HALF SISTER

Brooklyn pop four-piece Half Sister has just released its debut 6 track self titled EP. From the opening track, 'Birds With Arms', front-woman Sarah Aument's confident and expressive alto takes us back to the catchy melodies of the late 90’s, while a jangly rhythm guitar builds towards a tense, minor-chord-sounding chorus slightly reminiscent of the glorious days of grunge. The underlying groove on tracks like 'RGB' betrays a tight and inventive rhythmic section. Our favorite songs, 'The River' (streaming below) and RGB, are dream pop gems that could have been in The Sundays' unforgettable debut album. While it’s easy to get carried away with genre nostalgia, Half Sister never crosses the line, offering a personal and heartfelt record with several good tracks: whether you hear a little bit of the The Sundays, The Gin Blossoms, or even 80’s Blondie, you’re guaranteed to find a few great summer tunes ready for the beach. – Sam Kogon (@samkogon) - The Deli Magazine - NYC

Surf-rocking to a new school year
By Erin Carson
September 10, 2011

Review: Best Coast opens the semester at Westcott Theater with Syracuse acts Animal Pants and Sarah Aument.

There may have been other people besides Syracuse University students at the Westcott Theater Friday night, but, as Giovanni Giardina, drummer for Syracuse band Animal Pants put it, it was "an SU party."

The evening's headliners, Best Coast, were far from their native California, but were preceded onstage by two local acts that gave the feeling of an SU show. From opener Sarah Aument, a senior at Newhouse, to an Animal Pants song about an SU parking attendant named Stanley, the theme of the university being fully populated once again.

"So, is this your first show of the semester?" Best Coast frontwoman Bethany Cosentino asked the crowd as if the event was strictly a student function. "You guys just want to party and we’re here to help you do that."

Aument opened the night with songs from her 2010 album Vertical Lines, as well as more recent recordings like "Gold," which got a particular rise out of the crowd. Her folk-rock has much more going on than the simplicity that "folk" implies. Ramped up guitar riffs chased Aument through lyrics about falling. Hair flying everywhere, she ended the set singing, "is this really a rock and roll show?" as her syllables dissolved into pure noise.

Animal Pants followed Aument, and the foursome proudly announced that they live right up the street. They played a set comprised predominantly of tracks from their new self-titled album. Frontman Jeffrey York's vocals invoked comparisons to Radiohead's Thom Yorke. He occasionally traded off singing duties with Giardina, whose drum kit sat center stage. Mostly, the band spun little soundscapes with songs like "Brains" and "Garden" slowly unwinding throughout the set.

Then there was "Song for Stanley," which York described as a tune written about a particularly kind Syracuse University employee. "Heaven surely has a place for the sweet man," he sang.

The evening's headliners, Best Coast, packed a lot into their set, with most songs lasting only three minutes or less. From recognizable crowd-pleasers like "Boyfriend," off the group's 2010 album Crazy for You, to newer songs like "When You Wake Up," they kept the crowd buzzing to their brand of fuzzy, distorted West-Coast garage-rock.

The barebones three-piece banged out one song after another as the crowd pushed in closer to the stage. Cosentino paid the occasional compliment to the city of Syracuse interspersed among comments that included profane mumblings about Bambi.

"Sometimes you just forget s—," Cosentino said while introducing "Bratty B," a song that hasn’t seen much play on the road for the simple reason that she can’t always remember how to play it. After success in sound check, she said, the song came off no problem.

Cosentino returned a few times to the novelty of start-of-school-year Syracuse.

"Send the college dropout to play the first show of the semester," she quipped.

Still, if the audience was in a certain blowing-off-steam type of mindset, she summed it up with an introduction to "Summer Mood."

"Summer's over," she said, "but it doesn't have to be."
- www.thenewshouse.com

After she released her first album, Vertical Lines, Syracuse University student and singer Sarah Aument showed no signs of slowing down.

The television, radio and film senior, who’s been involved with music since she was “zero,” can boast a rich music background. Her parents, who met through their high school marching band, made all of their children take piano lessons. From an early age, Aument played the piano, continuing with trombone and then tackling guitar lessons in high school.

