Nields Provide Valentine Folk

If you're looking for a heartwarming Valentine's Day event this year, here's an idea: Nerissa and Katryna Nields, a duo of singing sisters, come to campus next Wednesday.

The sisters come to us from outside of Northampton, MA, and are most well known for their part in the five piece folk-rock band The Nields. The seeds of the band were sewn when Nerissa and Katryna were children.

As sisters close in age and raised in a music-loving family, they learned traditional songs and experimented with singing them together in two part harmony. Nerissa wrote her first song at age ten and taught Katryna a second part immediately. From then on, the two continued to sing together and Nerissa continued to write.

The Nields have been regular participants in the New England folk scene for nearly ten years now. Beginning their career in the early '90s as a virtually unknown trio, consisting of the two sisters and Nerissa's husband David Nields (who took Nerissa's name when they married), The Nields set out to release their first album.

They did this on their own and independent of a record company. 66 Hoxsey St., an energetic, folksy and almost completely acoustic collection of songs was the end result of this venture.

Seven albums and nine years later, The Nields have added a bassist, a drummer, a substantial fan base and a wealth of experience. These days they often pick up electric guitars in place of acoustic ones.

The music that this band has made in the past few years is filled with beautiful and catchy melodies, classic rock riffs as well as more traditional folksy sounds and touches of jazz.

The Nields are known for their spirited performances and songs that are of a great variety. From the bouncy "Super Hero Soup" to the solemn story of "The Trade," their performances are accessible to all and their music draws an audience in, covering many themes of both a comical and serious nature as well as those songs which fit poignantly in between. Some may remember their highly attended concert almost two years ago to the day at Finney Chapel where audience members were dancing in the aisles by the end of the evening.

This year, however, the Nields sisters will leave their band members at home and give us a chance to watch, in an intimate setting, the founding members of their group do what they know best: sing in close, beautiful harmony and entertain us with stories and songs which are for everyone to enjoy.

The Nields perform on Wednesday Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. at The Cat in the Cream. Andy Campbell, a college freshman, will open.