Sarah Harmer
Encyclopedia
Sarah Harmer is a Canadian
singer-songwriter
and activist.
, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip
. At the age of 17, she was invited to join a Toronto band, The Saddletramps
. For three years, she juggled The Saddletramps with her studies in philosophy and women's studies at Queen's University.
After leaving The Saddletramps, Harmer put together a band of her own with several Kingston, Ontario
musicians, and settled on the name Weeping Tile
. The band released its first independent cassette in 1994. Soon afterward, they signed to a major label, and the cassette was re-released in 1995 as eepee
. The band quickly became a popular draw on the rock club circuit and on campus radio with their subsequent album
s, but never broke through to the mainstream, and broke up in 1998 after being dropped from their label.
Also in 1998, Harmer recorded a set of pop standards as a Christmas gift for her father. After hearing it, her friends and family convinced her to release it as an album, and in 1999 she released it independently as Songs for Clem
. Harmer quickly began working on another album, and in 2000, she released You Were Here
.
A poppier, more laid-back effort than her work with Weeping Tile, You Were Here became Harmer's mainstream breakthrough, spawning the hits "Basement Apartment" and "Don't Get Your Back Up". The album also appeared on many critics' year-end lists, including TIME
magazine, which called it the year's best debut album. It was eventually certified platinum for sales of 100,000 copies in Canada. Almost half of the album (including both of its major hits) consisted of songs she had previously recorded with Weeping Tile or The Saddletramps.
In 2004, she released All of Our Names
. The album included the singles "Almost", which made the top 20 on Canadian pop charts, and "Pendulums".
Her fourth album, I'm a Mountain
, was released in Canada on November 8, 2005 and in the United States in February 2006. It was nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize
, a jury-selected $20,000 cash prize for the Canadian album of the year.
Harmer has also appeared as a guest vocalist on albums by other artists, including Blue Rodeo
, Great Big Sea
, Rheostatics
, Bruce Cockburn
, Luther Wright and the Wrongs
, Skydiggers
, The Weakerthans
, Neko Case
and Great Lake Swimmers
.
In February 2007, Harmer received three Juno Award
nominations. I'm a Mountain
was up for Best Adult Alternative Album and her DVD Escarpment Blues
was up for Best Music DVD. Sarah herself was also up for Songwriter of the Year for her work on "I Am Aglow", "Oleander" and "Escarpment Blues".
In 2010, Harmer released a fifth album, Oh Little Fire
, which has been nominated for three Juno Awards.
In 2011, Harmer participated in the National Parks Project
, visiting British Columbia
's Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site
with Bry Webb, Jim Guthrie and filmmaker Scott Smith. She was also commissioned by CBC Radio 2 to write an original campfire song for the network.
from a proposed gravel
development which would see some parts of wilderness near the escarpment removed. To support the organization, she and her acoustic band embarked on a tour of the escarpment, hiking the Bruce Trail
and performing at theatres and community halls in towns along the way. A documentary DVD of this tour was released in 2006 as Escarpment Blues
.
Harmer has performed and canvassed in support of the NDP
and Marilyn Churley, her friend in the fight for the protection of the Niagara Escarpment.
In 2007, Harmer also reunited with Weeping Tile to record a song, "Public Square", for the Rheostatics
tribute album The Secret Sessions
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and activist.
Biography
Born and raised in Burlington, OntarioBurlington, Ontario
Burlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...
, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
. At the age of 17, she was invited to join a Toronto band, The Saddletramps
The Saddletramps
The Saddletramps were an alternative country band from Toronto, Ontario in the 1980s and 1990s. Core members of the band included Ken Horne, Andrew Lindsay, John DeHaas and Brian Duguay. Sarah Harmer was also an early member of the band....
. For three years, she juggled The Saddletramps with her studies in philosophy and women's studies at Queen's University.
After leaving The Saddletramps, Harmer put together a band of her own with several Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
musicians, and settled on the name Weeping Tile
Weeping Tile (band)
Weeping Tile was a Canadian rock band in the 1990s.-History:The band was started by singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer in 1993, when she was invited to fill in for the opening band at a Thomas Trio and the Red Albino concert in Ottawa...
. The band released its first independent cassette in 1994. Soon afterward, they signed to a major label, and the cassette was re-released in 1995 as eepee
Eepee
eepee was a 1994 EP by Weeping Tile. It was the band's first recording.Originally released independently, eepee was subsequently rereleased the following year after the band signed with Warner Music Canada.-Track listing:...
. The band quickly became a popular draw on the rock club circuit and on campus radio with their subsequent album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, but never broke through to the mainstream, and broke up in 1998 after being dropped from their label.
Also in 1998, Harmer recorded a set of pop standards as a Christmas gift for her father. After hearing it, her friends and family convinced her to release it as an album, and in 1999 she released it independently as Songs for Clem
Songs for Clem
Songs for Clem is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter by Sarah Harmer, credited to Harmer and Jason Euringer, and released in 1999.-History:...
