Sarah Harmer in Rochester:
The Complete Coverage
Before Sarah’s opening performance at Neko Case’s sold out show in Rochester, NY (review here!) this past weekend, Sarah was kind enough to stop by the wonderful WBER 90.5 FM. Talking to Sarah here are some key things we discovered:
- The new album IS almost complete, and she’s recording it with Gavin Brown, who worked with Sarah on All of Our Names. He produced the latest Metric album, Fantasies (yessss!) Anticipated release date is April 2010!
- Neko Case will be on Sarah’s new album God willing. She brought some equipment on the road and grabbed some Case vocals. This would be Case returning the favor as Sarah appears on Neko’s song “Fever” on her latest album, Middle Cyclone.
- The new album will be a departure from “I’m a Mountain”, more multi-track with percussion, so more along the lines of All of Our Names
- Sarah’s PERL (Protecting Escarpment Rural Land) initiative is going strong! She’s been involved with this grassroots org for 5 years or so. Check out this site for more info!
In Studio Recordings, live at WBER 90.5 FM:
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“One Match” (New Song)
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“Around This Corner”
Live at Harro East
That night Sarah debuted a handful of beautiful songs as well as some older favorites such as “Uniform Grey”, “Almost”, “I am Aglow”, “Around this Corner”, and “Tether” (as requested by a fan). Sarah’s sincerity and craft is something that translates perfectly live. There’s something about her prescence and voice that automatically calms the listener like a single lit candle in a huge dark room. The simplicity of her songs showcased the command she has over her guitar as her voice mellifluously sped up ad roe before coming back to a lull (think fellow Canadian, Emily Haines).
The only complaint I have to offer is in regards to the chatty Kathys who think it’s perfectly acceptable to scream conversations throughout a whole set. C’mon, it’s Sarah Harmer! Take it to the back of the venue!..At the end of her set Sarah mentioned coming back to Rochester when the album’s out, let’s hope that’s a promise that stays kept.
Scott Pollack
