(PR) Sara Wasserman will be performing at a number of select dates next months in support of Solid Ground, her debut album, a project seven years in the making, released 10 days ago by That Other Label, a division of Pacific Coast Jazz. The singer/songwriter will join RatDog, the band fronted by Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead at four of the band's upcoming east coast tour stops. These include an appearance on July 11 at Atlantic City's Mark G. Etess Arena, followed by two dates at The Casino Ballrooom in Hampton Beach, NH on July 23 and 24. Wasserman will also be featured with RatDog at The Gathering of the Vibes Festival in Bridgeport, CT on July 25 on a bill that includes Levon Helm, Guster and others.
Apart from her dates with RatDog, Wasserman has set two special club appearances late in the month. She will be performing in her native Bay Area at Yoshi's/San Francisco on Tuesday, July 28, joined by special guests New Orleans piano legend Henry Butler and her father, Rob Wasserman, the renowned bassist. Two days later she, together with Butler and her father, will alight in New York, her current place of residence, where she'll be featured at Joe's Pub on Friday, July 31.
Sara Wasserman on tour with RatDog
07/11 - Mark G. Etess Arena - Atlantic City, NJ
07/23 - Casino Ballroom - Hampton Beach, NH
07/24 - Casino Ballroom - Hampton Beach, NH
07/25 - Gathering of the Vibes Music Festival - Bridgeport, CT
Sara Wasserman and Friends featuring Henry Butler and Rob Wasserman
07/28 - Yoshi's - San Francisco, CA
07/31 - Joe's Pub - New York, NY
Her father is one of several guest musicians who contribute their respective virtuosity to Solid Ground. Bassist Christian McBride, Lou Reed, drummer Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid and highly regarded turntablist DJ Logic are also heard on the album. A duet with Aaron Neville on "Fly Away," is one of the album's many highlights. Sara and Neville co-wrote two other tracks for Solid Ground, with the album garnering considerable airplay around the country.
Similarly, Solid Ground has been the subject of significant critical acclaim. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette lauded the artist as being "loaded with promise" while All Music Guide noted "the star power that fuels Solid Ground constitutes a family tradition. Happily, Sara Wasserman proves worthy of all the attention, writing a series of quality jazz/blues songs and singing them in a slightly throaty contralto that is full of feeling." "The high points are high indeed," cites the Sarasota Herald Tribune while the Austin American Statesman commented, "Sara Wasserman has not only a musical pedigree but also a gigantic, glittering soprano that an 'American Idol' would kill for."
Solid Ground track listing
1. LITTLE BIRD w/ Christian McBride (R. Wasserman / J. Shear)
2. I AM A SONG w/Christian McBride (A. Neville / S. Wasserman / R. Emata / R. Wasserman)
3. LEAP OF FAITH w/ DJ Logic and Rob Wasserman (S. Wasserman / P. Farmstad / R. Emata)
4. FLY AWAY w/ Aaron Neville (S. Wasserman / P. Farmstad)
5. SARA SMILE w/ Vernon Reid and Rob Wasserman (D. Hall / J. Oates)
6. FRESH OUT OF TEARS w/ Rob Wasserman (A. Neville / S. Wasserman / R. Emata / R. Wasserman)
7. SOLID GROUND w/ Stephen Perkins (R. Wasserman / J. Capaldi)
8. SOMEHOW FOREVER (S. Wasserman / R. Emata)
9. NEED TO KNOW w/ Lou Reed and Stephen Perkins (S. Wasserman / P. Farmstad / R.Emata)
10. HINDSIGHT w/ Rob Wasserman (R. Wasserman / J.W. Harding)
11. LITTLE BIRD (reprise) w/ Christian McBride (R. Wasserman / J. Shear)
Solid Ground personnel
Sara Wasserman - vocals and background vocals
Rob Wasserman - bass
Randy Emata - piano, percussion, keyboards, background vocals, drums
Christian McBride - bass
Lou Reed - guitar
Aaron Neville - vocals
Stephen Perkins - drums
Vernon Reid - guitar
DJ Logic - turntables and additional percussion
Cedricke Dennis - guitar
Mike Clark - drums
Alan Evans - drums
Sakai - background vocals
Monet - background vocals
