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The Quebe Sisters Band


Update: The event has sold out as of Jan. 24.

Q When did you start playing the fiddle?

A We were home-schooled when we were kids. It was just one of those things (we thought) would be fun to try. My sisters and I started taking lessons "¦ in about 1998. I think that's worked really well in our favor because we were all able to progress at the same pace. We played a lot of fiddle and did a lot of fiddle contests growing up. We made our first album in 2003. We were playing some gigs around that time. We started singing and doing vocals (during) our shows in 2005. So, that was really kind of the start of our band.

Q Where are you from?

A We're based in Texas. None of us were actually born in Texas. My mom jokes that she got us here as fast as she could. We've lived in Texas since I -- I'm the youngest -- was 4. The music that we play is very traditional to Texas. If we had lived on the East Coast, it probably would have been "¦ more bluegrass-influenced. The teachers that we went to were Texas-style teachers.

Q How did you develop your style?

A We play a lot of country music (and) Western swing. We play a little bit of bluegrass. We draw from a lot of different styles -- jazz, swing, big band music. You name it, we listen to it. We do play a lot of acoustic music, which tends to be a lot more traditional. Growing up "¦ we didn't play together as much. When we got a little bit older, we started learning to play songs together. We can do a lot of different things (with) three of us playing three fiddles. We had another guitar player "¦ and our bass player. That was our band for years. This year, we're kind of starting out doing a new thing. Penny and Katy Clark of The Purple Hulls will be playing with us when we're in York. We're going to be having ... piano, several guitars, mandolin, five-part vocals (and) banjo in there, too. It's going to different, but it's going to be a lot of fun.

Q Any on-stage moments that took your breath away?

A We've been really ... fortunate to get to play some awesome places. The first time we played the Grand Ole Opry, I was 13 years old. That blew me away. Ricky Skaggs was really kind to us. We met him when he was in Texas. He ... brought us up to the Opry and "¦ he invited us to be on his segment. That was a really big moment. Getting to meet President (George W.) Bush when he was in office and getting to play the Kennedy Center was ... a real honor.

Q Who are your influences?

A Right now, my sisters and I are really into singers. My new favorite artist is Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. . The late, great Ray Price was a big influence on us growing up. We got to open for him and meet him. That was a real honor. One of our favorite singers (is) Connie Smith. It's a lot of fun to listen to traditional people and then to move on and see who they listened to. I remember the first time I heard Ella Fitzgerald, I thought, "I wonder who influenced her?" It was Connee Boswell and The Boswell Sisters. They were a sister group out of New Orleans, and they were incredible.

Q Have you been working on an album?

A We have been touring to support (our last album) "Timeless." Our new album titled "Every Which-A-Way" ... is going to be released Feb. 11. Deciding the songs was actually easy. It was just nice to get a lot of songs that we felt like had gotten a really good crowd response, were our favorite songs "¦ and definitely fan favorites. Working on the album was really cool. We went in for a week and ... did everything live. We really wanted to keep it as raw as possible. We really want to make it sound like what you would hear (during) a show. Fans can buy it at the shows only up until Feb. 11.

Q What is coming up for you this year?

A We're really looking forward to touring a lot in 2014. There's a possibility of a European tour coming up. (We'll be) working on our new, updated sound. Hopefully (we'll) be making an EP this year.

If you go

The Quebe Sisters Band will play a mix of western swing, vintage country, bluegrass and jazz tunes during a concert 4 p.m. Jan. 26 at Marketview Arts, 37 W. Philadelphia St., York. Susquehanna Folk Music Society hosts the show, and the band's new album will be available for purchase.

Tickets are $22 for the public, $18 for SFMS members and $10 for students ages 3 to 22. For details and tickets, call 717-745-6577 or visit www.sfmsfolk.org.

For details about the band, which features sibling violin players Grace, Sophia and Hulda Quebe, visit www.quebesistersband.com.