Snoozer

by Alex HendersonOne thing that alternative pop/rock artist Susie Ghahremani, aka Snoozer, will never be accused of is being a forceful, aggressive belter. Whether she is leading her band, Snuggletooth, or performing solo material as Snoozer, the Providence, RI-based singer/songwriter favors a very deadpan, low-key vocal style -- screaming, yelling, and shouting aren't to be expected from Ghahremani, whose vocals can also be described as girlish, subtle, restrained, and understated. The New Englander, who writes most of her own material and plays several instruments (including keyboards, organ, guitar, and bass), inspires different '90s and 2000s comparisons. Juliana Hatfield has been a frequent comparison, and other valid comparisons include Lush, Belly, Madder Rose, and Shallow. But Ghahremani is an intriguing artist in her own right, and she has an appealing quirkiness of her own -- quirky being the operative word. Ghahremani's material is definitely on the eccentric side, although she is as melodic as she is whimsical and idiosyncratic.Born and raised in New England, Ghahremani became active on the Providence scene in the '90s -- and by the end of the decade, she was performing as both a solo artist and the leader of Snuggletooth. She began recording demos as Snoozer in 1996, and in 2002 Ghahremani put out Snoozer's Songs (a collection of solo demos she recorded in the early 2000s). Original material dominated the album, although Ghahremani also included a cover of Prince's "When You Were Mine" (which the Minneapolis icon unveiled on his Dirty Mind album of 1980). It was also in 2002 that Ghahremani released Slot Machine, a four-song EP by Snuggletooth. In late 2003 Ghahremani put out the Snoozer EP Winter Stops All Sound on her own label, Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records.