The UK duo known as the Carrivick Sisters excel at performing together in sync — little surprise considering the fact that they’re twins, and therefore naturally possess a sibling symmetry. Charlotte and Laura grew up making music together, and now, 18 years since first forming their band in 2006, they’ve perfected a natural, homespun style that simulates the lure of home and hearth, while drawing inspiration from a love of traditional American old-time and bluegrass music, along with the trappings of traditional folk.
“We would describe our sound as bluegrass adjacent, but definitely not pure bluegrass,” Charlotte says. “It’s quieter. Plus, I play clawhammer rather than three finger banjo. Although the music we love is American, we’re English, and to pretend otherwise would feel disingenuous. So there’s a little bit of influence from the English folk scene in there too.”
Between the two, the sisters play guitars, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and dobro. In addition to their own efforts, the pair have loaned their talents to various other outfits as well, including the twice IBMA Award-nominated band, Midnight Skyracer.
The twins currently call West Wiltshire home, and live a mere 20 minute drive from one other. However they grew up in South Devon.
“We listen to mostly bluegrass,” Charlotte continues. “Laura particularly loves the more traditional end of the scale with Flatt and Scruggs and The Nashville Bluegrass Band being her special favorites. She also loves country music, such as George Strait, and western swing, such as Bob Wills and Spade Cooley. I tend to lean towards slightly later bluegrass recordings and instrumental albums from the likes of David Grier, Matt Flinner, and Bryan Sutton, but I also love old time fiddle music and jazz, including Count Basie, Harry James, Louis Armstrong, and Joe Pass.”
Charlotte says the pair have toured mostly throughout the UK, although they do venture further afield when the opportunities permit.
“We’ve played a good chunk of the major folk festivals over here,” she adds. “Cambridge would be the best known. We’ve also done some great ones in Canada, the Vancouver Folk Festival and the Vancouver Island Festival among them. Plus, we even performed live on TV with Sir Tom Jones once! We’ve also been fortunate to share the stage with many of our musical heroes over the years when we were on the staff at Sore Fingers Summer Schools. More recently, I was fortunate enough to be invited to teach at Bryan Sutton’s Blue Ridge Guitar Camp.”
On the other hand, it’s apparent they’ve been finding success wholly on their own.
“We’ve been doing this nearly 20 years now, and people keep coming back,” Charlotte says. “So I guess they like it!”
That appreciation is likely spawned, at least in part, by the fact that the Carrivicks have recorded some seven albums over the course of their career. “Our latest duo album, Illustrated Short Stories, came out a couple of years ago,” Charlotte says. “I’m releasing my first solo record this month. Laura plays on a few of the tracks, along with a brilliant house band of some of the UK’s best players. We’ve also put out lots of albums with other bands we’ve been part of, such as Midnight Skyracer and Cardboard Fox.”
Charlotte went on to explain that while the two play mostly originals, they also tap into traditional music to come up with source material. “We particularly enjoy finding old stories to inspire new songs,” she added.
Naturally then, the sisters express a natural affinity for bluegrass in particular.
“It’s just the most fun to play and listen to,” Charlotte insists. “It’s also a very sociable music, and can be made accessible to beginners, although the top level is so high that there’s always going to be more to learn and work on. The people who play it are, on the whole, really friendly and welcoming too.”
For more about the Carrivick Sisters, visit them online.
