Features We're not Sick of this all-girl band from Minnesota.
Maybe if they'd stuck with their original name, Sparkle Motion, we wouldn't be talking about Minnesota's all-girl band Sick of Sarah. Thankfully lead singer Abisha Uhl's roommate was bemoaning her name at the time and Abisha was listening. Sick of Sarah stuck.
"Sarah’s my old roommate. At the time, when we came up with the name, we were in the process of changing the name of our band from Sparkle Motion because it was taken by like 16 other bands. And it was kind of a joke in the beginning. One night, my roommate said to me, 'Man, I’m sick of Sarah. I hate my name.' I thought, 'That has kind of an odd, but nice, ring to it.' So, I said, 'How would you feel if we named the band after you?' She was like, 'Sure, okay.' That’s basically how the name came along. It’s S.O.S., Sick of Sarah, and we’re kind of digging on thatm" Abisha explained.
The release of their single Bittersweet with L.A. indie label Adamant Records was just about enough to set the wheels in motion. Suddenly the quintet was on the radar screen of the editorial staff at Spin Magazine who compared the band to The Breeders and Sleater-Kinnery. They've shared stages with Suzanna Hoffs (of The Bangles), Enn Vogue, and Deborah Cox to name a few.
But as with every band Sick of Sarah has had their ups and downs. Most recently the band parted ways with drummer Brooke Svanes who left the band to move to New York. They've been joined with Jessica Forsythe and are out on the road with cult rockers Killola.
Sick of Sarah has crafted a brand of riot grrl music that's catchy and has melodic lines. The songs are eclectic much like the band members (Abisha Uhl - lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Katie Murphy - lead guitar and backing vocals, Jessie Farmer - lead and rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Jamie Holm - bass guitar and backing vocals, and Jessica Forsythe - drums).
"Sometimes, you just got to sing a song where you yell a lot and jump around, and sometimes you just want to sit down and sing a sad song," Abisha wrote in a blog entry at AfterEllen.com. "It’s like scratching an itch; you don’t know where it comes from, you just know what it takes to make it feel better. When things are rough (which they are for all of us) it pulls out some real deep emotions that can make for real good, fulfilling songs. Through a song, you can open your heart and cry, yell at the world, flirt with someone, or get someone back."
For more information about Sick of Sarah visit their website SickofSarah.com or check them out on iTunes.
