Hit the play button of Lanue’s self-titled 2021 album and you’ll float around on the gusty winds and outdoor elements of Duluth, Minnesota. Filled with flowy textures, reverb, and tones that lure you over the bow of the barge, Lanue pulls in the feelings of outside to her music. Sarah Krueger created Lanue with a talented team of Midwest collaborators; Steve Garrington (LOW) and Sean Carey (Bon Iver) as co-producers, while enlisting JT Bates (Taylor Swift), Ben Lester (Sufjan Stevens), Ryan Young (Trampled by Turtles) and Erik Koskinen as her band. This all-star circle of musicians expertly supported Sarah’s core of confessional folk music in lush arrangements, breathing life into the delicate songs.
Catching up with Sarah before playing the legendary First Avenue on the Best New Bands night, Sarah revealed a coral colored striped two piece billowing outfit that she made using vintage fabric found at a thrift store. As a novice sewer she envisioned an over-the-top extra ruffled 90’s meets field romance vibe. Discovering the fabric in Two Harbors, Sarah likes to think these were someone’s curtains in auntie’s cute little home by the lake, being tossed in storage when they redecorated. Now repurposed as a dress, they made a first appearance on stage at one of the most famous music venues in the country. Rounding out the outfit are two other thrift store finds, golden brown heeled boots and vintage looped earrings. Her necklace is from Ann Erickson, a local Minneapolis jewelry artist.
“I think that my personal style and music go hand in hand - both have kind of a nostalgic feel, easy and flowy, and sort of give a nod to being outside in a breezy field or in the garden cutting flowers in some other era.”
Lately Sarah’s been into a 90’s Shania Twain meets the 70’s Stevie Nicks silhouette. These fashion throwbacks cleverly connect to her own music, embracing the dreamy timelessness of Nicks while harnessing Twain’s powerful contralto vocal range.
She shares that part of what makes clothing appealing for the stage is comfort and ability to move around in it. Watching Lanue onstage that night, it was apparent the long flowy dress with those puffs and ruffles gave her an air and loftiness to playing. Stepping back from the microphone at times, the wind would catch pieces of the dress, swelling up. Sarah shares that she tends to be onstage with mostly men, so having an overly feminine vibe really appeals to her.
There’s also a strong correlation between her music and fashion. Lanue roams in an authentic confessional base for her lyrics and stories. It’s personal and comes from personal stories. Her clothing carries that same weight, as she hunts for vintage dresses and small makers. She also sells vintage clothing, giving her closet a constantly rotating selection of styles and feels. The dress that she wears on the cover of her album is a dress that her grandmother wore to her son’s wedding, and then 30 years later to her granddaughter's wedding. “I love wearing clothes that have history and stories behind them.”
“Clothing is just one way to expand that crossing of the senses from sound to sight to textural landscape. I love playing around with that idea and exploring visual representations of music in a tactile way.”
Understanding Sarah’s intention on how she shops and chooses her style adds a deeper bond to the music. There is importance in a true story. It resonances more when its worn a bit and has that storied past. As a listener you can appreciate the knowledge that the artist has engagement in everything they wear before stepping on stage. Every swatch of fabric is designed to connect to the personality of the songs. The full picture of music is a visual experience as well.
You can catch Lanue next at the Homegrown Music Festival on May 5th on the Earthrider Festival Stage.
