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Artist
site: sarahharmer.com
Sarah Harmer
The Ark in Ann
Arbor, Michigan
7:30pm February
18, 2001
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Canadian folk-pop musician Sarah
Harmer entertained a small audience at the Ark last Sunday,
introducing everyone into her world of back porch guitar strumming,
life on the road, and heartbreaks large and small
The former lead singer of Weeping Tile is touring behind her
first solo album, "You Were Here." Previously, she
has released a record "recorded on my back porch a couple
of summers ago" called "Songs for Clem," a covers
album of her father's favorite folk and country songs.
Those suspicious of the dreaded "women in music" tag
need not be wary: we're dealing with an actual musician here,
not Jewel, the patron saint of Girl Music. Harmer is an experienced
performer whose songs are both smart-alecky and powerful. While
at times her jangly pop inclinations and occasionally too-cute
lyrics leaves one longing for a sound with more roots and less
Lilith, Harmer is nevertheless captivating.
Gathered at the listening room was a small but enthusiastic
crowd, built mostly by word of mouth. Actually, "enthusiastic"
would be an understatement - the audience, comprised of folks
both young and old, was nearly foaming at the mouth with excitement.
A group of six bragged that they had driven all the way from
Indiana to see the show.
Watching Harmer and her backing band is a little like sitting
in your living room watching close friends jam. Engaging and
quirky, she is full of flustered humor such as, "I always
forget if this song starts in C or D…um, hang on a minute."
Although Harmer is obviously a seasoned performer, the performance
was left refreshingly unpolished. Lyrics were matter-of-fact,
treating all the subjects - from songs about feeling lost in
the crowd to a bluesy number about an abandoned houseplant -
with equal seriousness.
The hour-and-a-half set was filled with songs from You Were
Here and heavily supplemented by covers, which made sense considering
the material from her first album was classic folk and country
music. Unfortunately, after hearing the music from "You
Were Here," the listener doesn't really want to hear a
Nancy Griffith song - they want to hear what else Harmer is
capable of. However, recognition of other artists' music is
one defining feature of the culture of folk music, and Harmer
chose excellent songs. Of course, in the tradition of every
self-respecting Canadian folkie, a Neil Young song was dutifully
covered.
From her own repertoire, "Around This Corner," spoke
of seeing a potential lover on the street and deciding to "cover
my heart so that you can't hear it beat." "Basement
Apt.," which Harmer herself describes as the most commercial
song on the album, is guilty, Matchbox 20-style fun. "You
Were Here" revealed the music's tendency to drag out a
bit, but for the most part the set remained upbeat. On "Everytime,"
Harmer spoke like a true touring musician, singing, "look
at all the poor bastards/ they gotta go to work while I sleep."
It must be noted that Harmer's music performed live is much
more fun than the canned sound of her album, which failed to
capture all the nuances and intimacy of her work.
The bottom line is that no matter what one thinks of the sound
of mainstream pop-tinged "folk" music, both the enthusiastic
and the wary enjoyed Harmer's set. Harmer is so interesting
to watch because her audience feels that she is just like them
or someone they know well. It is this perception of familiarity
that has earned her such an enthusiastic following, and Harmer's
greatest gift is her ability to unabashedly draw the listener
into her world. |
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