Triple Take 23: Secret Sisters

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … and a pair of Alabama songbirds will help fans celebrate during their Christmas tour. Sisters Laura and Lydia Rogers perform as The Secret Sisters. The duo, raised in Greenhill, near Muscle Shoals, will perform Friday in Montgomery for the city’s Christmas tree lighting and Saturday in Florence, … Continue reading Triple Take 23: Secret Sisters

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … and a pair of Alabama songbirds will help fans celebrate during their Christmas tour.

Sisters Laura and Lydia Rogers perform as The Secret Sisters. The duo, raised in Greenhill, near Muscle Shoals, will perform Friday in Montgomery for the city’s Christmas tree lighting and Saturday in Florence, opening for Rosanne Cash. Learn more about both shows at secretsistersband.com.

The Rogers sisters have also been at work on a third album, tentatively scheduled for spring release. When we asked them for the book, film and album that shaped them before they came on the podcast Triple Take, it was easy to see how their influences shape their work.

Laura picked Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Disney’s “Peter Pan” and Gillian Welch’s “Revival.” Lydia selected “A Little History of the World” by E.H. Gombrich, “Ever After” and “Extraordinary Machine” by Fiona Apple. Attention to writing, melody and story tie those works together.

Laura Rogers on “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee:

“It’s interesting how no matter what age you read it at, it brings something new into your thought process every time you encounter it.”

Lydia Rogers on “A Little History of the World” by E.H. Gombrich:

“It made me think about the fragility of life and how quickly good people can turn into terrible ones. I think this is a really good time to be reminded of that. We need to decide whether we want future generations to thank or blame us for where they are.”

Laura Rogers on Disney’s “Peter Pan”:

“It’s so magical but also kind of sad, because when you’re an adult and you’re watching it you’re like, man, childhood is so great. You’re so innocent, and you’re completely unaware that there’s this big world that could go completely wrong at any moment.”

Lydia Rogers on “Ever After”:

“She’s (Cinderella’s) portrayed more as a woman fighting for what she believes in than a girl in a ballgown falling in love. That really connected with me and she was portrayed as this strong, smart and unique person instead of just a girl who is just in love and a romantic.”

Lydia Rogers on Fiona Apple’s “Extraordinary Machine”:

“One woman can inspire and be powerful and also subtle at the same time. … That just really connected with me. Now that I think about it, I really believe that album made me start consider doing music for a living. She’s so unapologetically herself while also being a profound songwriter.”

Laura Rogers on Gillian Welch’s “Revival”:

“The songwriting is on a level I would equate with Harper Lee as far as storytelling and being able to wrap up so many thoughts and even so many unspoken ideas into such a short amount of time. … If you’re writing a standard-length song, you have only a few minutes to get a really good story across or a really good point or make whatever you’re trying to say very clear. It’s almost impossible, even, to say what you need to say in the amount of time that is the standard. But Gillian is the master of that.”

Like what you hear? Open iTunes or the podcast app on your iPhone and search Triple Take to subscribe, or do the same in the podcast subscription service of your choice. We’ll release new episodes every Monday morning. We also love suggestions for future guests, which you can make in the comments below.