girlscouts

Artist: Sasha Karcher
Title: Drawn Swords

Sasha Karcher is a name that you need to know NOW. Hailing from Australia and now living in Europe, Karcher is the perfect blend of folk-rock and acoustic bliss, mixed in with a bit of indie pop flavor. Just off the heels of his newest release, Drawn Swords, Sasha Karcher is ready to take on the world, one song at a time.

Opening with the infectious track, “Hold On,” folk sensibility meets indie rock as one gets the vibe of a slight Oasis influence. This is a compliment to say the least. Karcher’s voice is smooth and catchy, as the sound of heavily strummed guitars fill up every inch of space on the track. “You’re Strange,” is up next, and proves to be a pleasant surprise as well. With a slight organ and carefully picked guitars, this song will become an instant favorite.

“Play and Record,” provides a bit of a retro feel to the album, and is slightly reminiscent of a tune you would find on Sloan’s infamous late 90’s album, Navy Blues. Perfect pop harmonies combine with memorable guitar hooks, to make this a personal favorite on the Drawn Swords. “Peter Slept,” tends to be a heavier piece amongst the track-listing, as Karcher’s vocals are intense, and emotional. Slight organ tones slowly make their way in, making for a gorgeous song.

“I’ll Wait All the Same,” is where Karcher really starts to bring in the folk element into the record. This is a song you can immediately see playing on VH1 or your favorite Top 40 Radio station. The easily accessible song is filled with acoustic guitars and Sasha’s subtle yet boastful voice. “I’m Insane,” follows in the same vein as “I’ll Wait All the Same,” with more of a pop element that shines through. One thing that stands out quite well on Drawn Swords, is the bright, and for a lack of a better word, gorgeous guitar playing. This is not the most technical guitar work you will hear, but it immediately draws you in with every note hypnotizing you.

“The Floor of Hong Kong,” is a blissful song that truly takes you on a journey to the native land. Building each moment with bongos and cohesive and intriguing harmonies, this is one track you will have on repeat. “Mirror Mirror,” picks the record back up, as the indie pop element starts to sink back in. Whether Karcher is playing the quiet side of folk, or the quirky side of indie, he excels in all realms. Closing the album is “Coz It’s You,” is a just the right way to close this amazing collection of songs. Taking it out slowly, this record is brilliant from start to finish.

Sasha Karcher has a long career ahead of him. Right off the bat you will realize that he is a name to watch out for in 2012. Drawn Swords is a stunning piece of work that will leave you wanting more of what Karcher has to offer. We’re on the edge of our seat waiting for more.

Review by Melissa Nastasi
Rating: 5 Stars (out of 5) - melissa nastasi

Artist: Sasha Karcher
Title: Drawn Swords

Sasha Karcher is a name that you need to know NOW. Hailing from Australia and now living in Europe, Karcher is the perfect blend of folk-rock and acoustic bliss, mixed in with a bit of indie pop flavor. Just off the heels of his newest release, Drawn Swords, Sasha Karcher is ready to take on the world, one song at a time.

Opening with the infectious track, “Hold On,” folk sensibility meets indie rock as one gets the vibe of a slight Oasis influence. This is a compliment to say the least. Karcher’s voice is smooth and catchy, as the sound of heavily strummed guitars fill up every inch of space on the track. “You’re Strange,” is up next, and proves to be a pleasant surprise as well. With a slight organ and carefully picked guitars, this song will become an instant favorite.

“Play and Record,” provides a bit of a retro feel to the album, and is slightly reminiscent of a tune you would find on Sloan’s infamous late 90’s album, Navy Blues. Perfect pop harmonies combine with memorable guitar hooks, to make this a personal favorite on the Drawn Swords. “Peter Slept,” tends to be a heavier piece amongst the track-listing, as Karcher’s vocals are intense, and emotional. Slight organ tones slowly make their way in, making for a gorgeous song.

“I’ll Wait All the Same,” is where Karcher really starts to bring in the folk element into the record. This is a song you can immediately see playing on VH1 or your favorite Top 40 Radio station. The easily accessible song is filled with acoustic guitars and Sasha’s subtle yet boastful voice. “I’m Insane,” follows in the same vein as “I’ll Wait All the Same,” with more of a pop element that shines through. One thing that stands out quite well on Drawn Swords, is the bright, and for a lack of a better word, gorgeous guitar playing. This is not the most technical guitar work you will hear, but it immediately draws you in with every note hypnotizing you.

“The Floor of Hong Kong,” is a blissful song that truly takes you on a journey to the native land. Building each moment with bongos and cohesive and intriguing harmonies, this is one track you will have on repeat. “Mirror Mirror,” picks the record back up, as the indie pop element starts to sink back in. Whether Karcher is playing the quiet side of folk, or the quirky side of indie, he excels in all realms. Closing the album is “Coz It’s You,” is a just the right way to close this amazing collection of songs. Taking it out slowly, this record is brilliant from start to finish.

Sasha Karcher has a long career ahead of him. Right off the bat you will realize that he is a name to watch out for in 2012. Drawn Swords is a stunning piece of work that will leave you wanting more of what Karcher has to offer. We’re on the edge of our seat waiting for more.

