In Session: Natalie Santini
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Celebrating their debut album release, Little Saints, the creative effort spearheaded by Natalie Santini, is gearing up for a party on November 19th at the Saratoga Winery. Alongside her writing partner, Andy Arnold, Santini and the band have crafted six powerful and well-polished tunes for their collection of tunes, entitled, In the Weeds.
For more information on the release party event, please click here.
I had a chance to sit down with Natalie prior to their show. What follows is our conversation.
Natalie Santini: Hi!
Lucas Garrett: How’re you doing, Natalie?
NS: I’m not bad! How’re you?
LG: I’m great, thanks. I hear you have an album coming out. Tell us about that.
NS: We have an EP coming out; it’s going to have six songs on it. It’s called In The Weeds.
LG: Where’d that name come from?
NS: It’s about being lost in the universe. Unsure where to go, you’re in the weeds.
LG: When I was down in Saratoga more often, is when I first heard of you and Andy (Arnold), by extension. Then, you were playing all over. Then, you moved away. What made you move away, what made you come back, and why are you now calling yourself Little Saints?
NS: Great questions. I moved away two times: once in 2020 to go to Texas—I just wanted to work on a farm, and that’s what I did for two months; I left a second time because I work seasonal jobs a lot, and I don’t necessarily ever have something lined up. This one particular time, I had nothing lined up, so I went home to Buffalo, which is where I’m from, and then went to New Mexico for a job to study owls. I moved back here because I missed playing music, and I love this area. I moved here five years ago.
LG: What made you move to the area to begin with?
NS: I moved here in 2019 to work as an intern and environmental educator. I’ve moved through state parks and into maintenance. I was doing painting, then trail crew. I have a permanent position now. I like to go places; it’s hard for me to stay in one place for a long time.
LG: You’re a traveler, aren’t you?
NS: I want to say yes, but I don’t know if I’m good at it. I always come back. I never have a plan to come back, but I always gravitate back here.
LG: Does that inform how you write music?
NS: Absolutely. Most of my songs are about leaving places or not sure when I’m going to come back. Or, being torn into two: I really love being a conservationist, but I also love music. It’s hard because they’re both full-time jobs.
LG: We don’t have to discuss this if you don’t want to, but you and Andy were together and now you’re not. Does that affect things musically for you?
NS: For sure.
LG: I’ve been in a similar situation, and I’m just wondering how you personally deal with it now that you’re not together.
NS: I’m curious how things changed with your situation, but for us, we have such a deep friendship. When it comes to the actual relationship, he’s so busy, I’m so busy, so not a lot has changed: music is still happening; we’re still writing music together. Now, there’s less time for us to write it together. I’ll write something, then he writes something, and we’ll collaborate. We bounce ideas off each other over text. How about you?
LG: For me, there was a lot more tension afterward. It was nothing too serious, but it’s a doorway you can’t walk back out of once you cross that threshold, in my opinion. Ultimately, it didn’t work out for us. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. Look at Fleetwood Mac! Stevie Nicks made him play songs about how he hated him!
NS: Hahahaha. Yes, I use that as an example, but I don’t hate him. I can’t use that to fuel my music with hate. Haha.
LG: I always thought that was badass on her part.
NS: She is. That’s what makes her so cool. It takes mature people to do it; I’m not saying I’m mature. Haha. Communication is really important, and some days are better than others. I’ve always loved writing music with him; he’s the only person I’ve successfully written with. He’s helped me improve so much.
LG: Let’s talk about your influences. I’ve seen you do all kinds of stuff.
NS: So many things! When it comes to songwriting, Brandi Carlisle, Shakey Graves, and Madison Cunningham.
LG: I love Madison Cunningham’s work.
NS: Listening to her music in this season is so good. I’m not saying I’m half the songwriter she is, but when I listen to her music, I go, “That’s what I was trying to say!”
LG: A lot of people don’t know who she is, unfortunately.
NS: I’m sad I only learned about her this year!
LG: Talk to us about the release party.
NS: Erin Harkes helped us get this venue (The Saratoga Winery). The event is Sunday, November 19th, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Erin will open with three or four songs. Suggested donation is $5.00, and you can do more if people want. The band is: myself; Andy Arnold; Josh Morris; Ian Dingman. We might have John Alecci on keys. I’m very excited. Josh has been the one recording us in his basement.
LG: How’s that process been for you?
NS: I love it, but I don’t think I’ll do it this way again.
LG: Can you elaborate on that?
NS: Currently, we’re doing it in the way of every once in a while, getting together. I don’t think we’ve all been in the room together more than two times. Ian and Andy will go to Josh’s to do their parts, and Josh does his drums on his own. Our schedules are all so different. It’s not ideal. I’m having a good time when I’m doing it, but the coordination of it… I feel like I’m herding cats, in the nicest way possible. I love them all.
[The songs] have come so far; Josh has so many great ideas. Every time he touches it, it turns to gold.
LG: That’s the sign of a good producer right there.
NS: Oh yeah. He better not be moving away, or…
LG: Or you’ll be moving, too?
NS: Hahaha. Yes.
LG: Is there anything else you’d like to go over or elaborate further on?
NS: I love dates. Weirdly enough, all of the songs on this record have three number 2s in the dates of their original voice memo. For example, one was January 2nd, 2022, and another was February 22nd, 2019. Maybe I only write good songs in January or February! It’s very strange to me. I love a coincidence, though!
The whole reason I’m doing this EP is because of Saratoga Arts. I applied last November. We were still considered Natalie and Andy, but with the impending doom of the relationship, I thought, “What if he leaves or wants to go away?” I wrote the grant for myself and added him in as a guitar player. My last name is Santini—a tiny saint—and I thought that was very cute. That’s where Little Saints came from. I love pigeons and doves, but it’s hard to use them because it makes it look like a religious band. That’s not terrible, but that’s not what they’re gettin’!
LG: Well, I hope you have an amazing release party!
NS: Thank you!
LG: Have a good night, Natalie.
NS: Thanks so much for your time!
Comments are closed.