The Pierces
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Pierces | |
|---|---|
 Catherine (blonde) and Allison.
|
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Auburn, Alabama |
| Genre(s) | Adult Alternative Folk rock Pop rock |
| Years active | 2000–Present |
| Label(s) | Umvd Labels Universal Records (USA) Lizard King Records (USA) |
| Website | Their official Home Page |
The Pierces are a New York based music band. The principal members are sisters Catherine Pierce and Allison Pierce, who originally hail from Auburn, Alabama.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Childhood
Born two years apart in Auburn, Alabama the girls received a bohemian upbringing in their family of seven: They traveled frequently and received home-schooling. Their self-described hippie parents were both artistic: their father played the guitar in various bands, while their mother was a painter. Exposed to music and arts at an early age, they grew up listening to Joni Mitchell and Simon & Garfunkel. As kids, they were encouraged to explore their creative side and would perform at parties, weddings and churches. Allison started dancing at age three, and both sisters are accomplished ballerinas.
[edit] Musical career
It was while they attended Auburn University, that a friend sent a tape to a record company in Nashville. This eventually resulted in their debut album The Pierces(2000). It featured folk harmonies and adult alternative songs. However, Allison in an interview, admits that the album "sort of got lost in the shuffle".[1]". All Music Guide attributes the poor reception to "no label support". [2]
On August 10, 2005, their second album was released titled Light of the Moon through Universal. The album was produced by Brian Sperber and featured 11 tracks that the girls either wrote or co-wrote. [3]
Over the years, the girls have been compared to well-known artists like The Roches, Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, the Indigo Girls and Sheryl Crow.
On March 20, 2007, their third album Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge was released in the U.S. Produced by Roger Greenawalt (Nils Lofgren, Radish, Ben Kweller), the album has been well-reviewed, particularly for the single "Boring", which parodies celebrity socialites. The new album has a darker, edgier style, at times using such diverse instruments as an accordion, a calliope, bassoons, a sitar, violins, an autoharp, and a Hawaiian lap steel. It marks a definitive change in the direction of the band, which hitherto has been known as a folk rock band.[4]
In an interview with Rolling Stone after they were featured as a Rolling Stone Breaking Artist, they revealed that this album "felt like [their] last chance". As a result, they "just went for it, had fun". [5]
On December 5, 2007, the Pierces appeared on the CW television series Gossip Girl, playing their songs "Secret" and "Three Wishes".[6]
[edit] Members
- Allison Pierce: Lead vocals, backing vocals, harmony vocals, guitars, whistling
- Catherine Pierce: Lead vocals, backing vocals, harmony vocals, guitars, whistling
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
Thirteen Tales of Love And Revenge
[edit] Singles
| Title |
|---|
| "Boring" |
| "Lights On" |
| "A Way to Us" |
| "Three Wishes" |
| "Secret" |
[edit] References
- ^ Who to know. Portico Birmingham. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
- ^ The Pierces Overview. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Pop Matters Short Takes. Pop Matters. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ The Pierces: Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge - PopMatters Music Review. Pop Matters. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ VIDEO: Meet Rolling Stone’s New Breaking Artist, the Pierces. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ The Pierces on Gossip Girl. The Pierces. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
[edit] External links
Template:The Pierces (band)
