The Saras

A singer/songwriter duo made up of Steph Sanders and Anna Soloway, the Saras add another layer to the rich Princeton, NJ, music community.

Sanders and Soloway first connected while students at Princeton Day School, whose graduates include Phish founder Trey Anastasio, Amfibian's Tom Marshall, Blues Traveler's John Popper, and the Spin Doctors's Chris Barron; they later assembled the Saras. The group's initial roster included the pair plus bassist Andrew Southern, guitarist Scott Metzger, and drummer Ryan Thornton, all three of whom later established RANA. The band's name derived from the opening letters of each member's first name.

Marshall soon mentored the Saras, placing them on his Furry Thug Productions roster and aiding the release of their debut album, Siamese Connection, in 2000; the record assembled a broad cross-section of the Jersey scene with contributions from Marshall, singer/songwriter Chris Harford (who also produced the album), drummer Sim Cain (of the Rollins Band), and additional guests. In return, the Saras appeared on Marshall's own Amfibian Tales.

Although the Saras parted ways with Furry Thug, they maintained strong connections to the Princeton music community while Sanders and Soloway pursued higher education (Sanders studying jazz piano at New York's New School for Social Research).