"Ultragrrrl" Sarah Lewitinn Many Obstacles Yet Much Success by Darren Paltrowitz Whether you first encountered her as a columnist for SPIN Magazine, as a talking head on VH1, or as a DJ for Misshapes, Sarah Lewitinn – generally known as “Ultragrrrl” to readers and bloggers – has been around in the music circuit for longer than you realize. Currently juggling a writing career and a record label with the New York nightlife, her online webspace (http://ultragrrrl.blogspot.com) captivates readers around the world with its regular recaps of what Ultragrrrl has been up to. And in noticing how active the lady tends to be, it is difficult to stop checking her site for updates.

As writers ought to do when writing about a subject with whom they are familiar with, I will come clean about two things. One, Sarah accompanied me to my Senior Prom in 2000, and two, she helped me land a summer job at an Internet company in the midst of the dot-com boom. But being close to six years ago, people get busy and lose touch… and I was fortunate to recently track down Sarah and pin her down for some Q&A via e-mail for Cityzen.

Cityzen: What do you wish that more people knew about Sarah Lewitinn?

Sarah Lewitinn: That I've been kicking around for ages! I think a lot of people think I just sort of sprung up one day on the scene about a year ago, when in reality I have been working at it since I was about 18.

CZ: How does Ultragrrrl compare to Sarah Lewitinn?  Is it like Flavor Flav where you're always "on," or just that a nickname happened to stick?

SL: Gosh, I think Ultragrrrl is a fucking slut. She only likes to bone 16-year old virgin boys who shop at Hot Topic and wear lots of eyeliner and studded belts. Sarah Lewitinn is a slut in the bedroom with only one person. CZ: Anyone who's successful is bound to have some critics themselves. What was your take on the blurb that New York Press ran on you last year?  Is something like that cancelled out by winning multiple awards from Paper Magazine? SL: When I first read the [New York Press] blurb I was so fucking stoked because I had no idea I was famous enough to be given that attention. I called friends, my parents (whom were even more surprised), my manager. Then people kinda liked ripping on me for a while and that really hurt a lot. I always thought I was a pretty stand-up person. I never fucked anyone over and was always as honest as a person could be. It hardened me... I realized that no matter how nice or sincere I was, people would still shit on me.

CZ: What was your first job in the music industry?

SL: Umm... Technically, it was interning at ABC.com where I got to review CDs for their teen section. I was 16. Then I interned at SPINonline as soon as I graduated high school. But I guess that when I was 15 I "managed" my friend Dalia's band Nambla, which basically meant making posters for her set at the talent show and putting them around school.

CZ: Between running a blog, heading a record label, publishing a book and regularly DJ'ing, you wear many hats, professionally speaking.  Which of these is most comfortable for you?

SL: Would it be weird to say that all of them are pretty comfortable to wear? I generally do whatever comes naturally to me, and those few things did. However, putting out the book was maybe the least comfortable because I hate reading and writing. This record label thing is new and exciting because I'm still getting footing, but I feel like I've always had a naturally good ear for finding hits. CZ: Stolen Transmission initially won a lot of acclaim by putting out music for then-undiscovered artists who went on to bigger things.  As part of the Universal Music Group, what looks ahead for your label? SL: Well, Stolen Transmission is really just a joint venture incubator of Island/Def Jam (which is part of Universal Music Group). Our budget is less than what The Strokes got signed for, so what looks ahead for me is finding as many bro-deals as I can to make sure my artists are taken care of and happy. Hopefully they are. Most of them call me "mom," which is so fucking weird since I'm so used to being everyone's little sister, but I guess that people generally love their moms, so I'm happy. CZ: What is it that you look for in an artist when it comes to working A&R for Stolen Transmission?

SL: There isn't one thing I look for. With all the artists that I've signed, something inside me just felt right when I heard them. I know IMMEDIATELY when I hear a band if I like them. There's this one band called Bright Light Fever that I found out about from my friend Robbie Percell. He was crashing at my house and telling me about his friend's little brother's band that were barely out of high school that he wanted to help out since he loved them. I was zoning out and concentrating on some art project when I asked him to play them for me and I just remember getting choked up and tearing and feeling my heart beat weirdly. I knew immediately that this was a band I wanted to work with and called my [Stolen Transmission] partner Rob [Stevenson] incessantly. He was as blown away by their demo of "Mother Mary Blues" and we decided immediately to sign them.

Amazingly, the band, who literally just graduated high school, were in the process of breaking up because the singer, Evan, wanted to join his big brother's band, Supermodel Suicide. I spent two weeks persuing Evan telling him he was making a mistake and that he was a genius -- which he is, I'm convinced. He finally decided to bring his brother into his band and take Supermodel Suicide's drummer. It all worked out perfectly. Anyway, Bright Light Fever sound nothing like anything else on Stolen Transmission... Same with The Oohlas, same with Permanent Me, same with Monty. I just fucking loved those bands, and it was simple like that.

CZ: Are there any trends amongst labels today that you wish would go away?

SL: Not paying enough attention to their artists. I talk to my artists every day.

CZ: Do you think that there are any major misconceptions about running a record label?

SL: That we have a lot of money to throw around. I have an indie, so I don't have any money. CZ: Where do you see blogging to be in the grand scheme of the music industry? SL: As a tool for A&R people to be lazy. CZ: Your blog has an undeniable readership as people want to know where you've been and who you were there with.  What are some of the blogs that you regularly enjoy?

SL: Pinkisthenewblog.com, karenplusone.blogspot.com, stereogum.com, gurjb.blogspot.com...
That's it. Just my friends. Those are the only four blogs I get to read ever. I try to read productshopnyc.com sometimes because he is really good at getting scoops, but really, those are the only four I ever read.

CZ: Are there any NYC-area bands out there not getting the due that you think they ought to be getting?

SL: THE FIVE O'CLOCK HEROES! (see what Cityzen had to say about The Heroes back in July '04)

CZ: Where do you hope to find yourself 2 or 3 years down the line?  Or, better yet, is there something you hope to be doing in the future that you haven't already tried doing?

SL: Have you ever seen the cartoon “Duck Tails?” I want to build a massive vault and fill it up with money and go swimming in it like Scrooge McDuck. I want to have enough money to do this because that will mean that my bands have made bank as well, as will everyone I work with! My friend Brandon loves to tease me about my love of money, but I didn't really grow up with tons of it, so I really enjoy having it and spending it. I spend most of my money on food. I love cooking and going to nice restaurants with friends and buying them dinners. Apart from that, I think the next thing I want to try is having a successful relationship and making babies. Last night I was at dinner with my friend Gideon and he couldn't believe how I've become an adult. He actually said "Whoa! When did you turn into an adult?!" My answer was "when I realized that I really had to start paying bills." I think a year ago when I would tell my friends "I want to have kids soon," they thought I was crazy talking -- I wasn't, I was being sincere -- now I think they see that I'm actually taking full control of my life and many other's lives and being an adult. I want kids. I want to get married. I want my parents to accept whomever I fall in love with... I hope they do.

CZ: Finally, Sarah, any last words for the kids?

SL: Stay close to your family because when things go bad, they'll be there for you.