Quick Take
Singers Ariel Thiermann and Becca Davis have a deep connection – the two are stepsisters who grew up together in Santa Cruz and now, in their 40s, they've discovered the joys of performing as Canyon Sisters.
Canyon Sisters is a wonderful name for a musical entity. It evokes 1970s Hollywood Hills mellowness, as if it could have been a collaborative side project between Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks (can you imagine?), or maybe the Mamas without the Papas.
For singers Ariel Thiermann and Becca Davis, the name has an even deeper resonance. First, they live just a canyon apart in the Santa Cruz Mountains. And, in their case, “sisters” isn’t just a nod to a deep friendship. They are literally stepsisters, having largely grown up together when Ariel’s dad wed Becca’s mom. They were already canyon sisters, and now they’re Canyon Sisters.
“We shared the same bedroom together for 10 years,” said Davis, “and when our parents went their separate ways, we really didn’t. We always found a connection back to each other.”
Now in their 40s, the stepsisters are together formally as a singing duo, making a big splash this spring with a new recording, and a new local show to promote that recording. On Saturday, March 30, they will perform live at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, debuting many of the songs on their new album, “Hidden Rivers,” to be officially released the day before.
Separately, they’ve been involved in music for most of their lives. Thiermann has released six albums as a solo artist, began her singing career as a child under the tutelage of her mom, well-known children’s recording artist Linda Arnold, and was one-third of the luminous vocal trio Mayim, a Santa Cruz sensation in the 2000s. Davis pursued a career in creative writing before turning her attention to music, producing her folk/country debut, “Unbound.”
As a singing duo, they came together only a few years ago. They wrote a song together and found the process a delight. “We kind of challenged each other, in the best way,” said Thiermann, “and then it was just, ‘Oh, we should do another one and another one. It’s really been fun to collaborate with my sister … my soul sister, my sister of the Earth. It’s just been a fun adventure.”
The new album, “Hidden Rivers,” is a deeply Californian effort in its themes and sound, but it was recorded mostly in the famous Sound Emporium recording studio in Nashville, which has recorded many of the most famous musical artists in modern history, from Johnny Cash to Willie Nelson to Alabama Shakes. Thiermann had a connection to the studio, and they got a chance to record there. “It was a really cool studio to record in,” she said, “I mean, you could feel all the great musicians who had been through there.”
They recorded in Nashville with several professional session musicians and came back to Santa Cruz to finish the record under the direction of producer/engineer Andy Zenczak of Gadgetbox Studios. The Kuumbwa performance includes the sisters singing with guitarist Yuji Tojo, bassist Zach Westfall and drummer Mike Shannon.
Of the themes on the record, Davis said, “a lot is about following your heart, facing your fears, discovering the power that lies underneath your broken heart. We have songs about loving again after heartbreak. And ‘Our Story’ is really about how [‘happily] ever after’ doesn’t always exist for everyone.”
“Hidden Rivers” is only a “jumping-off point” for Canyon Sisters, said Thiermann. They hope to begin booking regular gigs around the Bay Area.
“I feel like I’m ready to make another album,” offered Davis.
Her stepsister agreed, with a caveat: “Yeah, a stripped-down album. [‘Hidden Rivers’] was a big album to make. It’s very … full. It was a big adventure.”
Canyon Sisters play live Saturday, March 30, at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center.
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