By Melanie Stangl
From the open mic scene to a full-fledged, festival-playing rock band, local musician Sarah Halter has been making waves in Pittsburgh since her arrival in July 2015. After months of work and anticipation, her first acoustic EP, titled “Little Grave Digger,” will be dropping on Saturday, December 10th, with a celebratory album release show the same night at Lawrenceville hotspot Hambone’s. If you’re a fan of story-telling song lyrics mixed with dark rock and raw talent, this is an EP (and a show) worth your attention. (You can preview a track, “Come Alive,” on Soundcloud here.)
In addition to this solo project, Halter is the frontwoman, guitar player, and primary songwriter for the progressive rock/metal band Blue Clutch. With bandmates Lia Skye Silverbeams (drums), Alisa Jacobson (keys and vocals), and Rich Kastory (bass), Halter has played such staple Pittsburgh events as Rock All Night Tour, Ladyfest, Layer Cake Festival, the recurring Girlie Show series at Hambone’s, and most recently, a benefit show for the Standing Rock Sioux against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
“My solo work and recordings are more focused on my vocals and guitar parts by themselves (thus far),” Halter says, “while Blue Clutch band work features more collaboration and more musical parts involved in the project. The band has a much heavier sound.” While they aim to continue developing their progressive style, Halter says her solo work will incorporate elements of “soft metal, classical, folk metal, and some aggressive blues.”
The thoughtfulness with which she works on her music doesn’t stop there. Many conversations about diversity and inclusion in the local music scene have been happening recently, and when asked about this with regard to her participation in events such as Ladyfest, Halter had this to say: “Honestly, I wish there WAS no distinction in our society between ‘musicians’ and ‘female,’ ‘lady,’ or ‘women’ musicians. Male or male-identifying musicians are usually not termed as ‘man musicians,’ or something of the like, in conversation.” She continues, “Throughout the current and future stages of my music career, I want to fight as much as possible to alter any discriminatory perceptions regarding gender in the music world.”
The relative absence of prominent women, minority, and LGBT+ artists is not only a Pittsburgh problem, of course, but Halter’s presence here as both a woman and a self-described “queer” musician can only be a good thing. Her intense style of performing (she frequently shreds on a matte black electric guitar) and the in-your-face rock sound she’s perfected also add to her uniqueness. Between her voice that’s as much powerful as it is pretty (and isn’t afraid to scream every now and then), her impressive guitar chops, and the heart she brings to both music and lyrics, she leaves no doubt that women can (and will) rock. “Little Grave Digger,” though it’s acoustic, showcases this.
The music starts at 9 PM on the 10th, and will also feature solo sets from DJ Dizazter (who mixed and mastered the EP), Silverbeams, and Liss Victory of Victory at the Crossroads. Check out the Facebook event page here. Tickets are $5 (plus processing) when pre-bought online, and $7 at the door. A four-track version of the EP will be available for $5, with a remastered six-song version (in which Silverbeams provides drums and remastering) available for $10. It will also be electronically released on Bandcamp here. If you’re looking to increase the diversity of your local music appreciation, this is a really good place to start.
The EP was recorded in two in-home studio set-ups with two producers: Dizazter at Lurk Studios, and Silverbeams under the brand NonScience, Inc. Track lists are as follows.
4 Track Version:
1. Little Grave Digger, Part 1
2. Little Grave Digger, Part 2
3. Cognitive Dissonance
4. Come Alive
6 Track Version:
1. Little Grave Digger, Part 1
2. Little Grave Digger, Part 2
3. Cognitive Dissonance
4. Come Alive
5. Winter Heart
6. Come Alive (NonScience Mix)
