The Callen Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Callen Sisters are a pair of sisters-duo singer-songwriters with unique and unusual instrumentation incorporating harp
and guitar
for folk-rock music.
, Massachusetts
, and Saratoga Springs, New York
.
Both sisters were fond of music since childhood, and received inspiration and support from their mother, Kim. They both learned piano at a young age, both played woodwind instruments (Jessa - flute, Beth - clarinet), and then both played guitar. The sisters both played in their school's Jazz band, Jessa on guitar and Beth on bass guitar. Jessa switched to harp after their move to Upstate New York in the late '90s.
Jessa later received formal training in composition
and harp
and earned her BM in music composition with a minor in harp performance. She became a professional harpist and accomplished studio musician, having recorded for several film scores and artists' solo albums.
The sisters had been performing together since high school and both decided to enroll at SUNY Purchase to pursue their musical dreams. A series of family losses, including Karen (their aunt), Kim (their mother) and Dorothy (their grandmother) in the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively, enhanced their closeness. They found refuge in each other and in their music, which enriched their songwriting qualities and deep compassion.
This became the catalyst of the formation of The Callen Sisters. Their premiere performance after formation was August 22, 2006 along with Dan Castellani on keyboards, Chris Anderson on bass, and Dave Gluck on drums.
Their debut self-titled album was released in October 2007 with Dan Castellani as producer, arranger and keyboardist
of the album. Both sisters share songwriting and vocal roles (6 from Jessa and 6 from Beth) with several studio musicians. Their songs deal with the personal experiences, societal insights, and raw emotions of both sisters.
Their music is influenced by Fiona Apple
and Tori Amos
, Jimi Hendrix
and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The interplay between Jessa's harp and Beth's guitar with their voices, creates a unique sound effect.
Jessa plays Camac Harps
and Beth plays Taylor Guitars
.
The Band
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
for folk-rock music.
Members
The pair is composed of elder sister Jessa Callen (Born 1982) and younger sister Beth Callen (Born 1984), both raised in WestportWestport, Massachusetts
Westport is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,532 at the 2010 census.The village of North Westport lies in the town.- History :...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and Saratoga Springs, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Both sisters were fond of music since childhood, and received inspiration and support from their mother, Kim. They both learned piano at a young age, both played woodwind instruments (Jessa - flute, Beth - clarinet), and then both played guitar. The sisters both played in their school's Jazz band, Jessa on guitar and Beth on bass guitar. Jessa switched to harp after their move to Upstate New York in the late '90s.
Jessa later received formal training in composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
and harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
and earned her BM in music composition with a minor in harp performance. She became a professional harpist and accomplished studio musician, having recorded for several film scores and artists' solo albums.
The sisters had been performing together since high school and both decided to enroll at SUNY Purchase to pursue their musical dreams. A series of family losses, including Karen (their aunt), Kim (their mother) and Dorothy (their grandmother) in the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively, enhanced their closeness. They found refuge in each other and in their music, which enriched their songwriting qualities and deep compassion.
This became the catalyst of the formation of The Callen Sisters. Their premiere performance after formation was August 22, 2006 along with Dan Castellani on keyboards, Chris Anderson on bass, and Dave Gluck on drums.
Their debut self-titled album was released in October 2007 with Dan Castellani as producer, arranger and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
of the album. Both sisters share songwriting and vocal roles (6 from Jessa and 6 from Beth) with several studio musicians. Their songs deal with the personal experiences, societal insights, and raw emotions of both sisters.
Their music is influenced by Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
and Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The interplay between Jessa's harp and Beth's guitar with their voices, creates a unique sound effect.
Jessa plays Camac Harps
Camac Harps
Camac Harps is a French company that manufactures pedal harps, lever harps, and electric pedal and lever harps. Camac Harps was founded by Joël Garnier in 1972....
and Beth plays Taylor Guitars
Taylor Guitars
Taylor Guitars is an El Cajon, California‐based luthier, specializing in acoustic guitars, as well as semi-hollow and solidbody electric guitars. It was established in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug.- History :...
.
2007 - The Callen Sisters
- Anomie
- Irrelevant
- Like You
- Life
- Wildfires
- Lullaby
- Tangled Up
- Phase
- Reincarnate
- Almost Gone
- Whirlwind Came
- Wake Up
- Track 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 written by Beth
- Track 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 written by Jessa
The Band
- Jessa Callen - Harp, Vocals
- Beth Callen - Guitar, Vocals
- Chris Anderson - Bass, Vocals on "Wake Up"
- Dan Castellani - keyboards
- Dave Gluck - Drums
- Wil Farr - Vocals on "Wake Up"
- Joe Fusca - Vocals on "Wake Up"
External links
- The Callen Sisters Official Site
- Cordless Recordings Site
- Shot Clock Management Site
- Jessa Callen's entry in Harp Mall