Sarah Azzara profile picture

Sarah Azzara

Sarah Azzara

About Me

Blending indie rock sensibilties, retro sounds, and smart lyrics, Washington, DC songwriter Sarah Azzara’s original style was hailed by critic Mark Jenkins as “effervescent,” and “classic, but not antique.” Spanning multiple rock and pop genres, her unique songs reflect common dilemmas or weave conversational stories, using uncommonly sophisticated lyrics and contagious hooks.Sarah Azzara (yes, it rhymes) came by her name in a retro kind of way, by marrying DC drummer Ben Azzara (Junction, Delta 72, Razor 18, the Capitol City Dusters, Pup Tent, DCIC, The Caution Curves, etc.) She began her career as Sarah Kenny, playing her music in DC area coffe houses and bars before she was old enough to drink. In the early 90’s, she performed and recorded with shoegaze band Razor 18, which had two releases on New York’s Popfactory label and featured Ivan Pongrassic (Soft Pleasing Light), Bill Fantegrassi (Soft Pleasing Light, the Jealous Type), and Robb Monn (Julia Galaxy.) Her songwriting evolved with bands like Claudine, with Tina Plottel (Federal City 5) and Jason Hutto (Motorcycle Wars, the Aquarium) and later, the Dor-Ne’s, with Plottel and Lida Husik (Red Emma). After running into former Razor 18 band mate Ben Azzara, Kenny joined forces with him and co-produced her first full length album of original music, 2000’s “Revenge of Dangergirl”.The ensuing years have seen three more releases: “Love and Hate Among the Stars”, an EP split release with Baltimore band Sylvan Screen, and “It Turns Us On”, which includes a booklet of comics art school grad Azzara drew to illustrate her lyrics. She has received praise for her work on NPR’s WAMU, the Washington Post, the Washington Blade, and the City Paper. She’s enjoyed radio airplay from a host of stations all over the USA, and her song “Lunchbox” (from “It Turns Us On”) was recently selected as song of the month for KMUD in Humboldt County, CA.Sarah Azzara continues to play with her own band in famed DC clubs including the Black Cat, State Theatre,Velvet Lounge, DC9, Galaxy Hut, Iota, and Asylum. In addition to her epinomous band, Sarah plays and writes with post-punk trio Shame Girl. Most recently, she was honored as a nominee for the 2007 WAMMIES Best Modern Rock Vocal. In addition, Sarah has finally finished the demos for her upcoming release, "Tongues Will Wag," featuring some of her strongest material to date. She and drummer Ben Azzara are constantly sending sounds out to the blogosphere through the Azzara music blog, at http://www.sarahazzara.com/blog/

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/11/2007
Band Website: sarahazzara.com
Band Members: On all records: Sarah Azzara - vocals, guitar, organ, piano Paul Miller - guitar, organ, bassOn "It Turns Us On": Kendall Nordin - vocals, bass Kathy Cashel - oboe T.J. Lipple - tambourineOn "Sarah Azzara / Sylvan Screen EP Split": Barry Bocaner - bassOn "Love and Hate among the Stars": Mike Ratel - bass Bill Fantegrassi - guitar Andy Goldman - vocals Chava Kenny - vocals Rachel Kenny - vocals Michael Pahn - stand-up bass Sarah Azzara - ukelele Alec Bourgeois - guitar Jesse Quitslund - bassOn "Revenge of Dangergirl": Elizabeth McGraw - bass Tina Plottel - vocals, guitar Victor Gaberman - flute Jesse Quitslund - bass
Record Label: Latest Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Feel the Love

The other day i went up to one of my favorite little neighborhood bars, which happened to be having a queer night. At straight bars, this usually means the normal hetero crowd with a sprinkling of que...
Posted by Sarah Azzara on Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:09:00 PST

Dazzle Ships

When I was on tour in Europe with the Dusters (as their merch girl), my friend Jesse found a cassette of OMD's "Dazzle Ships" in a little record store in, I believe, Austria. Great record, of course, ...
Posted by Sarah Azzara on Tue, 06 May 2008 07:56:00 PST

The Inner Hater

I had a fascinating conversation with my friend Ziska last night about internalized homophobia. I really resonated with he whole concept because of my own experience. I have been into women since pu...
Posted by Sarah Azzara on Mon, 05 May 2008 08:14:00 PST

this time I want to be the rabbit

Crush has finally put me out of my misery. About freaking time, lady! Jeez. But I'm actually kind of glad it took so long, because I managed to get one more song out of it. Happy songs are a chall...
Posted by Sarah Azzara on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:10:00 PST

Crushsy McCrushtoodamnmuch

Crushes SUCK. They're kind of fun in a way, but only if you get what you want in the end. Then you can look back and romanticize that period of prolonged longing, and it becomes a little like a Jane ...
Posted by Sarah Azzara on Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:01:00 PST

In pursuit of the mind-body rainbow connection...

My brain, scattered though it may be, is basically a logical organ. I can use the rational part of my brain to soothe the emotional part through intellectualizing. I can sublimate my more obsessive or...
Posted by Sarah Azzara on Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:05:00 PST

Party Robots!

In an email conversation with my friend Katie, I mentioned that I must no longer hang out with people in their twenties, as I invariably end up consuming too much alcohol and doing at least one somewh...
Posted by Sarah Azzara on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:35:00 PST

I want that part of my brain back!

As a newly single, newly out, legal adult, I have come to realize something very important. Being newly single AND newly out AND legally adult roughly translates into being ruled by my reptilian-brai...
Posted by Sarah Azzara on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:00:00 PST

Let’s make an idiom!

I would like to propose a new American English idiom. This particular proposed idiom would be appropriate to describe any situation in which one feels as though one is being manipulated in order to s...
Posted by Sarah Azzara on Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:11:00 PST

Are they gonna take away my membership card?

I need to know. A friend promised me that Ellen DeGeneres would be coming around with my handbook and welcome packet (and the toaster oven premium). I have yet to see her. She's probably off doing s...
Posted by Sarah Azzara on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:48:00 PST