Command Sisters

Every once in a while you see a group of musicians that somehow just gets it.

Sure they’re tight. They’re in tune. They’re excellent musicians.

What I’m talking about here is the special sauce. That something extra that you just can’t put your finger on.

And that’s what made the Command Sisters show at the Bowery Electric so killer.

Hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, these two lovely young ladies know how to kick it up. Super solid songwriting paired with sisterly tight harmonies and brilliant instrumental chops made their set joyful to watch.

The younger, Sarah, is a guitar savant. Equally adept and acoustic and electric she can whip off a tasty solo at the drop of a hat.

Her older sister, Charlotte, plays a solid rhythm guitar and then jumps over to keys, all while singing lead with her angelic, charismatic voice.

For this show they were joined on stage with a backing lineup of Kenny Schwartz on drums, Shermanelli on bass and occasional guitars by JRandy along with a guest appearance by Nick Ditri, who is half of the DJ Duo 'The Disco Fries' for the song “Earthquake.”

And speaking of, a favorite performance of the night was their song “Earthquake,” which they wrote for the The Disco Fries, but also played live acoustically in the Acoustic Nation studio. Stay tuned for this gem!!

In 2014 Charlotte and Sarah were winners of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and asked to perform at NAMM in Los Angeles and at the She Rocks Awards (honouring women in music such as Sheila E and Janie Hendrix).

They were also seen at the Sundance Film Fest 2014 and featured in Guitar World's/Acoustic Nation's facebook and website. They were honoured to be chosen to perform for Jowi Taylor's 6String Nation. Summer festivals included Boots & Hearts, Cavendish and Blueberry, and performed at the Shanghai International Arts Festival in October.

With chops and confidence that belie their years, the Command Sisters are ones to watch. Keep up with them at www.thecommandsisters.com - Acoustic Nation / Guitar World

I recently came across the talented Command Sisters, and these young ladies kind of blew my mind.

Yes, they sing in lovely harmonies. Yes, they are talented songwriters and performers. But what really caught my eye were the undeniable guitar chops of young Sarah Command. This 15-year-old takes on original music and tackles pieces by masters like Andy McKee and Joe Satriani.

This is, in no way, meant to diminish the contribution of her sister, 18-year-old Charlotte Command, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Together they are captivating; so much so that they recently won a competition sponsored by the John Lennon Songwriting Contest to perform at its party at this week's Winter NAMM Show.

The John Lennon folks were so enamored by them that they turned them on to me, and I snapped them up to perform at the second annual She Rocks Awards this Friday.

Defined as “country with soul” and “edgy/indie country-pop,” they hail from Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. The Command Sisters have already caught the attention of the Nashville scene, earning them a publishing and production deal with renowned producer/songwriter David Mallory. They have won numerous accolades and have performed on stages large and small throughout North America.

And now, I want to share them with you.

Here's Sarah Command playing "Drifting" by Andy McKee:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPHX744wOMI

Here she performs Joe Satriani's "Midnight":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twiP3NTak8s

And here she is with Charlotte jamming on an original tune called "Runway":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uH944k7cek - Guitar World/Acoustic Nation

CBC Radio’s Chris Martin might have said it best when he described The Command Sisters by saying: “Think of Taylor Swift, but there would be two of her, and she would have a lot more soul, mixed with the kind of sibling harmonies that would make the Rankins question whether they are truly related…”

The duo, comprised of teenage sisters Charlotte and Sarah, started small, but their brand of pop-injected country quickly started turning heads and they’ve been playing festivals and clubs all over North America for the past few years. It’s great to see young women taking an approach similar to Tegan and Sara by writing great music that doesn’t rely on the overt sexualisation of the performers. The Command Sisters’ music stands on its own. Their third album is due in March 2012, and I’d be shocked if they didn’t become a fixture of pop radio shortly after. - Canadian Musician Magazine

This week has turned into an “All-Star” female fronted “Music Week” on Daily Unsigned…and up to the plate now for our Fresh Pick is The Command Sisters who are based out of Canada.
The Command Sisters is a musical hybrid of Pop meets Alt. Country with hooks and melodies that are so sticky…commercial radio is for sure going to embrace them!
Love…love…love!
- Rob Daily - Daily Unsigned

Edmonton, Alberta Canada - Our latest "Musician Spotlight" is on two lovely sisters that forms The Command Sisters from Canada. These two lovely sisters, Charlotte & Sarah are wonderful singers that have great vocals. Their style of singing is Folk and Alternative Country that sounds great. Charlotte Command is a 16 year old singer and songwriter, while her 13 year old sister, Sarah Command sings and does solos.

