Mike Rimmer quizzed SARAH MASEN.

Sarah Masen

Mike: This album seems a lot looser than the previous three.

Sarah: All the songs started out on the acoustic guitar and this album was the first time that we really went for a feel that was closer to what I was already doing the last four years which was travelling by myself with the guitar. We had a week to record most of the tracks and we just showed up and played them a number of times through and just looked at what was created in the moment.

Mike: You have described your song "We Are A Beginning" as a song for the whole community to sing. Tell me more about community.

Sarah: Community is the word I'm using now to replace church because it's really the people who we're surrounded with in our particular situation, where we live... People come in and people come out but I think we're finding ourselves through each other and community is really important because you can't go in it alone. We know that God loves us, we just need to do something about it. We need to act it out through people and through our interaction with people. I think community has become a really important and relevant word for me and my family and friends. We're discovering that we only thrive with each other and we're finding who we were created to be by way of others.

Mike: Intriguingly you have included a cover version of Supertramp's "Give A Little Bit" on the album. Were you a Supertramp fan when you were younger?

Sarah: We did listen to Supertramp when we were younger! We watched the movie
Magnolia and were so into movies. Magnolia reminded us of Supertramp and my husband said, 'You've got to cover this song.' I was sceptical but the lyrics are quite beautiful and so we did it.

Mike: So you're married to David Dark now so you're now Mrs Dark?

Sarah: Well, yes I am. I still go under Sarah Masen for the music just so not to confuse people.

Mike: You're Mrs Dark and then you've got your daughter who you've named Dorothy Day Dark so there's a bit of a D alliteration taking place there.

Sarah: She's got all of them! She's got three D's! She's got D Day! She's got triple D! But there's a reason, because Dorothy Day was a Catholic worker and activist and during the depression opened her heart to see the homeless housed. Throughout the USA there are houses called hospitality houses that were started by Dorothy Day and her group of people. They believed we have to share everything we have so that everybody has a chance to eat and to sleep comfortably. So we named her not to overwhelm our Dorothy but to inspire her.

Mike: Having a baby must be a life changing experience on all levels.

Sarah: We called her our resident alien, because at first we were like, "what's going on? What do we do?" To be honest, I'd like to sleep a little better but she's starting to sleep a little better. And yet there are these amazing intense times - the affection that you get back from this little individual and it is wonderful.

Mike: "Love Is Breathing" is about having a baby isn't it?

Sarah: "Love Is Breathing" was inspired by Dorothy and her birth and some of it is very literal but it's really an invitation for the listener to realise that this is where they started from too. And even for nine months that they were out of control of their own care and they were cared for because they made it and they're alive.