Rock Report 6/8/2011

Dead Sara Comes To Life with Lead Singer Emily Armstrong  

Dead Sara Comes To Life with Lead Singer Emily Armstrong 

By Ben Hansen 

June 8, 2011 

Ben - Emily, we know that you "Lay it all out on the line" with your live shows. How do you prepare yourself for a show?

Emily - I usually rest before I go onstage, to be totally honest. I'm cuddled on a couch or having some shut-eye.

Ben - That's quite the interesting contrast, because once you get onstage, your stage presence has been labeled as "compelling", "unpredictable," "convulsive" "intense" and "authentic." That's quite the combination of comments, to say the least. When the lights go down and the amps start buzzing, what does Emily Armstrong have running through her mind?

Emily – (laughing) Don't F up! When the first note of anything plays, depending on what song we start with, within that second it's like a different world. That's it – it's not like you think, or anything…it takes you, and you switch into that different world with the band.

Ben - There has been a lot of hype about your recent Sunset Sessions performance. What are your plans for touring over the next several months?

Emily - Several months…we just finished our record, so we're working on a release date right now. We're working on the album artwork right now, and we're thinking sometime in the fall. From there, we'll tour. We hope to get with a rad band to go with. We're not really touring in the next month or so, just sticking with playing a bunch of local shows. We're doing our "Bootleg Theater" show on the 23rd.

Ben - Your style is very distinct and original. Who would you cite as your vocal influences?

Emily - Stevie Nicks got me into singing. Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, Robert Plant, and a folk singer from the 60's named Melanie Safka was a huge influence on me. These were a few that I'd sing along to, because I never had vocal lessons. It was THEM that I tried to capture in singing by singing along with them.

Ben - I've seen pictures of you playing the guitar live. What songs on the upcoming album do you play guitar on?

Emily - Test On My Patience, We Are What You Say, and Lemon Scent. I played on Sorry for It All, but I don't play it live.

Ben - I saw a picture of what looks like a Gibson Les Paul in your hands. Let's clear the air…are you more a Gibson or a Fender girl?

Emily - You know, what I'm playing is not a Gibson. It's actually a 70's Univox, which is a lot lighter. If I were to go with one of the two, it would be Gibson guitars, but Fender amps are my favorite.

Ben - Let's talk specifically about the album. The first single "We are What You Say"…

Emily - Still not sure about that either!

Ben - ...I've heard a lot of buzz about that track, and know that it's gotten a positive response, while remaining edgy. What was the songwriting process like on this track?

Emily - That one actually went the easiest out of all of the songs on the record. It was literally the band playing and Siouxsie coming in with the riff in the beginning. We had the skeleton of the song within an hour or so. We had the whole vibe of it, really simple. Some of the words came out – "We Are What You Say", "Don't Back Down Kid." From those lyrics, I knew what the song was going to be about. It took me a little bit longer to get all the lyrics right, but we had the skeleton within that rehearsal night.

Ben - How much time did you spend in the studio recording and mixing the whole album?

Emily - Tracking was less than 2 weeks – 10 or 11 days. 2 or 3 months was like the actual total time.

Ben - Your album has a bit of a "throwback" raw sound to it – lots of fuzzy distortion, a scratchy, raw edge to the vocals that many studios would force the artist to clean up prior to release. I think that is part of what makes your album special – turning it up, several of the tracks almost immediately feels like a classic instead of an over-dubbed 30 layer track. Your band makes an immediate impact on anyone who has seen or heard of you. We know how passionate you guys are for your fans…for those who haven't heard of Dead Sara yet, what message would you like to send to them?

Emily - Come to a show. That's where you'll really get to see who we are. It's where the record comes to light. We won't bite. I love the interaction of fans that see us for the first time.