"It's funny, but it's actually just a misheard lyric. I'm sure some people out there might think it, but we didn't base it on anyone in particular," Dead Sara vocalist Emily Armstrong tells Noisecreep about the strange origin of her band's name. "It comes from the Fleetwood Mac song, "Sara." There's a part in the song where Steve Nicks sings, "said Sara," or "that's Sara." But anyway, Siouxsie [Medley, guitars] and I always thought that she was saying "dead Sara" instead.

"So that just stuck in the back of our heads for years. When we were trying to come up with a band name, Siouxsie texted me and asked, "What about Dead Sara?" I went, "Oh my God! I was literally just thinking that!" It just stuck. We've tried to change it a few times, but nothing else works for us. It's just us," says Armstrong.

So now that you know how they came up with their eerie name, who really is Dead Sara?

Based in Los Angeles, Dead Sara specialize in the kind of spirited and soulful songwriting that would be feel at home on both classic and modern rock stations across America. Listening to the group's brand new self-titled debut album brings to mind legendary names like Heart, The Cult and Alice in Chains -- yes, it's that good.

"When people compare us to a lot of those '70s, classic rock bands, I'm like, "What the hell are you talking about?" That's because I'm too involved with the music. But when I take a second and really listen, I definitely hear it too [laughs]. It's a compliment either way since I love those kinds of bands," Armstrong admits.

Watch Dead Sara's "Weatherman" Video


Growing up in the Los Angeles area, Armstrong's mom taught her the way: "My parents were definitely cool about me and my musical habits. They would buy me records once I started showing interest in it as a little kid. My mom would talk to me about the '70s stuff she listened to growing up. Digging into the nostalgia was fun for her. She would be like, "The Carole King Tapestry album is so cool! You gotta check it out!" Things like that [laughs]. She wouldn't get me vocal lessons, but she would be like, "Listen to this." So that was her way of teaching me about music. That was really cool."

Dead Sara's eponymous album is out now via Pocket Kid Records/Fontana/Universal. Check them out on tour now with Chevelle and then The Used in May. Dead Sara will also be part of the Warped Tour this summer.

Dead Sara w/ Chevelle:

April 16 Minglewood Hall Memphis, TN

April 17 Ford Park Event Center Beaumont, TX

April 18 Hurricane Harry's College Station, TX

April 23 Tricky Falls El Paso, TX

April 25 Club Nokia Los Angeles, CA

May 8 Varsity Theatre Baton Rouge, LA

May 9 Concrete Street Amphitheater Corpus Christi, TX

May 10 Backstage Live San Antonio, TX

Dead Sara w/ The Used:

May 12 Town Hall Buffalo, NY

May 13 Northern Lights Albany, NY

May 15 TLA Philadelphia, PA

May 16 Paramount Huntington, NY

May 18 Lupo's Providence, RI

May 21 Irving Plaza New York, NY

May 22 Crocodile Rock Allentown, PA

May 23 Fillmore Charlotte, NC

May 27 House of Blues Orlando, FL

May 30 Fillmore Silver Spring, MD

May 31 Bogart's Cincinnati, OH

June 1 The Rave Milwaukee, WI

June 3 Garrick Winnipeg

June 5 Starlite Edmonton

June 6 Macewan Ballroom Calgary

June 9 Vogue Vancouver

June 10 Showbox at the Market Seattle, WA

June 11 Roseland Theatre Portland, OR

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