band back me up. Like a real recording session of the albums I listen to from a different time, like the 70s and 60s where you have these session musicians show up and perform your songs. Some of these guys are jazz musicians and they can kind of do that almost ‘flowy’ playing, and the movement of the songs has that openness to it. So once I had all the songs down, it was easy for me. Playing with such a great band made a huge difference.

CZ: When songs are recorded in that environment, they just have a different energy, even from the listener’s perspective.
SG: For sure. It also just helped me feel more comfortable because going into the studio there’s a lot of pressure with the whole ‘time is money’ thing, and I wanted to just do what I do when I perform. I realised that I was singing better when I was able to not worry and let myself go a little. One of the guys who plays on the record, this guy Tony Garnier, he plays with Bob Dylan, which was pretty amazing to be working with someone like that. Some of his advice was super helpful, he was basically like, “Yeah, just be yourself and go and sing the song, and we’ll do a take of this, get a good one and move on.” Just that simple. I didn’t want to over think it.

CZ: Isn’t it funny how the simplest advice is the key, and it usually takes someone else to say it?
SG: I know, I know [laughs]. I guess I was sort of just afraid to do it, because of the mistakes: “What if I screw up this part or don’t sing this part right?” All that stuff, but you realise it’s ok if it’s not perfect. It was a very interesting learning experience.

CZ: When you were approaching this record, were you maybe looking to find comfort in music more than you have in the past?
SG: I think so. It was almost like… I had a crazy year. I was on the road for most of the year, I lost a loved one and Trump was elected, so I was feeling sort of like the world was turning upside down. I wanted to give myself time to process some things, and in a sense, the songwriting was pretty cathartic. I just had time to reflect and put what I was thinking about into the songs. I didn’t feel like I was bumping my head against the wall. I felt peace with my father’s passing, and that year it was just nice to address any overlying anxiety, and also hope for the greater good of the world as well.

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