By Julia Kuttler 

In 2016, Jerod Corbus, Executive Assistant to the Provost, started playing acoustic guitar with his friend Will Simmer. After finding a drummer, Gary Clifton, and a vocalist, Jennifer Byers, a band was born: Sister Sarah Tree. On Friday, Sept. 9, Sister Sarah Tree won Battle of the Bands at the Kansas State Fair. 

    Sister Sarah Tree plays rock music. Although they have original music—and even more coming soon—they also play a lot of covers. A band needs money to cover expenses, and for unknown bands, covers are the easiest way to get their name out there, according to Corbus. According to their website, Sister Sarah Tree plays a variety of covers from “Alabama to Shinedown and everything in between.”  

  To be considered for the Kansas State Fair Battle of the Bands, they had to submit both a cover—they selected “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash—and an original song—“As I Say Goodbye.” After submissions closed, a combination of judging and online voting dwindled over 50 submissions down to 10 semi-finalists. These 10 semi-finalists performed on June 25 in front of a crowd and judges at Fair Food & Tunes 2022. Those judges then selected a top five, which ultimately performed at the Kansas State Fair on Friday, Sept. 9. Aside from Sister Sarah Tree, the other bands selected were Lorraine-Dietrich (rock band from Kansas City), Final Thoughts (metal band from Winfield), Room 347 (rock band from Salina), and The Other Guys Band (classic rock band from Kingman).  

  First place in the contest took home $2,000, a custom-made guitar trophy, and the opportunity to open for one of the Grandstand acts at the State Fair. This year, Sister Sarah Tree opened for Great White and Quiet Riot on Thursday, Sept. 15. 

    Corbus doesn’t necessarily want fame for the sake of being famous, but instead wants Sister Sarah Tree’s music to carry the fame. For those in a band, he said: “Get out there and do it, don’t wait until tomorrow. Do it today. . . .Too many people wait until the time is right. The time is never going to be right.” 

  Sister Sarah Tree’s music can be found on Apple Music, Spotify and other popular music sites. They can also be found on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and their website, SisterSarahTree.com.  

Picture provided.