Sisters 3

Last updated
Sisters 3
Also known asThe Sapphires, The Sisters Three
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres Indie folk
Years active2005–2013
LabelsVibewrangler, Modern Vintage
Past members

Sisters 3 was an American indie folk group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 2005 by siblings Annachristie, Beatrice, and Cassandra Sadler. The group released two albums, Star Spangled (2008) and Coruscate at the Meadow Gate (2011), and found local notoriety, collaborating with artists including Hoots & Hellmouth, Sharon Little, and American Babies, and performing at the Philadelphia Folk Festival and venues including the Mann Center and Madison Square Garden. [1] Annachristie Sadler would later find more notoriety as a solo artist under the name AC Sapphire.

Contents

History

Origins (2005–2008)

The Sadlers were among eight children born to Dennis and Cindy Sadler and grew up in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. [2] [3] [1] The Sadler children were homeschooled and exposed to Shakespearean theatre and poetry, which led Annachristie to write her first song at age 15. [4] [5] Dennis Saddler, a fine art and antique dealer and record collector, gave Annachristie her first guitar and introduced the children to doo-wop and R&B artists like The Ravens, The Harptones, The Chantels, The Drifters, The Platters, and The Flamingos. [5] [6] Annachristie, Beatrice, and Cassandra performed together for their family from a young age. [7] [1] [8]

Prior to the group's formation, a 20-year-old Annachristie released a solo album, Elixir for the Human Heart, in early January 2005, with Beatrice and Cassandra providing backing harmonies on the album. [5] Additionally, Cassandra was a classical composer and Beatrice had been a vocalist in the band Naughty Naughty Nurses. [8] Later that month, the siblings, billed as the Sisters Three, performed at the Singer-Songwriter Conspiracy showcase in Sellersville (organized by Dennis Sadler), where they appeared alongside the Travis Wetzel Trio, John Francis, Hoots & Hellmouth, and Sharon Little. [5] They officially formed the group later that year while attending the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, [9] initially under the name The Sapphires, [7] and soon after embarked on a mini-tour with local Philadelphia bands including The Extraordinaires. [2] They also provided backing vocals on Hoots & Hellmouth's 2007 self-titled debut album for MAD Dragon Records and subsequent tour, [10] [11] and for Sharon Little on her 2008 tour with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. [12]

Career (2008–2013)

Sisters 3 recorded their debut album, Star Spangled, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with producer Glen Marshall (Broken Social Scene, Feist, Kaki King) and his partner Michael Keire, in the same church where Feist's early albums were recorded; [7] [12] [8] Marshall told CMJ regarding Annachristie's vocals that "the only other time I have experienced those kind of goosebumps was recording Feist." [7] The album was released on February 29, 2008 through Marshall's Vibewrangler label. That same year, the band appeared on NBC 10's The 10! Show and performed at Joy Rose's Mamapalooza and at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the latter alongside Espers, Craig Bickhardt, Ursula Rucker, Tin Bird Choir, and Matt Duke. [13] [9]

In early 2011, Sisters 3 contributed vocals to Hezekiah Jones' album Have You Seen Our Fort for Yer Bird Records [14] and to American Babies' Flawed Logic for Engine Room Recordings. [11] Additionally, Annachristie appeared solo with The Loom at Danger Danger Gallery alongside Christopher Paul Stelling, Psalmships, and Former Belle. [15] The band's second album, Coruscate at the Meadow Gate, was released on June 7, 2011 via Modern Vintage Recordings; the album was co-produced by Eshy Gazit and engineered by The Boils's Mike Bardzik, and was partially recorded at The Cutting Room Studios in Manhattan. [12] [16] A music video for the song "Wolfmother" was released in October. [17] The group also received radio play on WXPN, alongside artists like The War on Drugs, Purling Hiss, Work Drugs, Hop Along, and Gene Ween. [18]

