Live Review: Chapin Sisters at the Living Room

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Wednesday, 04 August 2010 18:48

Written by Bree Rubin

The Chapin Sisters
Monday, August 2, 2010
the Living Room 
154 Ludlow St.
New York City

An LA-based duo (sometimes a trio), Lilly and Abigail Chapin have spent the spring and summer touring with pop group She and Him. The Chapin Sisters are about to go on tour again, so this recent one-hour performance/stop-off in their native New York at the Living Room was a nice treat for fans.

Abigail and Lilly took the stage at 7 pm dressed in beautiful long gowns. The set began with "Don't Love You", a song emblematic of their lyrical sense of humor somewhat hidden in sweet vintage, folksy melodies.

Both sisters are capable instrumentalists, but often appear with accompanying musicians, and play with their arrangements accordingly. After delivering a few songs by themselves, they were joined on stage by  drummer Jesse Lee and Richard Giddens on bass to play some of their newer tunes. Having seen the sisters perform before, I enjoyed hearing them shake up some tempos with percussion and bass.  

"Let Me Go" was performed with a bit of extra swing in tempo, but the  was not missing any of its bluesy undertones or the feminine sweetness in the verse.

The sisters' voices are haunting (at times even eerie), especially if you are able to hear them live. Although their latest EP Oh Hear The Wind Blow is enjoyable, there is nothing comparable to seeing them in person. The performance was consistently transportational. The Living Room's air conditioning was broken and the room sweltering. Despite this, I actually got chills.  

With no disrespect to their training, I am now convinced that harmony must be genetic, as the two Chapin sirens mold powerful soundscapes from floors to rafters as if born to sing together. Some of their singing was enough to make the heart jump.

One of the fan favorites from their usual repertoire is a sultry cover of Britney Spears's "Toxic." Dripping with sex, the girls own the song in ways that the original could not hope to achieve. They also did a lovely cover of the surprisingly depressing folk song "Your Long Journey" by Doc Watson.

Their vocal dichotomy was especially stirring in new songs such as "Palm Tree" and "Roses in Winter," where Abigail's soft, whisper-like singing hung gossamer over her sister Lilly's warmth and smokiness.

The set was enjoyable, but far too short. When things were over, it felt like I was suddenly re-deposited back in an overly warm room with ineffectual fans. For one hour, the audience had been treated to a unique, folk-inspired vintage sound. The sisters' chillingly beautiful voices delivered lyrics with lighthearted and relatable humor, drawing cheerful faces from the Living Room patrons.They are certainly worth checking out, especially if you can catch them live, where they really shine.

The Chapin sisters will continue to be busy for the forseeable future. In the first week of August, they will perform with their father and award-winning folk musician Tom Chapin in Nova Scotia  (August 5th, 6th, and 7th).

Without taking much of a rest, the sisters begin their United States tour on August 25 in Salt Lake City, UT. In addition to their season packed full of tour dates, expect their second record, Two, to land September 14, 2010.

More information can be found at thechapinsisters.com or on myspace music site at: myspace.com/thechapinsisters
 

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