The Next Band to Sell Out Arenas - Dead Sara

Dead Sara - It May Never 
"Snow in Los Angeles" 
But It Certainly Does Rock

I learned about Dead Sara about a year ago when I was researching bands playing Aftershock 2014.  Of all of the bands I had never heard before, one band stood out above the others, and that was Dead Sara.  I bought their self-titled album immediately and started looking forward to the show with incredible anticipation.
Melting in the triple digit heat of Aftershock and their stage time squeezed by technical difficulties from the next stage, Dead Sara still completely blew me away.  The vocals of Emily Armstrong and the tightness of the rest of the band was truly impressive.  I was an instant fan and looked forward to getting to see them in a more humane environment.

Los Angeles based Dead Sara

Dead Sara's new release Pleasure to Meet You

That opportunity came at a sold out show at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana, and this was the true conversion.  Rarely do I have that much fun at a show.  Everything about it was incredible and the sneak previews of their upcoming CD got me excited and sent me to their webpage to get the download the day it was available.
Slowly, I have been converting my small metal world to Dead Sara.  I cannot think of anyone I have taken to a Dead Sara show who was not instantaneously a fan.  My friends, my wife, my brother…everyone, because simply put, this is one of the best new bands I have heard in a long time.  This is a band that has that cross over potential.  As my brother said after enjoying one of their recent Troubadour shows, “Glad I got to see that, since they are going to be an arena band someday.”

Their new CD is absolutely fantastic.  “Mona Lisa” is a rockin’, rollin’ catchy tune that shows off Armstrong’s pipes.  Another of the amazing songs on this CD is “Mr. Mr.”  which is again an amazingly catchy tune  with a final half that borders on powerful metalcore.  I simply love the last minute of that song, which blends so perfectly into the next song on the album, “Greaser”, a song without genre.  Just enjoy.

Dead Sara is not afraid to experiment in their live shows.  I found it both brave and incredibly powerful when they recently started their show with the ballad “Sorry For It All” from their first album.  Here is this talented musician, with this hauntingly stellar voice singing the most incredibly beautiful song.   Someone with no Dead Sara experience probably was wondering why his or her metal head friend could possibly have invited him or her to this show.  But then this band explodes in sounds of wild guitars, pounding bass, ferocious drums and a voice that ranges from the angriest of screams to the most heartfelt love you could hear from stage.  All of this while four entertainers seem to be having the time of their lives.  Dead Sara loves to play live music, and that is obvious from every second of one of their live shows.

At the Troubadour show they not only started with a ballad, they fit in some “Dazed and Confused” in the middle of one of their best songs, “Lemon Scent.”  And speaking of “Lemon Scent,” this is probably one of the ten most entertaining videos ever made.  Watch below; do you think they enjoyed pummeling each other as much as they enjoy playing music together?  And that last shot? That is how I feel after a Dead Sara show; they give it all, and the passionate fans give it right back.

My only complaint with Dead Sara is that there are three songs I absolutely love that I have never heard them play in concert.  The first, “Snow in Los Angeles” was made for a Christmas album.  I understand it is not necessarily something off one of their own CD’s, but does Armstrong have any idea just how beautiful her voice is on this song? 

The second, which is my favorite song off their first CD, Dead Sara, is “Timed Blues.”  This is a fantastic blues-rock song that seems to play to the sweet spot of the entire band.  They just sound so perfect together in this song that I hoped they would spend a bit more time on their second album in that sphere.  Which leads me to my all-time favorite Dead Sara song, “Blue Was the Beautiful You” from Pleasure to Meet You.  Wow, what can be said about that song?  I just feel that it is one of the best songs I have ever heard.  Catchy, bluesy, with the most raw emotion, sung by one of the best singers in rock today; Emily Armstrong, accompanied by the most creative guitar work by Siouxsie Medley. 

Lead singer of Dead Sara Emily Armstrong

Dead Sara guitarist Siouxsie Medley

And this leads me to one of my other great loves of this band.  With two attractive female musicians, Emily Armstrong and guitarist Siouxsie Medley, Dead Sara NEVER PLAYS THAT CARD.  As a father of two teenage daughters who wants to teach my children that it is the quality of the character and not the lack of clothing that determines who you are, Emily and Siouxsie are role models everyone can appreciate.  The success of Dead Sara clearly comes from hard work and a deep dedication to their profession.  This is a band you do not want to miss.  They are presently touring in support of their new, fantastic album, Pleasure to Meet You.  Go buy it, go see them. It is a night you will thoroughly enjoy.

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Dan Adler was raised in Southern California to a mom and dad, one of whom appreciated Creedence and left wing anti-war politics.  By the teenage years, Dan became obsessed with Black Sabbath, listening to the same seven albums repeatedly for 5 years.  During this time, his favorite concert experience was seeing Metallica open for a bunch of bands that no longer exist and winning the 1st ever Santa Cruz Air Guitar contest.  After several years in Africa listening and dancing to Chimurenga music, Dan returned to have the two best children in the world, one of whom spends a lot of time at concerts with him.   What a lucky dad!