Sisters 3 dissolved around 2013, after one of the sisters left the group. [2] [19] Following the group's end, Annachristie launched a short-lived solo project, Murchant, [20] before eventually finding greater solo success under the name AC Sapphire. [2] [4] [21]

Musical style

Sisters3 was primarily identified during their existence as folk, indie folk, indie pop, and country, [21] [22] [23] [1] a sound described by Cassandra Sadler as "mutant folk music", [8] and were known for their three-part vocal harmonies. [24] Influences cited by the group included Erik Satie, Frédéric Chopin, Ramones, Minor Threat, Jeff Buckley, Patsy Cline, The Shirelles, The Ravens, Lead Belly, and grunge music. [25] [8] Kiley Bense of WXPN described the group's music as "driving, rollicking songs with lyrics and vocals that recall Neko Case at her rootsiest." [26] Debut album Star Spangled incorporated synthesizer and elements of soul and girl group music into their folk sound. [8] The group's second album, Coruscate at the Meadow Gate, showcased a more eclectic style, utilizing instruments like piano and ukulele and incorporating elements of alternative and indie rock, pop, classical, jazz, 1950s doo-wop, and garage rock. [1] [24] [27] Reviewing Coruscate, Jeremy Lukens of Glide Magazine distinguished the group from "the folk pop revival trend of recent years" and noted that the album "transcends conventions of genre and traditional song structures, instead favoring capturing the raw emotion of the material. Discordant melodies and dynamic shifts provide an underlying tension, but each fragmented image and feeling is bound by the distinct vocal harmonies of the close-knit sisters." [27] The Philadelphia City Paper similarly noted that "[the group] can get away with a lot of weird stuff because of how beautiful their voices sound in combination." [8]

Members

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

YearTitleAlbumRef
2011"Pleased To Meet You"Coruscate at the Meadow Gate [28]
"Pleiades" [29]
"Wolfmother" [17]

Music videos

Compilation appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hooters</span> American rock band

The Hooters are an American rock band, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1980. They combine elements of rock, reggae, ska, and folk music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfmother</span> Australian hard rock band

Wolfmother is an Australian hard rock band from Sydney. Formed in 2004, the group is centred around vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, who is the only constant member of the line-up. The band has been through many personnel changes since their formation. The original – and most commercially successful – line-up included bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Ross and Heskett left Wolfmother after four years in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXPN</span> Public radio station in Philadelphia

WXPN is a non-commercial, public radio station licensed to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that broadcasts an adult album alternative (AAA) radio format, along with many other format shows. WXPN produces World Cafe, a music program distributed by NPR to many non-commercial stations in the United States. The station's call sign, which is often abbreviated to XPN, stands for "Experimental Pennsylvania Network". The broadcast tower used by WXPN is located at, in the antenna farm complex in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amos Lee</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1977)

Amos Lee is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock, and soul.

Gene Shay was an American radio personality. Shay was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a Jewish family and was a representative of the city's folk music scene. Beginning in 1962, he produced a weekly folk radio shows on WXPN, which was last broadcast on February 1, 2015. He previously hosted shows on WDAS-FM, WMMR, WIOQ and WHYY-FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franz Nicolay</span> American musician and writer (born 1977)

Franz Nicolay is an American musician and writer. He is best known for playing the accordion and piano in The World/Inferno Friendship Society and keyboards in The Hold Steady from 2005 to 2010 and again from 2016 onwards. He is also notable for founding Anti-Social Music, a composer/performer collective based in New York City, and for performing in the Balkan jazz quartet Guignol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MAD Dragon Music Group</span> Music company run by Drexel University

The Music Industry Program Entities, or the MAD Dragon Music Group (MDMG), is an umbrella company owned by Drexel University, run by university students and overseen by faculty and staff. The purpose of the company is to provide industry experience to the students in the university's Music Industry program. The companies of MDMG include MAD Dragon Records, DraKo Booking, MAD Dragon Publishing, MADKo Concerts, and artist services company Bantic Media.

