Sarah Harmer (born November 12, 1970) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and environmental activist.

Early life

Born and raised in

Burlington, Ontario Burlington is a city in the Regional Municipality of Halton at the northwestern end of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Canada. Along with Milton to the north, it forms the western end of the Greater Toronto Area and is also part of the Hamilton met ...

, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister started taking her to

Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassis ...

concerts."Sarah Harmer: Out at the Hideout"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', January 1, 2006.

Career

At the age of 17, Harmer was invited to join a

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

band,

The Saddletramps The Saddletramps were an alternative country band from Toronto, Ontario in the 1980s and 1990s. Core members of the band included Ken Horne, Andrew Lindsay, John DeHaas and Brian Duguay. History In the early 1980s several Fanshawe College student ...

. For three years, she performed with The Saddletramps while pursuing her studies in philosophy and women's studies at Queen's University. After leaving The Saddletramps, Harmer put together a band of her own with several

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

musicians, and chose the name

Weeping Tile A weeping tile (also called a drain tile or perimeter tileGradwell, John B., and Malcolm Welch. ''Technology--shaping our world''. South Holland, Ill.: Goodheart-Willcox, 1991. 116. Print.) is a porous pipe used for underground water collection ...

. The band released its first independent cassette in 1994. Soon afterward, they signed to a major label, and the cassette was re-released in 1995 as ''

Eepee ''eepee'' was a 1994 EP by Weeping Tile. It was the band's first recording. Originally released independently, ''eepee'' was subsequently rereleased the following year after the band signed with Warner Music Canada. Track listing All songs wri ...

''. The band performed regularly on the rock club circuit and on campus radio with their subsequent albums, but never broke through to the mainstream, and broke up in 1998 after being dropped from their label. Also in 1998, Harmer recorded a set of pop standards as a Christmas gift for her father. After hearing it, her friends and family convinced her to release it as an album, and in 1999 she released it independently as '' Songs for Clem''. Harmer began working on another album, and in 2000, she released ''

You Were Here ''You Were Here'' is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2000. Background ''You Were Here'' was Harmer's commercial breakthrough in Canada after years of almost reaching the pop charts with Weeping Tile. The album's ...

''. In 2001 she toured around Canada and the US in support of the album. "Sarah Harmer's quiet storm"
Sarah Hampson. February 22, 2001. A poppier, more laid-back effort than her work with Weeping Tile, ''You Were Here'' was a commercial success, and led to the hit singles "Basement Apartment" and "Don't Get Your Back Up". The album also appeared on many critics' year-end lists, including ''TIME'' magazine, which called it the year's best debut album. It was eventually certified platinum for sales of 100,000 copies in Canada. Almost half of the album (including both of its major hits) consisted of songs she had previously recorded with Weeping Tile or The Saddletramps. In 2002, her song "Silver Road" was featured as the lead track of the soundtrack of the film ''

Men With Brooms ''Men with Brooms'' is a 2002 Canadian romantic comedy film, starring and directed by Paul Gross. Centred on the sport of curling, the offbeat comedy tells the story of a reunited curling team from a small Canadian town as they work through their ...

''. In 2004, she released ''

All of Our Names ''All of Our Names'' is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2004. It peaked at number 6 on the Top Canadian Albums chart and number 43 on the '' Billboard'' Top Heatseekers chart. "Almost" b/w "Pendulums" was released ...

''. The album included the singles "Almost", which made the top 20 on Canadian pop charts, and "Pendulums". ''

'' won the JUNO Award for Best Adult Alternative Album, a new award category in 2005. Her fourth album, ''

I'm a Mountain ''I'm a Mountain'' is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2005. She received three Juno Award nominations for her work on the album. History Unlike her two previous albums, ''You Were Here'' and ''All of Our Names'', ...

'', was released in Canada in November 2005 and in the United States in February 2006. It was nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize, a jury-selected $20,000 cash prize for the Canadian album of the year. Harmer has also appeared as a guest vocalist on albums by other artists, including

Blue Rodeo Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, a ...

Great Big Sea Great Big Sea was a Canadian folk rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year Irish, Scot ...

Rheostatics Rheostatics are a Canadian indie rock band. They were formed in 1978, and actively performed from 1980 until disbanding in 2007. After a number of reunion performances at special events, Rheostatics reformed in late 2016, introducing new songs a ...

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, po ...

Luther Wright and the Wrongs Luther Wright and the Wrongs are a Canadian alternative country and bluegrass band formed in 1998 in Kingston, Ontario. History The band began as a side project for Wright when he was a member of Weeping Tile. When that band amicably parted wa ...

