March 15, 2016 (Tuesday) - We extend thanks (both considerable and belated) to Jens, the author behind the music journal based out of Gstetten, Austria: guteshoerenistwichtig.com. Ranking the Top 75 (76, really) albums of 2015, Jens situated Shaky by Thayer Sarrano in the No. 1 spot. We thought something might be afoot, considering the original very positive review guteshoerenistwichtig offered of the album. The review was itself greatly welcomed on our news desk. Learning that Shaky had garnered the No. 1 spot for 2015, this was another honor altogether.

The music of Thayer Sarrano has been going global since 2009. (We never tire of saying this.) Here's more living proof to the positive. We sometimes ask ourselves what "Aim" might sound like rippling up the sidewalls of the Alps of the Brenner Pass, connecting Italy to Austria, once the land of the Habsburgs. Very good, indeed, is our conclusion. Johnny Hickman of Cracker-fame, summarized it best in his comment when he shared the news from Austria, when it first broke from guteshoerenistwichtig on Thayer Sarrano's Facebook Page, back in early January 2016: "Some nations just grasp brilliance quicker than others....." We rest our quills. We can do no better.

In conclusion, we have puzzled for months over this hybrid High / Upper German composite term: guteshoerenistwichtig. Initially, we came up with "Quality Shoes Are Important," thinking that it all related somehow to the genre of "Shoegaze," of which Thayer Sarrano is the "new queen." (Americana UK told us so, once upon a time. And we believe them still, even if they went apostate on us in a more recent review.) We then dug a little deeper, and with a little luck, we discovered a false cognate ("shoe"), and learned instead that the full phrase is: "Gutes Hören ist wichtig (gutes Lesen auch)." It means something more like: "Good hearing is important (as is good reading)." We quite like that one as well, but still somehow prefer our first attempt about "shoes" and "queen," since, after all, we grew accustomed to it over a period of several months, and only learned the truth yesterday. Thank you all the same, Jens of guteshoerenistwichtig!  

March 15, 2016 (Tuesday) - Our Guildwater Staff Archivist was rummaging around in The Vaults the other day, transferring illuminated manuscripts over from Facebook. He stumbled across a post parchment from July 2015. It referenced news and a review emanating from Kiel, Germany -- Coast Is Clear -- about the then forthcoming release of Shaky by Thayer Sarrano. Little could we imagine last summer that, with the arrival of 2016, we would be thanking the venerable Coast Is Clear for lauding Shaky as the No. 3 Album of 2015.

We extend thanks (both considerable and belated) to Parklife, the blogger behind Coast Is Clear -- a music journal which has been going strong since 2005. He singles out as his top tracks from Thayer's record "Aim" and "Thieves." Excellent choices both. (Wish to watch the video for "Thieves," filmed-sketched in that most famous of Living Rooms?) In his year-end summary, the author -- Parklife -- also laments not having caught Thayer Sarrano on Tour, when she was in Hamburg (January 23, 2015) with Orenda Fink. Perhaps 2016 will present another such opportunity for the peoples of the Old Continent. Thank you very much Coast Is Clear for your support of the music of Thayer Sarrano. We greatly appreciate it.  

March 15, 2016 (Tuesday) - Where would Five Fingertips be without the generosity of Dr. James McQuiston of Neufutur Magazine? Going strong since 1998 -- Dr. McQuiston's Neufutur press was kind enough to review the Five Fingertips album in early October 2015. Neufutur also opened its pages, this time for a rather extensive interview with Five Fingertips in mid-October 2015. As if that were not enough, in December 2015, Neufutur kindly helped to break news of the release of the first ever Five Fingertips video (see below), for the song "Nod."

Neufutur Quotation: "Bold logos are interspersed with band footage, all while high-contrast visuals set the tone for the track. Five Fingertips are able to meld together The Police, emotive nineties rock, and soulful California rock into a taut and compelling package. The video’s professional look should find itself play on music television shows, while the band's intricate arrangements on 'Nod' give listeners a more deep and detailed take on alternative rock." Thank you, Dr. James McQuiston. You were one of the first outlets truly to step forward in spreading word about Five Fingertips, for which we (and he) are forever in your debt.

