Hard Rockers Dead Sara Announce Pre-Order on PledgeMusic
Los Angeles Dec 22, 2014 – Hard rock band Dead Sara, a female-fronted breakout act from Los Angeles, known for their single “Weatherman” from their eponymous self-titled debut album, have announced a pre-order with PledgeMusic. The band chose to work with PledgeMusic to deepen their engagement with fans as they release new music. The new album will be released on February 10th 2015 on the band’s own label, Pocket Kid Records.
The band, consisting of Emily Armstrong (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Sean Friday (drums, backing vocals), Siouxsie Medley (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Chris Null (bass guitar, backing vocals), have received widespread attention for creating some of the most power rock songs to hit the radio in recent years. Dead Sara have been praised by musical icons such as Grace Slick, Courtney Love and Dave Grohl, and have opened for Muse.
Fans using PledgeMusic’s direct-to-fan platform will be the first to receive a digital download of the album as well as unlock a variety of bonus content including footage from the studio, photos from shows and exclusive announcements – just for pledgers.
Items and experiences with the band, only available on PledgeMusic, are offered to fans including handwritten lyric sheets, signed drum heads, a Skype chat with the band, a day on the rides at Disneyland with Dead Sara, the actual smashed guitar from a memorable moment at their El Rey show… all the way up to a private house concert for a lucky fan. Pledge now at: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/deadsara
Lead vocalist Emily Armstrong said, “The last year has been a crazy ride for us, and our fans have stuck with us through it all. Working with PledgeMusic gives us the chance to bring our fans into the process of making this album that we are so proud of. We can’t wait to share the new music with everyone.”
PledgeMusic is the world’s leading online, direct-to-fan music community, offering artists a unique way to engage their fans in the music making experience while interacting with PledgeMusic’s global community of music fans.
PledgeMusic artists and President & founder Benji Rogers are available for interviews.
Pocket Kid Records, signed an extended and amended three year distribution contract with INgrooves Music Group (formerly Fontana Distribution LLC). INgrooves Music Group offers a unique opportunity for Dead Sara, signed to Pocket Kid Records, with its distribution platform which now includes worldwide distribution of digital and physical product and integration with PledgeMusic.
INgrooves Music Group will distribute Dead Sara’s second album worldwide around April of 2015. “We are looking forward to this extended relationship with INgrooves Music Group, one of the strongest, most innovative distribution companies in the business today”, stated Pocket Kid Records’ president Robert Bryan.
Additionally, Pocket Kid Records is in negotiations with a Major Label partner for Dead Sara’s third album. Pocket Kid Records’ president, Robert Bryan, stated:”We are close to finalizing a contract with a Major Label partner for Dead Sara’s third album. We are very excited as this relationship will be a good fit for a rock band like Dead Sara. We have agreed on all major points and anticipate finalizing the deal before the end of the year”.
Vocals that stay embedded within your brain plus a strong melody to get your pulse racing. Rock and roll nostalgia floods your memory. You think of classic rock, you think of The Runaways, you think of past music icons and you become grateful for this musical revival. Dead Sara is a band that has a unique sound – one you can’t quite typecast to any ordinary genre.
We recently had a chat with Dead Sara frontwoman Emily Armstrong about the (continued here)
I can’t remember the last time I was in a mosh pit. In fact… if I’m remembering correctly … the last true mosh pit I was in was for a Let’s Go Bowling show back, back, back in the day. Like… back in my ska days when I used to wear khakis with suspenders, a wife beater and my Doc Martins. On May 9, 2013, I went to see Dead Sara, and for the first time in forever, I found myself reliving my youthful abandon, smack dab in what was perhaps one of the most intense concert experiences I’ve had in a while.
Sometime last year, driving in my car, I heard a hard, rocking song with some bad-ass female vocals on the radio called “Weatherman”. After the song ended, the disc jockey said that the name of the band was Dead Sara. I hardly listen to terrestrial radio these days, but god bless the ways of old, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have heard about the band.
Later that week, before a blind date, I went to Amoeba Records to pick up a copy of their self-titled, debut, full-length album. The chick I was with was a musician who was into hard, classic rock, so I decided to play the album for her on our way to dinner to she what she thought.
