Under Pierach’s direction, Fast Horse has executed national-award-winning work, including three Cannes Lions, six Effies, the advertising industry’s highest award for effectiveness, a Sports Clio, four Reggies, as well as the public relations industry’s highest awards, including a Silver Anvil, PR Week Award, a Global Sabre and a Gold Quill. Fast Horse has been cited among the best Advertising and Public Relations firms in Twin Cities Business Monthly’s  “Best of Business” for eight consecutive years.

The firm has been listed numerous times among the “Best Places to Work” by both Minnesota Business Magazine and the Mpls/St. Paul Business Journal.  It has also twice been listed among the Inc. 5000 fastest growing private companies in America.  In 2013, it was also among 10 companies in Minnesota presented with the prestigious Jefferson Award for corporate giving.

Pierach also co-owns two highly acclaimed restaurants in the Twin Cities. He opened Herbst Eatery & Farm Stand, a chef-driven neighborhood restaurant and market, in St. Paul with his wife in May of 2023. He also launched Tilia with his friend and James Beard-nominated chef Steven Brown in 2011. Tilia was named “Best New restaurant” by Minnesota Monthly in 2011, was honored as the “Outstanding restaurant” winner at the 2013 Charlie awards, and was named the Twin Cities’ “Best Neighborhood Restaurant” by the StarTribune in 2014.  In 2019, it was also named one of the “13 Most Influential Restaurants of the Past Decade” by the StarTribune.

Prior to launching Fast Horse, Pierach was an executive vice president in the Minneapolis office of Weber Shandwick, which he joined as an intern in 1989. Pierach headed the firm’s Consumer & Lifestyle Practice Group in North America, a role that made him part of the agency’s Global Leadership Team.

An active adviser to numerous non-profit and community organizations, Pierach served for nine years on the Board of Trustees of the University of Minnesota Foundation, most recently chairing the Development Committee.  He has also served on the Board of Directors of Milkweed Editions, the nation’s largest independent literary publisher, and has chaired the Board of Advocates of the University of Minnesota’s 40-person, student-run agency, Backpack. He currently serves on the Sunrise Banks Advisory Board.

In 2004, Pierach was chosen as one of The Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40,” an award recognizing accomplishments of young Twin Cities business leaders, and in 2013, was listed among “100 Minnesotans You Should Know” by Twin Cities Business Monthly.  He was the 2019 recipient of the “Award for Excellence,” the highest alumni award presented annually by the University of Minnesota’s prestigious Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication and was given a 2019 “Alumni Service Award,” bestowed annually by the University of Minnesota to those who have had a “major impact” on the University.

A champion of diversity and equity in the workplace, in 2018 Pierach founded “The Battle” — an annual Minneapolis advertising industry fundraising event which has thus far generated over $60K in scholarship funds supporting diverse students seeking a career in the field.

A citizen of both Germany and the United States, Pierach holds a B.A. from the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He also is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, having completed the two-year Owner/President Management program in 2022.  He lives in St. Paul with his wife, Angie, and two teenage children, Johanna and Elliot.

The post Jörg A. Pierach – Founder appeared first on Fast Horse.

He specializes in wringing every ounce of potential out of campaigns by developing organizing ideas that have the ability to punch above their weight class and connect with audiences in ways that are highly relevant and spur action.

Clients like Post Consumer Brands, Schwan’s, Heineken, The Coca-Cola Company, General Mills, Audi and Deluxe Corporation have trusted Broberg and the Fast Horse team with some of their most high-profile initiatives.

His work has spanned the integrated marketing spectrum, from traditional advertising campaigns to buzzworthy brand activations, always-on social media, experiential, influencer, PR and more. And he’s helped brands stand out on some of the world’s biggest stages – from the Super Bowl, Olympics, Coachella and New York Fashion Week to partnerships with Taylor Swift, Anna Kendrick, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

And he has contributed leadership to campaigns that have been recognized as the best in the marketing industry – winning a Cannes Lion two years in a row, as well as multiple Effies, CLIOs, ADDYs, REGGIEs, SABREs, Silver Anvils, PR Week Awards and more.

Prior to joining Fast Horse in 2003, Broberg managed Weber Shandwick’s Coca-Cola business—coordinating programs to support brand promotions, new product introductions and sports and entertainment sponsorships.

He holds a degree in communication from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and serves as an Advisory Board Member for Bolder Options, a non-profit organization focused on healthy youth development through one-on-one mentoring, tutoring and wellness programs.

The post Scott Broberg – Chief Creative Officer appeared first on Fast Horse.

I have witnessed so many people struggle in the workplace with toxic colleagues, bosses, and direct reports. I wanted to find a better way to help them with immediate and/or long-term actions.

