Resilience is US-based blues-rock singer/songwriter SARI SCHORR’s middle name. She’s a creative adapting to life during the ongoing COVID pandemic.
Sari went from preparing to embark on a massive headline tour throughout Europe and the UK with her new album, Live in Europe, to reminding us to be grateful for the ordinary things in life that we may have taken for granted pre-pandemic.
Just released is Sari’s latest self-produced video for the single “Back to LA,” featured on sophomore studio album Never Say Never via Manhaton Records. With a visual mind and simple media tools, Sari’s production skills are on full display.
“Like a beauty queen chasing dreams of silver screens, the road to my salvation leads me all the way back to LA,” she sings wistfully.
Of the single, Sari says:
“To say we’ve been living through challenging times sounds like a cliché and an understatement. I miss my old life. I’m desperate to get back out on tour to do what I love most.
I was inspired to produce the “Back To LA” video to portray that longing to return to a life left behind. As always, the hardest first step begins with the courage to move forward.”
New York Blues Rock singer/songwriter SARI SCHORR releases her haunting new single: a cover of the folk-blues classic — “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” Sari’s recording features a new musical arrangement and eloquently updated lyrics that shift the song’s focus onto events that sparked the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013 to protest police brutality and systematic racism that overwhelmingly affects the Black community. The song will be released on Manhaton Records from 6th August.
Like many folk-blues songs, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” — also known as “In the Pines” —has a fascinating backstory, and many interpretations exist. The song is believed to date way back to the 1870s, with the first recording of it being laid down in 1926 by banjo player Dock Walsh. The most famous versions were recorded by American bluegrass musician Bill Monroe (1941) and the iconic folk and blues singer, Lead Belly (1944), who recorded it many times. Modern artists have also performed and recorded the song, with Nirvana performing an unplugged rendition for MTV in 1994, based on Lead Belly’s version.
In its original form, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” tells the tragic tale of murder after a man finds out his woman has been cheating on him. “Lead Belly’s version of the song is deceptively profound,” Sari explains, “To breathe new life into it, I reharmonized the chord progression to dramatically alter the mood and build tension to change the way people would hear the song. Moving away from the customary choice of acoustic guitar to feature a grand piano instead provided the perfect backdrop for the intensity of the lyrics. I’ve been performing songs from Lead Belly around the world for years, from Carnegie Hall to The Montreux Jazz Festival. It’s a great honor to share music from such an influential artist with a whole new audience.”
In Lead Belly’s versions, the song sometimes begins with “My girl, my girl, don’t lie to me / Tell me, where did you sleep last night?” and in others, “Black girl, black girl, don’t lie to me / Tell me, where did you sleep last night?” Sari opts for the latter, significantly moving the focus, scope, and theme of the song. Emphasis moves away from infidelity and jealousy. Race now takes centre stage, as do the risks of race, via the black girl’s life and experience as a single mother raising her child alone only to witness her son being shot down by a policeman.
What’s more, Sari’s elegiac black and white video shows her playing piano and singing – the first time she’s been seen playing piano in one of her videos.
In other news for Sari’s many fans, she hopes to resume touring in the UK between September and November. Sari will be headlining most shows, playing some festivals, and will also appear with guitar legend Robin Trower at 3 gigs in November. She’ll play Bude Blues Festival 2021 on 7th November before she moves on to Germany.
See Sari’s website for full details. N.B. All tour dates depend on the COVID situation and the rules applying at the time.
Manhaton Records is pleased to announce the debut album “A Force of Nature” from one of the most exciting Blues rock singers, SARI SCHORR. Released in the UK and Europe on September 2, 2016, the album is produced by the legendary Mike Vernon whose credits include Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall & the Blues Breakers, David Bowie, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Christine McVie and Ten Years After. More information at this location.
In January 2015, Mike received a Keeping the Blues Alive award at the prestigious International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. The award was not the only highlight of the weekend for Mike. The second highlight occurred when Mike witnessed the performance of one of the most amazing female blues singers he’d seen in years – SARI SCHORR. Mike was so knocked out, he came out of semi-retirement to produce her new album. Already a consummate songwriter in her own right, with tracks on major labels, Sari has written or co-written almost all the songs on the debut album.
Released by Manhaton Records (home of Robin Trower and King King) the new album features guitarists Walter Trout (John Mayall, Canned Heat), Innes Sibun (Robert Plant), Oli Brown (RavenEye) and keyboardist John Baggott (Massive Attack, Portishead).
New York-based Sari Schorr initially gained prominence throughout the blues world after several years of touring the US and Europe with Blues legend, Joe Louis Walker and renowned guitarist, Popa Chubby. Schorr was recently inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame.
The album delivers hard-driving Blues-Rock, influenced by the late ’60s British Blues movement. Sari (who trained as an opera singer) mixes Blues, Rock, and Soul with concrete melodies and poetic lyrics to striking effect. Watch and/or embed a short film about Sari below:
“My songs are rooted in the blues and honouring that long tradition is important to me,” reflects Sari. “My song-writing draws heavily on contrasting melodic hooks with aching harmonies. I spend a lot of time working over and rewriting my lyrics. I rely heavily on imagery and enjoy using double-entendres that are entertaining to those who catch them. My influences are many and various and include Son House, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Lead Belly, Bessie Smith, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Freddie King, Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Peter Green, Robert Plant, Martha Velez and Bob Dylan.”
ALBUM TRACKLIST
1. Ain’t Got No Money
2. Aunt Hazel
3. Damn the Reason
4. Cat and Mouse
5. Black Betty
6. Work No More
7. Demolition Man
8. Oklahoma
9. Letting Go
10. Kiss Me
11. Stop! In The Name of Love
12. Ordinary Life
SARI SCHORR & THE ENGINE ROOM – EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
AUGUST
August 4-5 Notodden Blues Festival Norway
August 26 Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Altwood Rd, Maidenhead, UK
August 27 Varenwinkel Festival, Herselt, Belgium
August 28 Seacroft Double Festival, Norfolk, UK
August 29 Great British RnB Festival, Colne, Lancashire, UK
August 28 Seacroft Double Festival, Norfolk
SEPTEMBER
Sept 9 Darlington RnB Club, The Forum Music Centre, Darlington, UK
Sept 5 Half Moon Putney, London, UK (Album Launch)
Sept 10 Blues Club, Devizes, Wiltshire, UK
Sept 11 Winchester Discovery Centre, Winchester, UK
Sept 14 The Tunnels, Bristol, UK
Sept 15 Southern Pavilion, Worthing Pier, West Sussex, UK
Sept 16 New Crawdaddy, Billericay Town FC Billericay, UK
Sept 17 Old Town Hall, High Street, Hemel Hempstead, UK
Sept 23 Selby Town Hall Yorkshire, UK
Sept 24 The Iron Road, Evesham, Worcestershire, UK
Sept 25 Hope Tavern, Caistor Rd, Holton-le-Moor, Market Rasen, Lincs, UK
Sept 28 Vonnies Blues Club, Cheltenham
Sept 29 Cranleigh Arts Centre, High Street, Cranleigh, Surrey
Sept 30 B.A.R Festival, France
OCTOBER
October 1 Hereford Blues Club, Booth Hall, Hereford, UK
October 6 Bar Brunel Bridgewater, UK
October 7 Deux Rivieres Blues Festival, Brittany, France
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