The album was very, very good. It was so much more intense than other female fronted rock bands that have been releasing albums recently. It’s a no holds barred album. Intense power rock but at the same time extremely vulnerable. The lead singer’s (Emily Armstrong) voice is filled with such strength and passion (plus it sounds pretty!) which contrasts the steady lead guitar riffs of Siouxsie Medley, and made me recall another female rock duo … Heart, anyone? But Dead Sara’s rock is much more blistering than Heart’s. It’s the kind of music that boils the adrenaline in the veins … even with the vulnerable sensitive songs.
About half way through the album, my date suggested that she wasn’t feeling the music as much as I was, and that kind of put a damper on the date, because …. Well … I’m a music snob, and I didn’t understand why she didn’t like the album as much as I did. I told her that I’d call her sometime … I didn’t.
When I got home from the date, I went online to see when they’d be performing. I assumed, since they are Los Angeles based, they would be playing some gigs locally. But when I logged on to their website, there were a bunch of dates having them open up for Muse at large venues (in Los Angeles, The Staples Center). Muse? Seriously?
I’m not a Muse fan. They were hyped as a headliner for Coachella one year, but when I saw them perform then, it was soooo not my thing, that I left to catch another act. Muse’s single, at the time, was “Madness” and that song reminded me of Savage Garden. Nope. As much as I wanted to see Dead Sara perform, I wasn’t going to buy a ticket for Muse to see them do a short opening set from the rafters of the Staples Center. “C’est la vie,” I thought. Maybe some other time. I followed their Facebook page, and life went on.
Months later, I get a Facebook “notification” that Dead Sara was playing the El Rey theater. Now, THAT was more my speed. Immediately, I got online and purchased tickets. Glad I did it that day, as tickets for the show sold out. From then, I waited.
It was my buddy’s Steve’s birthday, so I invited him to join me for the show. He was coming from rehearsing for a gig (opening for Motorhead at Nokia Live!!), so I told him that I would either be outside hanging out or waiting in line for merchandise. While I was outside in the patio area, I noticed someone who looked vaguely familiar. Holy shit. It was Siouxsie and … what’s his name … uhh … the drummer … lol. Unfortunately, I didn’t know the drummers name (it’s Sean Friday), but they didn’t seemed bothered by it. I told them how long I had waited to see them perform, and they were cool enough to let me snap a group shot to post on Instagram.
I left them alone to handle their business, and I went over to the merch line to pick up a limited edition 7’’ release of their newest single “Lemon Scent”. I’m glad I got in line early for merchandise, as the line for merch was LONG. So long, that I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get the vinyl treasure I wanted. My buddy met me in line, and after purchasing the merch and as soon as the prior act had finished their set, we decided to try to get as close up front as we could. We got about 5-7 rows from the front, and we waited. Every minute we waited, we could feel the crowd slowly pushing up against our backs. That was sign. A sign that it was about to get pretty nuts.
Found this pic online. So Badass. (c) Brian Bowen Smith (@brianbowensmith)
When the band took the stage, they started the set with a mellow song called “Sorry For It All”. After that, fireworks. Dead Sara lit the fuse with “Test My Patience” and that fire burned scalding through “I Said You Were Lucky”. I know how that fire burned. I was in the middle of the mosh pit as soon as it erupted. For 15-20 minutes straight, I was lost in aggressive moshing. My “technique” for fending off people that were going really crazy came back to me, and I was able to float around an area with a radius of about 3 feet.
Thank god, Dead Sara broke up the intensity with “Face to Face”. After that three song stint of mosh songs, my shirt was drenched with sweat and I’m sure I got a few bruises along the way. I assessed what other really hard songs would lead to moshing, and I could only think of “Weatherman” so I stayed where I was, figuring that I would make my way towards the edges later in their set. By the way, I had no idea where my buddy was. I guess he couldn’t hang. Lol.
Dead Sara’s album is good. Watching them perform is better. I spent my time in awe of Emily’s live vocals and the connection the whole band had with the audience. The performance reached a high point when Emily absolutely DESTROYED her guitar on stage. It totally felt right. From there, the band went on to perform Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name Of”. If Zac and Emily squared off, I’d put my money on Emily.
