Three Play Weird Music

CherylWheeler.com
Bill Pringle

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Fan Reviews for Rite the First Time - Amazon
Fan Reviews for Hair of the Frog - Amazon

"[Three Weird Sisters] make bewitching, eclectic music ... think the Dixie Chicks do Shakespeare." --

Bill Osinski
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
October 12, 2003

The Filk and the Pagan communities enjoy the two best kept secrets of American acoustic music. Filkers brings playfulness and a fantasy/science fiction sensibility to their reconstructions of the folk tradition, while Pagan tunesmiths explore the rich storehouse of fairy tale and myth to evoke magic and wonder in their songs. The Three Weird Sisters create brilliant music at the point where these two vibrant genres intersect, and Rite the First Time, their debut CD, offers a fine sampling of their talent. All three of the Sisters are accomplished vocalists; instrumentation includes Gwen Knighton's wire harp, Brenda Sutton's guitar and bodhrán, and Teresa Gibson Powell's upright bass.

By turns playful and moody, shimmering and satirical, the songs on this CD cover a rich and varied emotional terrain. Two of the Sisters are songwriters and, like the Indigo Girls, each has her distinct style: Brenda Sutton is an accomplished wordsmith, wringing humor and ironic insight out of lyrics that are propelled by infectious melodies; while Gwen Knighton's mystical and romantic forays into the otherworld have an edgy, moody feel to them.

Highlights among the original tunes include Dumb Dumb Dorothy, in which the little girl from Kansas admits she had it better back in Oz, and Song of Fey Cross, a cautionary fairy tale with an ominous feel and a spine- tingling story. This CD also includes several cover songs, especially Cheryl Wheeler's When Fall Comes to New England and Dar Williams' Iowa, both of which showcase {Three Weird Sisters'} gorgeous harmonies. If you have any interest in Filk or Pagan music, this disc is utterly indispensable. Meanwhile, anyone who enjoys lovely harmonies, clever songwriting, and a sense of magic will find this recording to be well worth the price of admission.

Carl McColman
Author of The Aspiring Mystic, Embracing Jesus and the Goddess, Spirituality,
The Well-Read Witch, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paganism.