Sarana VerLin

Sarana VerLin
Background information
Genres	Celticana - a blend of rock, pop, folk, Celtic and Americana
Instruments	violin, guitar, keyboards
Labels	Drum Dancer Records
Associated acts	R.U.R., Natasha, Dark Carnival, League of Nations, PhDs, Gutterpups, Amadon Crest, Billy Brandt and The Basement Band
Website	saranaverlin.com

Sarana VerLin (born September 19, 1953) is a violinist, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She was the vocalist/violinist of the bands Natasha and Dark Carnival and violinist for numerous bands.

Biography

Sarana was classically trained on violin starting at age 10 and performed in The International Youth Symphony which was founded by Windsor Symphony Orchestra conductor Matti Holli. After high school, she played guitar and rock violin with other musicians for many years. In 1979 after a feature article about women in rock appeared in the Detroit News, she decided to front her own band called Natasha which won an award for Best New Talent. They were active until 1985 and during that time she also worked on projects with grammy award winner Don Was, grammy award winner Eminem producer Steve King and Marilyn Manson/Debbie Harryproducer Ben Grosse. They toured extensively throughout the midwest and Canada.

She is in the Detroit Metro Times Hall of Fame after winning best instrumentalist 3 years running for the Detroit Metro Times Music Awards (a.k.a the Detroit Music Awards). She has been featured in numerous articles in the Detroit Free Press, Goldmine (magazine), Trouser Press, Metro Times, and the Detroit News as well as television and radio appearances.

Sarana was one of the original members of the supergroup Dark Carnival, which was a rotating group of superstars from the Detroit Area...most notably Niagara, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys and poet Jim Carroll.

In 2004 she switched her talents from rock to celtic, performing at renaissance and pirate festivals such as the Michigan Renaissance Festival for the next 4 years. Her most well known and popular song written during that time is St. Brendan's Reel, a song about St. Brendan.

After reappearing on the Detroit music circuit in 2009, she won Detroit Music Awards Outstanding Instrumentalist in the Acoustic category. In 2010 she won Detroit Music Awards Outstanding Folk Act as a duo with Billy Brandt and received several other nominations in various categories. Sarana currently lives in the Detroit area and tours with several bands as well as performing solo and as a duo.

She has also appeared in two films which were shot in Michigan. She is credited with playing the part of a renaissance fiddler in All's Faire in Love and also Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story where she was a journalist photographer.

Discography

1. Slip of The Lip/Crocodile (1981)
2. Mandatory Music Tremor Records Compilation (1982)
3. WLLZ Motor City Rocks Compilation (1983)
4. WLLZ Motor City Rocks II Compilation (1984)
5. Unity Gain Compilation (1985)
6. GutterPups (2004)
7. GutterPups - Live on the Street of Red Lanterns (2005)
8. Amadon Crest - Live (2007)
9. Sarana VerLin - Half (2009)
10. Billy Brandt & Sarana VerLin - Live From Billy'sBasement (2010)
11. "New Atlantic Sound Volume 1 (UK)" (2010)
12. Rock N Reel Magazine Compilation (UK) (2010)
13. Sarana VerLin - Bats & Butterflies (2010)
14. Carnival Girl - Live and Otherwise (2010)
15. US/UK Compilation - Distant Thunder (2010)

References

• Detroit Metro Times Music Awards Hall of Fame
• Women Rock Back, Detroit Metro Times
• Jenny Woolworth Women in Punk Archive
• Friday Profile, Detroit News
• St. Brendan, St. Brendan's Reel written by Sarana VerLin
• Matti Holli, Windsor Symphony Orchestra
• Detroit Music Awards

External links

• Sarana VerLin at the Internet Movie Database
• Motor City Rocks:Natasha
• Motor City Rocks:Dark Carnival
• Sarana VerLin website
• All's Faire In Love at the Internet Movie Database
• Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Verlin, Sarana
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1953
Place of birth	Detroit, MI
Date of death
Place of death