Review by Melissa Nastasi
Rating: 5 Stars (out of 5) - melissa nastasi

Artist: Sasha Karcher
Album: Drawn Swords
Review by Alec Cunningham

By only looking at the cover of the album and the track listing of Drawn Swords, you may notice a few things. First, you can see that the song titles, such as “I’m Insane,” “Coz It’s You,” and “The Floor of Hong Kong” are a bit curious as well as unique. And since the name Sasha is fairly androgynous, you may be questioning whether the album features a man or a woman, but once you hit “Play” you will realize that this Sasha is in fact a man.
Upon first listen, the album may sound somewhat familiar. The familiarity surfaces from the catchy hooks and foreign flair that was made so popular by Oasis’ Liam Gallagher. Unlike Gallagher, though, Sasha’s accent originates from Australia, however he now resides in Denmark. “Hold On” kicks off the album with a retro guitar jam and vocal harmonizing. The chorus and the verses are evenly spread out, but the chorus seems to monopolize most of the focus. Karcher sings, “Hold on to what you’ve got, hold on to what you’ve lost, hold on to what’s coming next, hold on ‘til your last breath.” Karcher finds a deeper voice inside himself within “Peter Slept.” The song employees drumming and blues/jazz infused finger picking. It is somewhat short and leaves much to the imagination; the end will more than likely still leave you wondering who exactly Peter is and why he was sleeping.
As for the songs with the odd titles, the lyrics themselves do not follow along this same pattern. “The Floor of Hong Kong” keeps a steady melody by using basic guitar chords. By using an acoustic guitar he creates a care-free sound. But judging by the song title alone you would more than likely not guess that this is a song about what it feels like to be in love. “Coz It’s You” is much the same subject-wise though instead of mentioning the floor of Hong Kong he mentions an olive tree in the middle of a yard. In “I’m Insane,” Karcher sings about a girl he sees at one of his concerts. A single-line chorus follows, in which he sings, “Some people may say I’m insane ‘cause I want to know your name.” The song ends with a short but noteworthy electric guitar solo. The major similarity between each of these songs, other than the parallels in subject matter, is that he speaks to each person directly. Instead of using words such as “she” or “her,” he generally uses “you” and “your.”
“I’ll Wait All The Same” is a gloomier love song than the rest. A lengthier, more comprehensive guitar solo comes into play about halfway through this song as well as a piano melody that is played throughout. Instead of singing about the pleasures of love, such as in “The Floor of Hong Kong,” he sings of a love that he has recently lost. He becomes ambivalent with his decisions about his feelings for this girl, singing, “I love you; I don’t need your love no more . . . I’ll wait all the same.”
Karcher does well to begin making a name for himself with his debut album Drawn Swords. He covers the basics of writing and guitar playing, and his attractive accent makes you always eager to hear more. The album does have some lulls every now and again, but in all, this is a great introductory album for Karcher that is sure to open some doors for him.


Review by Alec Cunningham
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5) - alec cunningham

Artist: Sasha Karcher
Album: Drawn Swords
Review by Alec Cunningham

By only looking at the cover of the album and the track listing of Drawn Swords, you may notice a few things. First, you can see that the song titles, such as “I’m Insane,” “Coz It’s You,” and “The Floor of Hong Kong” are a bit curious as well as unique. And since the name Sasha is fairly androgynous, you may be questioning whether the album features a man or a woman, but once you hit “Play” you will realize that this Sasha is in fact a man.
Upon first listen, the album may sound somewhat familiar. The familiarity surfaces from the catchy hooks and foreign flair that was made so popular by Oasis’ Liam Gallagher. Unlike Gallagher, though, Sasha’s accent originates from Australia, however he now resides in Denmark. “Hold On” kicks off the album with a retro guitar jam and vocal harmonizing. The chorus and the verses are evenly spread out, but the chorus seems to monopolize most of the focus. Karcher sings, “Hold on to what you’ve got, hold on to what you’ve lost, hold on to what’s coming next, hold on ‘til your last breath.” Karcher finds a deeper voice inside himself within “Peter Slept.” The song employees drumming and blues/jazz infused finger picking. It is somewhat short and leaves much to the imagination; the end will more than likely still leave you wondering who exactly Peter is and why he was sleeping.
As for the songs with the odd titles, the lyrics themselves do not follow along this same pattern. “The Floor of Hong Kong” keeps a steady melody by using basic guitar chords. By using an acoustic guitar he creates a care-free sound. But judging by the song title alone you would more than likely not guess that this is a song about what it feels like to be in love. “Coz It’s You” is much the same subject-wise though instead of mentioning the floor of Hong Kong he mentions an olive tree in the middle of a yard. In “I’m Insane,” Karcher sings about a girl he sees at one of his concerts. A single-line chorus follows, in which he sings, “Some people may say I’m insane ‘cause I want to know your name.” The song ends with a short but noteworthy electric guitar solo. The major similarity between each of these songs, other than the parallels in subject matter, is that he speaks to each person directly. Instead of using words such as “she” or “her,” he generally uses “you” and “your.”
“I’ll Wait All The Same” is a gloomier love song than the rest. A lengthier, more comprehensive guitar solo comes into play about halfway through this song as well as a piano melody that is played throughout. Instead of singing about the pleasures of love, such as in “The Floor of Hong Kong,” he sings of a love that he has recently lost. He becomes ambivalent with his decisions about his feelings for this girl, singing, “I love you; I don’t need your love no more . . . I’ll wait all the same.”
Karcher does well to begin making a name for himself with his debut album Drawn Swords. He covers the basics of writing and guitar playing, and his attractive accent makes you always eager to hear more. The album does have some lulls every now and again, but in all, this is a great introductory album for Karcher that is sure to open some doors for him.