Also, although you cannot possibly have known it, your recent video write-up gave us impetus to revamp our Guildwater website in its entirety. Dr. McQuiston wrote: "Their Facebook is a great resource for keeping up to date with all of the happenings surrounding Five Fingertips." Although you certainly did not intend it as such, it dawned upon us that we of the Guildwater Group had been leaning far too heavily (if not exclusively) upon Facebook in our presentation of ourselves and our artists. For that alone, and the resulting changes, we thank you thrice over! The web-work involved has certainly escalated as a result, but it is all for the better, as we are no longer entrusting our story solely to a third-party who is only interested in us to the extent that we feed and stoke their content fires, and even then not too much. We appreciate the inadvertent insight more than you know.  

— Shaky Tour: East Coast 2016 —

March 14, 2016 (Monday) - The Harvester Performance Center of Rocky Mount, VA hosts the Shaky Tour tonight. From Ithaca in New York, to Rocky Mount in Virginia, stretches another 519 miles of pavement, or eight hours behind the wheel, without traffic. Thayer Sarrano and fellow highwaymen William T. Kissane (drums) and Zack Milster (bass) open the show for this evening's headliners -- The Drive-By Truckers (DBTs). Thanks to the DBTs for inviting Thayer along. We are delighted, once more, to raise curtain on another new photograph of Thayer Sarrano (see above). This one, like the others, is a lens stem of Emilia Paré. Sadly, we only have a few more left. Mighty thanks to the Harvester Performance Center, for offering stage and sanctuary to the great Thayer Sarrano.  

March 12, 2016 (Saturday) - The Haunt of Ithaca, NY plays host to the Shaky Tour today. Thayer Sarrano sets the stage and opens the show for this evening's headliners -- The Drive-By Truckers (DBTs). By our rough estimate, Thayer and her fellow road warriors -- William T. Kissane (drums) and Zack Milster (bass) -- have logged 2,408 miles since February 27. Today's jaunt from Jay, Vermont to Ithaca, NY accounted for around 345 miles, with only the stretch from Nashville to Charlotte figuring for more (about 409 miles). Peace, patience, and perseverance to the Trio.

Once more, we are pleased to raise the curtain on another of a series of new photographs (please look up above). As with the others, this one stems from the lens of Emilia Paré. Thanks also to the The Haunt, for providing stage for Thayer Sarrano. Thanks to the Drive-By Truckers for inviting Thayer along. Please visit Thayer's Bandcamp page. From there vinyl, CDs, and T-shirts ship worldwide. We were happy to expedite a CD -- Lift Your Eyes to the Hills -- to the Old Continent (France) just this afternoon, where the music of Thayer Sarrano has been going global since 2009.  

March 11, 2016 (Friday) - The Jay Peak Resort of Vermont welcomes this evenining's headliners -- The Drive-By Truckers (DBTs) -- nearly in Canada, and not all that far out of Montreal. Thayer Sarrano and her band spark off the show. Thayer's Trio consists of: William T. Kissane (drums), Zack Milster (bass), and Thayer Sarrano herself (vox, guitar).

On another note, we are pleased to raise the curtain on another of a series of new photographs of Thayer Sarrano (see above). As with those previous, this one also derives from the lens-craft of Emilia Paré. Thanks also to the Jay Peak Resort, for providing stage for the Shaky Tour. Thanks to the Drive-By Truckers for inviting Thayer and her sidecars (her band) along.  

March 10, 2016 (Thursday) - The Port City Music Hall (Portland, ME) provides the stage this evening. Thayer Sarrano and her band spark off festivities for this evening's headliners -- The Drive-By Truckers (DBTs). After a series of two-night stints in Brooklyn and Washington, the long-haul of one-show stopovers begins in earnest, lasting until Carrboro. Destinations: Jay (VT), Ithaca (NY), Rocky Mount (VA), Cincinnati, Charlottesville, and Carrboro (NC).

This and the tour's previous legs are all in support of Shaky, released in August 2015. Flagpole Magazine and PopMatters listed it as one of the top albums of the year. Of additional note, we are quite happy to raise the curtain on -- on our website, at least -- another of a series of new photographs of Thayer Sarrano (see above). They are the work of lens-talent -- Emilia Paré. Please visit the Thayer Sarrano Bandcamp page. From there vinyl, CDs, and T-shirts ship worldwide. Also consider Thayer's Concert Ledger to keep track of shows, as she and her entourage venture to a resort or metropolis near you. Thanks to the Drive-By Truckers. Thanks also to the Port City Music Hall, for providing platform for the Shaky Tour.