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If you sense a slight incongruity in the title of Blame Sally’s Speeding Ticket and a Valentine, rest assured that it’s as purposeful as the life it describes is random. The album lifts its name from a line in the bridge of the hard-charging leadoff single, “Living Without You,” which describes a day—or maybe entire existence—that’s “sweet and sour at the same time/mink and a porcupine/ speeding ticket and a valentine.” Clearly, this is a band that knows its oxymorons.
The four women who make up the Bay area-based group have some experience with improbable complexities and contradictions. Almost everything about their history is contrary to conventional wisdom. For one thing, they put their individual careers aside to start Blame Sally when they were in their late 30s and 40s—the age at which bands are traditionally supposed to break up and begin solo careers. For another, this is obviously an all-female band—“girl groups” usually being the novel province of youthful upstarts, not mature singer/songwriters. Splitting the frontperson status among three of four members goes against the agreed-upon maxim (agreed upon by everyone but the Beatles, anyway) that every group needs a single strong focal point. And didn’t they get the memo that women in particular in show biz are supposed to be packing it in at this point, not making fresh introductions?
Actually, they did get that memo, and put it in the proverbial circular file.
Band Members:
- Monica Pasqual
- Jeri Jones
- Pam Delgado
- Renee Hartcourt
- Rob Strom
Quotes:
“A sensual vocal blend and their agile instrumental prowess find
them earnest and assertive in terms of parlaying the material. The
brittle emotions entrenched in "Bird In Hand" and the suggestive
sentiments conveyed through ‘Countdown’ demonstrate a certain subtlety
that makes their music all the more seductive.”
Blurt Magazine 2011 - May 2011 by Lee Zimmerman
“With their decade plus of live performances and recordings, Blame
Sally has established a legacy of song combining country, folk, rock,
Celtic and strains of classical music, which has brought originality
together with a roots sensibility and pop accessibility.”
No Depression.com - May 2011 by Terry Roland
“Before the first note is even sung, the opening groove from for
ladies, known collectively as Blame Sally, lets the listener know that
they have come to play, and do they ever play throughout all ten stellar
tracks. Lyrically, Blame Sally takes a sledge hammer to the notion that
men are from Mars, women are from Venus as they play and sing truth to
humanity.”
Elmore Magazine - by Carol Sandick
“There’s a lot of Stevie Nicks in Blame Sally’s countrified folk rock,
but these veterans are less full of themselves, earthier, more
self-assured – and more fun, too.” -Vintage Guitar Magazine
“Female quartet Blame Sally are a refreshing bunch and not in a
dreary teeny-bopper hyped way. This is a group of experienced,
passionate and dedicated musicians, all over 45, making thoughtful and
sometimes rather dashing music...The self-produced Speeding Ticket and a
Valentine is their second 'commercial' album. It's gritty and melodic
as it zips in and out of different styles and at different paces.”
The Telegraph UK, October 2011, by Martin Chiton
“It would be so wrong for you not to know about these convention breaking artists. The music is intelligent and great.”
KUNC.org (NPR) – December, 2011 by Wendy Wham
”With multiple lead singers, writers and a rich plethora of sonic colors at their fingertips, Blame Sally can easily move in Americana, folk, country and rock circles.”
Bam Magazine – December, 2011 by Mindy Giles
“Blame Sally is a little bit of country, a little bit of rock, a little bit of folk, and a whole lot of heart. They have been compared to the Indigo Girls, Dixie Chicks, and even Radiohead, but forget about all that, because one day some all-female band is going to come along and they will be compared to Blame Sally.”
Sacandbeyond.com, November 2011, by Randy Miramontez
“Blame Sally are one of those artists that transcend the ordinary and make music that moves you and makes you feel the emotions that the singer is going through without the pain.”
Music-News.com, October 2011, by Andy Snipper
“When Blame Sally took the stage at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall on April 29 and 30, the quartet showcased tunes from Speeding Ticket and a Valentine, the Bay Area band’s fifth album. As has often been noted about Blame Sally, this all-female outfit boasts not only strong compositional and vocal skills, but serious instrumental chops as well.”
seymourduncan.com, May 2011
“The four women in Blame Sally light up a club when they launch into one of their feel-good tunes. They’re all charismatic performers, but they’ve endeared themselves to their fans by becoming anti-rock stars. They’re warm and approachable, both on stage and off, treating fans like an extended family. The band members put their heart and soul into every note, and while they have an identifiable sound, their music defies easy categorization. They’re as likely to play a mellow folk ballad as a flat-out rocker, or follow a moody pop tune with some country funk.”
East Bay Express, April 2011, by J. Poet
“The four members of the band Blame Sally croon into the microphones at the Opus Music Ventures studio, sounding, with their honey-smooth harmonies and soaring melodies, very much like a female version of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.”
Secondact.com, May 2010, by Jane Ganahl
“Blame Sally combines lush electric and acoustic instrumental textures with sensuous harmonies and intriguing original compositions”
Dirty Linen – January/February 2010 by Mike Parrish
“Blame Sally broke the mold. In a music scene where youth still rules even as record company budgets shrink, this California quartet of middle-aged female rockers landed a five-year, three-album contract worth half-a-million bucks.”
Boston Herald – by Daniel Gewertz
“Blame Sally’s lush, lovely melodies
draw from folk and rock traditions, but they really distinguish themselves
through their unusual storytelling. Moving from personal accounts to narratives
inspired from the headlines, Blame Sally makes the political personal.”
San Francisco Chronicle – by Reyhan Harmanci
“Climbing out of Billboard charts to find out what is not going on in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville or London is a pleasant experience. One of the best bands I’ve run across in recent years is a San Francisco-based quartet who has played music together in a variety of forms and venues since the early 1990s, finally coalescing into the band ‘Blame Sally’ in 2000.”
