Saturday Night Sermon, By Yarn

There’s a sense right out of the gate when I sit down to chat with Blake Christiana, Yarn frontman, that he’s done with the current anger, animosity, and outright corrosive nature of the world.

“Some people just surrender to the negative, and it’s a daily struggle, honestly. The goal of this record is not because I’m this overtly positive person; it’s because I cannot add to the negative that’s already permeated society. The album works as a positive tension.”

Not only is he tired of it, he’s willing to wage war on it, calling upon everyone to have a seat at the table at a Saturday night sermon. This album is multi-dimensional. From the title track “Saturday Night Sermon” opening the album, I noticed how ironically similar it felt to the way In the flesh opens The Wall by Pink Floyd, and that invitation of, “So ya thought ya might like to go to the show.” It’s coincidental, as I would later find out talking with Blake, laughing as he heard it too.

But onto the album. It’s been almost two years since the last release, and this album shares similarities with its predecessor. For one, the themes remain road-worn and tested: survival, aging, redemption, perspective. Both albums also carry that communal spirit, built for live audiences, singalongs, and shared experience. As we grow older with Yarn, it’s those tenets of the band that keep bringing us back show after show. Once we’re there, we smile and tip our drinks toward the band, saluting them for another pithy chorus line, always grounded in lived experiences and gratitude.

That’s what carried over. Here’s where it expands.

The creative inclusions on this album feel seamless. Everyone fits naturally within the sound, from the brass arrangements to the gospel singers. No one is pushing beyond the songs themselves. Every contribution supports the record. The added musicians are chosen so well that they feel like an extension of Yarn, and frankly, I love the creative space this album occupies.

The title track was actually written midway through the studio session. With Andrew blazing through an outro solo on lead guitar, Blake said it screamed in his ear that the song needed gospel harmonies. They connected with a Black family gospel group out of New York called the Carpenters.

“Well, they’re all related. It’s Sheila, Kayla, Kyle, Max, several other sons, so it was blood harmonies,” Christiana said.

On songs like “Brand New Light,” the pairing of harmonies with brass reminded me of Van Morrison arrangements, particularly the pocket grooves of “Cleaning Windows.” For Blake, it’s all connected.

“Brand New Light spun out on the road with my bass player. We were listening to Fresh Air with Terry Gross interviewing. I was listening to Al Green talk about, I was thinking about Van Morrison, and I got this whole idea in my head. My wife had a line that, ‘you keep waiting here for a long time, but I’m just here looking for a good time.’ It was fully inspired, if not ripped off from Van Morrison ripping off Jackie Wilson and whoever else. It came down the line to me. But yea, that was fully inspired by Van Morrison.”

Subtly laced throughout our conversation were these moments where Blake referenced his wife. Coincidentally, all the moments mentioned seemed to pull the curtain back and reveal a deeply supportive creative relationship that gives the sense this album extended to include her too.

“Mandy is constantly pushing me and giving me ideas,” Christiana said. In fact, the album cover featuring elephants gathered together by the waterside originated from a dream she had.

For brevity, we’re going to cut the article here. If you’d like to hear more about Yarn, I encourage you to hop over and check out our new podcast episode with Blake on Spotify. YARN will be playing at the Lincoln Theatre, Friday May 8th! Go check them out!