What’s up guys, how’s it going? Linly here, checking in to give you the heads up on what I’m listening to right now. Current playlist is blasting Sick Of Sarah’s entire catalogue. That’s right kids, keep reading. I’ve got you hooked with just that name.
Ever heard of them? Point blank opinion from your newest informant on making your ears happy; If you haven’t, you need to take a moment to give them a listen. These ladies are loud and energetic both on stage and off, giving everything they do their all. With a sound that reminds me of The Sounds, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Tegan And Sara, my laptop has had them on repeat for weeks. I first saw Sick of Sarah a month ago on Warped Tour and was blown away by the way they spent half of their time playing and half of their time taking care of over heated fans on one of the hottest days of the year. When I wandered over to where they were watching Paramore, they ended up helping me find a better spot to stand so your not-so-tall informant could actually see the stage. If you happened to get caught up in the dust and crowds at Warped, meaning you missed them this summer, never fear. They hail from Minnesota but are currently making their way across the US on The Lady Killer Tour to support their album 2205.
EQ caught up with Jessie, Jessica, Jamie, Abisha, and Katie of Sick Of Sarah on their first night of tour in Boston, MA. We got to chat with them for a little bit about their latest album, drying their gear after a downpour on stage, and just what they think when they hear “That’s so Gay.”
EQ: Your album 2205 was released on BitTorrent for free download earlier this year Can you tell me how that went over for you guys and what your label thought about it?
- Jamie: Our label actually brought it to us and asked us how we felt about it and what we wanted to do. We thought it was a great opportunity for our fans. There are so many users, we just wanted people to hear our music so yeah, we definitely wanted to do it. And we’ve had a lot of people come out to our shows and say they saw us there first.
EQ: Tonight is the first night of the Lady Killer Tour supporting that album. You’ve got Hunter Valentine and Vanity Theft with you. If you could add one band past or present to this tour- who would it be?
- Jessie: Joan Jett.
- Katie: Metric
- Abisha: Ohhh Yeah! Metric.
- Jamie: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- Abisha: All of them. How about we just take Vanity Theft and Hunter Valentine out of the picture? (Laughs)
EQ: Spill your worst road habits.
- Abisha: When we’re on the road, we don’t get time to sit down and make meals, so obviously we end up getting really shitty food.
- Jamie: Sleeping habits are really bad too.
- Jessica: Smoking way too many cigarettes on the road.
- Abisha: Don’t do drugs! We cant really do that. You cant do that and do this work. We know because of Jessie. I’m just kidding. Just kidding.
- Katie: No, we watch other bands party all night long and its just like, how can you do that? We’re too tired for that.
- Abisha: We’re like “Yo, chips.”
- Katie: We’re in to Fritos.
EQ: Tour, tour, tour! We recently had the chance to see you on Warped Tour. There was this amazing moment at the Mansfield show where pretty much the entire tour shut down because of rain. You guys were known as the only band to keep playing through the downpour. I know that was one of the more memorable moments for me, but what were some of yours?
- Abisha: That!
- Katie: I didn’t think about the fact that we probably could have been electrocuted. It never crossed my mind.
- Jamie: They told us we were the only band that actually stayed open. We definitely had a lot of other bands that came up to us after and gave us a pat on the back. We played actually, as a four piece. Jessie-
- Jessie: I almost slid off the stage. I saved my guitar though. I managed the old softball slide. We lost a tuner out of the deal though.
- Jessica: Not too bad.
- Jamie: We blow dried all of our gear after the show.
EQ: You jut said a number of bands came up to you after that incident. Do you think it was harder being out there as an all female band, or do you think that the such a large tour made it easier for them to step back and accept how much hard work you put in?
- Jamie: I think at first they questioned, but because they were curious. And I think after coming out and seeing our show, they were really supportive.
EQ: Speaking of accepting others, a mission of ours is to provide equal acceptance for everyone through the music scene. Growing up, where was the place you felt the safest being yourself regardless of what that meant, and why?
- Abisha: With my friends
- Katie: I was always pretty safe at home. I had really great parents that supported me through everything.
EQ: A big focus of ours right now is the amount of derogatory slang being used such as No Homo and That’s so gay. What do you think is the best defense against those types of things when you hear them?
- Jessie: (As a group of people walked through our interview, she starts to laugh) That, right there. Probably to walk away. But one thing I kinda did growing up was take it back. Like, if somebody would say it, I’d ask what they meant. “Really? Is it? Is it rainbow colored? Does it talk with a lisp?” They’d tell me I knew, and I’d be like no, I don’t. You used gay in a negative connotation and thats not cool.
- Katie: I’d usually just question what they’re referring to. I didn’t know that History class had a sexuality!
EQ: Finally, tell me what you plan on doing with your no homo(phobia) stickers!
- Jessie & Katie: Guitar case.
- Jessica: I’m gonna put it on my leg.
- Abisha: My forehead. You know. And then when I try to read it in the mirror it’ll be backwards. I’ll be really confused.
- Jamie: No, I’m putting mine on the back of the trailer. We have a lot of stickers back there.
Just as I suspected, they gave me nothing short of an amazing show after our interview ended. Now tell me, have we wrapped you around our little fingers and and you’re still looking for more? Check out their newest video. and then go in search of their closest show. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it. Tell them Linly and Equalize sent you.
