“We never felt like country,” claims Allison Pierce. She and her sister, Catherine Pierce, make up the Pierces, a folky, eclectic duo now based in New York. They hail from Alabama, however, and the country influence is hard to miss on their debut album, which was produced in Nashville. It wasn’t until their third album, Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge, released in March 2007, that the sisters were finally able to translate their musical visions into songs that actually reflected them.
“For the last record, we had a much better idea of what we wanted, and we were finally able to go into the studio and make those decisions come to life,” Allison says. She calls the album an experiment where she and Catherine played around with different sounds and effects, ultimately resulting in an album that is impossible to classify, from the quick pick-up beat of “Sticks ‘ Stones,” to the soft serenading of “The Power Of,” to the dreamy, atmospheric quality of “Go to Heaven.” It’s as if the sisters took the folk label their previous albums had earned them, then turned the idea of folk on its head, adding instruments like the glockenspiel to fully enhance the duality and echoes of their voices.
The Pierces brought their new style of folk to the Upper East Side, or more specifically, the CW’s hit TV series Gossip Girl. “A friend of ours is a stylist on the show,” Allison explains. “She was telling us about the show one day, and Catherine said one of our songs would be perfect for it, so she went to the producers and they liked the idea.”
The producers of Gossip Girl feature two tracks, “Secret” and “Three Wishes” — one of which Allison and Catherine actually ended up singing live on the show.
What makes their sound so unique? The reasons are as varied as their songs. The two sisters prefer writing songs separately, allowing them to showcase their individual styles, and then bring everything together later. “Even though we’re different, I respect her vision, and she respects mine,” Allison says.
The sisters’ big move from the South to New York City nearly seven years ago also affected their music. “We grew up kind of sheltered. We’re from a nice, Christian family. Then we moved [to New York] and it was like we grew up,” Allison says. The exposure to different people and cultures helped stimulate and foster their creative process, and new experiences found their way into their songs.
When asked for her best source for songwriting, Allison answers quietly, “a broken heart.” Now that she’s happily married, however, she isn’t sure. “Maybe we’ll do ‘country on purpose’ for our next album, as opposed to our first album, ‘country by accident,'” she jokes. Either way, the Pierces will definitely keep everyone guessing as they continue to produce music the way they want, without the limitations of genre boundaries.
The Pierces’ Sunday night show at the Paradise was cancelled due to the snow, but will be rescheduled.
