
Conversations is 25 years old!
In 1998, Sara went into The Sound Kitchen in Nashville to record the first version of Conversations. After touring the record as an indie artist for two years, she signed with INO Records, added two tracks - “Painting Pictures of Egypt” and “The Word” - and re-released the record on a national level.
We are excited to bring a remastered Conversations to vinyl, and to look back on this record that introduced so many people to Sara’s music.
Sign up to get news about the Kickstarter HERE.
Available now: Add To The Beauty 20th Anniversary Vinyl & Streaming
Add To The Beauty, released in 2005, really marked a sea change in my life and music. I found my voice on this record. I was emerging from a two-year faith wrestle and I was planting my flag - the kingdom of God is not a transaction, or a fretful wait for the hereafter. So many of the things that started to take shape at that time are still shaping us now - our relationship with IJM, our desire to start Art House North, and our belief that beauty matters!
Many of you have reached out over the years to let me know that you connected with "When It Was Over," "You Are The Sun," "Loving a Person," and "Why It Matters," and more. I am proud to bring new life to these songs on vinyl and CD remaster, and am grateful for your consideration in helping us make this happen!
Add To The Beauty 20th Anniversary Remaster is available on all streaming platforms, August 1st, 2025! Real life vinyl and CDs are available in the store as well. Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate this album.
What Makes It Through
Sara Groves’ 14th album and first collection of original songs since Floodplain (2015) is a reflection on events of the last several years.
Sara explains, “In Kazuo Ishiguro’s book The Buried Giant, a husband and wife are waking up to their own histories - the ways they have been wounded, and the ways they have hurt the other. The story inspired me to explore the role our memories play in forgiveness and reconciliation. What do we remember, what do we forget, and what do we memorialize? How can we move toward each other when we have different versions of what happened? We are imperfect witnesses to our own lives and histories, and in the end, it is really difficult to tell ourselves the truth.”
Working on both the interpersonal and communal level, the songs of What Makes It Through speak to the hard work of what it means to arrive at something like truth and reconciliation.
Patreon
I was recently getting physical therapy for a shoulder issue, and my PT asked, “Do you mind me asking - how do you make a living when your music is streaming for free.” I appreciated the question, and said, “Yes, imagine if the community at large decided that PT should be free for everyone (maybe a good idea), and they enacted that, but didn’t work out another means of compensation.” That is about what happened with the emergence of streaming platforms. Streaming is not a bad idea, but in hindsight, the labels might have done a better job advocating for artists. Everyone saw ‘exposure bucks’ as a viable exchange, and it took just a minute to realize that a person can’t buy groceries with exposure bucks. Royalties are still a thing, but are a fraction of what they were on radio. Touring and merchandise are also meaningful ways to make a living, but for some people (single moms, caregivers, etc), it is a hustle that can’t be meaningfully maintained. So. The arts have always required endowment, and now that process is more personalized than ever. We can’t possibly support everyone we stream, but we can pick a handful of artist that we want to come alongside of, and can make their music possible. My music is made under the umbrella of Art House North, an art community center in St Paul, MN that is interested in creative community for the common good. We are doing a lot of fun things in St Paul, and beyond - book clubs, artist support groups (online and in-person), theater (via our partner Bucket Brigade), Skapa Counseling, music of course, and more. Check it out, and consider joining us!
About Sara
Sara Groves is a 25+ year veteran singer/songwriter and recording artist. Her last full release, What Makes It Through, is loosely based on the writings of Kazuo Ishiguro, and is a reflection on memory and reconciliation. In the fall of 2024, Sara remastered Add To The Beauty for vinyl and CD that featured three new songs for the 20th anniversary of that album. This fall, Sara and her team will celebrate the 25th anniversary of her national debut album, Conversations.
Sara and her husband Troy run a unique community art center, Art House North, in a 120+ year old church in their St. Paul neighborhood where they live with or near their growing and grown kids, Kirby + Halle, Toby and Ruby
Tour Dates
July 5, 2025 – Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference | Norton Shores, MI — 7:00PM
July 18 - private event in San Antonio, TX
July 26 - In Every Season Concert - open to the public | Westgate Church, Plymouth, MN — 7:00PM
Art House North
Following in the footsteps of Art House America, Art House North works to cultivate creativity for the common good. This work is done through concerts, curated events, artist response evenings, theatrical productions, community partnerships, and medium specific artist groups designed to support and inspire generative living.