Sarah Wheeler “has the presence of a 40-foot lady ape stomping on her enemies.  That’s a compliment.”…She has an “effortlessly big voice which falls somewhere between Chrissie Hynde and Neko Case.”-Adrian Mack The Georgia Straight

Sarah Wheeler is a dyed-in-the-wool singer songwriter.  With the release of her third album, Out of the Woodwork, Sarah’s ambition is to present her songs in a direct and passionate way.  Although she has enjoyed collaborating with other musicians, lending her vocals to recordings such as “A Small Wonder” by A.C. Newman of the New Pornographers, and sharing the stage with artists including Dan Mangan, this Vancouver-based roots artist has remained focused on writing and performing her own music with vigilant integrity.

Stuart Derdeyn from The Province reviewed Out Of The Woodwork saying, “start to finish, this is a very solid effort from an artist who has always had it but really tapped the right points and doesn’t miss here”…”she gets good Lucinda Williams-esque steam chugging along.”

Out of the Woodwork is the culmination of over 20 years of songwriting experience for Wheeler.  Her musical heritage was handed down to her through her grandfather’s pioneering efforts as a jazz pianist in local Vancouver clubs during the 50’s and 60’s.  In that period he backed jazz greats including Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis Jr.  Sarah’s mother had music in her blood.  She started teaching Sarah to sing before she could walk, and raised her in a household amidst the sounds of classic rock n roll, blues, jazz,  and country music. Growing into a seasoned recording artist has been a natural progression for Sarah.  Having co-produced her earlier two recordings, Out Of The Woodwork is a departure for Wheeler since it frames her newest emotionally charged songs in a band setting with producer David Gannett at the helm.  It has been a long time alliance with Gannett, who played guitar on Wheeler’s second album Black Helicopters.  Here, he infuses Wheeler’s dreamy compositions with bottleneck and lap slide, lending a fusion of traditional meets modern recording technology to Out Of The Woodwork.

In the present day pop culture climate of false celebrity, Sarah is an old fashioned believer in remembering that the true power of music is the love of it.  It’s not about the haircut and the outfit.  It’s about creating an experience that reminds people that we are a world of minorities that are essentially all the same.  Sarah is an encyclopedic music fan (press glasses to the nose), and her genuine interest in music extends to her involvement in various side projects.  Sarah has leant her vocals to recordings such as “Don’t You Think We Should Be Closer” by Edmonton’s Mark Davis of Old Reliable.  Sarah has also had the pleasure of playing live with many amazing artists including Mike McDonald of Jr. Gone Wild and The Be Good Tanyas.

Sarah Wheeler is a third generation Vancouver born Canadian singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist musician who is driven creatively by her passions and interests.  Her newest album Out Of The Woodwork is available on her own independent label Poncho Records.

“One of Vancouver’s punchiest indie singers.”  Fish Griwkowsky, Edmonton Sun