Here’s a fascinating, true story about how the title of the book was conceived. I went for my usual workout at the gym at 5 a.m. and when I returned I asked my life partner Scott of almost 35 years what he was doing up in the middle of the night? He said he had an aura-type dream about what the title of my book should be and he didn’t want to lose the thought — so he got it and jotted it down. Then, over morning coffee, he related to me what he thought the title of my book should be: Why I Don’t Work Here Anymore. Upon our many conversations about the book he knew that my research with colleague Dr. Elizabeth Holloway, discovered that 51 percent of individuals who had to deal with toxic people quit. And other researchers found that 12 percent do. Hence, the title of my book, Why I Don’t Work Here Anymore! Scott knows me well.

And this is aligned perfectly with one quote from my research study: “The day this person left our company is an annual holiday!”

You’ve said that you still have sensory memories from toxic colleagues, including a former colleague who wore a perfume that when you smell it today still upsets you. Have you heard from others who have sensory triggers? 

When I tell the story of a toxic person I worked with and five years later when I walked into an elevator, I smelled the special perfume she wore. And got sick to my stomach. Others have related to this incident and told me about special sounds they have heard — like a toxic co-worker walking a certain way — or a special way a toxic boss slurped her coffee. All bringing horrible memories of discomfort and pain. When this happens, one thing we can all do is to reaffirm that it is not about us. While intellectually many of us know this, we still revert to such things as “if only I hadn’t said this” or “maybe the fact that they engaged in shaming me was justified.” I say engage in two strategies here. First, thought-stopping. Stop yourself from thinking this immediately by saying stop. Second, share this thought with someone who knows you well and whose opinion you respect. And listen to them.

You conducted a national research study with more than 400 participants and analyzed results over a two-year period. How important was it to you to root the book in data and research?

Think of it this way. If you have not been feeling well for weeks, would you rather hear anecdotes from others of what this might be? Or would you rather go to a healthcare provider who engages their knowledge from significant research studies?

In your research you discovered that 94 percent of respondents say they’ve worked with a toxic personality. Was this a higher percentage than you would have guessed? 

This was so much higher than what I had expected. What was equally astonishing were the written words participants in the study shared with us. With over 400 participants in the study, we had over 75 pages of single-spaced text describing their pain.

Are you optimistic that behaviors can change when an employee raises issues? 

Yes, I am quite optimistic. I have been doing this work for many years and engage my clients in many strategies to end workplace toxicity. These include:

Working with all levels and multi-disciplines throughout the organization to help them begin changing the culture of the organization by understanding that the most successful change is “not about a bold stroke, but a long, steady march.

* Engaging staff in professional development in what they can do to provide feedback in meaningful ways — and what leaders can do to “model the way.”

* Providing all staff with skills in how to have difficult conversations with respect, confront with dignity, and to know where their “bottom line” is as to when they cannot do any more, and need to quit. But there are so many intervening actions that employees often don’t take before they get to this stage. And that is where my book, Why I Don’t Work Here Anymore, comes into play… with real strategies that have high probabilities of success.

In your book you explain how environments can form that allow for toxic behavior. What is one thing leaders can do to guard against this in their cultures?

I talk about this in my book. It’s called the skip-level discussion. Leaders need to ask people two levels down — i.e. the individuals who report to their direct reports — to engage them in a conversation that includes two things:

* Tell me about the kind of leadership you are receiving that makes you want to stay?

* Tell me about the kind of leadership you are receiving that makes you want to quit?

Then, after these one-on-one conversations, the leader provides feedback to their direct reports about what they discovered — positives and negatives. And what’s important is to guarantee that the individual providing this information is not fired for anything they say that may be negative. And if is negative, it’s important that the leader bring these two individuals together to discuss this further. And I suggest that at times the human resources professional can be invited in to facilitate this conversation. It’s important to get these out in the open and not lose good people because of a toxic situation. And if it is a performance issue and not one of a toxic situation, then by all means this is a wonderful context to have this conversation out in the open.

How can leaders check themselves against modeling toxic behavior themselves? Do you find that many leaders have no idea they’re fostering such behaviors?

Two ways.

* Ask someone who knows you well and whose opinion you respect to give you feedback about any concerns you may have. For example, if you run your meetings like a bulldozer and are trying to change this, ask someone to give you feedback.

* Engage in anonymous 360-degree feedback methods in order to discern your strengths and areas for improvement with a coach to support your work in this regards.

What is next for you?

Continuing my consulting practice nationally and internationally to help organizations understand what they can do to create communities of everyday civility and respectful engagement. I want to change workplaces one person, or one team, or one organization at time. I want to provide a context for The Great Resignation where people leave because of opportunities, not because of a toxic work environment. Work is a fundamental part of our day. Why not make it more enjoyable, productive, and healthy?

