Jessica Craven
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The Chapin Sisters are an American
folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...
and harmony duo from
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York. The band consists of sisters Abigail and Lily Chapin, and formerly their half-sister Jessica Craven. Their sound blurs the lines between old-time
Appalachian music Appalachian music is the music of the region of Appalachia in the Eastern United States. Traditional Appalachian music is derived from various influences, including the ballads, hymns and fiddle music of the British Isles (particularly Scotland) ...
, classic
country-rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...
and pop.


Early life

Abigail and Lily were born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the
Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...
. They sang professionally from an early age, first on their dad
Tom Chapin Tom Chapin (born March 13, 1945) is an American musician, entertainer, singer-songwriter, and storyteller. Chapin is known for the song " Happy Birthday", released in 1989 in his ''Moonboat'' album. It takes its melody from "Love Unspoken", a so ...
's children's records, which led to jobs on other children's records, including
the Olsen Twins Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986), also known as the Olsen twins as a duo, are American fashion designers and former actresses. The twins made their acting debut as infants playing Michelle Tanner on the television s ...
' "Brother for Sale" and "I Am the Cute One". They also sang onstage in benefit and tribute concerts honoring their uncle, the late singer and activist
Harry Chapin Harold Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Grammy ...
, along with other members of their family, including cousin
Jen Chapin Jennifer Chapin is an American singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of the singer-songwriter Harry Chapin and Sandra Chapin. She serves on the board of directors of WhyHunger, a grassroots support organization founded in 1975 by her father and ...
and their half-sister
Jessica Craven The Chapin Sisters are an American folk rock and harmony duo from Brooklyn, New York. The band consists of sisters Abigail and Lily Chapin, and formerly their half-sister Jessica Craven. Their sound blurs the lines between old-time Appalachian mus ...
. By 2004 Abigail, Lily, and Jessica had relocated to Los Angeles (Lily Chapin was working on a film directed by
Barbara Kopple Barbara Kopple (born July 30, 1946) is an American film director known primarily for her documentary work. She has won two Academy Awards, the first in 1977 for ''Harlan County, USA'', about a Kentucky miners' strike, /sup> and the second in ...
). They began their band at the urging of their half-brother
Jonathan Craven Jonathan Craven (born March 20, 1965) is an American writer and director. He is the son of the late filmmaker Wes Craven and Bonnie Broecker. He co-wrote the horror sequel ''The Hills Have Eyes 2'' and worked on the short-lived NBC horror series ...
who arranged for them to record at the home studio of Michael Fitzpatrick (of the band
Fitz and the Tantrums Fitz and the Tantrums are an American indie pop and neo soul band from Los Angeles, California, that formed in 2008. The band consists of Michael Fitzpatrick (lead vocals), Noelle Scaggs (co-lead vocals and percussion), James King (saxophone, ...
). Before they had ever played a show together or considered themselves a band, their slow, acoustic version of
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
's song "
Toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...
" gained attention and radio play around the country. Following this unexpected success, The Chapin Sisters began to play concerts in Los Angeles, and the sisters also started writing music together—songs that would eventually become their first full-length album.


''The Lake Bottom LP''

Spurred by the sudden interest in their singing abilities, they put together a collection of songs and, on March 18, 2008, they released their debut full-length album ''Lake Bottom LP'' on the Plain Recordings label. Initially the album was only released as a
vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...
but a
compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...
version soon followed. Many of the music reviews by critics were positive. According to ''popmatters.com'', "they haunt the interstices of folk, pop, and blues, and play seductive games with the knife-edge of heartache. Their soft harmonies and dark sidelong lyrics fit perfectly into a new folk aesthetic that is more twisted than freaky," and "their music blends the harmonies of traditional sister-acts with a modern lyrical sensibility." FLAVORPILL of San Francisco wrote "The one virtue the Chapin Sisters shares with classic sister acts of old becomes apparent when they sing together: that shiver of spotless, familial unity that makes every syllable woundingly poignant."


2010, the departure of Jessica, and ''Two''

In early 2010 Jessica took a "leave of absence" and left the band to spend time with her newborn baby, and Lily and Abigail, now a duo, set out on tour with the folk pop duo
She & Him She & Him is an American musical duo consisting of Zooey Deschanel (vocals, piano, ukulele) and M. Ward (guitar, production) formed in 2006 in Portland, Oregon.Scaggs, Austin"Smoking Section: Modest Mouse, Zooey Deschanel, Kings of Leon"''Rolli ...
(consisting of
M. Ward Matthew Stephen Ward (born October 4, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Portland, Oregon. Ward's solo work is a mixture of folk and blues-inspired Americana analog recordings; he has released ten studio albums since 19 ...
and actress
Zooey Deschanel Zooey Claire Deschanel (; born January 17, 1980) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She made her film debut in '' Mumford'' (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film ''Almost Famous'' (2000). Deschanel is known for he ...
) singing back-up vocals and opening many of the shows as well. In April 2010 The Chapin Sisters released a five-song EP called "Oh Hear the Wind Blow," which was recorded live in the studio with Dan Horne as engineer and bass player, and
Aaron Sperske Aaron Sperske is an American drummer who has played in several bands, including Beachwood Sparks, Father John Misty, Lilys, The Miracle Workers, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, The Chapin Sisters, and The Pernice Brothers. He also played drums ...
on drums. On September 14, 2010, Abigail and Lily released their second full-length album "Two" on their own label, Lake Bottom Records. The album was produced by the sisters, along with Louie Stephens of
Rooney Rooney may refer to: People *Wayne Rooney, English football manager and former player *Rooney family, of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football franchise *Rooney (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Rooney (given nam ...
and Jesse Lee of
Gang Gang Dance Gang Gang Dance is an American band based in Manhattan, New York City. They are known for their distinctive sound which blends elements of psych-rock, ambient electronics, hip-hop, and Eastern music influences with the vocals of singer Lizzi B ...
.


''A Date with the Everly Brothers''

On April 23, 2013, ''A Date With the Everly Brothers'' was released as a full-length album tribute to
The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...
. It was funded via a successful
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
campaign that ended up raising over 150% of the band's goal.


''Today's Not Yesterday''

In October 2015, the band announced on their website and via Kickstarter that they would release their full-length album titled ''Today's Not Yesterday'', composed of original songs. The 12-song album was recorded in Los Angeles at Jonathan Wilson's Five-Star studio with the help of producers Dan Horne and Jesse Lee.


Discography


Studio records


Featured appearances


References


External links


Official website

NPR interview with Scott Simon
{{Authority control American folk musical groups Folk rock duos Female musical duos Sibling musical duos Musical groups from Brooklyn Musical groups established in 2004 2004 establishments in California Folk rock groups from California Red Rockets Glare artists