The Stairwell Sisters profile picture

The Stairwell Sisters

About Me


DALLAS OBSERVER Five women who attack string instruments with a veracity that rivals some of rock's most venerated fret-burners...played with a gospel spirit and an expressive playfulness...rarely have songs taken from the public domain sounded so modern and vital.
BILLY ALTMAN, THEBLUEGRASSSPECIAL.COM It's hard to say what is more striking: the Sisters' clear passion for old-time string band music, or the thoroughly modern exuberance of their performing style. It is, however, the originals that really underscore the band's distinctiveness. The Stairwell Sisters organically and emphatically connect their democratic music with their democratic values. Together with the implicit empowerment aspect of their being an all-female band, Get Off Your Money adds up to quite a statement.
GET OFF YOUR MONEY Produced By Lloyd Maines Release Date - 5/12/08
Producer Lloyd Maines recalls hearing The Stairwell Sisters for the first time: “I happened upon this tribe of women musicians, playing old-time string music, with the power and excitement of a great rock band.”
Tribe of women indeed. Evie Ladin explains what holds sway with the sisters, themes similarly found in one of their early influences, Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard: “not exactly the sweet and tender ladies, but the stand up for yourself and face the world kind of women.”
Which is exactly the women that make up The Stairwell Sisters. Evie, Stephanie Prausnitz. Lisa Berman, Martha Hawthorne, and Sue Sandlin are career women, organizers, activists and mamas; making ends meet working and living in San Francisco. They also happen to crank out acoustic, old-time music with a punk-rock intensity. Somehow, between raising children, working and releasing records, they've taken their band to some rather well-regarded places - appearing on A Prairie Home Companion, festival stages from Lincoln Center (NYC) and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (SF) to Celtic Connections (UK), and many points in between.
Their third release Get Off Your Money, produced by Maines and out May 12, 2008, covers substantial ground as well. There are fiddle tunes crafted decades ago from Alabama to Scotland and points unknown. There are old songs of trains, boats and possums. One song is translated from Swahili, an all-too familiar story learned from a street musician in Tanzania. There are new songs too - original songs of trial and work, loss and love, and all-night parties. The women run all of it through the “Sister Mill.” Regardless from which era or continent the songs have traveled, The Stairwell Sisters make such heartfelt and skillfully played music that boundaries dissolve beneath the chugging force of old-time fiddle and banjo, the whomp of bass and guitar, the grit of the slide guitar, and the tight, closely interwoven harmonies.
Lloyd Maines has it right. The Stairwell Sisters are tribal; laying down their all-gal teardown wherever they go. Get Off Your Money reflects the spirit to keep the message alive in the urban evolution of country string band music.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/16/2006
Band Website: http://www.stairwellsisters.com
Band Members: Stephanie Prausnitz - fiddle.....Evie Ladin - banjo, clogging.....Lisa Berman - dobro, banjo, guitar.....Sue Sandlin - guitar, tiple.....Martha Hawthorne - bass.....All of the Sisters sing..... Juicy details @ http://www.stairwellsisters.com
Influences: Hazel and Alice, Tommy Jarrell, Ginny Hawker, Suzy Thompson, Arthur Smith, Laurie Lewis, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Grateful Dead, Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Rick Good, Highwoods Stringband, INXS, John Hartford, John Ashby, Public Enemy, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Flatlanders, Bruce Robison, Delmore Brothers, Stanley Brothers, Coon Creek Girls, Hot Tuna, Elton John, John Denver, Flatt & Scruggs, Rhys Jones, Red Mules, Stuart Brothers, Carter Family....
Sounds Like:
Record Label: yodel-ay-hee
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Mid-Summer Report from the stairwell

NEWS FROM THE STAIRWELLAUGUST 2008 NEWSLETTER OF THE STAIRWELL SISTERS - All-Gal Old-Time String BandAlrighty!Diving headlong back into festivals, we're sending this out from a very short breather her...
Posted by on Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:14:00 GMT

reviews and airplay

so far so fabulous...a super fun CD release weekend, especially in the bay with a rockin crowd and the gals in fine funny form. congrats to all the winners of the trivia contest! looking forward to ...
Posted by on Sat, 24 May 2008 14:57:00 GMT

May 2008 news

MAY 2008 NEWSLETTER OF THE STAIRWELL SISTERS - All-Gal Old-Time String BandWeehoo!As of today, the 1st of May, we are taking pre-orders for our new CD  Get Off Your Money  before the official nation...
Posted by on Fri, 02 May 2008 13:01:00 GMT

Almost Done&

March 04th, 2008 We are happy to report we have our upcoming CD almost out of our hands, and it will be in your hands mid-May when we start doing some CD release touring! Until then, the big news is a...
Posted by on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:46:00 GMT

NEWS FROM THE STAIRWELL - Feb. 2008

NEWS FROM THE STAIRWELLFEBRUARY 2008 NEWSLETTER OF THE STAIRWELL SISTERS - All-Gal Old-Time String BandHey -The month kicks off with 10 days of great music on both sides of the Bay with the San Franci...
Posted by on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:13:00 GMT

Check out this event: Two Bay Area Shows

Hosted By: The Stairwell SistersWhen: Saturday Sep 08, 2007 at 8:00 PMWhere: Cayuga Vault and The Jupiter1100 Soquel Ave. / 2181 ShattuckSanta Cruz / Berkeley, CA 95062United StatesDescription:The Sta...
Posted by on Fri, 07 Sep 2007 08:23:00 GMT

stairwell sisters in august

Hello music lovers - The Sisters are coming out of our cocoon and hope to dazzle you with our new wings...or songs...more live shows coming up in the months ahead, leading up to our recording dates la...
Posted by on Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:40:00 GMT

NEWS FROM THE STAIRWELL

NEWS FROM THE STAIRWELL THE JULY 2007 NEWSLETTER OF THE STAIRWELL SISTERS - All-Gal Old-Time String BandHello music lovers -Hope you're having a fabulous summer festival season. We're chugging right a...
Posted by on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:13:00 GMT

MAY 2007 NEWSLETTER

THE MAY 2007 NEWSLETTER OF THE STAIRWELL SISTERS - ALL-GAL OLD-TIME STRING BANDhttp://www.stairwellsisters.comHello Friends!We are beside ourselves, tickled and pleased as punch to announce the arriva...
Posted by on Tue, 01 May 2007 14:54:00 GMT

THE APRIL 2007 NEWSLETTER OF THE STAIRWELL SISTERS

THE APRIL 2007 NEWSLETTER OF THE STAIRWELL SISTERS - ALL-GAL OLD-TIME STRING BANDhttp://www.stairwellsisters.com"NEWS FROM THE STAIRWELL"Shows, Videos, Radio, Reviews, Updating our List and Newsletter...
Posted by on Sun, 08 Apr 2007 15:33:00 GMT