Spreading Love: A Q/A with The Motet

For 26 years, The Motet has been bringing funk and soul music to stages, shaking booties and spreading good vibes. Based out of Denver, today’s lineup features bandleader and drummer Dave Watts, Joey Porter on keys, Garrett Sayers on bass, Drew Sayers on keys and saxophone and Ryan Jalbert on guitar. With the release 2024’s “Love Time,” there’s a new addition to the long-running band: Portland powerhouse vocalist Sarah Clarke, known for her work with Dirty Revival, Con Brio and Outer Orbit. The Source Weekly caught up with The Motet before the group hits Bend’s Domino Room on Sunday, Feb. 2 — answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Source Weekly: After 25 years together, what was it like to officially bring a new voice into the band last year?

Dave Watts: Working with Sarah has been incredibly uplifting and refreshing! Over the last two years, she has given the band a musical facelift that has not only inspired us to reinvent our existing material but also given us renewed energy to write more original music for the studio and our live shows. We met Sarah years ago when she was with her previous group, Dirty Revival from Portland. We were instantly impressed and kept in touch. A few years ago, we were looking for a new vocalist, and when she guested with us, the rapport was instantaneous. I wouldn’t even say there was a “decision,” the music and our connection decided for us.

SW: Sarah was also featured, for the first time, on your 2024 recording “Love Time.” How did the making of this record feel new or different?

DW: The songs kind of wrote themselves. We put together the instrumental portions and then would hand them over to Sarah. She was able to quickly find melodies and lyrics [to] suit the songs. The feeling was effortless, which is always a good sign. All of the material we’ve written together does very well live, so what we are creating now really defines our new sound. It’s funky, fun, thoughtful and high-energy dance music performed with, in my opinion, one of the best singers on the scene.

SW: Regarding the album’s concept, Sarah is quoted as saying, it’s “a concept surrounding the difficulties that come with overthinking, anxiety, and how difficult it is to focus on the positive parts of life. Sometimes, we have to focus on the little things that bring us joy instead of the bigger things that make us crazy.” How have you made this concept a reality in your life?

Sarah Clarke: Perhaps it’s a little easier said than done, especially these days. For me, it comes down to stepping away from my phone, the news and social media when I start to feel inundated with the sadness that comes with being informed about the state of our world. Prioritizing my family and friendships, finding solace in creativity, getting out in nature, sharing a good meal with someone I care for and watching silly shows wrapped up in blankets on my couch are a few of the ways I make my world a little smaller and a little more manageable. There is so much out there beyond our control, anything that causes me to discard the weight of the wider world and focus on being grateful for what I do have and what I can control feels like the answer for me.

SW: Anything you’d like to say to Bend before you get here?

DW: We love coming to Bend! You can always tell when a town has a positive, creative, connected community by the way the audience expresses themselves through dance and good vibes. We travel the entire country, and Bend is definitely one of those special places. Our shows there are always high energy and a lot of fun, hence [it] is why we always love coming back! We’ll be doing two sets of our popular older material, everything off our new album and even newer stuff still!

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The Motet: “Love Time” Tour
Sun., Feb. 2, doors 7pm, show 8pm
Domino Room
51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend
ticketweb.com/event/the-motet-love-time-tour-domino-room-tickets/13973463
$30

This article appears in The Source Weekly January 30, 2025.