by Jesse JarnowA singer/songwriter duo comprised of Steph Sanders and Anna Soloway, the Saras represent another facet of the fertile Princeton, NJ, music scene.
After meeting at Princeton Day School -- whose alumni include Phish founder Trey Anastasio, Amfibian s Tom Marshall, Blues Traveler s John Popper, and the Spin Doctors s Chris Barron -- Sanders and Soloway formed the Saras. The earliest lineup of the group featured the two along with bassist Andrew Southern, guitarist Scott Metzger, and drummer Ryan Thornton, all three of whom would go on to found RANA. The fledgling group s name was taken from the first letter of each of the bandmembers first names.
Marshall soon took the Saras under his wing, signing them to his Furry Thug Productions management and helping to release their first album, Siamese Connection in 2000, which featured a veritable who s who of the Jersey scene, including Marshall, singer/songwriter Chris Harford (who also produced the disc), drummer Sim Cain (of the Rollins Band), and many others. The Saras returned the favor by appearing on Marshall s own disc, Amfibian Tales.
Though the Saras split with Furry Thug, they continued to carry close ties to the Princeton scene while Sanders and Soloway continue to attend college (Sanders studying jazz piano at New York s New School for Social Research).