Interview: Jamie Holm is Far From Sick of Sarah

Sick of Sarah is a five-female strong all-girl band that, despite having released a self-titled debut album only a little over one year ago, is already making quite a name for itself among lesbian and mainstream music fans alike in its home city of Minneapolis and beyond. The band, which was compared to the Breeders and Sleater-Kinney by Spin magazine, is made up of Jessie Farmer, Katie Murphy, Brooke Svanes, Abisha Uhl, and Jamie Holm. Here, Holm talks to Cherry Grrl about being a part of the exciting world of music and touring, how she and her four band mates came together, and the fans that make it all so much fun.

Cherry Grrl (CG): Who came up with your band’s name and how?

Jamie Holm (JH): The name actually came about because Abisha’s roommate was sick of her own name and said out loud when she was drunk one night: “I’m sick of my name, I’m sick of Sarah.” Sparkle Motion was the name prior to that, so a change was needed.

CG: How did you all come together as a band?

JH: The rest of the girls met through mutual friends at the start of everything. They were a four-piece for several years before Jessie moved to guitar. I was playing in my own band that had played with SOS (Sick of Sarah) several times when I got the call to try out.

CG: You released your debut album in 2008. What can you tell us about that release in terms of the style of songs, sound, and subjects that you took on in the lyrics?

JH: The first album is a collection of songs that were written over the past several years. Some songs were brought to the table by Abisha, some Jessie, and some came together while rehearsing, but all songs have to do with things we’ve dealt with in life. There is a lot of heartbreak on this album.

CG: What are some favorite songs that you have off of that release?

JH: It depends on the day but “Breakdown,” “Not Listening,” and “Bittersweet” are the most fun when it comes to playing live. It’s great to look out and see people singing along. If I HAD to pick one song off of the album for a sneak peak into SOS I would pick “Not Listening.” It has really good energy.

CG: How do you describe your fans and the vibe at your shows?

JH: It’s great cause our fans are very loyal and most know our entire collection of songs. We feel very connected to our fans and are constantly putting up footage of touring and everything we do on YouTube. Our fans are very energetic and fun and we love hanging out with them, as they are the reason we can do what we do.

CG: Who do you consider to be your musical influences?

JH: We all have different musical backgrounds and all end up exposing each other to different bands when we are on the road. I will listen to a few albums non-stop at a time. Metric and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s have been my albums of choice recently. Our influences vary from Sonic Youth to Michelle Branch to the Foo Fighters. We also listen to the bands we are touring with as we have been touring with some amazing bands lately such as Donora, The Action Design, and The Melismatics, to name a few. I think it’s really important to have a connection with the people we are on the road with.

CG: You have a strong following from the lesbian community. A lot of girls out there are curious as to which members of Sick of Sarah and gay, straight, bi, etc. What can you share with us about that?

JH: We have a little bit of everything going on (laughs).

CG: What would you say is your favorite part about being in the band?

JH: Being in the band is great in the sense that I feel I am around people that really understand me and are family to me. On top of that we get to do what we love and really relate to people in a very personal way. It’s amazing. We get e-mails saying how much we have changed people’s lives and it’s surreal. There are not enough hugs in the world to show how much that means to us.

CG: What have been some highlights so far?

JH: We played a show out in LA where Susanna Hoffs from the Bangles joined us onstage. She is an amazing person. We also played a few shows where we were the only band rolling up in a van. Rise Against, Shinedown, and Blue October were on the bill to name a few. We showed up and immediately got onstage and played to sheets of rain in our faces, but it was one of the most fun shows I have ever played!

CG: What are some of your interests and hobbies outside of music?

JH: Sex and drugs. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to go? (laughs). I played LIFE the other day… that was a good time. Honestly we haven’t done a lot besides touring and writing lately, which isn’t upsetting. We have really thrown ourselves into this and are excited to see what comes out of it.

CG: What are some of your goals for the future?

JH: When I was younger my goal was to be a construction worker. I think that was kindergarden. I’ve revamped my goals and now I wish to grace the cover of Rolling Stone. We are working on writing and our immediate goal is to put out a great second album. I think the second album will be something we are all really proud of.  I am excited and scared and in love with it all at the same time. I hope the feeling is mutual.

For more about Sick of Sarah visit www.myspace.com/sickofsarah, www.sickofsarah.com, and www.facebook.com/sickofsarah.