Desperately seeking Sarah
Issue #25
Musician Sarah Dougher’s new label, Cherchez La Femme, attempts to fill Mr. Lady’s shoes
By Jenny Sabella
Published: September 1st, 2005 | 2:29pm
When the feminist and queer-friendly record label Mr. Lady closed its doors in the summer of 2004, Portland-based musician Sarah Dougher found herself in the middle of recording a new album without a label to distribute it. A year later, Dougher decided to take matters into her own hands. “It got to a point for me where I really wanted to release my record and was sick of waiting around for people to get back to me on it,” she said.
So Dougher decided to start Cherchez La Femme (French for “search for the woman”) in honor of Mr. Lady’s focus on queer and feminist artists. The label released Dougher’s album, Harper’s Arrow, in June, and transsexual rapper Katastrophe’s second full-length is slated for October release. A solo record from former Erase Errata guitarist Sara Jaffe is scheduled as well. “I realized that I wasn’t interested in having a label that was just my own music, so I was working with a bunch of other people to establish the kind of label that we want to have,” Dougher said.
In addition to managing Cherchez La Femme, Dougher edits Just Out, a Portland-based newspaper about queer life, and teaches a class on women in rock at Portland State University. “There were a couple [students] who did projects on women-owned labels, and there just aren’t that many. It just is frustrating to me,” Dougher said. “I believe that sexism and homophobia is still alive in the music biz and the art biz, and I think that it’s still important to have a place for this art to be, not just put out, but also nourished in a community setting.”
Dougher said Portland’s response to Cherchez La Femme has been overwhelmingly positive. “I hope this is a project that lasts for a long time,” she said. “I really love the collaborative spirit that this label is based in. I hope to be able to include as many people as possible.”
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