After the set, my buddy and kicked it a while afterwards. He actually knew some people there and was shooting the shit. Me, I was waiting to see if a bid I placed on a one-of-kind autographed, painted, concert poster won out. It didn’t.
When we were kicked out of the El Rey, we hung out in front just to decompress. Sean and Chris Null (the bassist) were moving equipment, and- being always prepared- I asked them to sign the LP and the poster I had picked up. Since I had two signatures, I had to wait for Emily and Siouxsie, right? Patience pays off, as they soon followed, and I was able to snag signatures from the entire band. If you want to check out some other music treasure of mine, click through on this link.
If anything, watching Dead Sara at the El Rey proved three things in my eyes: (i) I fall in infatuation to easily with chicks who can shred an axe, (ii) Dead Sara is a female-fronted rock band that can melt your face off, and kick you in the ass, and is here to stay, and (iii) yes, you need to see them live … just make sure you invite me to come with.
Set list is below. My video clips from the show are below as well.
Sorry for It All
Test on My Patience
Monumental Holiday
I Said You Were Lucky
Face to Face
Dear Love
Feeling Empty
Whispers & Ashes
Lemon Scent
Killing in the Name (Rage Against the Machine cover) (Freedom Outro)
Encore
Blue Was the Feeling For You
Weatherman
This is the first version of their concert tour poster opening for Muse. Four additional dates were added to this version. The poster is on thick paper stock, perhaps archival paper.
Dead Sara, News, ToursComments Off on Dead Sara To Do Three More Shows With MUSE
Apr182013
Dead Sara will replace Biffy Clyro in E. Rutherford, NJ (4/19) and Montreal, QC (4/23 and 4/24).
Biffy Clyro was forced to cut short their North American tour with Muse and return to the UK immediately, as Simon Neil has been struggling with a serious respiratory problem.
Dead Sara will be performing two songs on Vampire Diaries on 3/21/13 performing two songs, Patti Smith’s “Ask The Angels” and their own “Lemon Scent”. Here are some episode previews:
“Dead Sara should be the next biggest rock band in the world.” When Dave Grohl says that about a band, it’s a prediction more than a wish. Fuse News spends two days with this hard rocking quartet.
Update: for those of you who missed it – click on link below.
February 28, 2013 By R.T. RobesonDead Sara, a hard rock band from Los Angeles, performed at the Amway Center on Monday as the opening act for Muse.
Standing safely inside the Amway Center, glancing out the panoramic windows on the terrace level, I watched downtown Orlando get positively soaked from the kind of torrential downpour more typical of the rainy season in June than of February. The skies seemed dark and ominous, almost threatening, as if something far worse than a mere rainstorm was on the way.
Storms like that can set a mood — dark, edgy, and moody.
I had no idea, until I got inside the arena, how perfectly Dead Sara’s performance would match that feeling.
I can admit that I hadn’t heard of Dead Sara, or even shown up for them, when I got to the Amway on Monday. The Los Angeles-based heavy metal band was the opening act for the headliner, Muse, and I was sufficiently impressed by their sound to want to learn more about them.
Opening acts are interesting, in that most people in the crowd don’t show up to see them. They’re more like an added bonus for the concert, like a set of appetizers served before the main course arrives. Chances are, you may not have heard of the opening act, and, like me, it’s your introduction to their sound.
While I was waiting for the show to begin, a middle-aged couple approached me and asked if I had ever seen Muse perform live before. I said I hadn’t.
“Then you’re in for a real treat,” the woman said, adding that she and her husband has just seen the band from England perform live in Tampa.
“They put on quite a show,” she said.
As it turns out, she was right. Muse goes all out, employing a striking number of visual effects to complement their sound — from strobe lights to videos. It’s an extravagant show.
Dead Sara, on the other hand, mostly performed in the dark, allowing their songs to carry the show.
“Dead Sara’s sound is more muddy,” the woman said, and after seeing them perform, I didn’t necessarily disagree — but that’s not a criticism. Dead Sara, as it turns out, has a unique grunge rock sound — think Nirvana, particularly some of that band’s slower but still darkly moody songs. They were not your typical radio-friendly top 40 fare — their sound is far more interesting than that — haunting, challenging, and intense, creating sounds ranging from anger to quiet reflection. They were not what I was expecting.