Mischief Brew was an American folk punk band from Philadelphia consisting of vocalist and guitarist Erik Petersen, bassist Shawn St. Clair, and drummers Christopher Petersen and Christopher Kulp. The band played DIY folk punk and anarcho-punk music; it incorporated styles including American folk, Celtic folk, Gypsy-punk, and swing with lyrics influenced by the labour movement, protest music, and punk culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoots & Hellmouth</span> US musical group

Hoots & Hellmouth is an American band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tin Bird Choir</span>

Tin Bird Choir is a barn rock band from Chester County, Pennsylvania. Eric and Heather Hurlock, Josh Sceurman, Ellen Houle, and Brad Hinton weave the poetry of rural life into urgent melodies and heartbreaking harmonies and pair it all with burning musicality. "Tin Bird Choir's mix of pop hooks, delicate harmonies, and tight playing is a winning blend," says, John Vettese of 88.5 WXPN. Their signature “barn rock” sound has earned them some national attention: Their recent single "Hide My Heart was picked up by SiriusXM The Village; Two songs off their sophomore album Homesteady, “Straight Face” and "Take Me With You When You Go," were picked up by Starbucks and are played in their stores worldwide. Another song off the Homesteady album, “Cheaper, Less Painful,” earned the band a spot as one of the regional finalists in the Mountain Stage Newsong Contest. Homesteady was one of the Top Albums of 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toy Soldiers (band)</span>

Toy Soldiers were an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group's sound melds elements of folk, roots rock, blues, and soul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fleeting Ends</span>

The Fleeting Ends are a rock band from Philadelphia, PA. The band consists of Matt Vantine, Lauren Davish, Andrew Leingang (drums), Jim Ronca (keys), and Tim Ferguson (bass). Their sound has been described as "upbeat and poppy" with an emphasis on two part vocal harmonies and catchy hooks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HogMaw (band)</span> American band

HogMaw is an American band from York, Pennsylvania, United States. The music of HogMaw has been described as a combination of bluegrass, folk, funk, and heavy metal called "thundergrass".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trophy Wife (American band)</span>

Trophy Wife is an American punk and post-hardcore band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Originally founded in Washington, D.C., in 2009, members include Diane Foglizzo on guitar and Katy Otto on drums, with both Foglizzo and Otto singing. They tour frequently, and many of their shows double as benefits for non-profit organizations. They have released three full albums: Patience Fury (2010), Sing What Scares You (2012), and All the Sides (2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lame-O Records</span> American record label

Lame-O Records is an independent record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded by Eric Osman to release Modern Baseball's Sports, the label has been hailed as one of Philadelphia's best indie labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb</span>

TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Sweet Pill is an American emo band from Philadelphia, founded in 2019. The band consists of vocalist Zayna Youssef, guitarist Jayce Williams, guitarist Sean McCall, bassist Ryan Cullen, and drummer Chris Kearney.

Riverby is an American indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2018 by lead singer August Greenberg and guitarist Tyler Asay, the band released an EP, The Guide To Oversharing (2019), before signing to independent label Take This To Heart Records in 2020 and releasing their debut album, Smart Mouth. A second album, Absolution, was released in 2022. Riverby have performed alongside acts including Chris Gethard, Mannequin Pussy, and The Front Bottoms, and have been featured by WXPN and BrooklynVegan.

Annachristie Marie Sadler, known professionally as AC Sapphire, is an American singer-songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. She has shared the stage with artists including First Aid Kit, Amos Lee, Langhorne Slim, and Victoria Williams and collaborated with Kyle Craft, Hoots & Hellmouth, Sharon Little, and Shirley Manson.