The Pennsylvania native got her first real taste of composing when she wrote her high school graduation song. Once she arrived to college, she performed in her dorm room. That's where Aument met two students from the Bandier Program — Dan Creahan and Sam Mason — who nudged her down the road of becoming a professional artist.

“I didn’t realize what I had gotten myself into,” she said.

Aument was the first artist to join the student label, O, Morning. A month later, she was headlining her first show. Together with Kevin Muldoon and Brian Ludwig, she performed under her own name, until the recently-dubbed Half Sister was formed. With her acoustic guitar and bandmates by her side, Aument began her journey into the folk rock genre. She considers the band's current endeavors part of their evolution into serious, professional artists.

“I knew I really liked it, I really loved the stage, I really loved just singing, I really loved how other music made me feel, so to be a part of that world was so exciting and so intoxicating,” Aument said.

After graduating this May, Aument sees no point in “throwing out” all she and her bandmates have built. They have no other plan but to keep moving forward.

“It’s a total risk, but at the same time, I would hate to not do it," said Aument. "It would just be a let down. It’s my favorite thing to do. But it’s also the hardest, because I care about it so much. I don’t really look down too much. I’m glad I was here at school, growing. I’ve had a lot of room to mess up here, which is nice.”

With all of their hard work finally paying off, Aument and her band are looking ahead. Citing Lauryn Hill, Carole King and Wilco as some of her inspirations, Aument plans to move to New York City after graduation with her drummer and “keep doing what they’ve always been doing."

"I can’t wait. It’s just too exciting,” said Aument, adding that she still gets nervous before performing.

“My style has to change, because there’s so much room to grow," Aument said. "Things will change, but I cant imagine things will change too much. It’s still us, and I’m sure that I’ll go through significant things that will change my life, and will change what I’m going to write about and how I’m going to write it.” - www.thenewshouse.com

Sarah Aument is a human tumbleweed. Chilly basement shows, dragging amplifiers through snow drifts and playing steamy sets at Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan are moments she weaves into her work over time. To finish off a bug-bitten, refried beans-eating summer tour of the East Coast, she and her band are playing with Best Coast on Friday, Sept. 9, 8 p.m., at the Westcott Theater, 524 Westcott St.


Aument's sound runs the gamut from ambient lullabies to bubbly pop-rock. Her voice, which makes sweeping arcs in songs like “Walking” and “Kelly's Song,” resembles Sarah McLaughlin's crystalline soprano blended with Fleet Foxes' baroque brand of pop.

Other songs like “Couch Slouch” feature instrumentals that satisfy the chops of her bandmates, guitarist Kevin Muldoon, bassist Nick Imperial and drummer Brian Ludwig. Aument and her compadres create atmospheres of sound, some befitting a December night in Thornden Park, others feeding off the energy of a buzzed college audience.

The group frequently tackles a crowd-pleasing cover or two at their live performances, including an array of Sufjan Stevens tracks and a rendition of Radiohead's “Bodysnatchers,” which was recently recorded on SubCat Records. Radiohead's stretched rhythms, with vocals smoothed out in completely different phrasing, come naturally to Aument. She has a knack for layering lines and textures in her music.
Aument's debut album, Vertical Lines, (O, Morning Records), was released last September, bringing the band to the Top 10 of a national competition for a spot to play at Bonnaroo. Although the band came in third, Aument was still thrilled with the outcome. She blogged to her friends, “It is sad, but considering we {entered the contest} on a whim, we did super well! We got some awesome exposure but I nearly pulled my eyes and Kevin's hair out along the way.”

Word of mouth, solid connections and a whole lot of love opened a spot for Aument to share the stage with Syracuse's own Animal Pants and the headlining hipsters Best Coast. Boasting a music video for their song “Our Deal” that was directed by Drew Barrymore, Best Coast hails from the Left Coast’s Los Angeles, and is hitting up Syracuse one or two heartbeats before they ship off to the United Kingdom for the rest of their tour. The show comes almost exactly on the one-year anniversary of Aument's debut album. Tickets are $12. For more information, visit www.sarahaument.com, www.bestcoast.us or www.westcotttheater.com
- Syracuse New Times

Sarah Aument is a human tumbleweed. Chilly basement shows, dragging amplifiers through snow drifts and playing steamy sets at Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan are moments she weaves into her work over time. To finish off a bug-bitten, refried beans-eating summer tour of the East Coast, she and her band are playing with Best Coast on Friday, Sept. 9, 8 p.m., at the Westcott Theater, 524 Westcott St.