Review by Alec Cunningham
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5) - alec cunningham

Liam Barker
January 14, 2012 - 08:35
It has taken a mere three years for Sasha Karcher’s talent to take him from performing in pubs to releasing his own album

Karcher’s debut album retraces the last ten years of his life...Swapping the sun and surf of the world’s driest continent for life in Denmark may seem a little crazy, but for one Australian, this is one adventure with a purpose. The journey began with a typical ‘boy meets girl’ story that brought songwriter Sasha Karcher to Copenhagen three years ago. While it was not a voyage in the Captain Cook category, upping sticks with a suitcase in hand and guitar on his back, Sasha headed more than 16,000 km north, hoping his talent for music would allow him to make a life for himself.

Three years and many headaches later, Karcher has released his first solo album, ‘Drawn Swords’, which has been welcomed with excellent feedback, leaving the 2003 Australian Songwriters finalist feeling very humbled: “The response has been wonderful; on Twitter and iTunes we have had downloads and comments from all over the world, as far as Canada, USA and South Africa. It has been great so far.”

The album was released last month following an intimate album preview gig in front of a packed house of family and friends at Karcher’s favourite pub in the northern hemisphere: Diligencen in Gentofte.

Getting the album recorded has taken a lot of hard work from Karcher, with more than a little help from his friends and fellow expats: producer Brian Armstrong who has worked with Danish acts such as the Neil Brophy band and singer Yuki Badino, fan favourite guitarist and singer Rich Vargas, former metal head Manos Anassis, keyboard player Rob Luca, and Marco Diallo, who is one of the most sought-after young drummers in Copenhagen.

Karcher will be touring northern Europe in the spring and summer of 2012 as well as performing his usual gigs throughout Denmark. “The aim is to be heard by as many people as possible,” Karcher states. Sasha is hoping to feature at the 2012 Copenhagen Songwriters’ Festival, as well as Tønder Folk Festival, Roskilde, Skanderborg and the Green Concert, amongst others.
The debut album ‘Drawn Swords’ contains ten songs tracing a rough timeline of events in Karcher’s life over the last ten years. While there is a huge Bob Dylan and Beatles influence on the album, even if Karcher wanted to disguise his country of birth, the music gives it away. There are folk tunes, ballads, grunge songs and pop. But throughout it all is the undeniable sound of Aussie pub rock. You can take the boy out of Oz ...

The song entitled ‘Receive me’ is the stand-out hit on the album and is set to hit the national airwaves very soon. The song ‘Floor of Hong Kong’ also has great inspiration behind it. Karcher recalls: “My wife-to-be, a die-hard Cliff Richard fan, put one of his songs on the jukebox in the Hong Kong bar in Nyhavn and proceeded to fall flat on her face. The perfect antidote for a song.”
Karcher began his music career in the late 1990s in Adelaide, Australia where he played and wrote songs with bands such as Semanon, Raw and later The Brothers Gibson up in Brisbane. During this time Karcher co-wrote songs that went on to win awards with the Australian Songwriters Association.

Like many sport-obsessed Australians, cricket was Karcher’s first love. But as he recalls in words not quite appropriate for print, it took less than one over to realise he would be more comfortable holding a guitar than a cricket bat: “Let’s just say I’m a better musician than opening batsmen. There’s more chance of seeing me with bagpipes before you see me with a baggy green.” Karcher did however get to write and record a song with Australian rugby league legend Tommy Raudonikis for his national radio show, a proud moment in his career.

In the time that Karcher has been in Denmark he has played either solo or with friends in over 50 pubs across the country in addition to flying to gigs in Amsterdam, and across Spain, Germany, Sweden and Italy. In Copenhagen he has played at the Drop Inn, Nyhavn 17, The Dubliner and the Old English Pub among many others. Having covered many classics, Karcher has now opted to write and record material of his own as well as writing with multi-platinum award-winning songwriter Fabian Petersen, who also works with the likes of Sys Bjerre and Anna Nordell.

Karcher will be playing solo at Rosie McGee’s pub on Vesterbrogade throughout January, so go in and say G’day.

For information on the upcoming tour check out dvkmusik.dk, follow him at twitter.com/dvkmusikdk or email sasha@dvkmusik.dk. The album ‘Drawn Swords’ is for sale on iTunes, from dvkmusik.dk and at the gigs – for just 100kr.


- copenhagen post