The post Mitchell Kusy Q&A appeared first on Fast Horse.

Twenty years ago, I began writing Carnival Lights as a graduate student in Florida. I did not enjoy living there, and I was pining for Minnesota while waiting for a nine-month lease to end. My professor had the class do a 10-page writing prompt based on Cormac McCarthy’s All The Pretty Horses. The first 10 pages of Carnival Lights emerged from this exercise. My professor pulled me aside and said I had a responsibility to the characters, Sher and Kris, to finish their story. I thought about his comment years later, while working on the novel, and his words helped pull me through the times I wondered if I would ever finish the book.

Over the course of those two decades, there were many years where I did not work on Carnival Lights at all. During that time, I wrote and published my first novel, Nickels: A Tale of Dissociation, completed two master’s degrees, and so on. Carnival Lights had its own timing, and about eight years ago I decided to finish it. I sat day after day with the manuscript pulled up in front of me, and nothing would come. Finally, I stopped sitting there and let it be. I realized it had its own timing and I trusted there was a reason for that. And then, the rest of the story tumbled out the year before it was published, and I was greatly relieved as I had a sense of responsibility to the story, and to the characters.

In the book you place fictional characters in real-life events. Have you written that way before, blending fiction with history over a long span of time? Was Gabriel Garcia Marquez an influence?

This is the first time I have written in this way. However, I write fiction, creative non-fiction, and academic non-fiction, so I think this is a natural progression to combine fiction, research, and non-fiction. It’s my favorite way to write. The process of finding the story was somewhat magical. I ran across bits and pieces in PBS programs, through academic research, and via discoveries in my day-to-day life. For instance, the part about the Nazi V-2 rocket being displayed at the Minnesota State Fair in the early 1950s is true. Years ago, I searched the old historical building at the fair and on my last pass, the year before they tore it down, I saw a tiny photograph of a Nazi V-2 rocket with the year hand-written in the corner. I was astonished! I intend to do more research about that rocket, and the specifics regarding how it ended up at the Minnesota State Fair. But for the book, I did a bit more research about how and where V-2 rockets were brought into the U.S., and then I fabricated a story specific to the Minnesota fair.

Your characters endure sexual violence and exploitation, which happens to Indigenous women at a higher rate than any population. Do you find writing to be healing?

I’d say I experience justice through the process of writing, of which content is one aspect, if that makes sense. What I mean is that it is not healing to simply tell about the abuses committed and being committed against Native people, but rather turning the content into art is both an act of justice for me as an individual who has survived various kinds of abuses and an act of solidarity and caring for my relatives who are alive now and who have passed. I write first and foremost for the joy of writing and to be accountable to the story and the characters. When I feel as if I have put the story down right, or captured a character or event or description well, I experience a great deal of joy and satisfaction. And that is healing.

You had a seven-year stretch where you ran 10 miles a day. How does running impact your writing?

Much of Carnival Lights was generated while running, especially through wooded areas and in residential areas at night. Ideas came to me while running, and a problem or difficulty I was experiencing with the story would often become clear while running. The theme of running is explored in a cultural context in Carnival Lights as well.

You also teach writing at the university level. Who is an author you love to teach?

Toni Morrison, Louise Erdrich, Eudora Welty, and James Baldwin are among my favorite authors. The one criticism I hear from students is “why do they have to have so many details?” As a writer and reader, I love detailed description, and I believe I’m doing my students a favor by introducing them to rich, detailed literature, especially in this world of superficial media sound bites.

What is next for you?

I always knew the ending of Carnival Lights, and I’d sometimes think people will think this lends itself well to a sequel but they are wrong. I am never going to write another book like this. It’s too difficult! Then, in February, the sequel began to emerge. It’s titled The Bones. My publisher said it needs a new title for marketing reasons. But that’s the title and it won’t be changing. You have to be true to the story. If you’re not, what do you have?

The post Chris Stark Q&A appeared first on Fast Horse.

Because I could not do sports, I focused on music most of my life. Music I learned in band and choir spoke a lot to my soul. I loved the way harmonies and chords moved, especially because they moved me. Casually though, it was always metal and alternative music that I attached to the most.

You started out as a content creator on YouTube, playing indie horror video games and sharing feedback on them, and today you’re a content producer at game company DreadXP. How does your love of visual storytelling relate to your devotion to music?

My job is interesting because I had two dreams I wanted to achieve: becoming a successful game developer and musical artist. Making games is something that feeds a different part of my emotions, especially in a horror setting. Storytelling in a horror setting for me has always been about the fiction and world building side to me. When it comes to music, it is always personal and covers real and deep topics.

When did you come up with the stage name speakeazie? 