Aument's sound runs the gamut from ambient lullabies to bubbly pop-rock. Her voice, which makes sweeping arcs in songs like “Walking” and “Kelly's Song,” resembles Sarah McLaughlin's crystalline soprano blended with Fleet Foxes' baroque brand of pop.

Other songs like “Couch Slouch” feature instrumentals that satisfy the chops of her bandmates, guitarist Kevin Muldoon, bassist Nick Imperial and drummer Brian Ludwig. Aument and her compadres create atmospheres of sound, some befitting a December night in Thornden Park, others feeding off the energy of a buzzed college audience.

The group frequently tackles a crowd-pleasing cover or two at their live performances, including an array of Sufjan Stevens tracks and a rendition of Radiohead's “Bodysnatchers,” which was recently recorded on SubCat Records. Radiohead's stretched rhythms, with vocals smoothed out in completely different phrasing, come naturally to Aument. She has a knack for layering lines and textures in her music.
Aument's debut album, Vertical Lines, (O, Morning Records), was released last September, bringing the band to the Top 10 of a national competition for a spot to play at Bonnaroo. Although the band came in third, Aument was still thrilled with the outcome. She blogged to her friends, “It is sad, but considering we {entered the contest} on a whim, we did super well! We got some awesome exposure but I nearly pulled my eyes and Kevin's hair out along the way.”

Word of mouth, solid connections and a whole lot of love opened a spot for Aument to share the stage with Syracuse's own Animal Pants and the headlining hipsters Best Coast. Boasting a music video for their song “Our Deal” that was directed by Drew Barrymore, Best Coast hails from the Left Coast’s Los Angeles, and is hitting up Syracuse one or two heartbeats before they ship off to the United Kingdom for the rest of their tour. The show comes almost exactly on the one-year anniversary of Aument's debut album. Tickets are $12. For more information, visit www.sarahaument.com, www.bestcoast.us or www.westcotttheater.com
- Syracuse New Times

Mid-day Saturday we had our second scrumdiddlyumptious taste of Sarah Aument after having our first spoonful on friday evening. Based out of Syracuse, Sarah and her band are a refreshing indie/pop band that make us happy to see that the younger generation of this scene is pumping out some amazing talent. Already having tracks featured on the silver screen and sharing the stage with some of our fav’s Dawes and others, Aument deserves every opportunity that comes her way. Her unbelievable vocals and guitar riffs, mixed with the tight backing of her band is “on point” across the board. We had a chance to catch up with Sarah Aument and company before their set on Saturday for a video interview on the streets of AC… so keep your eyes peeled for that over the next few weeks! - Tristate Indie

Syracuse Songstress, Sarah Aument Sets Sail in The Big Apple

Only a wee student at Syracuse University, Sarah Aument is making quite a splash on the East Coast doing live shows in-between classes and course work. But don’t think for a second she’s spread herself thin, this contemplative songstress is on her way to her big break. Clad in lucky panties, crooning in sweaty bars, Sarah is making a name for herself from Manhattan to the big screen. If you’re a true hipster, you better check her out before she’s mainstream, you wouldn’t want to be the last to know.

JP: When did you know that music was your passion?

SARAH: I must have known my whole life, but it became more apparent to me in early high school probably.

JP: Was there any specific contributor that/who brought you to your “Oh, this is my calling!” moment?

SARAH: It was a gradual thing. My family is full of musicians and their love for music bled into my life. So I think that different family members helped my love for music grow… and now I’m so in love with it it’s is all I want to do and talk about! [Laughs] Pretty annoying for people that just want to chill and listen to some tunes with me.

JP: I imagine that was a loud and colorful house to grow up in! What was your first instrument?

SARAH: [Thinking] Piano? Yeah- I must have been in 2nd grade.

