Sarah Harmer

{{Infobox musical artist|

| name = Sarah Harmer|

| image = Sarah Harmer 2020.jpg

| caption = Harmer in 2020

| image_size = ||

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name = Sarah Lois Harmer

| alias =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|11|12}}

| death_date =

| origin = Burlington, Ontario, Canada

| genre = Folk, pop, rock

| occupation = singer-songwriter

| instrument = Vocals, guitar, bass, drums

| years_active = 1987–present

| label = Cold Snap

| associated_acts =

| website = {{URL|sarahharmer.com}}

| past_member_of = The Saddletramps, Weeping Tile|

}}

Sarah Lois Harmer{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/881615549 |title=CAPTIVE |website=ASCAP |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=March 13, 2023}} (born November 12, 1970) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and environmental activist.{{cite news|last=Spalding|first=Derek|title=Indie icon focuses on the planet|url=http://www.canada.com/Indie+icon+focuses+planet/4102220/story.html|access-date=March 30, 2011|newspaper=Nanaimo Daily News|date=January 13, 2011}}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Early life

Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musical lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister started taking her to Tragically Hip concerts.[http://exclaim.ca/music/article/sarah_harmer-out_at_hideout "Sarah Harmer: Out at the Hideout"]. Exclaim!, January 1, 2006.{{cite book|title=Famous Female Musicians Gr. 4–8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W4WogUGTQOAC&pg=PA32|publisher=On the Mark Press|isbn=978-1-77072-776-2|pages=32–}}

Career

At the age of 17, Harmer was invited to join a Toronto band, The Saddletramps. For three years, she performed with them while pursuing her studies in philosophy and women's studies at Queen's University.{{cite journal|last=Jennings|first=Nicholas|title=Sarah Harmer – Harmer's Charm|journal=Maclean's|date=March 5, 2001|url=http://www.nicholasjennings.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=662:sarah-harmer-harmers-charm&catid=42:magazine-articles|access-date=March 30, 2011}}

After leaving The Saddletramps, Harmer put together a band of her own with several Kingston, Ontario musicians, and chose the name Weeping Tile.[http://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2006-07-25/where-are-they-now/ "Where are they now?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224092545/https://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2006-07-25/where-are-they-now/ |date=February 24, 2022 }}. Queens University Journal, July 25, 2006 Emma Reilly The band released its first independent cassette in 1994.[http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sarah-harmer-emc/ "Sarah Harmer"]. The Canadian Encyclopedia, Jennifer Higgs, September 12, 2012 Soon afterward, they signed to a major label, and the cassette was re-released in 1995 as Eepee. 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.{{cite magazine|author=Larry LeBlanc|title=Canadian Music at a Crossroads|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fhQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA48|date=March 31, 2001|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=48–|issn=0006-2510}} In 2001 she toured around Canada and the US in support of the album.[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/sarah-harmers-quiet-storm/article1337683/ "Sarah Harmer's quiet storm"]. Sarah Hampson. February 22, 2001.{{cite magazine|author=Larry LeBlanc|title=Harmer's Faith in Names|magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XREEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA53|date=February 7, 2004|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=53–|issn=0006-2510}}

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.

In 2004, she released All of Our Names. The album included the singles "Almost", which made the top 20 on Canadian pop charts, and "Pendulums". All of Our Names won the JUNO Award for Best Adult Alternative Album, a new award category in 2005.

Her fourth album, I'm a Mountain, 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. Also in 2005 she had an acting role in Anita Doron's film The End of Silence."Director lauds Harmer". Kingston Whig-Standard, March 10, 2006.

Harmer has also appeared as a guest vocalist on albums by other artists, including Blue Rodeo, Great Big Sea, Rheostatics, Bruce Cockburn, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, Loomer,[http://www.netrhythms.co.uk/reviewsl.html#loomer "Loomer – Songs Of The Wild West Island (Newtone Records)"]. NetRhythms, Michael Mee November 2006 Skydiggers, The Weakerthans, Neko Case, Great Lake Swimmers, The Tragically Hip and Bob Wiseman.{{cite web|title=Sarah Harmer: Credits|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sarah-harmer-mn0000294623/credits|work=Allmusic|access-date=December 22, 2012}}

In February 2007, Harmer received three Juno Award nominations. I'm a Mountain was nominated for Best Adult Alternative Album and her DVD Escarpment Blues won the JUNO Award 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, which was nominated for three Juno Awards. The album signaled a shift toward a more rock-based sound."A New Wind", Words and Music, Summer 2010

In 2011, Harmer participated in the National Parks Project, visiting British Columbia's Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site with Bry Webb, Jim Guthrie and filmmaker Scott Smith.[http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/canadalive/2011/07/14/sarah-harmer-around-the-campfire-around-the-concert-hall/ "Sarah Harmer: from National Parks to Massey Hall"]. CBC Radio 2, July 14, 2011. She was also commissioned by CBC Radio 2 to write an original campfire song for the network.[http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/r2morning/2011/07/15/sarah-harmer-sings-by-the-fire-new-campfire-song-revealed/ "Sarah Harmer's new campfire song: Hear (and play) it now!"]. CBC Radio 2, July 15, 2011.

