Acoustic Tuesday: On Sarah Fair
Written by Arlo Grey MacFarland
Starting Tuesday, October 7, 2025, The Downtown Neighbors Alliance (DNA) will be hosting weekly concerts at Liberty Magic, in a new series called Acoustic Tuesdays. Located at 811 Liberty Ave., DNA will feature two local acoustic artists each Tuesday, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m..
This week, I sat down with Sarah Fair, the second performer on Tuesday, October 9, we dug deeper into her musical inspirations and intentions. Fair, who graduated from Duquesne University in 2019, has always been surrounded by music. From an early age, Fair’s parents filled the home with music, spanning several genres.
“There was a lot of jazz, my dad really loves Al Jarreau. Then my mom also really likes James Taylor, Carole King, so I started hearing different [classic] singer-songwriters from an early age. And then my dad reallyTodd Rucker, and so then I got into listening to them at a young age, and it kind of just built from there,” said Fair.
Eventually joining the music program in school, Fair picked up violin, piano, singing, and songwriting. Focusing on her personal experiences as well as those around her, Fair aims to bridge gaps between people and provide a cathartic experience to listeners.
“I love music's ability to communicate really complicated emotions and experiences to people of vastly different backgrounds and life experiences. It's able to bridge so many divides. I don't even know what my life would be like without music, just because it punctuates my day… It gives an outlet for so many difficult and complicated feelings and I think that's my favorite thing about it,” said Fair.
Fair met Ellen Perkins while at Duquesne, and the two clicked immediately. With Fair majoring in music technology and performance, and Perkins in music education, they lived together and remained close friends even after graduation. Perkins is always sharing music with Fair, expanding their tastes and repertoire together. Both excited to perform at Acoustic Tuesday, they are preparing individual, and duet sets.
“I've been writing a lot of new stuff over the past few months and I want to start playing some of that [for] the people that have seen me before, so I'm nervous, but excited for that,” said Fair.
Playing new songs at a new venue can sound intimidating, especially in a theatre seating just 66.
“I think there can be something a little more nerve-racking when the audience is closer to you, because it takes away that physical space you can hide behind. So, especially because I tend to write about my own experiences, experiences of people that are close to me, and then covers I do. It'll be stuff that I find emotional residence as sometimes it can be kind of daunting to have people closer because it feels like bearing your soul to people that are like looking directly into your eyes,” Fair said.
However, in a place like Pittsburgh with a thriving music scene, there truly are supporters everywhere.
“Pittsburgh is one of those smaller cities where you wouldn't think from the outside that it has this really rich cultural landscape, but it does. I have met so many really interesting and deeply talented people in the Pittsburgh music scene, and I love making those new connections. I love seeing new music that people are creating because it's always something. I feel like [it] makes me want to dig deeper into myself to grow in that way as well,” Fair added.
Being an artist in such a tight-knit community allows for the constant cultivation of new ideas and connections. Getting out and talking to these people is the best way to do so. At Acoustic Tuesdays, we aim to connect the artist and their work to the audience as closely as possible. Fair and Perkins will come together on Tuesday, October 7, at 7 p.m. to kick off the DNA’s first Acoustic Tuesdays concert!