The band only played for 30 minutes, before exiting the stage to make way for the headlining act. But during that half hour, I found myself caught up in lead singer Emily Armstrong’s stunning vocals. She noted that the band had played in Orlando before, at House of Blues.
Then, looking out at the audience in the arena, Armstrong said, “The last time we played here at House of Blues, was anybody there?”
There was no burst of applause from the audience, no loud cheers or people waving their hands. That prompted Armstrong to laugh and say, “Oh my God, is it quiet in here tonight!”
I knew then that Dead Sara was introducing itself to the audience. In fact, when they had finished their last song, Armstrong said
“We are Dead Sara from Los Angeles, California.” And when the crowd cheered, she added, “We love you, too. You guys ready for Muse?”
I left the Amway that night sufficiently intrigued by the band to check them out on the Internet. What I learned is that Dead Sara consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Armstrong, backed by Sean Friday on drums, Siouxsie Medley on lead guitar, and Chris Null on bass. The band released its debut album, Dead Sara, last year, along with a single, “Weatherman.” Their work did not go unnoticed. Dead Sara received the “Best New Rock Group” award at the Third annual Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards 2012 on Aug. 26, 2012 and got nominated for a RadioContraband Rock Radio Award as “Indie Artist of the Year” 2012.
Dead Sara opened its show with a shattering guitar blast that created a potent segway for Armstrong’s vocal skills — from a howling guttural wail to a gentle near-whisper for a beautifully melodic ballad. Their sound is a unique mix of blues, grunge, heavy metal and Goth — more of a European sound, in a sense, than an urban American type of rock.
Along the way, Armstrong delivered an electrifying performance, as the heavy metal guitars created the perfect wave for her screams of passion, despair and wonder.
I left the Amway more impressed with Dead Sara than Muse, and I hope the band finds an audience and continues to develop its unique sound. Like many a good opening act, they can startle and impress you by the unexpected quality of their talent.
To learn more about the band, log on to their Web site at Dead Sara.Contact R.T. Robeson at FreelineOrlando@gmail.com.
Muse and Dead Sara Deliver At Packed United Center
CMM Admin by Shawn Kellner
While waiting for MUSE to take the stage, those that arrived early were treated to one of the freshest up and coming rock bands to come out of Los Angeles in years. Dead Sara fronted by charismatic singer/guitarist Emily Armstrong is an example of everything that is right with rock and roll. The band has risen quickly while remaining extremely humble. Their live show is one that will not soon be forgotten by the hundreds of thousands of MUSE fans around the US seeing them for the first time. The band has come through Chicago before on Warped Tour and Riot Fest. We also had the pleasure of covering them at Sunset Strip Music Festival last year where Emily Armstrong sat in with The Doors on vocals for a memorable performance honoring the band at the House of Blues LA. Dead Sara has even toured before with Chicago’s own Chevelle, so there certainly were fans of Dead Sara in the United Center last night. Dead Sara is a band that has planted seeds in the fertile soils of Chicago before however, this was the first arena tour the band hasever been on. Even Armstrong herself pointed out during the bands set that it was cool to stop and talk to the front rows of the audience as if the show was in a small club while actually standing 10 ft from the front row in a packed arena . Musically, Armstrong’s vocals inject into your heart like a shot of adrenaline as she conveys every word and every note from deep within her soul. It is as if she channels the great soulful artists of rock and roll pasts such as Janis Joplin creating memorable performance moments. She even got on top of the bands 8×10 bass cabinet to thank Chicago before jumping off into mid air scissor kicking her legs to each side… Although it was obvious that not many people in the large arena knew the songs, many however could be seen grooving to each of the songs as if they realized one by one they were discovering a great new up and coming band. In a world full of opening bands that might fade from an audiences memory, Dead Sara will be remembered in the minds and hearts of MUSE fans all over America seeing them for the first time.Dead Sara Setlist:
