Making music, making art

MEREDITH — Well-rounded artists are interested in things far beyond their chosen talent. If an artist works with oil paint, they may also try sculpture, or a pottery maker may also explore print making, for example. Unless the artist has a great singing voice and an ability to play an instrument, they may shy away from performing as a musician.

Janet Sanguedolce is not the usual artist, and she moves from visual arts to music quite easily. As one half of the popular duo The Sweetbloods, Sanguedolce is known in the Lakes Region and beyond as a performer at intimate settings and larger venues. The other half of the duo is her husband, Phil.

Laughing as she recalls their first public performance, Sanguedolce says, “It was at a spaghetti dinner at a Congregational church in Weirs Beach. My husband Phil and I knew John Cook, the owner of Mame’s Restaurant in Meredith, and he asked us to play there. At the beginning, we played on Thursday nights.”

Sanguedolce adds she was scared to perform at first, but with the support of Phil, the couple soon had a following. Listening to Sanguedolce as she sings such songs as “Summertime” is a treat. Her voice could be described as melodious and Phil’s guitar playing is skilled.

If anyone predicted to Sanguedolce that she would be playing in a duo with her husband, she probably would have laughed in amazement. Her background has always been decidedly in visual arts, and like most artists, she was drawing since she was a child. “I also painted when I was a child,” she recalls, “and I took art lessons from age 11 through high school with a portrait artist.”

Sanguedolce grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and met her husband in the area. After they married, the couple moved around a bit as Phil pursued obtaining a master’s degree in psychology. Both attended the University of Wisconsin, and later Phil got his first job in Iowa.

Eventually, the Sanguedolces moved back to the East Coast and settled in the Lakes Region. “We have two sons, Jessie and Micah, and we built a log home in Meredith when they were kids.”

Although Sanguedolce had taken studio classes in college, she knew it would be difficult to make a living as an artist. She went back to school, got a master’s degree in visual art and knew teaching would provide a paycheck while passing on her skills to others as an art educator. She worked in the Meredith school system for 25 years, first as a paraprofessional. When an opening came up for a fourth grade teacher, she took the job. She taught fourth grade for about six years and then worked as an art instructor at Inter-Lakes High School.

“The road takes you to different places than what you originally might have planned,” Sanguedolce muses. That is certainly true for the artist who soon discovered, when in her 50s, that her creative life was about to take an unexpected turn.

“When I turned 50, I told my husband I wanted a guitar for my birthday. My sons are musicians and I wanted to learn to play the guitar so I could play along with them for fun when they came home to visit,” she recalls.

What began as a simple gift of a guitar soon morphed into something bigger when Sanguedolce’s husband realized his wife had talent, and it was even better when they sang and performed together. A year later, he came home with a gig at Mame’s. Sanguedolce found herself on stage with her husband, performing for local audiences and gaining a following. Calling themselves The Sweetbloods, the duo got more and more gigs. When Sanguedolce retired from teaching, she continued her visual arts projects as well as performing as one half of The Sweetbloods.

“My husband worked as a clinical psychologist in the Plymouth school district,” Sanguedolce explains. “Although he retired in 2016, he still does work from time to time for the school," as well as performing music with her.

Sanguedolce maintains a studio in her home, and has a kiln in her garage. She is a portrait artist and also paints in an encaustic method with pigmented wax. She sells her work at Hermit Woods Winery & Eatery and Riverview Artisans in Bristol, as well as at the Inspire Cafe in Ashland. She also occasionally takes on commissioned projects.

Perhaps it is because of the songs The Sweetbloods perform that the duo is beloved among their fans. “We say we play music you forgot you loved,” says Sanguedolce. That includes songs by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Beatles, Bonnie Raitt, and The Grateful Dead, among others, all known and loved by a wide audience.

“We play at Giuseppe’s Pizzeria & Ristorante in Meredith, at private gigs,” Sanguedolce says. “We will be doing a winter concert at the Moultonborough Academy auditorium on Jan. 18, and at The Corner House Inn on New Year’s Eve.” Sanguedolce says one of her favorite places to play is The Last Chair Brewery in Plymouth.

After 47 years of marriage, the Sanguedolces enjoy playing music and giving back to the world. In the summer, a wider audience of vacationers discover their music when The Sweetbloods perform at outdoor areas and cafes.

Looking down the road, Sanguedolce wants to continue her work as a visual artist, but has a new idea that might be a lot of fun.

“We think we might be interested in playing on cruise ships,” she says. It would allow the couple to travel without the expense, while doing something they love, performing.

Sanguedolce says, “I am really enjoying life, doing such things as hiking, continuing to make art and bringing music to people." She completed hiking all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000 footers. "These days, I have the best of both worlds: making music and making art.”

For a schedule of upcoming performances by The Sweetbloods, visit sweetbloods.com. To view Janet Sanguedolce’s art, visit janetsanguedolce.com.