. Harmer quickly began working on another album, and in 2000, she released You Were Here
You Were Here
You Were Here is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2000.-History:You Were Here was Harmer's commercial breakthrough in Canada after years of almost reaching the pop charts with Weeping Tile. Ironically, the album's first big hit, "Basement Apt.", had previously been a...
.
A poppier, more laid-back effort than her work with Weeping Tile, You Were Here became Harmer's mainstream breakthrough, spawning the hits "Basement Apartment" and "Don't Get Your Back Up". The album also appeared on many critics' year-end lists, including TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
magazine, which called it the year's best debut album. It was eventually certified platinum for sales of 100,000 copies in Canada. Almost half of the album (including both of its major hits) consisted of songs she had previously recorded with Weeping Tile or The Saddletramps.
In 2004, she released All of Our Names
All of Our Names
All of Our Names is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2004. It peaked at number 6 on the Top Canadian Albums chart and number 43 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. "Almost" b/w "Pendulums" was released as a single with "Almost" reaching the top 20 on Canadian pop...
. The album included the singles "Almost", which made the top 20 on Canadian pop charts, and "Pendulums".
Her fourth album, I'm a Mountain
I'm a Mountain
Music critic Marisa Brown, writing for Allmusic noted the traditional tone of I'm a Mountain and wrote: "The musicianship on the entire album is fantastic, especially the guitar, which ranges in style from Lynyrd Skynyrd-type riffs to bluegrass fingerpicking with a classical bent...
, was released in Canada on November 8, 2005 and in the United States in February 2006. It was nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize
2006 Polaris Music Prize
The inaugural edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize presented on September 18, 2006, at Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre. The winning album was Final Fantasy's He Poos Clouds.-Nominees:...
, a jury-selected $20,000 cash prize for the Canadian album of the year.
Harmer has also appeared as a guest vocalist on albums by other artists, including Blue Rodeo
Blue Rodeo
Blue Rodeo is a Canadian pop and country rock band, which was formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have been signed with Warner Music Group since their debut album Outskirts in March 1987...
, Great Big Sea
Great Big Sea
Great Big Sea is a Canadian folk-rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year-old Irish, English, and French heritage...
, Rheostatics
Rheostatics
Rheostatics was a Genie Award-winning Canadian indie rock band, active from 1980 to 2007.Although they had only one Top 40 hit, "Claire" in 1995, they were simultaneously one of Canada's most influential and unconventional rock bands, a band whose eclectic take on pop and rock music has been...
, Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
, Luther Wright and the Wrongs
Luther Wright and the Wrongs
-History:The band began as a side project for Wright when he was a member of Weeping Tile. When that band amicably parted ways following their 1998 recording This Great Black Night, the Wrongs became Wright's primary band. The band membership has shifted a number of times since its inception...
, Skydiggers
Skydiggers
Skydiggers are a Canadian roots rock band from Toronto, Ontario.-Biography:Formed in 1987 by singer Andy Maize and lead guitarist Josh Finlayson, the band soon added rhythm guitarist Peter Cash, drummer Wayne Stokes and bassist Ron Macey to their lineup...
, The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...
, Neko Case
Neko Case
Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....
and Great Lake Swimmers
Great Lake Swimmers
Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian band built around the melodic folk rock songs of singer-songwriter Tony Dekker. Originally from Wainfleet, Ontario, the band is currently based in Toronto....
.
In February 2007, Harmer received three Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
nominations. I'm a Mountain
I'm a Mountain
Music critic Marisa Brown, writing for Allmusic noted the traditional tone of I'm a Mountain and wrote: "The musicianship on the entire album is fantastic, especially the guitar, which ranges in style from Lynyrd Skynyrd-type riffs to bluegrass fingerpicking with a classical bent...
was up for Best Adult Alternative Album and her DVD Escarpment Blues
Escarpment Blues
Escarpment Blues is a Canadian concert and documentary film starring singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer. Directed by Andy Keen and produced by Keen, Harmer and Patrick Sambrook, it was released theatrically in 2005 and on DVD in 2006....
was up for Best Music DVD. Sarah herself was also up for Songwriter of the Year for her work on "I Am Aglow", "Oleander" and "Escarpment Blues".
In 2010, Harmer released a fifth album, Oh Little Fire
Oh Little Fire
Oh Little Fire is the fifth album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2010. It is her first album of new material since 2005's Polaris Music Prize-nominated I'm a Mountain...
, which has been nominated for three Juno Awards.
In 2011, Harmer participated in the National Parks Project
National Parks Project
The National Parks Project is a Canadian music and film project. Released in 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Parks of Canada system, the project sent three Canadian musicians and a filmmaker to each of 13 Canadian national parks, one in each province and...
