Interview with Sarah Halter

Following five years as a member of the band Blue Clutch, Sarah Halter decided to do things on her own and has now released a two song single and a new EP.  I recently had the chance to interview her and we talked about her decision to go solo, her EP, the Pittsburgh metal scene, signing a deal with Sparrow Heart Records and more.  

Can you give me a little background on yourself?

I am a metal musician/solo artist currently based in Pittsburgh, PA. I have been active in the industry performing, recording, and building my career since 2015 starting in the Pittsburgh open mic scene. 

The rest continued from there with my previous band, Blue Clutch, having released one album, Silent Oblivion, in 2018 before splitting up in 2020.

Then came my latest solo metal releases — A Clockwork Destiny, a 2 track single released in 2021 and my latest EP released in January 2023, The Doom That Binds Us.

 

You were in the band Blue Clutch before going solo and now everything is self-produced, self-performed, and self-recorded.  How has it been doing it all yourself and what do you find are the pros and cons of being solo?

One big advantage I have right now with doing everything myself is that I can do everything on my own schedule and not have to rely on others to do their part(s) to get things done. Since I take my work very seriously and am prioritizing moving forward, this way has been working out.

A downside of being a mostly-independent solo artist is that I have to fund projects on my own unless I have record label support, which worked out splendidly for The Doom That Binds Us. 

In addition, I currently have to run all of my social media outlets, answer all business inquiries, and do all of my booking all while working on recording, rehearsing for shows, and undertaking further advanced study/practice in my main instruments — my voice and my guitar. This all can be tedious at times since I’m only one person, but I am hoping that in the long run, it will all pay off. 

I can hear elements of a lot of different music styles in your songs, including progressive, goth, symphonic metal, death metal, alternative and more.  How would you describe it?

I would say your genre-description is about right. When creating music, I like to combine stylistic elements from differing, yet stylistically-compatible genres such as those you mentioned. Some songs turn out to be more defined in genre while others turn out to be a mix. 

 

I really like “The Doom That Binds Us”.  It’s a more upbeat track with more of a groove and a really great guitar solo.  Style-wise it really stands apart from the other three.  Can you tell me about that track?

It is definitely one of my favorite songs that I have written, and it is one favorite ones to perform. "The Doom That Binds Us" song has undergone a lot of reconstruction and changes over the years. I had been working on this song over the years, some of that time with my previous band, Blue Clutch. 

Reworking this song in line with my own image and production, it was the first song that I recorded as the EP’s foundation. 

I put the title track last on the EP due to its style, energy, and aspects such as a 20 second scream in the middle preceding the guitar solo. Also — fun fact about this song, there was no vocal pitch-shifting editing on this track. 

When you are writing a song is there something in particular about it that says these lines should be clean vocals and these should be dirty vocals?

There are certainly some songs with vocal lines that are intentionally performed dirty or clean. Others are performed using one (or more) vocal style(s) to fit musical elements in the song. 

 

How easy is it shifting from the clean vocals to the dirty vocals when you play live?

I had started working on that skill years ago, and by now, I have managed to do it effortlessly in a live setting. Still, regular practice and rehearsals are always important to go forward.

You signed to Sparrow Heart Records for this EP.  I would imagine since you did everything on the EP yourself that had to free you up a little bit to focus more on the music.  How has it been having a label behind you?

It has been a very good experience working with Sparrow Heart Records for The Doom That Binds Us. I was able to keep creative freedom in all music, and I was able to make the executive decisions surrounding the project. 

You released an acoustic EP, Little Grave Digger, in 2015?  Have you considered doing more acoustic tracks?

I am considering one day releasing a compilation of acoustic versions of my songs or a single or two. We shall see!

 

The EP cover is a painting by your sister. Can you tell me about that?

I thought that Hannah would be the perfect fit to do this EP’s artwork since she has a ton of artistic talent and painting experience. 

I got the inspiration for this album art at the cavern-like subject matter on a trip to Lost World Caverns in West Virginia. 

Hannah completed the painting with my Lost World Caverns photos and her artistic perception of the project in mind. One memorable moment from the process of the painting was that when it was about half-way finished, we both noticed a section that was starting to look like skulls and bones in the lower right hand corner. I was so glad that she decided to run with that visual because it really brings home the “doom” aspect of the album title.

What are your plans now that the EP is out?

Right now I am working on promoting The Doom That Binds Us and pushing to get it heard by as many radio stations, Spotify curators, and listeners as possible while getting new artist merch together. I’m also in the midst of trying to get more shows and continuing recording for the next release, that will probably be a single followed by a full length album. 

 

How is it doing everything by yourself live and have you considered getting a band for live shows or do you prefer just doing it alone?

Right now I have backing tracks for all of my recorded songs, so playing live solo works fine for me currently. If the right people come along as a backing band or to make music with, then I am open to that as well.

Is there a supportive metal scene in Pittsburgh?

I love playing in Pittsburgh, and there is a ton of talent here in various hard rock/metal genres. I know a lot of people who are in awesome local bands. However, I notice that many of the bands here mostly play and promote themselves locally or regionally, whereas I am trying to branch out beyond that. No matter what happens with me in the future career-wise, Pittsburgh will always be my music “home”. 

Do you have any plans to do any live shows any further outside that area?  

It’s definitely in the works, and I would love to one day to be part of a major national and international tour. Independent touring takes a lot of planning, resources, and time, but getting out little by little is the way to go. There are so many opportunities and people that musicians should try to reach beyond their home base. 

 

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

Thank you so much for reading this interview and for your support! You can find my website, of my music and socials on my Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/sehalter1658.