Among other places, North High School
alumnus Sarah Krueger’s debut album
Dancing With Phantoms was recorded in
the attic of an historic mansion overlooking
Lake Superior and an old church turned
music center.

Every time I hear Sarah Krueger’s voice, I get the distinct feeling that my feet are lifting, if only just a little, from the ground I am standing upon. I know gravity remains that most tenacious of tethers, but that’s the power of art: it can make you feel as if something is happening, as if something is true. And Sarah’s music can levitate listeners into a world where we can breathe underwater, drift our toes in the clouds, or speak to ghosts, hence her appropriately named debut full length, Dancing With Phantoms.

Elaborating on the title, Sarah says, “Each of us seems to be only a phantom demonstration of who we are. We project our thoughts and experiences through many layers causing them to distort into figments of space and time. We all haunt someone somehow by what we leave behind and who we believe one another to be.”

The album follows closely on the heels of her well-received Running EP, though the progression, in terms of songwriting, is dizzying. Sarah explains, “The EP was recorded in a couple living rooms and bedrooms and a friend’s studio on a ranch over the weekend. I’m not sure if I even had time to think much about it. Now, I am at a point where I am more comfortable with performing and writing on a guitar.”

Sarah’s autumnal folk rock has also grown to accommodate a full band. “As a listener, I am not a huge follower of solo acoustic artists,” a rather startling statement given that the foundation for each track is that soulful voice which belies her young years and an acoustic guitar. “I’ve always gravitated toward a full band sound. And the guys in my band (Nate Case, Ben Berg, Caleb Anderson, Kyle Keegan) did a lot of the work.”

Dancing With Phantoms was recorded at three locations: Real-Phonic Studio in Minneapolis with engineer Erik Koskinen, the attic of an historic mansion overlooking Lake Superior, and an old church-turned music center. Sarah comments on the latter, “There is this legacy and this ungodly reverb in this space that you just can’t duplicate anywhere else. This is probably the only time I have really enjoyed being in a church.”

Thematically, the lyrics explore the tension between feeling anchored to a place and yearning for mobility, consider songs such as the undulating epic Ships and Trees. Sarah asks, “How do you plant your roots somewhere you love, but still remain free? Duluth’s winters are unforgiving, the ships hang mysteriously in the air on the horizon, but the people are here intentionally. Some may leave for a while, but they always seem to come back. You become part of the history and it becomes a part of you as well.”

Dancing With Phantoms also exists as a product of its time while simultaneously seeking purchase beyond the temporal. Acknowledging the grim financial realities many people are facing today, and with no foreseeable reprieve, tracks like To Be Free are especially resonant now and for years to come: “Tell me where did all the money go/I’ve been working hard to carry my weight/Ain’t got no time for livin’/Aint got no time for that today.”

However, for every heart rending chord strummed, the record remains overwhelmingly uplifting: “Time spent working is more enjoyable and meaningful if you can justify why you’re doing it. Some work hard to provide for their children and that fulfills them; many work hard to buy the tools they need to do what they love. It’s all relative; you just have to have a goal and make it happen.”

Sarah Krueger CD Release + Savannah Smith + Adelyn Rose • Nov. 25 • Grand Theatre, 102 W Grand Ave, Eau Claire • 8pm • $5 • all ages