Dougher began her musical career playing the
Farfisa organ in the
Portland, Oregon based band
The Crabs, and later joined
Cadallaca with
Sleater-Kinney frontwoman
Corin Tucker. She has also released multiple solo albums. Dougher has released eight albums, a combination of work with bands as well as solo releases. Since 2007, she has co-directed Portland's Flash Choir with Pat Janowski. The Flash Choir is free, no-audition choir that specializes in collaborative, audience-inclusive work. In January 2010 she debuted a 10-song composition called "Strangers Together," with a libretto from Oregon poet and pacifist William Stafford's book,
Passwords. Portland's Regional Arts and Culture Council supported the creation and production of this work through a project grant. In 2009, she composed a choral work called ''Caesar's Gate''based on the collaborative work of poet Robert Duncan and collage artist, Jess, commissioned by the Cooley Gallery at Reed College. The first of her solo albums,
Day One, was released on
indie label
K Records in 1999; the latter two, 2000's
Walls Ablaze and 2001's
The Bluff, were released on Mr. Lady records. In June 2005, Dougher released ''Harper's Arrow
on the Cherchez La Femme'' label. Beginning with "Day One", Sarah began a long-lasting collaboration with Jon Nikki (Prima Donnas, Gene Defcon, Mocket, Sir, Sarah Dougher, Puce Moment). Jon Nikki contributed guitar, keyboards and piano, bass and drums on many of Sarah's recordings as well as a songwriting credit on the album "Walls Ablaze" for the song "What's Good Is Better Than Gone".
Cadallaca Dougher has also worked with
Sleater-Kinney vocalist
Corin Tucker and novelist
sts in the band
Cadallaca, where she provided vocals and played the
Farfisa organ. In the tradition of 1960's girl groups, each member of the band assumed an
alias, Dougher being credited as Dusty. The band put out two official albums:
Introducing Cadallaca (K Records) and
Out West(an EP, on Kill Rock Stars).
The Crabs The Crabs were a Portland, Oregon-based indie-rock band. Originally formed as a duo in 1993 with John Lunsford (vocals, guitar) and Lisa Jackson (vocals, drums), the pair later added Sarah Dougher on keyboard following their 1997 release What Were Flames Now Smolder. Dougher contributes keyboards and vocals to the 1999 release,
Sand and Sea ==Other ventures==