I always found a big interest in the 1920s/30s eras. I come from a bloodline of bootleggers and I always felt that I personally held a lot of personality traits from my family. A big part of this bloodline, however, is that there are many toxic parts and traumas. speakeazie is really about expressing the personal emotions that wouldn’t be easy for me to say on a normal basis. I think of speakeazie as a separate entity, one that is unlocked in my rawest and darkest form. It also directly relates to my struggle with alcoholism, which has impacted my life significantly. I originally wanted to use the normal spelling of speakeasy, but as a musical artist, that was already taken. I settled on speakeazie as a variation to the spelling of the word and actually was not happy with it. Over time though, I grew to love it and feel it is more personal to me now. People are also less likely to confuse me with a 1920s cover band now.

You write dreamy atmospheric music with intensely personal lyrics. What about that combination appeals to you?

Music to me is always about feeling. In the dreamy and synth heavy atmosphere that is put together, it sets me up to be able to put my poetry and soul language on top of it. I always say that a solid synth heals the soul, it can bring you to tears, make you feel loved, address trauma, etc. That is what is important to me. I feel other artists that tune into this feeling well is Cigarettes After Sex and Wet. I am a big fan of both.

You grew up in Florida and went to college in Arizona. How did you end up in Minnesota?

I originally moved to Minnesota to get out of an extended abusive situation. For most of my life I spent time during the summers in the Twin Cities. Ever since, it became one of my favorite places, the history and culture really spoke to me. There were always more layers, art, and seasons compared to the blandness of Florida. That’s how I knew I wanted to live and grow here. I never actually lived in Arizona; I did two years of physical education at Florida Gulf Coast University then finished up at Arizona State University online. This was all done from Minnesota.

Do you record all your music at home? Have you always enjoyed the production side of music?

I have always recorded and written music from my home office; it has been a learning process. While I do like to produce music a lot, back before I started writing my full debut album “Prohibition Hippie,” I brought on my co-producer Viktor Kraus to help shape out the tracks more, he is a good friend of mine and is a godsend. I couldn’t imagine a better partner for speakeazie material.

What is next for you?

I am working on a new EP that should be out early Fall. I’ll also be working on some collaborations, covers, and I have an independent game I am working on as well. Hoping to do more shows in the future too, I don’t plan on slowing down any time soon.

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Antarctica is a sublime place, and that trip was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, thanks to the National Science Foundation’s Writers and Artists Program. I was based at Palmer Station on the Antarctic Peninsula, which involved a crossing of Drake’s Passage from Punta Arenas in Chile. There were several things I did not expect  — things that were a surprise — and they all had to do with the landscape, with the interface of the external — land — and the internal — my own inner world.

The light! I was there in summer, so it never got truly dark. Even with blackout curtains, the body knows this somehow, so sleep was broken and there was a certain manic energy I felt much of the time.

We think of Antarctica as the great White South, as Shackleton called it, but there are so many hues and shades of blue; my memories are of blues, rather than whites. As well as the sounds of birds and penguins and surfacing seals and whales, the ice itself was noisy. We were close to a glacier and there was constant noise: water melt, slight shifts in the ice, ice falls, and ice bergs interacting with seawater.

As a Brit, I grew up with the stories of Scott and Shackleton — I was in awe of how they endured isolation. At Palmer we had the Internet, and I could make phone calls to my parents in Ireland and friends in the USA. It was totally mind-bending to think of how the actual metaphor of Antarctica has changed since the time of the great Antarctic explorers; that they were literally out of touch with the world for months, years; that they had no idea what was happening in the wider world and no one knew if they were still alive during their absence. In many ways the mystery of the great White South has been obliterated by technology, and a certain awe has been lost.

Perhaps the most significant thing, in terms of my own work and process, was discovering how difficult it was to write about a landscape that had no human history. The history of Antarctica is geological — it’s deep time. I am drawn to uninhabited places and dark skies: I need that experience. But as a narrative poet, I need a landscape that has been marked by human history. I suppose I hadn’t fully understood this until I was in Antarctica and began to write. I painted a lot — I also have a degree in fine art printmaking — but the poetry was difficult for me — I worked on shorter lyric pieces, but no narratives.

You’ve said that an interest in death animates your work. Do you find inspiration from poets like Donne who grappled with morbidity?

I think all artists grapple with mortality in their work. Certainly, for me, writing is a stand against vanishing, against silence; it’s a way to bend time and make the dead sing, to keep the dead, and the self, in the world. You mention Maclean in another question, and he has certainly been an influence in this regard. I have no problem claiming the elegiac as a poetic terrain. I wouldn’t say Donne has been a direct influence on my work, but I am certainly interested in the work and philosophy of the metaphysical poets.

You have a deep connection to Ireland. What about the country inspires you?

