Get to know this Stanford educated rock band front-woman who enjoys music with her boys, youth LGBTQ advocacy, cheese + even a little Celine Dion (same thing?)…
CherryGRRL (CG): How did your band, Finding Jupiter, come together?
Sarah Masimore (SM): A couple of years ago Peter, Dean, and I were all in a blues band called Banana Blues. It was fantastic – I got to play drums and our lead singer wore a yellow Speedo. After half the band graduated and moved away, the three of us plus our old drummer (what up Luke!) decided to start a rock band. After Luke moved away last year, Taylor joined and brought the band’s sound to where it is today.
CG: What’s it like to be the only female member?
SM: It’s not a big deal – I’m used to it. I was a tomboy growing up, so most of my friends were boys. They also like to fart, but who doesn’t?
CG: Are you all students at Stanford currently?
SM: Dean, Peter, and Taylor are all still students, but I actually graduated about a month ago with a Chemistry degree…don’t ask.
CG: What’s the story behind your band’s name?
SM: Finding Jupiter is to say that happiness is hard work. The reason we chose Jupiter to represent happiness is because, well, it’s not exactly the prettiest or most glorious planet, even though it’s the biggest. It’s kind of ugly, it’s got a weird eye, and it’s full of gas – kind of like happiness.
CG: How do you describe your sound?
SM: The simple answer would be to say rock with a little indie, punk, and funk influence. The truth is, we’re all complicated people who write complicated and diverse music. We’re constantly changing as people and our music has been changing over time as well.
CG: Who are your musical influences?
SM: Ok… don’t laugh, but I love Celine Dion. I’m not sure how much of an influence she’s actually been on my music writing style, but singing to “My Heart Will Go On” in the car was how I learned how to sing. Direct musical influences would probably be Rage Against the Machine (for the anger), Evanescence (for the tears), and anything from the ‘90s (for the fun).
CG: What is the biggest challenge you all are facing right now in terms of getting your music out there and getting noticed by the music industry?
SM: Sigh. No one really wants to help promote you, but how can you blame them when it’s so difficult to make money in the music industry? Right now we’re trying to get the word out by putting all our music up for free download on our site.
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