Charlotte and Sarah have a deep, passionate love for music that resonates through their beautiful singing and guitar playing. These two sisters have a very bright future ahead with Sarah able to sing, play instruments she brings up like the guitar and mandolin. While Charlotte sings, writes great songs such as "The Distance", It's A Start", "November Girl", "Fly", to name a few and can play guitar. Both sisters with their love of music are ones to watch. We are pleased to be able to promote and highlight these two wonderful sisters in our "Musician Spotlight".
- Rocky Coast News

The Command Sisters didn’t disappoint – I’d listened to some of their music before interviewing them and was incredibly impressed with their alt-country-folk sound. For just 16 and 13, Charlotte and Sarah are incredibly gifted. They’ve signed a publishing deal with a famed Nashville producer, who’s shopping the newest album he recorded with them around to see what makes sense for the next step in their evolution. - Michael Senchuk/New Music Michael

EDMONTON — Charlotte Command, 16, is the quiet, thoughtful type — she likes to save money, use Facebook and write folk songs about personal strength and independence.

Her 13-year-old sister, Sarah, is the hyper, gregarious one — she likes to shop, talks without taking a breath, and can master any instrument she tries. Guitar. Mandolin. Fiddle. Maybe even bagpipes, if she ever gets her nail-polished fingers on them.

Together, their bittersweet harmonies are like a prairie sunset on an August night — so gorgeous, you’ll want to stop what you’re doing just to soak it all in.

Never heard of them? That’s about to change. The Command Sisters are turning ears in Nashville and could be the next big thing to come out of the Edmonton area.

The siblings, who live in Spruce Grove, are recording an album with one of Nashville’s leading songwriters and producers, David Malloy. He also signed them to a publishing deal after the pair performed at his Nashville Hootenanny, a monthly showcase for aspiring artists, in April.

“I just think they’re magic and I would do anything for them,” he says. “There’s just something special about them when their voices come together. I love Charlotte’s voice and the way Sarah hears harmonies is so unique. They go for what sounds right, what feels right to them.”

Malloy has 41 No. 1 Billboard singles and albums to his name — working with the likes of Eddie Rabbitt, Roseanne Cash, Reba McEntire, Mindy McCready and, more recently, Julianne Hough, formerly of Dancing with the Stars. “I’ve never gone into the studio and worked with anybody who I didn’t feel passionate about,” he says. “I think it’s one of the reasons why I’ve been so successful.”

Success wasn’t even on the minds of Charlotte and Sarah when they started singing around the house about seven years ago. The two, who are home-schooled by their mom Karen, were just being kids, having fun, when one thing led to another ... and never stopped.

“We thought, ‘What the heck? We’re going to perform at this home-school concert’!” says Sarah. “Then, we were showing (the song we were going to sing to) our great-grandmother at her old folks’ home and somebody heard us and said, ‘Why don’t you sing at this women’s conference?’ and then someone asked us from there, from there, from there ... and eventually we picked up instruments.”

They’ve released an independent album, It’s All Good, and played dozens of gigs across Western Canada and the U.S., such as opening for country star Gord Bamford at the Shaw Conference Centre and Tom Jackson’s benefit concert for Slave Lake fire victims. This weekend, the Command Sisters will perform at the Folk Fest as part of Rhea March’s U22 Productions, which mentors young musicians in the city.

“This has all been kind of like an accident,” says Charlotte. “We love it now, it’s become our life. I hope to make a living with it. I don’t know what else I would do.”

Her wish, it seems, is about to come true. So far, the Command Sisters have recorded seven songs with Malloy, including Fly, a delicate number about inner strength, and November Girl, a forlorn tune about being the third wheel. “Say you have a friendship or any kind of relationship and somebody comes into that relationship and takes over, you feel like you’re being ignored,” explains Charlotte.

“As I would say, it’s like you’re the fruit cup when they run out of the chocolate pudding,” adds Sarah. “‘Cuz when it’s November, you always want it to be December.”

With Malloy’s connections — he also used to work for Columbia and Epic Records — the girls won’t have to settle for fruit cups. He could shop the girls around to various labels and get them a deal in no time, but just like every other step in their burgeoning career, he wants the offers to come to them.

“The plans are to get the music finished and move from there,” he says. “That’s when the opportunities open up. I feel like the music is there and the girls are that special. So far, everything about this has an organic evolvement to it and I think it will continue.

“I can go see anybody and push any button, but I’d just love for it to grow naturally — without running to Hollywood, doing a deal — because that’s how the girls are.” - Sandra Sperounes/Edmonton Journal

Arts and Entertainment
Young performers to dazzle
By Catherine Griwkowsky News Staff
Posted 3 months ago


The Command Sisters will exceed audience expectations when they perform at the Festival Place Patio Series on Wednesday.

Hailing from Spruce Grove, Charlotte, 15, and Sarah, 12, are multi-instrumentalists who perform their own material.

In June, The Command Sisters opened for Gord Bamford, the Alberta country artist who is leading the way in nominations for the 2010 Canadian Country Music Award.


"It was really amazing," Charlotte said. "It was 1,110 people and there was a nice, big stage with a bunch of screens behind it. It was a lot of fun."

The Command Sisters are part of U22 Productions, a not-for-profit organization that pairs talented artists under the age of 22 with credible performing opportunities.

Charlotte gushed about Rhea March, the founder of U22, and the opportunities she has given.

So far, The Command Sisters have played CKUA Radio Open House, Disneyland's Southwest Conference, Island Folk Fest, CBC's New Year's Eve Main Stage, The Works Fest, Big Valley Jamboree's Family Stage, Night of Artists, Homefest, and CFRN's annual Silver Bell's Tea and Festival of Trees with Carrie Doll, multiple rodeos, fundraisers, festivals, private functions and seniors' events.

The sisters have gigs at the Mountain View Music Fest and Central Fest planned for August.

Sarah plays bass, piano, guitar, and mandolin. Charlotte plays fiddle, guitar and piano.

- The Sherwood Park - Strathcona County News

She’s a little bit country … she’s a little bit EDM.

The Command Sisters — Charlotte, 19, and Sarah, 16 — are best known for their country- and folk-flavoured pop ditties, including One Man Band, White Dress and Take Me Home — The Alberta Song, which was a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

Another sign of a great tunesmith: the ability to write in any genre.

Charlotte recently penned two electronic dance music tunes with The Disco Fries, a pair of producers/DJs from New York. She sang one of them, Earthquake, with Nick Ditri and Danny Boselovic on Friday at Union Hall.


“Of course, the people who know our music from beforehand are going to hear a big change,” says Sarah, who appears on the radio version of the song, but didn’t perform at Friday’s show. (‘Cuz, you know, underage musicians are still not allowed to perform in Alberta clubs and bars.) (UPDATE: Looks like the government quietly changed the legislation and will allow minors to perform — with approval of the AGLC. We’ll try to get an official statement on Monday.)

“But the music still captures our harmonies and the melodies are very much the same. It’s just the production behind it makes it a different sound.”

Earthquake first started off as an instrumental, guitar-based pop-flavoured track, written by J. Randy, before Charlotte got her hands on it. Within 10 to 20 minutes, she added some of her parts — including lyrics and vocals — and then sent it to her manager, who urged her to finish it.

“The song is basically saying ‘I want more, I want an earthquake, I’m willing to make a mistake just to try something new, something bigger and grander,” she says. “So it could be about a relationship, a friendship, or taking a chance on something.”

Like writing club anthems.

Charlotte says the song was initially pitched to — and rejected by — one artist, then sent to The Disco Fries, who completely reworked Earthquake into an EDM track. It’s scheduled for release in April on a yet-to-be-announced label. (Trust us, it’s BIG .)

“It was just a really interesting process, to see it go from artist to artist,” she says. “Surprisingly, I didn’t find it very hard to write.” - Sandra Sperounes - Edmonton Journal