JP: Now that you’ve been at it for a while, what’s your instrument of choice?

SARAH: I’d say voice but I don’t think that counts, so guitar wins!

JP: Do you remember what the first song you ever wrote sounded like?

SARAH: Yeah it was really quiet and melody driven. I think I was picking a pretty simple part on the guitar while singing. Simple but nice. Probably like a Nick Drake song if you took out the awesome guitar skills and replaced them with my baby hands.

JP: How did your writing process evolve from there?

SARAH: I wrote that kind of stripped down singer songwriter type stuff for a little while and tried to never repeat the same chord progression. I didn’t want anything to sound the same as the song before. Then I started writing more upbeat songs when I got to college. Now I am exploring writing for a full band with an edgier sound but I still write those quiet, dissonant songs that I have since the beginning. Hopefully I am getting better and better at it.

JP: How did being upstate and in a college environment effect your music?

SARAH: [A lot]. Being upstate meant that I got to meet wonderful people that would inspire me and help me get my feet going.The college environment challenged me to do something outside the normal “college” musician stuff

I didn’t want to sound like everyone else, but at the same time I didnt need to get extremely good over night because being in college meant that I had this safe little bubble to grow in. I’m still growing and learning. Also the content of my lyrics has changed with what I have learned as a student and a kid growing from 18 to 21.

JP: Now that youre in the (New York) city, do you have any sort of special place that you like to write in? A room? A park? A roof? A lucky pair of green sneakers?

SARAH: [Laughs] I’ve always written in the bathroom. My parents would come home to me singing away in the bathroom and now my roommates deal with the same thing…And I don’t really wear anything in particular…although

I do have lucky undies for show days.

JP: Musical influences ? Any? All?

SARAH: [Thinking] I’d say that the biggest, most obvious influences are Feist, Wilco & Radiohead.

I’ve probably just listened to them more than any other artists, but I have so many influences it is hard to narrow it down…

JP: Anyone that you dream of collaborating with?

SARAH: I love Lauryn Hill, The Shins, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tegan and Sara, Carole King, Iron and Wine. List goes on and on…Collaborating with!? Oh man, if I ever sang a song with Karen O or Feist, I’d probably pee and then have a stroke.

JP: Strokes and involuntary bowls are the worst.

SARAH: I know right!

JP: What’s your favorite place to perform, thus far…and…what’s youre dream stage to grace?

SARAH: I like places where it feels crowded and sweaty…So basements, grimy dive bars. We actually just played at The Trash Bar in Brooklyn and that was a great time. It’s a lot less about the place and way more about the crowd.

I’d love to play some stages of a few festivals.

JP: Speaking of…Do you find it important to write to connect, or write for yourself?

SARAH: Both. It is not enough just to write for yourself, at least not for me. And other people’s music has always given me so much. Ya know? It’s made me feel like I wasn’t alone and I’d love to be a part of that process for someone else.

JP: Makes sense. I can see why you prefer an intimate crowd. What has it been like for you to get involved with JinglePunks? Had you ever pictured your music landing on television?

SARAH: Language fails us so much but music has a way of bu - Jingle Punks

If you haven’t had the chance yet, check out Sarah Aument’s new song “Gold” in this awesome video. The video showcases a great new spark in Aument’s latest music (as well as her handsome band). Look to her new website for updates and tour information at www.sarahaument.com. Here’s to some great summer music! - WERW Radio

If you haven’t had the chance yet, check out Sarah Aument’s new song “Gold” in this awesome video. The video showcases a great new spark in Aument’s latest music (as well as her handsome band). Look to her new website for updates and tour information at www.sarahaument.com. Here’s to some great summer music! - WERW Radio

Hey Jingle Punks fam! Just wanted to let you know that one of our JP artists, Sarah Aument, is on the “Road To Roo”. That’s right, Sarah could be performing at Bonnaroo this year! The music and arts festival is celebrating its 10th year and will take place in Manchester, TN. This is a tremendous opportunity for Sarah and she needs OUR help. Click this LINK and download her song to help send Sarah and her band to the Roo!

