Here’s a partial transcript of an interview with Oakland’s harmonious T Sisters. Click down below to listen to the whole interview and hear some of their music.
From their roots in the vibrant heart of the San Francisco Bay Area, the T Sisters have shared a lifelong musical voyage. Raised in a family that breathed music, these talented sisters have harmonized since childhood. With their mesmerizing vocal harmonies as the centerpiece, the T Sisters create a distinctive and soulful sound.
Steve Roby: Why don’t we start with an introduction of your sisters who couldn’t join us, and what instruments does everybody play?
Erika Tietjen: My two sisters, Rachel and Chloe, are twins. So we have the twin rhythm section, where Chloe plays drums and sings, and Rachel plays bass and guitar and sings. Chloe plays a little guitar as well. We all write music separately, mostly. And I play guitar and sing.
Steve Roby: I mentioned in the intro that you and your sisters shared a lifelong musical voyage. What role did music play in your life when you were growing up?
Erika Tietjen: Music was the backdrop of everything. Our dad is a wonderful musician, singer, and songwriter who plays piano and guitar. He has written his music since before we were born. We grew up with him playing his songs on the piano during the daytime, nighttime, whenever. That was part of the fabric of our childhood. And our parents met dancing in San Francisco in the 70s, so there was a lot of dance in our lives as well. And, of course, music. was a big part of dance. We grew up going to the Oakland Y[MCA] with our mom, where she taught aerobics. So, we were exposed to various music and arts while growing up.
We grew up doing musical theater camp together for many years. So, we have an eclectic experience of music and art from the different facets of our lives.
Steve Roby: Where did writing music fit in with all you had going on?
Erika Tietjen: I was making up songs when I was little. I remember writing a song in middle school and writing my moody, angsty song in my notebook. I may have written more than one, but I remember one in particular. But only more seriously once we collaborated on an original musical theater piece with some friends in high school.
Steve Roby: I heard about the T Sisters ten years ago when you were part of a 10-artist tribute to Bob Marley’s album Exodus. I think it was at the independent theater in San Francisco. I’m sure a lot has changed in your life since then. Can you tell my listeners about some of the changes in the last ten years?
Erika Tietjen: In the world, of course, we’ve experienced the big changes of the pandemic and the post-pandemic and the effect that’s had on music and our lives. And while that was happening, Chloe and I each had a couple of kids. So that’s been a considerable change. I have two littles, one and a half and three and a half.
In the first half of that decade, we were doing the traditional. touring, touring, hustle, hustle which of course stopped when COVID hit. So, now, we’re trying to reimagine what it means to be musicians with young children.
We are doing our best. Yes, it can be quite challenging, but we are lucky to be able to do both. There are a few models out there doing it, but there aren’t many models of women with young children doing the music thing, so we’re all just trying to figure it out as we go.
Steve Roby: More power to you! I understand you’re releasing singles from an upcoming EP called Sheroes. What can you tell me about the project, and when can we look forward to it?
Erika Tietjen: We’ve just released two singles, the first two from Sheroes. It’s a short collection of covers of iconic female artists whom we’ve been inspired by throughout the years. The first release was a cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” Then, a couple of weeks ago, we released Madonna’s “Like A Virgin,” we’ve got another single coming up in September.
Everything will probably be out by early winter. You can get the EP live, but as of now, you can only stream the singles that we’ve released.
Steve Roby: What do you enjoy most about performing live, and how does the group prepare for a show?
Erika Tietjen: We’ve been performing for many years. I think it’s a drive; I need to feel it. There’s something about performing that when it’s good, it feels really good!
Steve Roby: You’ve got two unique shows in Inverness. They are part of the Every Blue Moon Concert series on Labor Day weekend, August 31st. What can fans look forward to at these shows?
Erika Tietjen: These are some of those intimate house concert shows I was referring to. These shows are really fun because, as an audience member, you get to be up close and personal, and we always encourage our audiences to ask questions. We’re likelier to tell weird stories in an intimate environment like a house concert.
It’s an excellent opportunity for people to get to know us and our different personalities and hear the music in a beautiful, intimate setting. So those are big draws for the show. We’ll also have our lead guitar player, Rory Cloud, who is wonderful! Even though it’s a smaller setting, people will still hear that full sound.
Steve Roby: Erica, thank you so much for your time today. I really enjoyed the conversation!
Erika Tietjen: Likewise. Thanks, Steve. We’ll see you in a couple of weeks.
Ticket info: The T Sisters will perform two shows on Saturday, August 31, at the Every Blue Moon Concert Series in Inverness—one at 4:30 p.m. and the other at 7 pm. For tickets and more info, please visit https://everybluemoonconcerts.org
Top photo courtesy of T Sisters. Photo in text by Alan Sheckter.
