T Sisters / David Luning and Ben Dubin

3850 Doris Murphy Court,Occidental CA 95465

29 April, 2023

Description

Hailing from Oakland, , sisters Chloe, Erika, and Rachel Tietjen came together to form their Americana/folk trio T Sisters in 2008. The same year, they co-founded Chthonic Theater, a performing arts collective through which they create and perform in original musical theater productions, lead local parades, and curate/host variety shows featuring local and touring artists. Chloe (percussion), Erika (guitar), and Rachel (guitar/banjo) are all songwriters in their own right and switch off on lead vocals. While their voices blend seamlessly, each has a distinct singing and writing style. Chloe sings her heartfelt and often poetic lyrics in a subtle country tone. Erika weaves a story with attitude and will belt it out with the confidence and style of a pop diva. Rachel’s soulful and raw style is highlighted by her vintage blues-inspired tunes. The combination results in an eclectic repertoire unified by a landscape of close harmonies. Original compositions are at the heart of the T Sisters. In 2011, the T Sisters co-produced their first EP with renowned mandolin player Mike Marshall. Local folk/bluegrass legend Laurie Lewis produced their first full-length record Kindred Lines in 2014, followed by their self-titled and produced sophomore record (2016) and a live EP (2017). T Sisters have already received extensive airplay, leading to a top position in the Roots Music Reports, and have toured the country, performing both independently and with artists such as Amos Lee, The Wood Brothers, Elephant Revival, and The California Honeydrops. Chloe, Erika, and Rachel have had the honor of performing in Garrison Keillor’s ‘A Prairie Home Companion,’ singing the national anthem at two San Francisco Giants games, and playing at the High Sierra Music, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Sisters Folk, Fest, Americana Music Association, and Music City Roots. The sisters feel strongly about empowering young girls to develop their own strong voices through creative expression and have led hundreds of girls in harmony singing workshops. The three sisters’ inventive songwriting is supported by their own acoustic instrumentation and by well as upright bassist Steve Height. Also hailing from the bay, Steve is the founder of jazz band the Cosmo Alley Cats, playing professionally for swing dance crowds and at informal jam sessions where he experiments with new styles and his skillful blend of jazz, folk, rock and bluegrass. Though the T Sisters have been writing and singing together for a decade, there is a sense of renewal in their new album titled "Big Girl Pants" , and of having shed some of the expectations and insecurities of the trade. This may be fueled by the aforementioned new phases of life for the T Sisters. Most significantly, last year two of the three sisters became mothers. “I used to think of recording an album as akin to giving birth…now I realize giving birth is a heck of a lot more painful!” remarks Erika who delivered her baby at home in the Oakland artist loft that has been the creative hub of the T Sisters for the past 13 years. Chloe cringes knowingly and pipes in, “um…yea. There’s really no comparison.” Contrary to the labor of…well…labor, Erika recalls, “There was an effortlessness to the recording process which we hope comes through in the music.” Big Girl Pants drives seamlessly through indie-folk, retro soul, jazz and even psychedelia guided by the sisters’ arresting harmonies, yawing pedal steel, soaring strings and a myriad of other sounds. John Prine forced David Luning to drop out of college. Not at gunpoint or anything— the two had never even met—but the effect of hearing the songwriting legend's music for the first time had an equally compelling effect on Luning, who was studying film scoring at the Berklee College of Music in Boston at the time. Now an accomplished artist in his own right, Luning is preparing to release his most dynamic and gripping collection to date, 'Restless,' and he can trace it all back to one fateful night that changed everything. "A couple of friends invited me over to share some songs at their apartment, and that was the first time I'd ever really listened to Americana music or folk or country or whatever you want to call it," remembers Luning. "They showed me John Prine, and it just resonated with me so much. I was like, 'Oh my god, this is what I have to do with my life.' I just figured it out in that moment." Luning dropped out of school almost immediately, moved back to his native California, and devoted himself to songwriting and performing. He worked his way up through open mics to large festival performances, piecing together a band to flesh out his songs along the way and hitting the road to tour with a fierce determination. His self- released debut album, 'Just Drop On By,' garnered acclaim from both critics and fellow musicians alike, with country megastar Keith Urban hailing Luning's "staunch originality." Songs from the album landed numerous film and TV placements, most recently on NBC's 'Grimm,' and Luning's reputation for exhilarating live performances earned him dates with luminaries like Jackie Greene, Dave and Phil Alvin, and Elvin Bishop, along with a slew of festival performances up and down the West Coast.