Loomer Loomer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: People * Bernard Loomer (1912–1985), American theologian * Laura Loomer (born 1993), American political activist, conspiracy theorist, and Internet personality * Lisa Loomer (born 19 ...

Skydiggers Skydiggers are a Canadian roots rock band from Toronto formed by Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson. Since 1990, they have released 19 albums/EPs and have had a number of singles that have appeared on the Canadian charts. Their most successful album i ...

The Weakerthans The Weakerthans are an award-winning and Juno-nominated Canadian indie rock band from Winnipeg. The band, led by John K. Samson, has released four studio albums and is currently inactive. History The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manit ...

Neko Case Neko Richelle Case (; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case has a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and cri ...

Great Lake Swimmers Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian folk rock band from Wainfleet, Ontario, and currently based in Toronto. The current touring line-up includes Tony Dekker on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica, Erik Arnesen on banjo, electric guitar and ...

The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassi ...

and

Bob Wiseman Robert Neil "Bob" Wiseman (born 1962) is a film composer, songwriter, author and music teacher. Wiseman discovered or produced many artists including Ron Sexsmith, The Lowest of the Low, Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall, Anhai, and former ...

. In February 2007, Harmer received three

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

nominations. ''

'' was nominated for Best Adult Alternative Album and her DVD ''

Escarpment Blues ''Escarpment Blues'' is a Canadian concert and documentary film starring singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer."From the heart as Harmer traces bluegrass trail". ''Vancouver Sun'', August 17, 2006. Directed by Andy Keen and produced by Keen, Harmer, Bry ...

'' won the

JUNO Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for Best Music DVD. Harmer herself was also nominated for Songwriter of the Year for her work on "I Am Aglow", "Oleander" and "Escarpment Blues". In 2010, Harmer released a fifth album, ''

Oh Little Fire ''Oh Little Fire'' is the fifth album by Canada, Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released in 2010. It is her first album of new material since 2005's Polaris Music Prize-nominated ''I'm a Mountain''. The album debuted at #7 on the Canadian ...

'', which was nominated for three Juno Awards. The album signaled a shift toward a more rock-based sound. In 2011, Harmer participated in the

National Parks Project The National Parks Project is a Canadian music and film project. Released in 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Parks of Canada system,British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area, and Haida Heritage Site, usually referred to simply as Gwaii Haanas (), is located in southernmost Haida Gwaii (formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands), off the mainland of ...

with

Bry Webb Bryan Webb (born 1977), sometimes credited as Bry Webb, is a Canadian singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for the indie rock band Constantines. History Webb began his musical career playing in the emo band Shoulder in 1994, re ...

, Jim Guthrie and filmmaker Scott Smith. She was also commissioned by

CBC Radio 2 CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

to write an original campfire song for the network. On August 19, 2016, Harmer and

Jim Creeggan James Raymond Creeggan (born February 12, 1970) is the bassist for Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies. Early life Creeggan was born in Scarborough, Ontario. His mother taught piano lessons to neighborhood children, which Creeggan cred ...

appeared on CBC Radio's '' Q'' to perform a live cover of The Tragically Hip's "Morning Moon". That year Harmer also performed at the

Edmonton Folk Music Festival The Edmonton Folk Music Festival (EFMF) is an annual four-day outdoor music event held the second weekend of August in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, established in 1980 by Don Whalen. The festival continues to draw many people from around the world a ...

. In 2018, Harmer contributed the song "Just Get Here" to the compilation album ''

The Al Purdy Songbook ''Al Purdy Was Here'' is a Canadian documentary film, released in 2015.Juno Awards of 2018 The Juno Awards of 2018, honouring Canadian music achievements, were presented in Vancouver, British Columbia during the weekend of 24–25 March 2018. The primary telecast ceremonies were held at Rogers Arena. Vancouver previously hosted the Juno ...

in a tribute to the late

Gord Downie Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its forma ...

, performing a medley of "Introduce Yerself" and "

Bobcaygeon Bobcaygeon is a community on the Trent–Severn Waterway in the City of Kawartha Lakes, east-central Ontario, Canada. Bobcaygeon was incorporated as a village in 1876, and became known as the "Hub of the Kawarthas". Its recorded name ''bob-c ...

" in collaboration with Dallas Green and

Kevin Hearn Kevin Neil Hearn (born July 3, 1969) is a Canadian musician who is a member of Barenaked Ladies, and his own group, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He primarily plays keyboards and guitars. He is also a member of Rheostatics. Early life Hearn was ...

