The two-part harmony the Chapin Sisters have mastered didn’t come automatically. The duo, made up of Abigail and Lily Chapin, was once a trio. Fellow founding member Jessica Craven departed in early 2010 after having a baby, but that didn’t stop Abigail and Lily. The pair forged on, adjusting to life with only two voices. They released the group’s second album “Two” in the United States back in September, and have been playing shows off and on for the last 14 months. The Chapin Sisters perform at Jammin’ Java on Monday.
“The dynamic is very different in every way,” said Abigail during a recent phone interview. “It took us a while to realize how it was different and even musically how it was different, how to approach songs differently and how to arrange them. We had to really sort of learn how to tailor things differently.”
| Onstage |
| The Chapin Sisters |
| Where: Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Avenue East, Vienna |
| When: 7 p.m. Monday |
| Info: $10 in advance, $13 day of; jamminjava.com. |
As a trio, the Chapin Sisters released their first album “Lake Bottom LP” in 2008. If their last name rings a bell, it’s because Abigail and Lily are the daughters of folk singer Tom Chapin and nieces of late singer-songwriter Harry Chapin (“Cat’s in the Cradle”). Jessica Craven is Abigail’s and Lily’s half-sister, and daughter of horror movie legend Wes Craven.
Abigail and Lily didn’t have much time to adjust to Jessica’s departure. She & Him invited them out on tour as both an opening and backup act. Abigail remembers this as a “trial by fire.”
“We were free from the confines of three-part harmony, but we hadn’t really found the confines of two-part harmony yet,” she said. “We hadn’t really figured out what that was, the confines and the freedom that is two-part harmony.”
Since Jessica’s departure, Abigail and Lily have kept busy. In addition to supporting She & Him, the pair has headlined their own shows, including a recent United Kingdom tour.
“We’ve been definitely the busiest, in terms of touring, we’ve ever been in our lives,” Abigail said. “The U.K. tour was really great. It was our first time really traveling through the country. With basically no exceptions it was great. It’s was just really fun to be there.”
