The sound of indie band Sister Speak—who have members based here in Victoria as well as California—is a fusion of many different musical styles. Ecology and Indigenous issues are thematically central, as are themes of love and hope.
“I’m definitely influenced by BC’s roots scene and the ’90s rock I grew up with,” says vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Sherri Anne, who sometimes performs solo and sometimes with a band under the Sister Speak name. “Moving down to Chicago, and California, there’s a mix. In Chicago I fell in love with blues and Americana; when I was in San Diego, I really fell in love with different Latin rhythms and reggae, ska. Peru, Bolivia, travelling down there, Costa Rica… Berlin has a really cool blues scene, in Germany. It’s all kind of a hodgepodge. Nirvana is probably my biggest influence.”
Before the pandemic, Sister Speak was on tour. Since the 2014 release of their debut record, Rise Up for Love, the group has played more than 500 west coast shows, performed at festivals from BC to Bolivia, and travelled everywhere from Chicago to Germany. However, once COVID-19 hit, Sister Speak was forced to cancel a tour.
“I was in the middle of a California tour when everything hit in March. It was an intense journey home back to BC,” she says. “Within a week my income disappeared… I had to figure out a plan very quickly.”
Now, Sister Speak is on Patreon and is headlining the Outdoor Music Fridays concert series in Victoria, taking place in Nootka Court. The shows are a joint celebration of Sister Speak’s new live shows and the reopening of tea store JagaSilk. Anne, through her indie label Resonation, brings in local musicians to play as well (tables for two or four are available at the events).
“We have plexiglass in front of the stage,” she says. “When you’re seated you don’t have to wear a mask. First [week] was Geoff Lundstrom and [last week was] Lola Parks. Next week we have Matt Stern, and after that we have Truth & Dolphin, [with] Steven Chmilar. We might push it into October.”
Sister Speak’s album Live at the Belly Up is available on vinyl and CD, and the band is hard at work on a new record.
“Right now, we’re working on a new album” she says. “The first three singles are out online. The full album, start to finish, will be out in a couple weeks. The band is focused on the new record and on rebooking the tours. We did rebook late summer 2021 in BC, and fall in Berlin, Germany. We’ll see how things go. It’s always up in the air. I want to make sure that we’re staying safe.”
Anne says that she believes in the greater good of humanity and that connecting with people is what is most important to her.
“Music is bliss to me,” she says. “The biggest goal I have with Sister Speak is eventually when things calm down a bit with COVID, I would like to tour and volunteer in each region… It’s always a piece of the music that I want to create a habit with as things build and things grow, things like clean water and things in different regions. “
Sister Speak with guests
1 pm to 3:30 pm Friday, September 18 and Friday, September 25
$20, JagaSilk
jagasilk.com