In January 2015 legendary producer Mike Vernon (Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall, Blue Horizon) was invited to receive a 'Keeping The Blues Alive' award at the prestigious International Blues Challenge in Memphis TN. This award, was not the only highlight of the weekend for Mike; the second was witnessing the performance of one of the most amazing female blues singers Mike had seen in years - SARI SCHORR.
So knocked out was he with Sari, Mike came out of retirement to produce an album with her. Already a consummate songwriter, with tracks on major labels, Sari has written or co-written most of the songs on her new album. This album recording is now well underway and 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.
Years of touring the US and Europe with
Joe Louis Walker and Poppa Chubby, brought Sari greater prominence throughout the blues world. Schorr was recently inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame.
Sari will celebrate the release of her debut album on Manhaton Records in 2016 and undertake a US and European tour. She kicks off her groundbreaking tour at
Carnegie Hall NYC, performing at The Lead Belly Fest with Buddy Guy, Eric Burdon,
Edgar Winter and Walter Trout, on February 4, 2016.
Says Sari, "I set out to write achingly honest songs about finding love, losing love, betrayal, addiction, and the beauty and the tragedy of this human experience. My life's passion is to use music as a galvanizing force to repair, inspire and unite people. To get there, I had to come clean and stonewall any constraints on the writing and performance of the songs. Then I had to learn to trust my intuition. Making an album is like building a pyramid in the dark. You know what you want to end up with, but you don't really know what you have until there's some distance and light.
"My songs are rooted in the blues and honoring that long tradition is important to me. My style of songwriting draws heavily on contrasting melodic hooks with aching harmonies. Writing honest and inspired lyrics is always the goal. I rely heavily on imagery and play with double entendres. My influences are many and various and include Son House, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Lead Belly, Etta James, Bessie Smith, Freddie King, Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Peter Green,
Robert Plant and Bob Dylan.
"The album was written in the US, UK, Spain, and Germany. The band recorded most of the basic tracks in London and Seville. I'm so honored to have such incomparable musicians on the album including Innes Sibun, Walter Trout, Oli Brown, John Baggott and the wonderful Martha Velez."
Sari mixes a passion for music and with a duty of social responsibility. She has devoted her talent and energy to music projects of a grand scale for humanitarian causes. Most notable is her work on a "Toast to Freedom" for Amnesty International, where she collaborated with many musical legends including Warren Haynes, Levon Helm, Keb Mo', Taj Mahal, Eric Burdon, and Carly Simon. Sari's humanitarian efforts include work in Haiti and India. She founded Matters - a non-profit that draws attention to humanitarian causes through the arts.
Sari is a marathon runner, animal rights activist, and aspiring vegan. She is also a writer, philosopher and wanderer with an inquisitive nature. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and pit bull triplets.
Sari's new band THE ENGINE ROOM, features stunning British guitarist Innes Sibun, formerly with Robert Plant. Says Sari, "Making an authentic connection with my audience is everything to me. I can push my vocals to the limit when I feel the energy from the audience rush the stage. I'm transformed when people are consumed by my music."
Band Members:
Innes Sibun (guitar) - Robert Plant
Anders Olinder (keys) - Glenn Hughes, PP Arnold,
Peter Gabriel (sessions)
Mike Hellier (drums) - Mud Morganfield, Waterboys, James Hunter
Kevin Jefferies - Roger Taylor (with Jeff Beck), Mike Oldfield and Steve Harley
also US tour special guest:
Chris Bergson (guitar) - Hailed as "a serious talent" by Living Blues,
Chris Bergson was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame in February 2015. With MOJO Magazine's #1 Blues Album of 2008, #2 Blues Album of 2011, and #3 Blues Album of 2014, New York guitarist/singer
Chris Bergson has established himself as "one of the most inventive songwriters in modern blues music" (All Music Guide), creating his own blend of blues, roots and soul.
Chris Bergson has performed and/or shared the stage with Hubert Sumlin, Levon Helm, B.B. King, Norah Jones, John Hammond, Etta James, and Bettye LaVette, to name just a few. (www.chrisbergson.com)
Tour Dates:
Feb 07 - The Falcon - Marlboro, NY
Feb 12 - Turing Point - Piermont, NY
Feb 17 - Cutting Room - NYC
Feb 20 - Stanhope House - Stanhope, NJ
Feb 27 - Brian's Backyard BBQ - Middletown, NY
Mar 05 - 12 Grapes - Peekskill, NY
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