Digging deeper ... and heading out on the road

Hello there! You may notice that this newsletter looks a little different from previous ones and is coming to you from sarahmcquaid@substack.com rather than my old newsletter@sarahmcquaid.com address. That’s because from here on out I’ll be using the Substack platform to send my newsletters, which will save me a big chunk of money (always a good thing!).

Unfortunately Substack doesn’t offer the same degree of segmentation as the mailing list platform I was using previously, so I’m no longer able to offer you the option of only receiving newsletters that include tour dates in your part of the world. If you like, you could follow me on Bandsintown instead, which means that you’ll get automated notifications if I’m going to be playing near you. But if you don’t mind getting a chatty email from me a few times a year about all my latest doings, with photos and so forth, that’s wonderful and please do read on!

I’ve been doing a lot of outdoor work this summer — planting flowers and vegetables, weeding, harvesting, putting in water butts, pulling ivy off walls, laying down mulch and generally trying to reclaim the space around our house from the bramble and bindweed jungle. I’m hoping that once I finish clearing all the layers of rubbish, soil and plant matter that have accumulated around our derelict garage, I’ll be able to start the process of converting it to a home recording studio. Stay tuned for more news about that! In the meantime, here are a few photos — see my Instagram page for lots more:

And now I’m about to set off on my first US tour since 2019, with a UK tour following hard on its heels and tours of Netherlands/Germany and Ireland coming in the first half of next year. Here are a couple of maps that show where I’ll be playing this autumn – keep an eye on the Tour page of my website for updated information and ticket sales links, and do please buy tickets in advance if you possibly can, as that’s a big help in convincing nervous concert organisers not to cancel:

Touring is an expensive proposition these days — I was particularly shocked by the price of renting a car for the US tour, which is more than twice what it used to be. If you’d like to help keep me on the road, please do consider supporting me with either a one-off donation or a monthly contribution — every little bit helps, no matter how small! I feel strongly that there’s a level of energy and magic that only comes out in a live performance with an audience, so it’s important to me to get out in front of as many audiences as I can. I’m very, very grateful for your support, which enables me to do that and provides a bit of certainty in these uncertain times.

Hope to see you down the road!

All the best,

Sarah