Artist description Sara Radle writes songs that range from sugary pop/rock (complete with enough hand-claps and ooohs and ahhhs to put a spring in your step) to simple piano and acoustic guitar arrangements with refreshingly honest lyrics. She has been compared to women such as Liz Phair and Juliana Hatfield, as well as bands like That Dog, The Muffs and R.E.M.

Music Style pop/rock

Musical Influences Liz Phair, That Dog, The Muffs, REM, Elliott Smith, The Ramones, Mary Lou Lord, Juliana Hatfield

Similar Artists That Dog, Liz Phair, Mary Lou Lord

Artist History ~ 2002 Fort Worth Weekly Award - Artist of the Year ~ 2002 Dallas Observer Award - Best Female Vocalist ~ 2002 Dallas Observer Award - Best New Artist ~ 2001 FW Weekly Award - Best Female Vocalist In addition to fronting the pop/punk band Lucy Loves Schroeder for the past seven years, Sara Radle is also the one-woman band from Dallas, TX formally known as Fred Savage Fanclub. In December 2000, FSFC released an 11-song cd titled "Jellybeans With Belly Buttons" on She's Gone Records (Denton, TX) in which Radle wrote, arranged, played and sang everything on the record. "Jellybeans..." was well-received both locally and nationally, and was heard on college radio stations across the country. Several months after the release of "Jellybeans With Belly Buttons" Radle was able to piece together a pop ensemble to perform FSFC live in concert. The FSFC continues to win fans over, as shown by the awards Radle received in 2002. In December 2002, Radle began working on her next solo record with the pAperchAse's John Congleton, and the record is expected to be completed this summer. This time, however, she will no longer hide behind the name Fred Savage Fanclub, but will instead release her much anticipated follow-up as Sara Radle.

Group Members Sara Radle

Instruments guitar (electric and acoustic), bass, drums, piano, keyboards

Albums Fred Savage Fanclub 's "Jellybeans with Belly Buttons"

Press Reviews REVIEW -- Delusions of Adequacy (online zine) There's only one member of the Fred Savage Fanclub, at least the band. I'd like to think the former child star has a bigger fanclub than just one, but the band is composed of only Sara Radle, who also plays for the band Lucy Loves Schroeder. As a completely solo project, you might expect acoustic guitars and vocals only, but Radle has layered guitars, drums, multiple vocals, and even more on top of these catchy and fun rock songs. It may be her voice that makes these songs truly delicious. Radle has a voice that matches with Juliana Hatfield, Tanya Donnelly, Jen Trynin, and others in the more rock vein of independent music. Her vocals and playful, pop sensibility lends these 11 songs a kind of sheer enjoyment. Whether she's rocking out or going for a more quiet pop moment, each of these songs is catchy and tied together by layers of vocals and backing vocals with that fantastic voice. It's surprising how much Fred Savage Fanclub is capable of rocking out. "Whole New Person to Be" is a rocking yet playful track, with tons of backing "waa-waaa" and "ooo-ooo"s. And "Just Call Me Blondie" features some aggressive rock riffs that remind me of the less in-your-face L7. "Try Me" is more poppy, with catchy melodies and rhythms and a sort of bouncy style, and "Sleep it Off" has more garage-rock style guitars with vocals that remind me of Suddenly Tammy! "Curve Ball" has hints of an older Throwing Muses style of rock, the vocals more rock-style than poppy and pretty, and the chuggy, grunge-like guitar riffs on "Run for Cover" evoke hints of Hole. But Radle also knows how to write a softer, more sincere pop song. "Insane," which features Radle's lovely vocals to a piano and even subtle string accompaniment, is quite pretty and starkly honest. And several of the songs are more acoustic guitars and hand-claps, like the undoubtedly catchy "Celebrity" and "Brighter," which features stark elecric guitar and vocals that have a Liz Phair quality here, making the song plain and powerful in its simplicity. Some keyboards add a more pop quality to the acoustic "Seven Days," which features the great line, "you'd say that I'm a freak to fall in love in just a week." The hand-claps add a nice beat to the quieter, again Liz Phair-like "Be Good." I really like these songs, simply for the sheer pop/rock quality. These songs are crisp and catchy, and you'll be doubting that one musician does it all. But while Fred Savage Fanclub may have trouble playing live shows without some supporting musicians, Radle proves that she's a talented and versatile singer/songwriter, both in her softer, poppier songs and her sheer rock moments. Great stuff from someone you're bound to be hearing a lot from in the future. REVIEW -- girlmedia.com (online zine) Fred Savage Fanclub isn't an ode to the child star from The Wonder Years. Actually, FSFC is just multi-instrumentalist Sara Radle. FSFC's debut album, Jellybeans with Belly Buttons is similar to listening to a musical diary of the girl next door. Poppy, funny, sad and cute are the only words to describe songs like Whole New Person To Be, Sleep It Off and Run For Cover. FSFC is about as indie as you can get, but while this album is personal enough to be a bedroom recording, it has higher quality then many of the elaborate productions that grace our music stores everyday. Sara pens lyrics like Look at me (baby look at me) / I'm better than you / Hey I'm the best (maybe I'm the best) / Would you like to be like me too? from the tune Just Call Me Blondie and I am writing you this letter knowing it will make me feel better / Forgiving you is the hardest thing I have to do from the quite piano song Insane. Like I mentioned, Fred Savage Fanclub is very, very indie. Only 500 CDs were pressed of this outstanding album. If there is any CD out there I would like to be in every girl's hand, it's this one. You can visit her website and order yourself a copy. Trust me, it'll be worth it! REVIEW -- LMNOP/Babysue (online zine) What?!? No record company link OR link to an artist's web page?!? Can this BE?!? It's... It's... Why, it's totally AMAZING! An artist and (small) record company promoting something WITHOUT using the goddamn Internet. How REFRESHING!!! (Plus, we don't have to type in another one of those goddamn ULRs!) This particular situation got us thinking...perhaps you don't NEED those "gimmicks" when you're dealing with an artist who is simply talented and genuine. Sara Radle (who in this case is the entire band) is a very talented and genuine young lady. And if you want to hear this CD, you'd better act fast...because only 500 copies were pressed (e-mail the label at shesgoner@yahoo.com). So, onto the music. It used to be that...once upon a time...there were tons of one man bands but very few one woman bands. That has been changing over the years, and Ms. Radle is a welcome newcomer in this niche. Instead of going the easy route and spewing out computer generated dribble...she plays REAL drums (!!!), bass, guitars, and handles all the vocals. And what a voice this young lady has. She's got a great breathy voice (not unlike Fuzzy), and her harmonies are KILLER. Even better yet are the songs. The tunes on Jellybeans with Belly Buttons are extremely simple and direct, at times bordering on bubblegum. It's a totally hummable and upbeat affair, and we found ourselves tapping our head and shaking our toes INSTANTLY. Great lo-fi pop stuff, worth seeking out... We are very impressed indeed... (Rating: 5 out of 6)

Location Dallas, TX - USA

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