HARDLY SISTERS BIO
Hardly Sisters is a Los Angeles based original acoustic folk band with Bluegrass, R & B, Country and Rock influences.
It took just one phone call and the band was formed. That was back in 1995, when band organizer and vocalist/keyboard player Leslie Barker called her brother Tim (vocals/guitar), and lifetime friends Lisa Vig (vocalist/mandolin) and Moss Reynolds (vocalist/guitar). One hour later they showed up at an open mike at a Los Angeles coffee house and spontaneously played a song together for the first time.
The Hardly Sisters debut that night did not go unnoticed, and shortly afterwards the group was offered their first gig. Tim opted out as he was committed to another band.
Throughout the years, The Hardly Sisters have performed in several venues throughout California, bringing to their audiences a mix of folk-rock music and rich harmonies, and for several years the band backed up singer/songwriter Marti Stevens.
"All of us love to play, we really enjoy being around each other and creating music together" said Leslie. " We have fun when we rehearse, and we have fun together on stage when we are performing; our audiences really seem to enjoy that element of our style."
In 2010 the trio; Leslie, Lisa and Moss took a short break to work on different projects, but have been working together for over 20 years.
"We are now getting back to the roots of our musical identity as a folk band, using more original material, and our sound and harmonizing seems to be very well received by our audiences. This year has been pretty amazing. We got back together last year after a five-year hiatus from the band, and even though we’ve all been singing together for 30 years, it feels like a new band,” Leslie said.
In 2013 Hardly Sisters was joined by Lisa's brother Greg Dibene (vocals, guitar) and Tim Barker rejoined the group. “Adding Tim and Greg really opened up a world of possibilities in our writing and arranging,” said Leslie.
Each of the Hardly Sisters have also been performing in other bands as teenagers and for most of their adult lives. Lisa, Leslie and Moss have been close friends for over 30 years, and the trio consider each other family.
"There is something really special about the connection we all have together, and hopefully that connection works when we are on stage," said Leslie.
The feedback from their performances was so positive that the band went into the studio in the Fall of 2014 to record their first album of original material, in addition to working on six new original songs.
This is an exciting time filled with creative exploration for this tightknit group -- who are undoubtedly - - 'Hardly Sisters.'