For more info on Sarah and her recently released LP “Vertical Lines” you can go to her official website www.sarahaument.com - Jingle Punks

Hey Jingle Punks fam! Just wanted to let you know that one of our JP artists, Sarah Aument, is on the “Road To Roo”. That’s right, Sarah could be performing at Bonnaroo this year! The music and arts festival is celebrating its 10th year and will take place in Manchester, TN. This is a tremendous opportunity for Sarah and she needs OUR help. Click this LINK and download her song to help send Sarah and her band to the Roo!

For more info on Sarah and her recently released LP “Vertical Lines” you can go to her official website www.sarahaument.com - Jingle Punks

At first glance, Sarah Aument seems like your average girl. She’s cute and approachable, prone to drop terms like “cheesebally” in everyday conversation, and can talk about her favorite music all day. But as soon as Sarah picks up her guitar and belts out lines in an otherworldly voice that was hiding in plain sight all along, the effect is immediately arresting.

Hailing from small-town Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Sarah started writing her own material at the age of 16. In the past year she’s taken bigger steps in promoting her music, a unique mesh of folk writing and arena rock instrumentation. Besides releasing her debut album Vertical Lines this past September through O, Morning Records, she’s also toured the Northeast, opened for Pitchfork-approved Sharon Van Etten, and performed at CMJ for the industry suits. Her star is on a meteoric rise.

Sarah agreed to meet me one afternoon at Syracuse University’s Bird Library. We were hoping to find a nice, quiet spot to sit down and conduct our interview, but the semester-end crunch had struck, and Sarah and I were at a loss to find seclusion amidst hordes of cramming students. We eventually settled for the loud and bustling library commons. It was a setting characteristic of Sarah’s experience – as students struggled to solely handle their studies, Sarah sat back with a coffee cup in hand aloof to her impending finals. While the rest of the world was moving about making noise with a narrow goal in mind, Sarah has somehow found peace in chaos and has been able to effectively balance her dual lives of student and musician. She makes it look easy.

Our conversation had interesting turns. I talked with her about her songwriting process, her new album (and how it was almost named Kansas), her family and influences, her warming up to classic rock, the acoustics of bathrooms, and how to make it as a female singer-songwriter while trying not to be a female singer-songwriter.

You just released your first album, Vertical Lines, this past September. Yet, you’ve been playing your own material since you were 16. Are any of the songs on the album older material of yours, or were all the songs on the album written during your time here at Syracuse?

“Wake Up Singing” and “Couch Slouch” are really old and the lyrics are really different. They’re simpler. Which is good, but it’s also annoying.

You’re from a small town, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Has that influenced your writing of the album?

Yeah, in places where I’m from, it’s a little bit more rural and I spend a lot of time outside. Mostly I’m from the suburbs outside Philadelphia. So that’s where I grew up. “Long Road” is probably the best example of how I was affected by the outdoors because I talk about cows and stuff. There’s a lot of cows there.

I know a lot of people consider Syracuse a small city too, so do you feel that there are any similarities between here and home? With your older stuff you wrote part of the album in Kennett Square and then the other part here in Syracuse, so do you see a common feel running between the two?

There are similarities because my life continues, but Syracuse is a lot different. The majority of my writing happens inside. So, you know it could be just a room, a room anywhere. I do a lot of writing in the bathroom. Tt school I do that less now because I have roommates and I can’t just be on the toilet singing. But in high school when I was first learning to write, and even now when I go home for break, it has these great acoustics in there. I guess I write mostly in my room now though.

Your vocal delivery reminds me a lot of Ingrid Michaelson, whom I adore. Do you ever get comparisons to other female songwriters?

I have, and sometimes they’re weird comparisons, and sometimes they’re awesome comparisons. Sometimes it’s my voice that they compare. My songwriting is a little bit different. The best compliment I’ve ever gotten, but I don’t think it’s right at all, was I sang a Bob Dylan cover and this girl came up to me and said, “You sound like Björk meets Cat Power.” I thought that was the best compliment, but I don’t think it’s right at all.

It is really hard to try and say that you’re just a copycat of this or that because your delivery and your songwriting together are unique to you. Amongst your influences, you list Feist and Cat Power, two very different female songwriters – one’s a little more optimistic and the other’s a little more pessimistic. What exactly about each do you draw upon in your writing?

