Jared Boulanger & Amarah Ulghani Interview

Amarah and Jared booked and recorded Sweet Spirit's July 2014 residency at The Blackheart.

JARED, 

Tell us about your best friend.
My best friends are those who are here with me now, sharing the same experiences on whatever path we choose to walk down together. I try and treat everyone on an equal level, except for Amarah, who I share a bedroom with.

You have 24 hours...where, with who, doing what?
My last 24 hours of brain activity would include catching up on unfinished songs, giving presents to loved ones, a bowl of fettuccine alfredo & one last listen to ‘Lazer Guided Melodies’.
 " I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger"...go
I wish that I didn’t go out in the sun as much as a kid, for I fear a future of melanoma.

Up to now what has been a show or moment on the road that stands out and/or was amazing?
Back in 2009, on the very first ‘Sour Tour’, we had a day off in Athens, GA and decided to ask a music store called Wuxtry Records if we could set up our equipment on their roof overlooking the street and just play for a couple hours. A small crowd gathered and we ended up selling more merch than the night before.

Who's your favorite movie character?
One of my favorite movie characters is Gena Rowlands in ‘A Woman Under the Influence’. Her acting in that film is fully realized, utterly emotional and tragic. My perspective on many things was altered after seeing that film for the first time.

What would you be doing now if you weren't doing this?
I would be in a dark place.

AMARAH,

What's the most interesting encounter you've had with a complete stranger?
When I met Jared!

This sounds like a story! Tell us more... 
One Christmas Eve, I was driving some friends around the bars and my friend, Ana, said Jared was having an after-party at his house. We got there and realized there was no after-party, just an empty Totinos frozen pizza box and some Shiners. Ana was grossly mistaken, but felt no shame.  She immediately passed out on the couch, leaving us randos alone with this confused dude, in an empty house, in his PJ's. He got my number and we hung out a few times, but all we did was go on walks in broad daylight. Then, on New Year's Eve we met at my friends' monster backyard party and we kissed at midnight amidst a sea of peeing, puking people. SCORE!!!  The next day he left for tour, and I didn't see him for a couple of weeks (this was before I was in the band...truth time). But, he sent me postcards every day and it was a very fine courtship.  He's a very good dude.

(*Megan is also my bff)

What would you be doing now if you weren't doing this?
Helping with Eagle Claw tour! Oh my god that snuck up fast, sorry Matt!

Up to now what has been a show or moment on the road that stands out and/or was amazing?
Every show is special <3. But they need to open a Strange Matter like place in ATX stat.

What is Stange Matter for those of us that don't know?
Haha! Strange Matter is this venue in Richmond, VA that is also an arcade.  It has sandwiches named after things in Star Wars and Star Trek. They're way legit sandwiches. But, it's funny because by day families eat there, and at night it's a punk rock venue with this giant stage and legit sound system. It was one of the best shows we ever played, they have a cool scene there.

To whom do you owe a huge thank you and why?
Thanks Megan for taking me to get that restraining order that one time in college!

If you could get in a tour bus with any band dead or alive who, why, and what would it look like?
It would be a mega band of Ted Leo (guitar), Carrie Brownstein (guitar), Aimee Mann (guitar), Shannon Wright (guitar), Georgia Hubley (drums), Joaquin Phoenix, Vincent Gallo, Jim Jarmusch, ohhh wait I don't know where I'm going with this...

What's been your greatest moment of doubt how did you get through it?
One time we drove straight from New York to Austin in one fell swoop it was like 30 hours, I thought for sure it was impossible and that we were gonna die. I was so pissed. But we didn't die, because Chris swerved at the last second.

What did Chris swerve to miss?
A car! We were driving 30 hours straight from CMJ in NYC cause one of our bandmates had to get back to work at ye olde food truck the next morning. It drives a person crazy driving that long, even in shifts. I learned, in college from my vertebrate physiology professor, about this hypnosis thing that can happen while driving.  The white lines on the interstate kinda put you in a trance and you don't notice the stuff going around you.  On the home stretch we came so close to dying. The car in front of us had come to a sudden stop on the interstate from going 70 or whatever it was.  We were in a 15 passenger van full of gear with no time to stop. Then, Chris just, bam, maneuvered around it so expertly. Everyone was screaming, but it was back to normal so fast. We coulda flipped over! We coulda flew into the ditch! I think he pulled it off cause he plays videogames.