Happy June! It is the first month of summer, pride month, and my birthday month. Summer events are picking up all over the city, and we are looking forward to enjoying as many as we can from our new, better-connected location.

For the weekend, we rented a car and went to Peekskill for a quick break and to stock up on plants. Upstate New York offers a lot to discover, and Elke found a gem in an unassuming residential area of Verplanck, NY: KinoSaito, an arts center in a beautifully restored old school house. It is named after its “founding muse,” the Japanese artist Kikuo Saito, who worked in New York City as a painter and in theater from 1966 until he died in 2016.

KinoSaito currently offers three exhibitions, which we all enjoyed a lot. One is called “Summer Song,” and it shows paintings by Kikuo Saito. Maybe the titular work inspires a warm, bright song about the season? KinoSaito also provides the perfect setting to contemplate this: a tranquil café in a lush garden.

The new Sandmoon song “Confessions” is not about summer, but it features a shimmering synth line that fits well with this time of the year. Based in Beirut, the band has released three brilliant full-length albums so far (Listen here).

The following Q&A with Sandmoon singer and songwriter Sandra Arslanian is from 2022 and gives insight into her work as a musician in Lebanon.

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Q&A With Sandmoon

When did you start with songwriting and who was your first inspiration?

When i was around 12 or 13, i used to write melodies on the piano, taking a break from Mozart menuets or Bach sonatas; my mom would always call me back to order. But to no avail 🙂

My first musical love was Prince. Not sure if he really was an influence though. There was a mix of inspiration from Dylan to protestant hymns (like Amazing Grace), Suzanne Vega to Armenian folk songs, Radiohead to Bach.

You are the main songwriter of Sandmoon. Is the song fully finished when you present it to the other band members or do you develop it together at some point?

The song as in guitar/vocals or piano/vocals, its structure and chord progressions are pretty final. However, there is always room for improvement, especially when you are surrounded by great musicians (Sam Wehbi, Georgy Flouty, Dani Shukri), it’s exciting to push the songs further, add the other band members’ ideas, touch, nuances; each one bringing the expertise of the instrument he masters. And ultimately, the producer’s (Marwan Tohme) vision and arrangements.

Your videos are often like artistic short films. Do you already have a visual idea in mind when writing a song?

Songwriting happens spontaneously, automatically. It just comes out. I play a few chords, one word follows the other without too much thought or images. It’s an expression of what spirals within i guess. Visuals don’t come to mind, only emotions come to the surface.

I prefer working with filmmakers and let them visualize what they hear. I sometimes give them some direction or brainstorm with them, but I prefer to let them develop the full idea.

The first single “Wake Up” of Sandmoon’s new album While We Watch the Horizon Sinking is more synth-heavy than your other songs. How did it come to this?

Wake Up was written on the piano, like Silent Leaders. It had been a while I hadn’t written on the piano. However, after discussing with the other band members, we decided to go for a synth-sound rather than an acoustic piano sound. We wanted it to be ‘modern’. Then, in the studio, we pushed it even further with the producer.

What can a new fan expect from While We Watch the Horizon Sinking?

It’s different from past albums we’ve released. There is a consistency, a smoothness throughout I find. To my ears, it sounds unexpected, novel. A painting of the past two years’ tornado that spiraled out in the world and even more so in Lebanon.

Please tell us a bit about the music scene in Beirut!

I don’t want to sound too nostalgic or grim. The indie music scene a few years ago was bursting with life, new bands were emerging; festivals, events, radio shows were a great support to channel all this creativity and bring it out to the audience. Like so many other aspects of our life here, things slowed down or came to a full stop due partly to Covid restrictions and to the socio-economic deterioration of the country. Many young people emigrated too. However, I prefer to finish on a C major note: I have the impression that things are re-emerging, coming back to life slowly - i hear of new bands, festivals and events doing a come-back, new venues…

Do you have plans for a tour?

We are currently planning on a small tour in Europe. Let’s see :)

What is next for Sandmoon?

There’s a new music video coming out in December, very festive, very happy. Different from the usual melancholy…

And hopefully many beautiful surprises in the new year…

New Albums Out Tomorrow

We are especially excited about two albums that drop tomorrow. The first one is the debut full-length Salvations by Berlin-based producer and composer Anna von Raison, aka AVR—a unique and captivating piece of future pop.

The second one is the third album Eight Pointed Star by LA singer/songwriter Marina Allen. We will see her live on June 19 at Brooklyn’s Union Pool.

Nine Photos of Two Fabulous Experiences

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) mission is to conserve the world's largest wild places in 14 priority regions. The WCS also runs New York’s five zoos and the aquarium. We have been patrons of the WCS for almost as long as we live in New York and visit the zoos regularly. On Saturday, on our way to Peekskill, we stopped at the Bronx Zoo to see the Budgie Landing exhibit, which offers an opportunity to get up and close with budgies. The exhibit’s extra entrance fee includes a little feeding stick, and with time and patience, one of these highly social birds will land on your stick and nibble from it. Such an immersive and super cute experience!

On Sunday, we were ready to immerse ourselves in art, at least a little bit, and the KinoSaito Art Centeroffered this in such a beautiful way.

Located in a former school, it showcases pieces by Kikuo Saito, and changing exhibitions by other artists. On display was art by Chie Fueki, titled Petal Storm Memory, which we immensely enjoyed.

Enjoy here nine snapshots of both experiences.