Event

The Sweetback Sisters

The Sweetback Sisters forge their own sound by delivering arrangements that combine the soul of classic 40s, 50s and 60s-era country music with an undeniably contemporary edge. Emily Miller (vocals, fiddle), Zara Bode (vocals, guitar), Stefan Amidon (drums), Rob Hecht (fiddle) and Jason Loughlin (electric guitar) take their inspiration from the Davis Sisters and Louvin Brothers, as well as the spirited honky-tonk energy of Wanda Jackson and Loretta Lynn. Zara and Emilys family-style harmonies reflect a deeply felt love for traditional country music styles and a palpable joy in playing and singing together, and the bands signature mix of harmony singing, rollicking telecaster and twin fiddling is as infectious as it is heartbreaking.

Zara Bode and Emily Miller started singing together in the Montpelier, VT-based choir Northern Harmony. While performing an eclectic repertoire of shape-note hymns and eastern European harmonies, the two discovered a mutual love of good old American country music. They moved to Brooklyn, NY, reeled in an all-star cast of back-up musicians, and started playing in venues up and down the eastern United States. The Sweetback Sisters were chosen as one of six finalists to play on A Prairie Home Companion as part of the program's 2007 People in Their Twenties talent contest.