CONCERT PREVIEW
Von Grey
8 p.m. Dec. 29. $8 (general admission advance), $12 (general admission at the door) and $40 (reserved table for four). Eddie’s Attic, 515-B North McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976, www.eddiesattic.com.
Also 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11. $12 (general admission), $24 (reserved table for two), $48 (reserved table for four). Steve’s Live Music, 234 Hilderbrand Drive, Sandy Springs. 404-418-6777, www.steveslivemusic.com.
A typical day for the members of Von Grey: School work at home from late morning until 3 p.m. Two hours of rehearsal time as a group, then another couple of hours of individual practice. Wednesdays and Sundays are five-hour rehearsal days.
Ambitious, much?
The quartet of Johns Creek sisters, whose last name is Von Grey, are bright, well-spoken, mature beyond their years — and also crazy-talented.
Annika, 16, and Fiona, 15, are the primary singers and songwriters (Annika plays violin, banjo and guitar, Fiona guitar and violin). Kathryn, 17, who plays cello and mandolin, and Petra, 12, on keyboards and lap steel guitar, round out the group.
Over the years they’ve performed high-profile gigs, such as opening for Sarah McLachlan at Chastain Park Amphitheatre two years ago after winning a Lilith Fair-based contest. Otherwise, they’ve honed their craft by playing any venue possible, wherever possible, as long as mom Jill is willing to drive them there. (Dad Mike is an entrepreneur who is a frequent traveler himself.)
The girls will perform Saturday at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur and in January at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs before kicking off a nationwide tour opening for Chicago indie-rockers Company of Thieves.
Von Grey the group recently released a self-titled EP (available on Amazon and iTunes), recorded at Third Day’s studio in Kennesaw with producer Nick DiDia (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Train). Of the excellent five-song collection, “Coming for You” best represents the sisters’ brand of what they call “alternative folk” — equal parts lush harmonies, rustic instrumentation, angelic vocals and thoughtful lyrics.
“We wanted to make sure the songs we decided to record were the ones we were feeling at the time,” said Fiona, who, along with Annika, tends to dominate a conversation with the girls, though not in a bossy way.
Since they are sisters, they have their moments when sibling love is better represented in theory than in practice. But the girls appear to have a natural, easygoing rapport.
Kathryn, who is a senior in high school — and might take a year off to concentrate on the band before possibly pursuing college and an interest in industrial design — is the quietest of the bunch, while Petra, the baby, seems happy to let her older sisters handle the talking, though she warmed to discussing what kind of music she listens to outside of the band.
“I don’t really listen to much pop music, but right now I am listening to a lot of Alanis Morissette. I love her. I like her emotion and her vocals,” Petra said.
Growing up, Annika recalls their parents playing artists such as Terence Trent D’Arby around the house. Now, their musical persuasions range from Talking Heads to Jethro Tull to Nickel Creek.
Annika is also listening to a lot of electronic music, such as the Knife (a Swedish duo) and Grimes, and would like to incorporate those elements into Von Grey’s full-length album, which they hope to write and record next year.
“We’re just striving to create … an emotional art form,” Annika said. “If you go to a live show or buy the record, however you’re introduced to us, we’re really trying to keep our music as authentic as possible, even if we’re introducing things that are a little more synthetic sonically.”
Their goal is simple: Get more people to hear their music.
Von Grey has picked up some radio airplay, but they’re intent on building a grassroots following, even though it would possibly be quicker to take the route favored my many musicians today — reality TV.
Annika noted the group was once contacted by producers of a popular TV talent show and told they could bypass the initial audition. But, she said, “We want to be seen as authentic and don’t want people to think we took the easy road.”
That might be the response expected from someone who is reading books about neo-paganism and Aztec religions in her spare time.
But the truth is, all of the Von Grey girls possess an innate desire to, if not conquer the music industry, at least have a comfortable place in it.
“Since we are young, it’s easy for people to say, ‘Oh, they’re not true artists,’” Fiona said. “But even though you’re young, you can be just as dedicated.”
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