. Her newest album, ''

Are You Gone ''Are You Gone'' is the sixth album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, released on February 21, 2020.Brock Thiessen"Sarah Harmer Returns with Her First New Album in a Decade" '' Exclaim!'', November 14, 2019. It is her first new album sinc ...

'', was released in February 2020 on Arts & Crafts. It was longlisted for the

2020 Polaris Music Prize The 2020 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on October 19, 2020. The longlist was announced on June 15, 2020, with the shortlist following on July 15, 2020 and the winner announced on October 19, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 ...

, and nominated for Best Adult Alternative Album at the

Juno Awards of 2021 The Juno Awards of 2021, honouring Canadian music achievements, were presented on 6 June 2021, observing the 50th anniversary of these awards. The main ceremonies were televised on CBC. The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place in Ma ...

Activism

In 2005, Harmer co-founded PERL (Protecting Escarpment Rural Land), an organization which campaigned to protect the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over ...

from a proposed gravel development which would see some parts of wilderness near the escarpment removed. To support the organization, she and her acoustic band embarked on a tour of the escarpment, hiking the

Bruce Trail The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern Ontario, Canada, from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory, Ontario. The main trail is more than long and there are over of associated side trails. The trail mostly follows the edge of the Nia ...

and performing at theatres and community halls in towns along the way. A documentary DVD of this tour was released in 2006 as ''

''. Harmer also coauthored a book about the campaign, ''The Last Stand: A Journey Through the Ancient Cliff-Face Forest of the Niagara Escarpment'', which was published in 2007. In October 2012, PERL won their case against the development. Harmer has performed and canvassed in support of the

NDP NDP may stand for: Computing * Neighbor Discovery Protocol, an Internet protocol * Nortel Discovery Protocol, a layer two Internet protocol, also called SONMP * Nondeterministic programming, a type of computer language Government * National ...

and politician

Marilyn Churley Marilyn Churley (born May 7, 1948) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2005 who represented the downtown Toronto ridings of Riverdale and Toronto—Danfor ...

, who also promoted the protection of the Niagara Escarpment. She has also performed in support of Ontario Green Party Leader and MPP Mike Schreiner. On March 24, 2018, she joined the demonstration at Kinder Morgan's Burnaby Terminal to protest against the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. In February 2019, she spoke against the Ontario government's proposed Bill 66 at a

Kingston City Council Kingston City Council is the governing body for the City of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The council consists of the Mayor of Kingston and 12 city councillors elected by voters in geographic districts. Members 2022–2026 ''Elected in the 2022 ...

meeting. In January 2022, Sarah helped launch the Reform Gravel Mining Coalition with co-chair Graham Flint. The RGMC seeks to reform the gravel mining industry in Ontario.

Family

Her niece Georgia Harmer, the daughter of Sarah's sister Mary with their former Weeping Tile bandmate Gord Tough, is a singer-songwriter whose debut album ''Stay in Touch'' was released in April 2022 on

Arts & Crafts Productions Arts & Crafts Productions is a music-focused media and artist services company that offers information as an independent record label, management firm, merchandiser, and publisher worldwide. It has earned 21 Juno Awards. Arts & Crafts has been ...

.Kaelen Bell
"Georgia Harmer Announces Debut Album 'Stay in Touch,' Shares New Song"
''

'', February 15, 2022.

Discography

Albums

Singles

In 2007, Harmer also reunited with Weeping Tile to record a song, "Public Square", for the

tribute album ''

The Secret Sessions ''The Secret Sessions'' is a tribute album to Canadian indie rock band Rheostatics, released March 16, 2007 through the web label Zunior. The album was released to coincide with the band's farewell show scheduled for March 30, and features Canadia ...

''.

Publications

*Peter E. Kelly, Douglas W. Larson, Sarah Harmer, ''The Last Stand : A Journey Through the Ancient Cliff-Face Forest of the Niagara Escarpment'', Natural Heritage Books, 2007, (paperback).

References

External links

www.sarahharmer.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harmer, Sarah 1970 births Canadian alternative country singers Canadian folk guitarists Canadian women folk guitarists Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian pop guitarists Canadian rock guitarists Canadian women singer-songwriters Canadian women rock singers Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year winners Living people People from Burlington, Ontario Queen's University at Kingston alumni Musicians from Ontario Writers from Ontario Canadian environmentalists Canadian women environmentalists Zoë Records artists Canadian women pop singers 20th-century Canadian women singers 20th-century Canadian guitarists 21st-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian guitarists Canadian folk-pop singers Canadian folk rock musicians Arts & Crafts Productions artists 20th-century women guitarists 21st-century women guitarists