On August 19, 2016, Harmer and Jim Creeggan appeared on CBC Radio's Q to perform a live cover of The Tragically Hip's "Morning Moon".[http://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/fireworks-q-salutes-the-tragically-hip-1.3724918/sarah-harmer-jim-creeggan-raise-morning-moon-in-studio-q-1.3724926 "Sarah Harmer, Jim Creeggan raise Morning Moon in studio q"]. Q, August 19, 2016. That year Harmer also performed at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.[http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/08/07/2016-edmonton-folk-fest-an-understated-wonderful-weekend " 2016 Edmonton Folk Fest an understated, wonderful weekend"]. Edmonton Sun, By Fish Griwkowsky. August 7, 2016

In 2018, Harmer contributed the song "Just Get Here" to the compilation album The Al Purdy Songbook.[https://nowtoronto.com/music/features/al-purdy-songbook/ "Canadian poet Al Purdy inspires songs by Jason Collett, Sarah Harmer and more"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203084800/https://nowtoronto.com/music/features/al-purdy-songbook/ |date=February 3, 2019 }}. Now, January 22, 2019. In the same year, she performed at the Juno Awards of 2018 in a tribute to the late Gord Downie, performing a medley of "Introduce Yerself" and "Bobcaygeon" in collaboration with Dallas Green and Kevin Hearn.

Her newest album, Are You Gone, was released in February 2020 on Arts & Crafts.Brock Thiessen, [https://exclaim.ca/music/article/sarah_harmer_returns_with_her_first_new_album_in_a_decade "Sarah Harmer Returns with Her First New Album in a Decade"]. Exclaim!, November 14, 2019. It was longlisted for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize,{{Cite web|last=Lau|first=Melody|date=June 15, 2020|title=Daniel Caesar, Jessie Reyez, Caribou and more make the 2020 Polaris Music Prize long list|url=https://www.cbc.ca/music/daniel-caesar-jessie-reyez-caribou-and-more-make-the-2020-polaris-music-prize-long-list-1.5610066|url-status=|access-date=|website=CBC Music}} and nominated for Best Adult Alternative Album at the Juno Awards of 2021.Holly Gordon and Andrea Warner, [https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/news/here-are-the-2021-juno-award-winners-1.6036001 "Here are the 2021 Juno Award winners"]. CBC Music, June 4, 2021.

Activism

In 2005, Harmer co-founded PERL (Protecting Escarpment Rural Land), an organization which campaigned to protect the Niagara Escarpment from a proposed gravel development which would see some parts of wilderness near the escarpment removed.{{cite web|last=Richmond|first=Vanessa|title=Placing Sarah Harmer|url=https://thetyee.ca/Entertainment/2005/07/08/PlacingSarah/|work=The Tyee|date=July 8, 2005|access-date=March 30, 2011}} To support the organization, she and her acoustic band embarked on a tour of the escarpment, hiking the Bruce Trail and performing at theatres and community halls in towns along the way. A documentary DVD of this tour was released in 2006 as Escarpment Blues. 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 and politician Marilyn Churley, 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.[https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/musicians-sarah-harmer-grimes-join-b-c-pipeline-protests-1.3857221 "Musicians Sarah Harmer, Grimes join B.C. pipeline protests"]. CTV News, March 24, 2018.

In February 2019, she spoke against the Ontario government's proposed Bill 66 at a Kingston City Council meeting.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kingstonist.com/sarah-harmer-speaks-against-bill-66-at-kingston-city-council/|title=Sarah Harmer speaks against Bill 66 at Kingston City Council|date=February 7, 2019|website=Kingstonist – Kingston News {{!}} Kingston, ON headlines|language=en-US|access-date=March 16, 2019}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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.

At the Juno Awards of 2025, Harmer was presented with the Juno Humanitarian Award in honour of her environmental activism.Holly Gordon, [https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/sarah-harmer-humanitarian-juno-award-2025-mount-nemo-1.7491906 "'It's a joint acceptance,' Sarah Harmer says of receiving the 2025 Junos Humanitarian Award"]. CBC Music, Mar4ch 25, 2025.

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.Kaelen Bell, [https://exclaim.ca/music/article/georgia_harmer_announces_debut_album_stay_in_touch_shares_new_song "Georgia Harmer Announces Debut Album 'Stay in Touch,' Shares New Song"]. Exclaim!, February 15, 2022.

