Skip to content

The Sweet Lowdown playing double bill

For more than three years, The Sweet Lowdown has been winning the hearts of bluegrass and old-time music lovers with their three-part harmonies and fingerpicking antics.
Cochranites will have two chances to see The Sweet Lowdown; first, opening for the The Bills at the Alliance Church Nov. 15, then at Legacy Guitar and Coffee House the
Cochranites will have two chances to see The Sweet Lowdown; first, opening for the The Bills at the Alliance Church Nov. 15, then at Legacy Guitar and Coffee House the following evening.

For more than three years, The Sweet Lowdown has been winning the hearts of bluegrass and old-time music lovers with their three-part harmonies and fingerpicking antics.

Cochrane has two chances to see this Victoria-based acoustic roots trio, as the three ladies will be opening up for The Bills at the Alliance Church Nov. 15 for the Cochrane Valley Folk Club, as well as fronting their own show at Legacy Guitar and Coffee House Nov. 16 at 8 p.m.

“We all come from very different backgrounds,” explained lead singer and guitarist, Amanda Blied, a Victoria, B.C. native and former member of Victoria’s Eastern European a capella vocal group, the Balkan Babes.

Violinist-turned-fiddler, Miriam Sonstenese came to the group a classically trained musician with a long history in bluegrass bands.

Washington native, Shanti Brerner has been developing and perfecting her banjo craft since age 11, focused on ‘clawhammer’ banjo – an older style of banjo playing.

Together, the girls have released two full-length albums; their sophomore release, May, came out in November of 2012, produced by Adrian Dolan of The Bills.

Not unlike their self-titled debut album, May has turned heads and earned praise from critics, including a 2013 award for Island Roots Album of the Year.

Heavily influenced and entrenched in bluegrass and old time music, the threesome incorporates elements from both genres into their folks-roots sound, including layered harmonies that are distinctly bluegrass in nature.

Old time music is one of the oldest forms of North American traditional music. It’s built around traditional string instruments, including fiddle, banjo and guitar and largely derived from folk musicians of Scottish, English and Irish descent who settled in the cultural Appalachian region of the U.S. (from the southern tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia).

“We love to play a lot of traditional music, but when we go to record something it will sometimes sound traditional and sometimes not,” explained Blied. “Everybody writes their own songs and tunes and brings them to the rest of the band – we just recently had our first group co-write.”

The girls have carted their act from Canadian coast to coast and even into the U.S. Blied said she and her bandmates are looking forward to an early 2014 ‘pilgrimage’ to North Carolina, which will include a show for the Winter Colonial Concert Series in Canton, NC.

“None of us have started families yet and we are loving the opportunity to travel and share our music,” said Blied, adding that they have seen considerable growth in youth representation in bluegrass and old time musical communities wherever they go.

Early 2014 will see The Sweet Lowdown return to the studio with producer Dolan. “He’s such a pleasure to work with and is an acoustic musician himself…we trust him to give us feedback in a clear and gentle way,” said Blied.

To learn more about the acoustic three-piece, visit thesweetlowdown.ca.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks