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Quick Q and A with Ariel Parkington (Parkington Sisters)
 by Kathy S-B  ·  16 October 2011

I got to hear the Parkington Sisters a few years ago at a folk conference in New York. I was immediately taken with their harmonies, not to mention their exquisite instrumentation. There’s something so ethereal about their music but it’s ethereal with an edge which is a good thing. It makes each and every song interesting. Listening to their music is like taking a walk in the woods and not knowing what’s around the next corner — a tranquil pond or a rugged and rocky path. Just enjoy it.

To learn more about the Parkington Sisters, take a swing by their website. Check out this cool video taken at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

The Parkington Sisters
It’s clear that music has always been a big part of your family’s life. What are your earliest memories of growing up with music in the house?
Our parents are both musicians so we have many music memories . . . We remember our mother recording her songs to a cassette tape while all us kids played in the room. We remember our father in the music room listening to Stockhausen and John Cage. We remember falling asleep to my older sisters practicing violin in the basement and being sung to sleep. We remember babysitting our younger sisters while our parents went to their recording studio on Friday nights. We remember our father playing Bach concertos with us, our mother clapping the beat, reminding us to stop rushing. We remember five minute piano lessons. We remember all of us sisters singing Shirelle’s songs and made-up operas.
Do you recall the first time that you played before others?
The first time we performed all together was on the streets of Provincetown, MA.
How big an influence has Cape Cod been on your music? Does the environment in which you have lived for so long had an impact on your songwriting?
Yes, the Cape has been a huge influence on our music. There’s a reason why it is an artist haven; the light is beautiful and there are a variety of landscapes from the oceanside, to the bay scenes, kettle ponds and scraggly pines. It is packed with activity in the summer, and cold, wet, stark and isolated in the wintertime. It’s impossible for this type of environment to not leave a lasting impression when your childhood was spent immersed in exploring it.
What was it like going on tour with the Dropkick Murphys? Did you have to add some Irish tunes to your repertoire?
Touring with the Dropkick Murphys has been an awesome experience! We are forever grateful for the opportunities we’ve shared over the past year; recording on their album which went to #6 on the Billboard charts, touring the States and Canada, playing House of Blues in Boston with Bruce Springsteen. Every show was unreal! It was super fun to play for a pumped up crowd every night and from day one, their fans welcomed us with open arms.
Sometimes one of the girls would pull out an Irish jig from our street playing days, but we mainly played our own original tunes and arrangements. We all love the Pogues cover of “Dirty Old Town”, so had we a great time playing that on tour with DKM’s Ken Casey jumping in for a few versus and it’s now one we play often.
Your year has been one wild ride — playing Fenway Park and playing small venues like this! How do you keep it all in perspective?
Being in a band with your sisters definitely keeps you grounded. No matter what comes our way, good or bad, we’re always there to remind each other of who we are and what’s important to us. Playing Fenway Park was a dream come true, but we’ll always love the intimacy of a smaller venue.
What are your immediate plans? Where do you see yourselves five or ten years from now?
We’re working on new material for our next album and plan on touring a lot this year. In five to ten years? We’ll still be performing! We’re grateful to do what we love.

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