I think I draw less from Cat Power songwriting- and singing-wise, and more just production-wise from her. She’s brilliant. I’ve been listening to Feist as long as I can remember going back to high school. The reason I think I’m so influenced by Feist but at the same time I think my music sounds not at all like hers is because she’s just so good. She has songs of all different genres and it’s her voice that ties it together. And that’s somethin - WERW Radio

At first glance, Sarah Aument seems like your average girl. She’s cute and approachable, prone to drop terms like “cheesebally” in everyday conversation, and can talk about her favorite music all day. But as soon as Sarah picks up her guitar and belts out lines in an otherworldly voice that was hiding in plain sight all along, the effect is immediately arresting.

Hailing from small-town Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Sarah started writing her own material at the age of 16. In the past year she’s taken bigger steps in promoting her music, a unique mesh of folk writing and arena rock instrumentation. Besides releasing her debut album Vertical Lines this past September through O, Morning Records, she’s also toured the Northeast, opened for Pitchfork-approved Sharon Van Etten, and performed at CMJ for the industry suits. Her star is on a meteoric rise.

Sarah agreed to meet me one afternoon at Syracuse University’s Bird Library. We were hoping to find a nice, quiet spot to sit down and conduct our interview, but the semester-end crunch had struck, and Sarah and I were at a loss to find seclusion amidst hordes of cramming students. We eventually settled for the loud and bustling library commons. It was a setting characteristic of Sarah’s experience – as students struggled to solely handle their studies, Sarah sat back with a coffee cup in hand aloof to her impending finals. While the rest of the world was moving about making noise with a narrow goal in mind, Sarah has somehow found peace in chaos and has been able to effectively balance her dual lives of student and musician. She makes it look easy.

Our conversation had interesting turns. I talked with her about her songwriting process, her new album (and how it was almost named Kansas), her family and influences, her warming up to classic rock, the acoustics of bathrooms, and how to make it as a female singer-songwriter while trying not to be a female singer-songwriter.

You just released your first album, Vertical Lines, this past September. Yet, you’ve been playing your own material since you were 16. Are any of the songs on the album older material of yours, or were all the songs on the album written during your time here at Syracuse?

“Wake Up Singing” and “Couch Slouch” are really old and the lyrics are really different. They’re simpler. Which is good, but it’s also annoying.

You’re from a small town, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Has that influenced your writing of the album?

Yeah, in places where I’m from, it’s a little bit more rural and I spend a lot of time outside. Mostly I’m from the suburbs outside Philadelphia. So that’s where I grew up. “Long Road” is probably the best example of how I was affected by the outdoors because I talk about cows and stuff. There’s a lot of cows there.

I know a lot of people consider Syracuse a small city too, so do you feel that there are any similarities between here and home? With your older stuff you wrote part of the album in Kennett Square and then the other part here in Syracuse, so do you see a common feel running between the two?

There are similarities because my life continues, but Syracuse is a lot different. The majority of my writing happens inside. So, you know it could be just a room, a room anywhere. I do a lot of writing in the bathroom. Tt school I do that less now because I have roommates and I can’t just be on the toilet singing. But in high school when I was first learning to write, and even now when I go home for break, it has these great acoustics in there. I guess I write mostly in my room now though.

Your vocal delivery reminds me a lot of Ingrid Michaelson, whom I adore. Do you ever get comparisons to other female songwriters?

I have, and sometimes they’re weird comparisons, and sometimes they’re awesome comparisons. Sometimes it’s my voice that they compare. My songwriting is a little bit different. The best compliment I’ve ever gotten, but I don’t think it’s right at all, was I sang a Bob Dylan cover and this girl came up to me and said, “You sound like Björk meets Cat Power.” I thought that was the best compliment, but I don’t think it’s right at all.

It is really hard to try and say that you’re just a copycat of this or that because your delivery and your songwriting together are unique to you. Amongst your influences, you list Feist and Cat Power, two very different female songwriters – one’s a little more optimistic and the other’s a little more pessimistic. What exactly about each do you draw upon in your writing?