The fact that my parents ended up living in Ireland has allowed me to connect with a particular community and landscape. My parents ended up in the West of Ireland, on the Atlantic Coast, so I have a small house there now, and when I go back I tend to stay local, exploring that particular peninsula, getting to know the physical terrain and the local stories.

You’ve said that you were influenced by Wordsworth, in part because he was from your part of England. What’s a poem you keep coming back to?

Well, it has to be “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.” I am fascinated by childhood and was fortunate to have happy one; while I don’t have Wordsworth’s faith in the “heavenly life,” I do think of my childhood as a place of grace and magic, of an almost feral sensibility where the boundaries between the body and the natural world were permeable. I am nostalgic for that way of being in the world, of being at home in the body, as children mostly are.

You won a prize for your poem “Dead Drift.” The image of your father fishing in the river reminded me of Maclean. Was that poem cathartic to write?

I had that poem inside me for over 30 years. The memory of my father fishing on the River Wharfe in Yorkshire — more than one memory, obviously, which became compressed — has been a part of my imaginative life for so long: the feel of those times. The poem is not just about my father, of course; it’s about time — deep time  — and human history, and the birth of consciousness. Cathartic? In some ways yes, because the poem had been a lingering potential for decades; as a love poem/elegy for my father it was cathartic because I met him again in the poem. But for me the poem has a darker energy, too, because it places the speaker and the father in cosmic time and that scale is so different.

What is next for you?

I am working towards a new manuscript. It’s taken its title from a subtitle in a new longer poem: Afraid of the Ruins. I am going back to childhood again here. I want to use my childhood and explore the point where adult consciousness breaks through, and ruins, a child’s experience of the world as a way to explore different kinds of ruination. I think it was John le Carré who said childhood is paradise regained: so, exploring this loss of childhood awareness and its paradise as a way into other losses. Taking on the ruination of the planet is, of course, a huge, fraught subject and I want a new way into this. I am currently reading, and getting inspiration from, Fiona Benson’s Bioluminescent Baby, in which she focuses on insects as a way to explore the human condition.

The post Jude Nutter Q&A appeared first on Fast Horse.

Since my grandfather died when I was only 9, I relied on my dad to relay many of the World War II experiences. It’s my understanding he spoke a fair amount about his service in the South Pacific with the Army Air Corps, although I wish I could have asked my grandfather more questions while he was still alive. I’m so fascinated by how quickly he transitioned from playing football at the University of Minnesota to serving in the military during World War II, along with the rest of the Gophers on the 1941 national championship team. That’s what really inspired the book and led me to want to learn more about the individual experiences of each player.

Did your grandfather serve with any teammates?

I can’t say for sure, but I would say there’s a good chance that he did. In fact, many of the members of Minnesota’s 1941 team ended up in close proximity to him in the South Pacific, so it’s possible he even ran into a few teammates. Along similar lines, several Gopher football players from that era fought alongside each other at Iwo Jima. They served in different military branches, so I wasn’t able to verify whether they were aware that they had teammates nearby, but I’m sure it’s something they learned once they all returned.

How long did you work on the book?

From initial research to publication, the book took nearly three and a half years. I started looking into the idea during the summer of 2018, shortly after I moved to the Twin Cities, and then began scanning archives and interviewing family members of the players. I’d say it took me a full year and a half to write the first draft of the book — followed by a lot of revisions and then the publication process.

Bernie Bierman won five national titles but he doesn’t get mentioned when people talk about legendary coaches. Should he be considered up there with Bear Bryant? 

I think it’s definitely fair to characterize Bierman as a legendary coach, and while it’s hard to compare him or place him on a list, I agree completely that his accomplishments are overlooked in today’s world. The sustained success of the Minnesota football program during the Depression and in the years before World War II is astounding if you look at the numbers. In a time before true national recruiting, the Gophers finished undefeated and untied four times in 1934, 1935, 1940 and 1941, giving the state of Minnesota a national identity as a powerhouse in college football. Before the age of television, the Gophers routinely played games in front of millions of radio listeners on NBC and CBS — sometimes both stations at the same time. It’s a shame that Big 10 policies didn’t allow the league to compete in the Rose Bowl back then, otherwise Minnesota would have appeared on that prestigious stage many times under Bierman.

What was his greatest coaching innovation?

I think Bierman succeeded as a coach because of his simplicity, attention to detail and emphasis on fundamentals. He ran a very old-school single wing offense without a lot of passing plays or fancy tricks, but he drilled the basics into his players and got them to buy into his disciplined style. This style did not work as well after World War II, once the game had gotten faster and more pass-heavy, but in his prime, Bierman was arguably the best college football coach in America.

Do you now have the bug when it comes to writing history? 

