Project Description
Similar Artists: Aoife O’Donovan, Laura Marling, Anaïs Mitchell
Raised in a liberal Mennonite community in Indiana, Sadie Gustafson-Zook grew up playing music and attending quilt auctions with her folk musician parents. Life in a small town where her mother was a pastor was comfortable and straightforward, and she always felt supported in her music-making. On her new album Sin of Certainty, Gustafson-Zook explores the process of questioning all that she had taken for granted through finding a new community in the roots scene of Boston, studying jazz, and coming out as gay.
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“Sadie Gustafson-Zook has crafted a poetic jewel of an album” – Sarah Fuller Hall, No Depression
Through delightful musical twists and turns, Gustafson-Zook shows that embracing uncertainty can deliver rays of wonder in unexpected places. Sin of Certainty unearths a new way of looking at identity, the world around us, and our community. Gustafson-Zook says, “I say ‘Sin’ of certainty because I don’t think that being certain should be something to strive for. Instead, I think we should uplift uncertainty, which can lead to so much growth and possibility.” Read more
An anthem for those feeling stuck and uncertain, “Maybe I Don’t Know” guides a path forward in the midst of questioning assumptions, societal norms, and wrong decisions. Gustafson-Zook wrote “Maybe I Don’t Know” before the pandemic hit the US, which was also during a precipice of big career and relational shifts in her own life. The song became a personal anthem to lead her through the next few years. She says, “Plans will change, things will seem uncertain, and it’s okay to just keep going and trying new things until something sticks.” Read more
“Keep Myself” draws on finding the balance between keeping yourself and keeping the relationship. In March of 2019, Gustafson-Zook had just exited her first gay relationship. She says, “As someone who has been obsessed with the idea of relationships for as long as I can remember, gay dating opened up a whole new world for me, and unsurprisingly, co-dependence emerged as a theme.” She wrote “Keep Myself” to work through her desire for the balance of keeping herself and keeping a relationship. Read more
Bio
Raised in a liberal Mennonite community in Indiana, Sadie Gustafson-Zook grew up playing music and attending quilt auctions with her folk musician parents. Life in a small town where her mother was a pastor was comfortable and straightforward, and she always felt supported in her music-making. On her new album Sin of Certainty, Gustafson-Zook explores the process of questioning all that she had taken for granted, through finding a new community in the roots scene of Boston, studying jazz, and coming out as gay.

“Channeling her inner Joni Mitchell, Gustafson-Zook’s performance is simply gorgeous.”

"Folk artist Sadie Gustafson-Zook’s EP Vol. 1 is a paradox: it’s the specificity of the lyrics that make them relatable...her reflections on these experiences relate them to broader challenges nearly all of us contend with."

"Sadie Gustafson-Zook has crafted a poetic jewel of an album"