San Francisco Examiner – by Michael McGuire
“Blame Sally Brings Light to the Darker Days of Our Recent Past”
San Diego Troubador – by Terry Rowland
“Killing us softly ~ More subtle than strident, Blame Sally’s intriguing songs still pack a punch”
Colorado Springs Independent – Bill Forman
“All-female bands are still something of a novelty in music. The Dixie Chicks are certainly well-known, though they are supplemented by several guys on stage. There are the Indigo Girls, though as a folk duo, I don’t know if they qualify as a ‘band.’ One has to go back to the Bangles to find a popular band of all women. This week, we have another excellent example, Blame Sally, whose new CD is called Night of 1000 Stars.”
The Graham Weekly Album Review – George Graham
“For all my fellow Fiddlefreakers who dig the pop-rock side of the folkie spectrum: sally forth and get your hands on the new record from Blame Sally. These four velvet-vocaled ladies from San Francisco have somehow laid claim to the modern pop-folk sound while yet sounding fresh and inventive.”
Fiddlefreak Folk Music Blog - by Stuart Mason
“Dallas has its Dixie Chicks, and San
Francisco has Blame Sally, the difference being, among other things, that the
Blame Sally women are less country and less flashy. What the two groups share
are great singing, sharp, versatile musicality and a raft of anger at the current
U.S. executive branch. Check out Blame Sally’s powerful video “If You Tell a
Lie”, then attend the group’s CD release party tonight and dance.”
San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Datebook
“The band’s four-part harmonies should not be missed. Don’t blame us if you’re the last on your block to check out Blame Sally.”
Mare Wakefield ~ Performing Songwriter
“Individually, Renee Harcourt, Monica
Pasqual, Jeri Jones and Pam Delgado have long displayed stirring
singer-songwriter gifts. Together they’re a powerhouse unit, presenting
outstanding lead vocals and harmonies that carve out a strong identity on the
indie-pop edges of Americana.”
Palo Alto Daily News - by Paul Freeman
“Severland is the quartet’s strongest and
most cohesive album…To put it in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young terms,
Severland is their Déjà Vu. That’s
actually not a bad starting point musically, either: acoustic guitars, piano,
and creamy close harmonies predominate, with occasional hints of banjo and lap
steel.”
All Music Guide – by Stewart Mason
“Blame
Sally has suddenly burst out of the pack as a Bay Area phenomenon, selling out
shows, winning over new fans, enjoying tremendous response to their third CD, ‘Severland’,
a collection of eclectic folk pop songs that are personal, playful and
political.”
Marin Independent Journal – by Paul Liberatore
“The
fans who made ladies-only quartet Blame Sally a KFOG favorite (and highlight of
the station’s new local-bands-only CD) must be loving the band’s eponymous
studio album. Harmonizing femme-folk integrity with pop playfulness isn’t as
easy as they make it sound; this is sweet, charming stuff.”
San Francisco
Magazine –
by Jonathan Kiefer
“Without a major or even indie label to
promote and distribute their self-released debut album, this quartet of Bay
Area women has had to rely on more grassroots techniques. When one local DJ
started spinning occasional tracks from their CD on his show, the switchboards
lit up with curious, captivated listeners. And no wonder-these Chicas know what
they’re doing. Monica Pasqual, Pam Delgado, Jeri Jones and Rene Harcourt trade
lead vocals and instruments as well as writing duties, and every song benefits
from their collaboration. Little accents find their way in—like the flourish of
cantina-style trumpets in the opener, “Birds Fly South” – and give a sense of locale
and mood to their creations.
Especially
cool are the harmonized choruses, many of which feature striking lyrics. On “My
Shame”, they sing, “Give it here/ I’m feeling it, tasting it, drinking it/ I
want to swim in it, live in it, dive into it/ Then give it up.” On paper,
that’s a clever lyric, but in the context of the song, it jumps right out and
charms the ear. In “Dead Horse”, a weird backward sounding guitar loop
emphasizes the sneaky chorus: “I hope one day I can say I’m okay, that I’m out
of the red and stop banging my head/ I hope one day you can learn how to say
that you feel some remorse and I’ll stop beating a dead horse.” Sharp, funny
and sandwiched into a funky little tune.”
Bitch Magazine – by
Heather Seggel
“Even
though Blame Sally hails from San Francisco, I still like to claim them as
our own. After all, two members—Pam Delgado and Jeri Jones—used to live and
play here in SLO County.”
New Times – by Glen
Starkey
“Very
much in the realm of “women’s music”, Blame Sally is a fine debut that seems to
be making converts wherever it’s played. The attention is deserved – this disc
is a winner. Blame Sally opened their CD
release concert with something a little bit different: “Vera Chiesa” features the
addition of an Indian singer Shweta Jhaveri, a droning harmonium,
eastern-influenced vocal harmonies, and the haunting slinking of quarter and
half tones.”
Get Your Girl On
Downloads.com - Editor’s Highlight:
Beautiful harmonies, intricate instrumental work, smart lyrics, and gently energized rhythms mark the songs of this San Francisco-based folk-pop quartet. The four women in the band are each veteran musicians and songwriters in their own right, and together they create soulful, complex, finely crafted music.
Contact Info:
Sara Mertz
Manager for Blame Sally
1101 8th St.
Berkeley CA 94710
p. (510)981-1876 X 203
Jerry Lima ~ Monterey International
Booking Agent for Blame Sally
jerry@montereyinternational.com
Katie Bishop
Administrative Assistant/Merchandise coordinator
p. (510)981-1876 X 206
Rob Strom
Tour Manager for Blame Sally
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