Discography

=Albums=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"\| Title ! rowspan="2" style="width:20em;"\| Details ! colspan="2"\| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"\| Certifications (sales thresholds)
style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="45"\| CAN ! width="45"\| US Heat
scope="row"\| Songs for Clem \| Release date: 1999 Label: Cold Snap Records \| — \| — \|
scope="row"\| You Were Here \| Release date: August 29, 2000 Label: Cold Snap Records \| — \| — \| CAN: Platinum
scope="row"\| All of Our Names \| Release date: March 23, 2004 Label: Cold Snap Records \| 6 \| 43 \| CAN: Gold
scope="row"\| I'm a Mountain \| Release date: November 15, 2005 Label: Cold Snap Records \| 31 \| — \| CAN: Gold
scope="row"\| Oh Little Fire \| Release date: June 22, 2010 Label: Cold Snap Records \| 7 \| 24 \|
scope="row"\| Are You Gone \| Release date: February 21, 2020 Label: Arts & Crafts Productions \| 63 {{cite web\|url=https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2020/03/01/bts-tops-justin-biebers-changes-week-two\|title=BTS Tops Justin Bieber's Changes in Week Two\|website=FYIMusicNews\|date=March 1, 2020\|access-date=March 3, 2020}} \| — \|
colspan="5" style="font-size:8pt"\| "—" denotes releases that did not chart

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Title

! rowspan="2" style="width:20em;"| Details

! colspan="2"| Peak chart
positions

! rowspan="2"| Certifications
(sales thresholds)

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="45"| CAN

! width="45"| US Heat

scope="row"| Songs for Clem

Release date: 1999
Label: Cold Snap Records

| —

scope="row"| You Were Here

Release date: August 29, 2000
Label: Cold Snap Records

| —

CAN: Platinum

scope="row"| All of Our Names

Release date: March 23, 2004
Label: Cold Snap Records

| 6

| 43

CAN: Gold

scope="row"| I'm a Mountain

Release date: November 15, 2005
Label: Cold Snap Records

| 31

| —

CAN: Gold

scope="row"| Oh Little Fire

Release date: June 22, 2010
Label: Cold Snap Records

| 7

| 24

scope="row"| Are You Gone

Release date: February 21, 2020
Label: Arts & Crafts Productions

| 63
{{cite web|url=https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2020/03/01/bts-tops-justin-biebers-changes-week-two|title=BTS Tops Justin Bieber's Changes in Week Two|website=FYIMusicNews|date=March 1, 2020|access-date=March 3, 2020}}

| —

colspan="5" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart

= Singles =

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" ! Year ! style="width:14em;"\| Single ! Album
2000 ! scope="row"\| "Basement Apartment" \| rowspan="3"\| You Were Here
rowspan="2"\| 2001 ! scope="row"\| "Don't Get Your Back Up"
scope="row"\| "Weakened State"
2003 ! scope="row"\| "Silver Road" \| Men with Brooms
rowspan="2"\| 2004 ! scope="row"\| "Almost" \| rowspan="2"\| All of Our Names
scope="row"\| "Pendulums"
2005 ! scope="row"\| "I Am Aglow" \| rowspan="2"\| I'm a Mountain
2006 ! scope="row"\| "Oleander"
2010 ! scope="row"\| "Captive" \| Oh Little Fire
2018 ! scope="row"\| "Just Get Here" \| The Al Purdy Songbook
2019 ! scope="row"\| "New Low" \| rowspan="2"\| Are You Gone
2020 ! scope="row"\| "St. Peter's Bay"

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

! Year

! style="width:14em;"| Single

! Album

2000

! scope="row"| "Basement Apartment"

| rowspan="3"| You Were Here

rowspan="2"| 2001

! scope="row"| "Don't Get Your Back Up"

scope="row"| "Weakened State"

2003

! scope="row"| "Silver Road"

| Men with Brooms

rowspan="2"| 2004

! scope="row"| "Almost"

| rowspan="2"| All of Our Names

scope="row"| "Pendulums"

2005

! scope="row"| "I Am Aglow"

| rowspan="2"| I'm a Mountain

2006

! scope="row"| "Oleander"

2010

! scope="row"| "Captive"

| Oh Little Fire

2018

! scope="row"| "Just Get Here"

| The Al Purdy Songbook

2019

! scope="row"| "New Low"

| rowspan="2"| Are You Gone

2020

! scope="row"| "St. Peter's Bay"

In 2007, Harmer also reunited with Weeping Tile to record a song, "Public Square", for the Rheostatics tribute album The Secret Sessions.

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, {{ISBN|978-1-897045-19-0}} (paperback).