Five questions with Sara Petite: San Diego’s Americana angel has a new album due soon

Since her debut album Tiger Mountain 20 years ago, singer-songwriter Sara Petite has gradually risen to the fore of San Diego music. Her most recent albums, 2021’s Rare Bird and 2023’s The Empress, both won Best Country or Americana Album at the San Diego Music Awards.

She’s also become a linchpin of the local roots-music community through her “Americana Roundup” series, which brings together like-minded artists for collaborative theme-oriented shows such as “Sara Petite’s Honky Tonk Angels” at venues such as The Ken and Grand Ole BBQ.

Now she’s gearing up for a new album, tentatively titled Snakes, Jealous Hearts and Honky Tonk Angels after three of the record’s most prominent songs. Working with producer Josquin Des Pres at La Mesa’s Track Star Studios, Petite recorded with ace studio players including longtime John Mellencamp drummer Kenny Aronoff and Desert Rose Band multi-instrumentalist John Jorgenson.

An early single, “Jealous Heart,” came out last summer; the full album is due in the spring. She has multiple local shows coming up in March, including a March 8 slot at the Belly Up.

We talked with Petite by Zoom for the latest installment of our “Five Questions” series.

1. What can you tell us about the new album?

I’ve had it done for a little while; I just haven’t put it out yet. We put out “Jealous
Heart” in the summer, and we’re going to put “Honky Tonk Angels” out next, and
then the album in June. It’s nine songs, and it’s all over the map writing-wise.

“Jealous Heart” is a pop song about jealousy. I rescue dogs, and my dog bites —
he’s jealous, so I kind of did that song for him, but it’s really a song about jealousy.
“Honky Tonk Angels” is about me and a lot of my girlfriends who are singers. And
then I have a song called “I Hate Snakes” — it’s about the story about Eve, but my
version. I have a protest song called “Wasted” — it’s love and alcohol and politics
all rolled into one. “Cold Heart” is probably about my father, but it’s a relationship
song.

So it’s a pretty big range of everything. One of my favorite songs is called “She
Runs With the Wolves.” I write about women a lot. One of the things I study is
women’s stories. I really enjoy stories about women, because I like to be
empowered and to empower people. “She Runs With the Wolves” is basically about
how feminine energy has a lot more high intuition.

2. Can you tell me a little more about Josquin des Pres, who produced the album?

He’s done a bunch of different stuff. I know he’s worked with Jason Mraz, and he
and Bernie Taupin used to write together. One of the songs on the album is a cover
of a Bernie Taupin/Josquin Des Pres song called “In the Name of Dark Angels.”
Josquin asked me if I wanted to do it. It’s really beautiful.

He’s had a bunch of different TV and film cuts. He’s just a great producer. I didn’t
want to make another album, but my friend Bobby Furgo, who played piano and
fiddle for me said, ‘I think you should meet this guy.’ And I did, and somehow I
ended up making another album. And I just love it. I loved working with him. The
album came out really, really great. Kenny Aronoff from John Mellencamp’s band
played some of the drum tracks, and it was amazing. John Jorgensen did a lot of
the instrumental stuff, like the guitar and mandolin. It was amazing that I got to be
in the studio with him. He was a very kind, humble guy.

3. I know you’ve been in San Diego a pretty long time, but I understand you’re originally from Washington State. When did you move down here?

About 30 years ago. I had an aunt down here, and she let me stay with her. I’m
from a very woodsy type area in Washington; we grew up in the in the forest. I
grew up kind of earthy and humble. I worked a lot, and I put myself through
school (Petite went to San Diego’s former United States International University),
and I started working corporate, and it drove me nuts. I was doing music, and one
day, I just became a musician. I didn’t start until I was 30. Had I done this really
young, it would have been different; I probably would’ve had more confidence. But
I see myself as a writer, a a singer, storyteller and a performer.

4. How did you get started doing these Americana Roundup shows a few
years ago?

I had this band called Bad News Bears with Shawn Rohlf, and we would just play
covers. It was a night to drink some beers and play music with friends at a bar and
get paid. And I kind of wanted to do this ‘Americana Roundup’ — a little bit of a
variety show, where I host it and I do a few songs. But I love singing with other
people and I love working with other musicians. It was kind of just to bring
community together. I think it’s really important, and I think musicians really
thrive in that way. We did a Bruce Springsteen one at Christmas time (in 2025),
and it was just beautiful. It was really wonderful.

It’s a lot of work. We have one in April for the San Diego Music Awards, although
I’m not going to be at the awards this year because I’m going to be touring in
Scotland. We’ve had “Honky Tonk Angels” shows at Grand Ole BBQ with Chloe Lou
and Lauren Lee and Ash Easton. The next one (set for March 21), I’m not sure who
it’s going to be, but it’s really fun, We sing on each other’s songs and stuff like that.
So it’s just kind of a way for everybody to come together.

5. The Mojo Nixon documentary The Mojo Manifesto came out just a couple of years before Mojo died on the 2024 Outlaw Country Cruise. At the San Diego Music Awards that year, you dedicated an award to Mojo, who apparently helped to jumpstart your career by playing your 2010 song “Bootleggers” on his SiriusXM Outlaw Country radio show. How did that come about?

I think Joey Harris had heard “Bootleggers” and told Mojo about it. We ran into
Mojo at Americanafest (in Nashville) and Mojo was like, “Hey, I heard you got
some song, send it to me when you’re done.” I was like, OK, and I did. And he
played me. Basically, if Outlaw Country played you, it gave people permission to
open your envelope. When I would have an album come out, he would play it. That
helped get it out there, and basically gave other people reason to listen to it, to see
if they liked it. It really helped.