Local singer on stage with Zach Bryan

Sarah Gross is a professional singer from Mastic Beach. She graduated from William Floyd in 2018 and performs at many venues on the island. Gross performed with Zach Bryan at UBS Arena in March.

ADV: Do you have a favorite local venue you’ve performed at?

Gross: I’ve been playing around the island for a really long time. I don’t know if I have a favorite venue on the island, honestly. People’s Pub (Bayport) has a really special space in my heart for showcasing live original music in Suffolk County and especially on the South Shore, we don’t have too much of that around, here so it’s really, really important that we have a space to do that. 

ADV: Who were your biggest supporters growing up and today?

Gross: My parents came to every single gig of mine growing up. It didn’t matter where it was. They always came out and they made sure I didn’t have anyone to sing to at night, and so they were definitely my biggest supporters, and I think today they continue to do so. My mom actually came on tour with me to Boston in April, and it’s just so amazing to have them in my life and I cherish them so deeply, and I know that’s not something everyone has, so I’m very grateful for it.

ADV: Can you name some of the people you learned the most from?

Gross: I would have to say Delaney and Bill Hafener were really formative in my experience growing up on Long Island getting into the music scene here. I really loved recording vocal harmonies on my iPod when I was a kid, and so I met Bill and Delaney and they told me that there was a way to do that on a larger scale and they introduced me to recording and kind of were the gateway for all of this, and Delaney specifically really taught me much about vocal harmony and counterpoint, and she obviously plays in my band and I play in her band.

ADV: What goals do you plan to strive for in your career?

Gross: I just would love to make music at a level where I don’t have to worry about where am I going to find a space. And if I could have this band that I am playing with right now and continue to make music with them and collaborate, that’s really all I care about. I’ve never really been one for fame or money; I just would love to make music freely and how I want it.

ADV: Explain that quick process that in one day of how you were invited to perform with Zach Bryan at UBS Arena.

Gross: I went to the Zach Bryan concert on March 30 with my friends just as a fan. I had no idea that any of this was happening, and we went to this tailgate in the parking lot and I bumped into his dad and I actually saw he was wearing an East Moriches Fire Department shirt, so how does this man from Oklahoma have a shirt from East Moriches? So, I went up to him and I said, “Well, who do you know in East Moriches?” And he said, “I don’t know anyone, I just met these firefighters, and they gave me this shirt.” So, I said, “I actually play at a bar in East Moriches all the time, Moriches Field Brewing Company,” and he said, “Oh you’re a singer? I have a guitar, why don’t you go and play a song.” So I went up and I played “I Remember Everything” to the tailgate and it turned into an hour-long jam, and then he invited back the next day just to play the tailgate, no promises that I was going to get on stage, but I did the tailgate. We had a great time. He actually got me and my whole family into the concert and we were watching the openers and I get a call from Zach’s dad and he said, “I talked to Zach, I’ve been sending videos of you singing all night and he wants to sing with you tonight.” So, I met him backstage. He was so kind. He was so nice, and I can’t say enough positive things about his whole crew and team for making me feel comfortable, and they set me up with some extra in ear monitors and we all know what happened after that. And as artists, you never know if you’re going to experience that feeling of being on an arena stage singing to all of those people, and I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself that that will ever happen again, but to experience it once in my life was a gift I will never forget.