The HIRS Collective, formerly known as simply +HIRS+, is an American queer punk musical collective based in Philadelphia. Founded in 2011 by vocalist Jenna Pup and guitarist Esem, they have amassed over 50 releases, including two studio albums for Get Better Records, Friends. Lovers. Favorites. (2018) and We're Still Here (2023). Both albums drew media attention for their extensive high-profile featured artists, including Garbage's Shirley Manson, Screaming Females' Marissa Paternoster, and My Chemical Romance's Frank Iero. The group has also been noted for their fluid lineup, short, abrasive songs, and radical queer/trans-minded politics. They have been branded "Queercore's resident supergroup" by Alternative Press.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Barnes, Jade (2021-03-05). "Sisters 3 release sophomore album today!". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Prillaman, Ashley (2020-01-16). "Premiere: AC Sapphire Hightails it Out of the Desert with Latest Single "Mini Tour"". Audiofemme. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  3. ↑ "Desert Car Album, by Ac Sapphire". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2023-01-26. Special thanks to Victoria Williams for her studio and my mother and father Dennis and Cindy
  4. 1 2 Milligan, Kaitlin (2020-01-16). "AC Sapphire Announces New EP OMNI PRESENT". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Stella, Nikki (2006-01-25). "Anna Christie brings 'Elixir for the Human Heart' to Sellersville's 'Singer-Songwriter Conspiracy'". The Reporter . Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  6. ↑ "Meet the 2022 Finalists: AC Sapphire". NewSong Music. 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Darmanin, Rachael (2008-02-21). "Sisters 3 Set "Star Spangled" Debut". CMJ . Archived from the original on 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fine, M.J. (Sep 10, 2008). "Twisted Sisters". Philadelphia City Paper . Archived from the original on Sep 11, 2008. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  9. 1 2 Sisters 3 on NBC (TV broadcast). WCAU. 2009-01-18 [2008-05-16] – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ "Hoots and Hellmouth in Concert". NPR.org . May 25, 2007. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  11. 1 2 "Anna Christie Sadler". Discogs. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  12. 1 2 3 "AC Sapphire: Presented by Sou'wester Arts". Sou'wester Lodge. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  13. ↑ "Local connections abound at this year's Philly Folkfest". The Reporter. 2008-08-04. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  14. ↑ Warren, Bruce (2011-04-19). "New Shaking Through with Hezekiah Jones". WXPN . Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  15. ↑ "This Weekend's Picks: Adele, The Loom, Simone Felice, Dutch, Fake Problems, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., The Armchairs". WXPN . 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  16. ↑ Coruscate at the Meadow Gate at AllMusic . Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  17. 1 2 3 ModernVintage09 (Oct 6, 2011). Sisters3 - Wolfmother.mov – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ "Listen to "Local Labor Day" on XPN2 Monday, Sept. 5th, from 11 a.m.-8 p.m." WXPN . 2011-09-01. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  19. ↑ "AC Sapphire Takes Us to the Desert on 'Omni Present' (EP stream) (premiere)". PopMatters . 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  20. ↑ Vettese, John (2013-03-12). "Meet Annachristie Sadler's new project Murchant on the G Line of the NYC Metro (she plays Puck on 3/22)". WXPN . Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  21. 1 2 Hojsak, Sarah (2020-02-18). "AC Sapphire finds magic out west in "Desert Stars"". WXPN. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  22. ↑ Vettese, John (2018-11-09). "Annachristie Sapphire returns with ethereal folk gem "Bonsai"". WXPN . Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  23. ↑ "Photos: Sisters 3's Key Studio Session". WXPN. 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  24. 1 2 Vettese, John (2011-08-10). "The Key Studio VIDEO Sessions: Sisters 3". WXPN. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  25. ↑ Sisters 3 (BalconyTV) , retrieved 2023-01-27
  26. ↑ Bense, Kiley (2011-07-29). "This weekend's concert picks: No shortage of great shows to see!". WXPN. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  27. 1 2 Lukens, Jeremy (2011-09-06). "Sisters 3: Coruscate at the Meadow Gate". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  28. ↑ Sisters 3 "Pleased To Meet You" , retrieved 2023-01-02
  29. ↑ Pleiades - Sisters 3 , retrieved 2023-01-02
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.