, visiting British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
's Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site
Ninstints or SGang Gwaay Llnaagay on Anthony Island, in located in the southernmost part of Gwaii Haanas, just west of Kunghit Island, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981...
with Bry Webb, Jim Guthrie and filmmaker Scott Smith. She was also commissioned by CBC Radio 2 to write an original campfire song for the network.
Activism
In 2005, Harmer co-founded PERL (Protecting Escarpment Rural Land), an organization which campaigned to protect the Niagara EscarpmentNiagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
from a proposed gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
development which would see some parts of wilderness near the escarpment removed. To support the organization, she and her acoustic band embarked on a tour of the escarpment, hiking the Bruce Trail
Bruce Trail
The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern and central Ontario, Canada.-General:The trail follows the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, one of the thirteen UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in Canada, for almost...
and performing at theatres and community halls in towns along the way. A documentary DVD of this tour was released in 2006 as Escarpment Blues
Escarpment Blues
Escarpment Blues is a Canadian concert and documentary film starring singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer. Directed by Andy Keen and produced by Keen, Harmer and Patrick Sambrook, it was released theatrically in 2005 and on DVD in 2006....
.
Harmer has performed and canvassed in support of the NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
and Marilyn Churley, her friend in the fight for the protection of the Niagara Escarpment.
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
|||
| 1999 | Songs for Clem Songs for Clem Songs for Clem is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter by Sarah Harmer, credited to Harmer and Jason Euringer, and released in 1999.-History:...
|
— | — | |
| 2000 | You Were Here You Were Here You Were Here is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2000.-History:You Were Here was Harmer's commercial breakthrough in Canada after years of almost reaching the pop charts with Weeping Tile. Ironically, the album's first big hit, "Basement Apt.", had previously been a... |
— | — |
Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... : Platinum |
| 2004 | All of Our Names All of Our Names All of Our Names is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2004. It peaked at number 6 on the Top Canadian Albums chart and number 43 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. "Almost" b/w "Pendulums" was released as a single with "Almost" reaching the top 20 on Canadian pop... |
6 | 43 |
|
| 2005 | I'm a Mountain I'm a Mountain Music critic Marisa Brown, writing for Allmusic noted the traditional tone of I'm a Mountain and wrote: "The musicianship on the entire album is fantastic, especially the guitar, which ranges in style from Lynyrd Skynyrd-type riffs to bluegrass fingerpicking with a classical bent... |
31 | — |
|
| 2010 | Oh Little Fire Oh Little Fire Oh Little Fire is the fifth album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2010. It is her first album of new material since 2005's Polaris Music Prize-nominated I'm a Mountain... |
7 | 24 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Basement Apartment" | You Were Here You Were Here You Were Here is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2000.-History:You Were Here was Harmer's commercial breakthrough in Canada after years of almost reaching the pop charts with Weeping Tile. Ironically, the album's first big hit, "Basement Apt.", had previously been a... |
| 2001 | "Don't Get Your Back Up" | |
| "Weakened State" | ||
| 2003 | "Silver Road" | Men with Brooms Men with Brooms (soundtrack) Men with Brooms is the soundtrack album to the Canadian film Men with Brooms, released in 2002.-Track listing:# Sarah Harmer, "Silver Road" # Kathleen Edwards, "Hockey Skates" # The Tragically Hip, "Throwing Off Glass"... |
| 2004 | "Almost" | All of Our Names All of Our Names All of Our Names is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2004. It peaked at number 6 on the Top Canadian Albums chart and number 43 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. "Almost" b/w "Pendulums" was released as a single with "Almost" reaching the top 20 on Canadian pop... |
| "Pendulums" | ||
| 2005 | "I Am Aglow" | I'm a Mountain I'm a Mountain Music critic Marisa Brown, writing for Allmusic noted the traditional tone of I'm a Mountain and wrote: "The musicianship on the entire album is fantastic, especially the guitar, which ranges in style from Lynyrd Skynyrd-type riffs to bluegrass fingerpicking with a classical bent... |
| 2006 | "Oleander" | |
| 2010 | "Captive" | Oh Little Fire |
In 2007, Harmer also reunited with Weeping Tile to record a song, "Public Square", for the Rheostatics
Rheostatics
Rheostatics was a Genie Award-winning Canadian indie rock band, active from 1980 to 2007.Although they had only one Top 40 hit, "Claire" in 1995, they were simultaneously one of Canada's most influential and unconventional rock bands, a band whose eclectic take on pop and rock music has been...
tribute album The Secret Sessions
The Secret Sessions
The Secret Sessions is a tribute album to Canadian indie rock band Rheostatics, released March 16, 2007 through the web label Zunior. The album was released to coincide with the band's farewell show scheduled for March 30, and features Canadian indie rock artists performing Rheostatics songs...
.
Publications
- Peter E. Kelly, Douglas W. Larson, Sarah Harmer, The Last Stand : A Journey Through the Ancient Cliff-Face Forest of the Niagara Escarpment, Natural Heritage Books, 2007, ISBN 978-1897045190 (paperback).