This book was my first attempt at writing history and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It was fun to look back through old documents and newspaper archives to get a sense for daily life in the months before, during and after World War II.

What is next for you?

I’m hoping to get to work on a second non-fiction book project in the coming weeks, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the process takes me.

The post Danny Spewak Q&A appeared first on Fast Horse.

Ooh, most definitely both, but leaning much heavier on the inspiring. I found Nashville to be such a welcoming town. I was young, and had only a vague idea of what I wanted to do — sing! Write songs! — so the intimidating part feels appropriate. So many extremely talented humans in a place, many with razor-sharp visions on what they want to say, what they want to accomplish. I feel lucky to have spent that time learning and listening and learning and listening.

What prompted you to relocate to Minneapolis?

My husband was offered a scholarship to a law school in Minnesota. We had always intended to return home to start our family — near our own families, to the tune of five to 10 minutes away from each set of grandparents for a time — so the timing was just moved up a year or so.

I enjoy your songwriter interviews and collaborations on your YouTube channel. Have you always found joy in collaborating and exploring music with others?

Collaborating with other musicians is just about my favorite thing to do. I have always loved singing harmonies. In high school, my friends would tease me about how I could never just sing the melody when we’re listening to the radio. I first learned songwriting via co-writing in Nashville. Since returning to Minnesota, I have mostly solo written, but the last few years have given me more opportunity to work the co-writing muscles again. Thanks, pandemic? My interview series, “Hey! I Miss You!” is such a joy. I have learned so much from conversations with my guests. I also have a covers collaboration series on YouTube called “Toilet Tunes” — it’s goofy, but sweet. Musicians come to my bathroom and sing a hardly-rehearsed cover tune with me and then we put it right out on the Internet. It’s been on hold for the last few years, but I’m hoping to bring it back soon.

You get compared a lot to Norah Jones. Who do you turn to for inspiration in terms of singers with a similar range and tone as you? Or do you try not to think about it?  

Wow, that is such a wonderful compliment. She is such an inspiration in terms of both vocal performance, and career longevity/creativity/multi-project/whimsy-following. In recent years most of my inspiration has come from writers, but I will go forever and always to Patty Griffin for vocal inspiration, as well as Lee Ann Womack, Alison Krauss. Recent vocal inspirations include Lydia Luce and Amanda Shires.

How did you replace the joy of performing during the pandemic?  

I kept performing. But it was live-stream shows from my Big Green Bathroom. I did a 12-week series of Tuesday night shows called “5 Songs and Big Love” and that was so special. The same crew showed up week after week and we grew into this sweet little community. After that run, I did more sporadic livestreams, and then as soon as possible I pivoted to outdoor shows. Back yards, front yards, porches, patios, outdoor venues. I don’t know that I ever had a week go by where there wasn’t some kind of performing. I feel really fortunate in that regards. I missed what things had been, and also felt a new depth of gratitude for any chance to sing for people.

You’ve been known to record songs with people in your big green bathroom. Where did you get that idea? 

I was participating in a songwriting group where we needed to record a video of our completed song every week. For the first year, I would record in our office/craft room, which is right off the kitchen and has just a thin pocket door barrier. At the time my kids were 2 and 5. I realized that if I recorded in the bathroom attached to our bedroom, I had two locked doors separating me from tiny humans, and pups. Bonus, my husband had just painted the walls my favorite shade of green. After I had recorded a few of these tunes, my friend Laurie asked if she could sing a song with me in the bathroom. And “Toilet Tunes” was born. I’m so glad I needed those locked doors.

When do you know a song is done? Do you have to resist the urge to keep rewriting?  

I do not have to resist that urge. Maybe I should do more rewriting, actually. Or at least be less afraid of it. I tend to write songs fairly linearly, so most likely, the song is done when the bridge is written, because the final chorus is often a repeat of content that’s been heard. There’s still work to do in polishing the performance, figuring out how to end the song and all of that, but once the bridge is written, my heart usually feels done. Also, when I’ve recorded my song demo and posted on the Facebook group. Songs, in terms of lyrics, melody, structure, are minimally changed after that happens. So much of my writing is in the context of this Facebook writing group, and that has a specific deadline, which helps my brain so much. I’m here for a deadline. I work best under some kind of external accountability structure.

What is next for you?

Lots of outdoor singing, and five more songs in the Summer Songwriting challenge, and time at the cabin with the family. I’m working on two recording projects at the moment, and lightly dreaming a third. I’ve got a few “Toilet Tunes” scheduled, and am looking forward to bringing that back in some way with the interview show for late fall. I’m also trying to figure out how to be more skilled at resting and having fun in between all the musical goodness. Stay tuned on that one.

Photo by Emily Isakson.

The post Sarah Morris Q&A appeared first on Fast Horse.

