Date: January 8, 2009
From: GaydarNation

GaydarNation: Want to know how out recording artist Sacha Sacket gets into his groove? By going to a sex club with his all-girl band to record his latest CD, Sacha Sacket and the LadyKillers: Live at the Zone.

Sacha Sacket: We spoke to Sacha about raw physical energy and anonymous sex, what turns him on and being an exhibitionist.

GN: You say that "the location of a live record is paramount to the energy you aim to capture". So just what sort of energy did you end up capturing from the sex club you recorded your new album in?

SS: It definitely had a darkness to it, which wasn't surprising because the place doesn't have too much light going on. It's basically a dark maze and we were in different compartments of the club during the recording.

A ton of raw energy was also captured - tendons, sinew, bone, muscle and that sort of thing. It was very visceral and bare - a get in and get out quality. Which is basically what a sex club is for a lot of people. It's that immediate embrace - that no holds barred show-me-everything-you-got-even-though-I-don't-know-you-from-Adam. That is basically what we want with music, too, when you think about it.

It was cool to see the record capture that raw physical energy. You get a cool sense of the space just when you listen to the record.

GN: Why a sex club?

SS: A music venue felt like a copout with these songs. I wanted to find somewhere that would almost become a central character to the record. We played differently because of where we were. The place just informed the entire album. Every song changed because we were playing somewhere built for massive amounts of anonymous sex.

GN: Do you have any juicy stories from the club that you want to share?

SS: Well, you sort of avoided touching the walls. Some things you just can't clean up. Juicy enough?

GN: We understand your album is a "gritty revision" of your previous work. How so?

SS: My albums tend to have quite lush and full arrangements. I love going for a very full sound in studio and it's impossible to capture that live without lugging a huge orchestra with you. With the band, we only had a few things to play with - guitar, piano, bass and drums - and because of that, it created this really cool, aggressive approach to everything.

When you only have a few colours in your palette, you have to get really bold with your choices. You can't hide behind anything. It was a great process putting that all together.

GN: What do you want listeners to take away with them after hearing your album?

SS: The feeling that there is little separating me from them, basically. The songs are straight from my heart and exist beyond me in a lot of ways - I hope people feel a brotherhood between us when they connect with the songs.

GN: Tell us a bit about your all-girl band…

SS: It was an idea I had a while back. I thought it would be really cool to have an all girl band with a guy lead singer. I hadn't really seen that before and thought it would be an interesting play on things. It sort of progressed as we started to play together and basically play around with gender roles and conventions.

Watching the girls bring balls to the songs was pretty awesome. Every time we played a venue, people were definitely taken in by it all.

GN: When did you come out?

SS: I was a freshman in college when I first came out to anyone. Then I sort of slowly started nudging everyone around me. It was a few years before I was really out to everyone.

GN: Are you seeing anyone?

SS: Yup...

GN: What turns you on?

SS: Fierce intelligence, sincerity, and a great laugh and smile. Someone that is enjoying life and doesn't take it seriously all the time.

GN: And off?

SS: Entitlement. Self-righteousness. A tendency for black and white thinking. Bad breath kind of sucks too, but it's not a game changer.

GN: Do you go out on the scene much?

SS: Not as much as I would like. I definitely have my "go out" phases, though. When I am doing that, I tend to over do it for a bit.

GN: What does Pride mean to you?

SS: You know, it really just comes down to the physical act of holding hands in public. Pride festivals are one thing, but I love holding hands with another guy and watching people get piqued or even pissed off. You basically get studied by the public. Not many guys do that other than safely within their "gay ghettos." It takes guts - especially in certain areas. That is pride to me.

I think if more gay couples did that, it would shift our cultural attitudes in a positive direction. The simple act of holding hands is a very powerful assertion. It says much more than any words can. It's very empowering for yourself at the end of the day, too. You beat out that sense of shame we all had pounded into us at a young age.

GN: Do you (secretly) want mass adulation?

SS: Ah, I love playing live. I love an energy you can find with an audience. I definitely have an exhibitionist side. It's a turn on to play shows and connect with people on that basic human level. That's my high - that immediate embrace...

GN: What's next for you?

SS: I am working on a lot of things right now and am really in that creative place - which is always awesome. I will definitely be releasing new music in 2009 and I have a few new directions I am taking. But I don't like to put the cart before the horse and get ahead of myself with too many details.

GN: What else would you like to say?

SS: Check me out at www.sachasacket.com if you want to hear more! And thanks for all the great questions.