I think I draw less from Cat Power songwriting- and singing-wise, and more just production-wise from her. She’s brilliant. I’ve been listening to Feist as long as I can remember going back to high school. The reason I think I’m so influenced by Feist but at the same time I think my music sounds not at all like hers is because she’s just so good. She has songs of all different genres and it’s her voice that ties it together. And that’s somethin - WERW Radio

SU Songtress leaves the hill for downtown debut - The Eagle - Russ Tarby

College Radio is an interesting thing. It can appeal to those looking for something mainstream, or something obscure. It can be produced in a full-fledged radio station, or in the basement of a dorm building. There is always the same goal amongst these stations though, and that is to bring good music to the masses.

A lot of times, that good includes the local music scene around campus. We’ll be the first to tell you, Syracuse local music is a huge part of what WERW stands for. There is enough great music in the area that we try to broadcast to the masses. With that being said, we are happy to inform you that Sarah Aument’s debut album Vertical Lines is wonderful.

At first listen, it’s an obvious mature transformation from her EP Wake Up Singing (available for download here). And not one of those transformations that matures the artist but alienates their fan-base. No, no, no. She added a well-versed backing band that helped songs from her EP, as well as her new songs, grow into even more beautiful creations.

Vertical Lines starts off with an unexpected group of electronic noises, but is then accompanied by the beginning riff of “Broken Bottles” which brings our nerves back down to a comfortably place. Through the whole track, that electronic background noise remains as a reminder that Sarah has grown, as an artist and, undoubtedly as a person. And that this album is Sarah at incredibly high potential. No, I will not say fullest, because I’m quite positive there is more great music to come from Sarah.

Here’s a quick track-by-track:

“Broken Bottles”-Though I said enough about it before, a track that accelerates full speed into one of the most danceable choruses on the album.

“Wake Up Singing”-My favorite song off of her EP received an amazing update, and I cannot wait for inevitable live sing-alongs during the bridge.

“Walking”-Right now, this is my favorite track off Vertical Lines and it brought a tear to eye when it was performed at the Red House, I won’t lie.

“Vertical Lines”- Oh yes, the infamous title track. Sarah’s voice is entrancing, and the full backing band is much appreciated.

“Night Under The Willows”-I’m a sucker for instrumental interludes, I dig it.

“Long Road”-I don’t remember how I originally heard this song, but Jeanette and I were hoping it would be on Vertical Lines. Thankfully it is, and it’s gorgeous.

“Couch Slouch”-A beautiful new rendition with a final minute and a half that will give you chills and make you think that Sarah was accompanied by an in-tune Sonic Youth. It is always a crowd favorite!

“Kelly’s Song”-This song stayed pretty true to what was on her EP, but that addition of electric guitar in the background is really enjoyable.

“Up North”- “Up North” is an older song, one of Sarah’s first. It provides a tranquil, simple way to end a beautiful album.

Sarah Aument performs at The Red House.

While I didn’t make it to Sarah’s house party/release show on Thursday night (luckily, Jeanette did), I did get to go to her official venue release party at The Red House. A quaint venue (yeah, I said it), The Red House was a great place to host such an event. Those who attended got to experience quite a bit of Vertical Lines live, as well as some yet to be titled songs and a very enjoyable Feist medley of “Secret Heart,” “Mushaboom” and “1234.” Sarah really is a wonderful performer. And performing with the band she recorded with at Syracuse University’s own Belfer Audio Lab makes for a really great live show. We hope to see a lot more of her out and about. Keep an eye on her website/Facebook and don’t forget to pick up Vertical Lines when it comes out on September 14th! You can also hear the whole concert, along with an interview with Sarah from the Red House Art Radio here!

-Kyle Kuchta

- WERW Radio

Sarah Aument is a singer songwriter currently based out of Syracuse, NY. Over the past few years, she has developed a significant following, filling up college house parties and venues like Funk N Waffles. On September 10, She performed at The Red House in celebration of the release of her debut album, Vertical Lines. I caught up with her in her dressing room before the show to talk about the album, songwriting, and the pronunciation of her last name. - Redhouse Art Radio

Things are looking up for Syracuse University musician and former 20 Watts cover girl Sarah Aument: with the free release of her first EP and an upcoming Northeast tour with two other local bands, Aument has been hard at work making the rest of us look like slackers in comparison.