Originally, I had planned to create a short documentary focused on Nur-D and his music. After George Floyd was murdered, I realized that was influencing a lot of things that he was doing in his personal life as well as his music. There was an opportunity for me as a filmmaker to tackle much larger issues like racism and social justice, and I was determined to take full advantage of that. That’s when a short music documentary turned into something so much bigger and in the end required a longer runtime.

Had you previously known and worked with him?

The first time I saw Nur-D perform was actually at the 2019 Battle of the Bands event put on by Fast Horse. From the first song I heard, I knew that I was witnessing something special. Being a nerd myself, I instantly felt a connection to him and his music. The next day I messaged him on Instagram to tell him how much I enjoyed the show and that I wanted to learn more about his story through a documentary. From there the journey began and lasted around three years.

You were able to capture his thoughts on racial justice.

One of the most impactful moments of my life was the two-hour interview we had about George Floyd and other conversations about racism and being black in America. Being able to document him recording two albums reflecting on these topics was cool. I was able to watch him express himself and his opinions through his music in hopes to enlighten others and promote a greater change in all of us and our society.

What are some of the music documentaries you admire?

I’m constantly watching documentaries for inspiration and was inspired by a lot of films, most were not music related. The biggest influence on me for this film was Last Chance University on Netflix. The show does a phenomenal job at diving deep into the characters’ stories and really understanding the struggles they deal with every day. Here’s a list of a few other films that I was inspired by: Baltimore Rising, Ernie and Joe: Crisis Cops, Traffic Stop, Summer of Soul, and Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated.

How much footage did you shoot? Was it difficult to leave stuff out?

I started shooting in February 2020 right before the pandemic and stopped shooting in February 2022. I captured four hours of interview footage and a ton of B-roll. There were so many great stories and sound bites that didn’t make it, but ultimately I had to keep reminding myself what the overall message of the film was. If it didn’t push forward that message, then it needed to be cut. Reviewing the film with others also helped when deciding what to get rid of.

Did you edit and produce the film with your own equipment? What kind of equipment did you use?

I did shoot and edit the film with my own equipment. I used a Sony A7siii and a Canon 5D for cameras along with a simple lighting and audio setup. I edited the film on Final Cut Pro X. Documentary films can be made on iPhones nowadays, so my setup was extremely basic. To me it’s more about the story than the technology.

Nur-D is such a dynamic stage performer. Do you expect his career to continue to grow?

I continue to watch Nur-D grow and grow as a musician, and I don’t think that’s stopping anytime soon. I think he has potential to become as big as he wants to be, and I know he will continue to greatly impact the people who listen to his music and that’s really what matters.

What is next for you?

We will be releasing “Black Kid, White Town” on YouTube for everyone to see at the beginning of August, so you can follow @nurdrocks on Instagram for updates on that release. I’m currently working for a Minneapolis video production company called Acowsay. We are working on a full-length documentary about the MN Aurora who’s first year as a pre-professional women’s soccer team just ended with them making it into the playoff finals. The film will cover things like being a female athlete in a male dominated world of sports, mental health, community and inclusivity. I just hope that I can continue working on meaningful documentary projects and impact as many people as possible.

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I have been playing the guitar since Santa brought me a $25 JCPenney guitar when I was 5. Despite both of my parental units being musical, neither explained to me that I was holding it incorrectly. After that, I inevitably procured a larger acoustic guitar. I was still too small to play it properly, so I laid it on my lap. That is how I played for the first few years. I learned the blues that way, and a couple other simple chord progressions. One day, I realized I had grown enough to move it up into the more accepted position. There were three men in my life at that young age who encouraged me to play the way I felt most comfortable. They told me that someday I’d realize how unique of a style it was. I didn’t care about being unique. I cared about learning “Sweet Home Alabama” to impress a boy at my school.

Do you know of other guitar players who play that way?

There are so many lefties that I encounter who either play left-handed guitars or flip the right-handed guitar and restring it left-handed. Off the top of my head, I’m not certain of anyone who flips a right-handed guitar upside down without restringing. If anyone knows of anyone who plays like me, let me know. I’d love to pick their brain and see how they process playing. After 30 years of doing it my way — I’m so used to watching right-handed players that I mentally flip everything instantly. I can’t read music. But I can read hands and fingers.

Your father was a DJ for a radio station. Do you still have albums that he’d bring home? Do you still feel connected to them?

