Local band Sister Speak is set to release their new album Rise Up for Love Friday, March 21st at World Beat Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park. This will be a full band performance featuring core members Sherri Anne (guitar, vocals), Lisa Viegas (drums, cajon), and current members Tolan Shaw (guitar, harmonies) and Jacob “Cubby” Miranda (bass). Special guests and openers include Todo Mondo and Groove Session.
We caught up with Sherri Anne (who wrote all the tracks on the disc) to ask her all about the new album:
Where did you record? Analog Chew Recording Studio in San Diego, CA. Produced and mixed by Alan Sanderson, mastered by Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering – both Grammy Award Winning engineers.
What was different about this recording experience compared to previous experiences? This is our first real album and first time we have recorded in a professional studio – the sound in that room was unlike anything else we had experienced. We worked with a very experienced team of engineers. It is also our first full band Sister Speak album and it was amazing how hard everyone worked to capture the essence of Sister Speak’s sound. We recorded most of the album in analog. It was modeled after GoldStar, a Hollywood hit factory and one of the first rock recording studios. With the way the studio was built we were able to track many parts together. All the drums and bass were tracked in analog at the same time and most of Tolan and I’s guitar parts were tracked together in the same room!
What’s something people might find surprising about your music, your band, or your record?
Tolan and I are not siblings, and Lisa and I are not a couple! Also Lisa and I grew up 20 minutes away from each other near Vancouver, BC in Canada, but didn’t know each other until 2010 when we met in San Diego when Sister Speak first started! As for the album most of it was written after a major injury in 2012. I went home to BC to recover for 2 months and was going through a lot. These songs nursed me back to health and have had a journey of their own ever since!
What kind of influences can be heard on this album?
Ryan Adams, Wilco, Patty Griffin, The Beatles
Any particular music you were listening to/inspired by during the process?
There were two powerful concerts that inspired several songs on the album – a Matthew Good concert at the Casbah that sent me on a month-long writing spree while I was living in an art building in downtown San Diego. Also in May of 2013 I went to a festival where the XX and Mumford and Suns blew me away. I came back so inspired I couldn’t stop playing guitar for days – and that’s when I finished the song “Lady Love.” Lisa loves the Red Hot Chili peppers and beats overall so she adds a refreshing modern element to the rhythm. Tolan and Jacob both have a love for soul music which shows in the soulful and groovy nature of their parts on the album tracks.
To find out more about the event and to RSVP (cover is $5 advance, $8 at the door), click here.