Aument, who has amassed a small following by playing coffeehouses, house parties, and the always accommodating Funk N’Waffles, is releasing her first album for free via her label O, Morning Records. It’s a local effort all around: Aument enlisted the help of the help of the record label’s founders, SU sophomores Dan Creahan and Sam Mason, recording the album on laptops in dorm rooms and friends’ apartments.

It wasn’t a high-tech or particularly demanding process, but it “turned out really well,” said Creahan, who is in the Bandier program. He decided to rerelease the EP on Twitter to expand Aument’s ever-growing fanbase.

“Right now we’re trying to… network as much as possible with bands and people from the area,” said Creahan. “So when we want to make an announcement we can easily contact as many people as possible, and right now Twitter can offer that ability.”

Their gambit has been paying off. The record label’s Twitter has been picked up and retweeted by people as far as Florida, and buzz around the EP is growing as people are responding with overwhelmingly positive feedback. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s completely free, a labor of love from Aument and O, Morning.

That love is audible in the album itself. Aument writes her songs with an understanding of heartfelt emotions: loss and heartbreak, apathy and consolation all filter though her wavering, Feist-like vocals. With its intimate acoustics and soft, driving rhythms, Wake Up Singing is just as beautiful as it is bittersweet.

“She’s a great songwriter, she’s a great lyricist, and I hope that it’s just the beginning,” said Creahan. “I hope we can leverage this into more success for her because she definitely deserves it.”

This summer she’ll be hitting the road with SU bands Mouth’s Cradle and Bears in America for a weeklong tour across New York, Pennsylvania before heading back to Syracuse. For the Westchester, PA native, it will be the perfect chance to hone her musical talents outside the brightly-colored walls of Funk N’ Waffles.

As of now, no official dates or venues have been announced for the tour. But keep an eye on 20 Watts as we announce further details in the coming weeks.

– Blake Rong - 20 Watts Magazine

Things are looking up for Syracuse University musician and former 20 Watts cover girl Sarah Aument: with the free release of her first EP and an upcoming Northeast tour with two other local bands, Aument has been hard at work making the rest of us look like slackers in comparison.

Aument, who has amassed a small following by playing coffeehouses, house parties, and the always accommodating Funk N’Waffles, is releasing her first album for free via her label O, Morning Records. It’s a local effort all around: Aument enlisted the help of the help of the record label’s founders, SU sophomores Dan Creahan and Sam Mason, recording the album on laptops in dorm rooms and friends’ apartments.

It wasn’t a high-tech or particularly demanding process, but it “turned out really well,” said Creahan, who is in the Bandier program. He decided to rerelease the EP on Twitter to expand Aument’s ever-growing fanbase.

“Right now we’re trying to… network as much as possible with bands and people from the area,” said Creahan. “So when we want to make an announcement we can easily contact as many people as possible, and right now Twitter can offer that ability.”

Their gambit has been paying off. The record label’s Twitter has been picked up and retweeted by people as far as Florida, and buzz around the EP is growing as people are responding with overwhelmingly positive feedback. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s completely free, a labor of love from Aument and O, Morning.

That love is audible in the album itself. Aument writes her songs with an understanding of heartfelt emotions: loss and heartbreak, apathy and consolation all filter though her wavering, Feist-like vocals. With its intimate acoustics and soft, driving rhythms, Wake Up Singing is just as beautiful as it is bittersweet.

“She’s a great songwriter, she’s a great lyricist, and I hope that it’s just the beginning,” said Creahan. “I hope we can leverage this into more success for her because she definitely deserves it.”

This summer she’ll be hitting the road with SU bands Mouth’s Cradle and Bears in America for a weeklong tour across New York, Pennsylvania before heading back to Syracuse. For the Westchester, PA native, it will be the perfect chance to hone her musical talents outside the brightly-colored walls of Funk N’ Waffles.

As of now, no official dates or venues have been announced for the tour. But keep an eye on 20 Watts as we announce further details in the coming weeks.

– Blake Rong - 20 Watts Magazine