Very much so. I have his entire collection. He would receive duplicates from the station and bring them home to play on the ol’ turntable. I also have several eight-tracks and a few reel-to-reels. My father passed away in 2006 and I constantly wonder if he’s keeping tabs on my music career. I hope he’s proud. I was nominated this year for a Josie Music Award. The ceremony is at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville and it’s one of those bittersweet things. I’m stoked but I wish my folks were alive to see it. One fun memory. I remember riding with my dad in Forest Lake and he would predict which song came on following a different song. For instance, Golden Earring would be on. My dad would flick his cigarette ash out the window and say “Fleetwood Mac is next” and he was almost always correct. When DJs lost control of their playlists, the game lost its luster. Now, when I put on some of that classic rock, it is like a time machine. I’m suddenly a little kid — wide-eyed and wondrous.

You are a big fan of Fran Healy and the band Travis. His songs are so emotional. Is that what draws you in and what you strive for in your songs?

My love of Fran Healy, and the band Travis as a whole, is twofold. Lyrically speaking, the songwriting is like a poem written by a normal person. The lyrics aren’t romanticized or overly wordy. They aren’t too frilly or difficult to process. The words almost feel as if someone just bled their heart and soul out and arranged it into a story or an explanation of feelings. Secondly, the musicianship of the entire band is incredible. I was 16 the first time I heard the song “Sing” by Travis. The banjo, the acoustic, the bass, the drums. that entire song just checked every box on my list for what I appreciate. There is not one song from Travis that I do not enjoy. I strive for that effect with my own music. I want every song I write to have a distinct sound so that when people listen they feel that same way.

Your songs have such clever wordplay – I particularly love “Going Sane.” Who are some songwriters you admire?

This is an easy question and a difficult question. There are so many songwriters that I admire. KT Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter that emulates that same lyrical presence in her own writing. Jack Antonoff of the band Bleachers is another songwriter that I just find myself mesmerized by. He has written songs with Taylor Swift and many others. His lyrics are witty and engaging. Finally, I tend to channel a lot of Dan Wilson’s vibe regarding song creation. As a songwriter, his recipe mixes melody with brooding raw wordplay and I’m just awestruck. I did some work with Jon Delange of Tinderbox Music and he mentioned interacting with Dan Wilson like it was an everyday occurrence. If Dan Wilson spoke to me, I think I would just stare in amazement until he walked away bewildered. He’s one of the greats.

You also have a master’s in accounting. Do you find that working in numbers can derive similar creative satisfactions to songwriting? Or are the feelings not similar at all?

That’s a question I’ve never been asked before. I suppose there are elements of both that produce a completion or execution high. For instance, I finish a song and it’s halfway decent — I feel good. I have succeeded in getting whatever energy I needed to get out out. Then, in accountingland, say I’m hunting a number somewhere on a bank reconciliation. When I find that elusive dollar amount and make the adjustment or correction, I also feel good. I have succeeded at producing results necessary for my continued employment. However, that’s about where the similarities end. I am an entirely different person at my office than I am with a guitar in my hand. I am incredibly fortunate to have a boss that respects my passion for music. He doesn’t balk when I ask to leave early to get to a gig. He respects the need for mental health and maintaining a positive work-life balance.

How did you keep yourself creatively productive during the pandemic?

I hate to be that person who thanks the pandemic for anything but I found so many new avenues for maintaining creative flow during it. When the pandemic started, I remember taking my daughter to the Xcel Energy Center so she could skate with her hockey team at the end of the season. The entire facility was empty. The streets were empty. It felt so post-apocalyptic. I thought “Wow, what are we in for?” I’m an incredibly social person so the thought of any kind of lockdown or isolation left me feeling unsettled. Fortunately, my bandmates and I still practiced, in person, at our space. We honed our performance. We participated in live-stream concerts and live-stream festivals. I held solo Facebook Live streams from my basement. I recorded and sent tracks over Google Drive to my producer who worked on them and sent them back. I didn’t write as much as I thought I would but I definitely played and perfected many of my songs. I don’t miss the fear and the uncertainty of 2020 but I miss how we all banded together. We all supported one another and did whatever we could to help each other.

What is next for you?

Every year, I think “Wow! What an awesome year!” and 2022 has been the best year yet. I am nominated for five International Songwriters Awards including Entertainer of the Year and Female Songwriter of the Year. I am also nominated for Rising Star from the Josie Music Awards in Nashville this October. My album is nearly complete after a long 16 years after the release of my self-titled EP. I have been performing live with Jonathon Larson and Nick Engelhart, which is why you’ll see “Samantha Grimes & The 53s” for most live shows. They are just fantastic songwriters and multi-instrumentalists themselves — I am so lucky to have found them. We are playing at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall in St. Paul on August 4 for Americana Night. Also, a performance I’m super excited for is the ForWARD Neighborhood Concert Series in Rochester on August 31. Lastly, in November I’m headed to Iowa for a few solo shows. Honestly, the game plan has and always will be to keep making music. They will have to bury me with my capo wearing the sparkliest outfit in my closet.

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