Sick of Sarah

Sick of Sarah

Sick of Sarah is an all-female indie rock and alternative pop-rock group from Minneapolis, United States, active since 2005. The band begins in April 2005 and develops a style built around catchy hooks, unusual lyrics and tightly structured songs. Its sound mixes acoustic passages with driving electric rock, sometimes within the same track, and draws on influences including John Fogerty, Joan Jett, Sleater-Kinney and Vanessa Carlton.

Band members

Abisha Uhl is the guitar player, lead singer and songwriter. She first takes up guitar at 13 in Okinawa, Japan, where she lives until moving to the United States at 18. Before joining the band, she works as a solo artist in the Minneapolis area. Katie Murphy is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist; she grows up in south St. Paul, teaches herself piano at 15 and acoustic guitar at 16, and later learns electric guitar at the request of the band. Jessie Farmer, originally from Peoria, Illinois, starts music at seven after a piano enters her home, then learns guitar and drums. She also plays bass for Babes In Toyland in 2000 and co-writes many of Sick of Sarah’s songs. Brooke Svanes begins drumming at 11, plays in bands throughout her teens in Bismarck, North Dakota, and later lives in Minneapolis.

Writing and style

The band’s songs often combine humour with themes of love, loss and, at times, little or nothing in particular. Abisha Uhl’s writing is described as mature and sometimes humorous, while her performance style is direct and energetic. Jessie Farmer contributes a seasoned rock bass sound and backing vocals, and Brooke Svanes brings a heavily practised drumming style shaped by her years in bands.

Name

The group name comes from a former roommate of the lead singer, named Sarah, who said she was tired of her own name. The remark leads to the band name being adopted.