Sara Milonovich Last Resort Motor Inn
Americana Highways is hosting this premiere of Sara Milonovich’s album Last Resort Motor Inn, which is set for release on October 30 via Loonymusik. Last Resort Motor Inn was produced by Greg Andersen; recorded at various locations: Milan Hill Studio, Red Hook, NY and engineered by Justin Guip; at The Nest Box in Beacon, NY and engineered by Greg Anderson; at The Studios at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and engineered by Bill Moss and more. It was mixed at Milan Hill Studio by Justin Guip, with Greg Anderson and Sara Milonovich, and mastered by Dave McNair.
Musicians on the album are Sara Milonovich on vocals, acoustic & electric fiddles, baritone violin and acoustic guitar; Bob Buckley on harmony vocals; Leigh Gibson on harmony vocals and acoustic guitar; Bruce Molsky on harmony vocals and nylon string banjo; Boo Reiners on harmony vocals, electric guitar and banjo; Cody Kilby on mandolin and resonator guitar; Abbie Gardner on dobro; Rob Ickes on dobro; Nicolas Boulerice on hurdy gurdy; Lloyd Maines on pedal steel guitar; Larry Campbel; on pedal steel guitar; Greg Anderson on acoustic & electric guitars, hi-strung guitar, electric & acoustic basses, banjo, keyboards and percussion; Jeremy Baum on Hammond organ; Leo Traversa on electric bass; Viktor Krauss on acoustic bass; Justin Guip on drums; and Ben Wittman on drums.
We had a chance to chat with Sara about the album.
Americana Highways: Is there a theme to this album:
Sarah Milonovich: To me, if there’s an underlying theme to this album, it’s that concept of a “lifer.” Resilience and grit are two elements that run throughout many – if not most – of the songs on this record, and have been a constant presence throughout the writing and recording process as well. I’ve been making my living as a professional musician for over 25 years across some very diverse music scenes and genres, and this album feels like the culmination of all those experiences and musical adventures. It feels like it reflects every version of me as an artist, from the bluegrass fiddle player to the folk singer-songwriter to the rock experimentalist, and incorporates ideas and textures from all of those sonic journeys.
AH: What inspires you, lyrically, when you’re writing?
SM: As a lyricist, I definitely relate to the old school outlaw country artists: rootsy sounds, socially conscious storytelling, and not caring about what was considered “conventional” at the time, but just making the songs you wanted to make without caring about what category the public or the media or the industry wanted to put you in. I’ve always been drawn to telling the stories of real people, whether farmers, shop owners, miners, musicians, towns grappling with their own changing economic and social identities, women just trying to survive; they’re all stories that involve toughness, resilience, and identity.
AH: What was your experience musically, making this album?
SM: As a fiddle player, I’ve found it really interesting and freeing during the recording of this album to try to think outside of the traditional genres and techniques associated with the instrument and instead approach the role of the fiddle in a song from the perspective of what an electric guitar might do. I’ve been really inspired by great electric guitar players like Jeff Beck, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, and Robert Fripp, so I tried to imagine what the possibilities might look like for my instrument from that point of view. This led to some cool sonic experiments, including putting the fiddle through a Leslie amplifier and a full Marshall stack. The fiddle appears on this album in a variety of different ways, from straight ahead bluegrass, to string arrangements, to those unique electric moments, and I’m really proud of how all those diverse sounds are represented.
Everything on this album, from the songs to the arrangements to the sonic ideas and textures, are all the result of the past 25 or so years of professional lived musical experiences of mine. They’ve all come together to make me a better, deeper artist, and I hope that experience, along with that underlying resilience in the lyrics of the songs, are things that connect with and inspire listeners.
Characterized by rich fiddle, delicious harmonies and songs about living life, overcoming heavy challenges and looking to the horizon, this is an album that’ll make you think, listen, and feel cathartic and alive. The inclusion of a fiddle-based version of King Crimson’s “Starless” is wild and amazing.
Thanks very much for chatting with us, Sara Milonovich. Find the music here: https://ffm.to/w1lmbyn
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: Interview: Sara Milonovich on “What We Did With the Place”