After about a 30 minute setup period the crew cleared the stage, the house lights once again went dark and MUSE for just under 2 hour period showed a packed house at the United Center how to create and deliver an emotional prog-rock focused audio and visual experience. The show itself is a spectacular designed specifically with the audiences perspective in mind. From beginning to end everyone in attendance is taken on a journey through every kind of emotional moment known to man (or women). Through the use of audio and video resources and production the band and crew created moments of resistance, aggression, passion, sweet solitude, and awe all at the hands of one of the most dynamic rock bands in the world. The survivalist messages that ring throughout almost every MUSE song became anthems amongst loud cheers. Although the band is certainly not the most original in the world, they make up for it through production and delivery. Every square inch of the gigantic stage was utilized as a giant video screen. The performance itself was being filmed and footage from the cameras could be seen on screens interlaced with the band on the stage. There was not much that this show did not have production wise. There was smoke, there were lasers, there was lots of intelligent lighting. There was an extension in front of the stage that allowed for Bellamy and Wolstenholme to go closer to the crowd on some songs. The set design was brilliant with a pyramid of video screens raining down from the rafters after the first song. The band itself did not talk to the audience much during the 2 hours. It was almost as if the show is so planned out with music and production that there just isn’t time to engage in a conversation with the audience. The band did perform well. Matthew Bellamy’s voice sounded as good as it did the last time the band was in Chicago. Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard also performed well each adding their personalities into the mix. There were some amazing moments of music too. At the conclusion of Hysteria right before the band played Animals, Bellamy came down onto the extension of the stage and performed an interpretation of part of the Star Spangled Banner on guitar to an extremely loud roar of cheers from all over the arena, as if to pay tribute to the country (USA) that really has become a second home to the band. Just after Knights of Cydonia, Wolstenholme alone in the light on the stage began Monty Jam with a harmonica solo that got everyone clapping along. Overall, it was a fantastic grandioso, innovative, exciting musical experience from beginning to end showcasing one of the biggest rock bands in the world.
Song wise, some highlights of the 2 hour set included: Panic Station, Resistance, Hysteria, Knights of Cydonia, Follow Me, Madness, Uprising, and an encore featuring Starlight and Survival.
MUSE @ United Center, Chicago, IL on March 5th 2013 Setlist
Feb 22 MUSE TOUR – Bank Atlantic Center Fort Lauderdale, FL
Feb 23 MUSE TOUR – Tampa Bay Times Forum Tampa, FL
Feb 25 MUSE TOUR – Amway Center Orlando, FL
Feb 27 MUSE TOUR — US Band Arena Cincinnati OH
Feb 28 MUSE TOUR – Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland, OH
Mar 02 MUSE TOUR – Joe Louis Arena Detroit, MI
Mar 04 MUSE TOUR – United Center Chicago, IL
Mar 05 MUSE TOUR — Schottenstein Center Columbus OH
Mar 07 MUSE TOUR – Target Center Minneapolis, MN
Mar 08 MUSE TOUR – Chaifetz Arena St Louis, MO
Mar 10 MUSE TOUR – BOK Center Tulsa, OK
Mar 12 MUSE TOUR — Toyota Center Houston, TX
Mar 13 MUSE TOUR — American Airlines Center Dallas TX
Mar 16 MUSE TOUR — US Airways Center Phoenix AZ
Mar 17 MUSE TOUR – Mandalay Bay Resort Las Vegas, NV
Awards, Dead Sara, News, RadioComments Off on Dead Sara Wins The 98.7 FM 2012 Close To Home Artist Of The Year 2012 Fan Contest
Jan222013
Dead Sara won the 98.7 FM 2012 Close to Home Artist of the Year contest by defeating No Doubt 53% to 47% in the final round of fan voting. See the participants and face off chart below:
It was my buddy’s Steve’s birthday, so I invited him to join me for the show. He was coming from rehearsing for a gig (opening for Motorhead at Nokia Live!!), so I told him that I would either be outside hanging out or waiting in line for merchandise. While I was outside in the patio area, I noticed someone who looked vaguely familiar. Holy shit. It was Siouxsie and … what’s his name … uhh … the drummer … lol. Unfortunately, I didn’t know the drummers name (it’s Sean Friday), but they didn’t seemed bothered by it. I told them how long I had waited to see them perform, and they were cool enough to let me snap a group shot to post on Instagram.
