SistaStrings
Sisters Monique and Chauntee Ross, who perform together as SistaStrings, made the move from Milwaukee to Music City in 2021 and have been on a rapid rise. Raised by two ministers, the pair grew up in the church playing gospel and classical music, with Chauntee on violin and Monique on cello; they both sing as well. They’ve lent their talents to all kinds of musical projects, from hip-hop to country music. Their most recent recording project — a 2022 collaborative album with Milwaukee’s Peter Mulvey called Love Is the Only Thing — soars with impassioned harmonies and gorgeous arrangements. The sisters have also spent a great deal of time on the road with Allison Russell as part of her Rainbow Coalition band, and are on tour with Brandi Carlile and Pink; in October, they’ll be supporting Brandy Clark.
SistaStrings are nominated for Instrumentalist of the Year at next week’s Americana Music Association Honors and Awards ceremony, and the Rosses caught up with the Scene via email on a brief break at home. Their responses have been slightly edited for length.
Congratulations again on your nomination! How did you find out about it, and what was your immediate reaction?
Monique: I was actually already on the phone with my sister, Chauntee, when I saw the tag on Instagram. I was curious as to what the tag was for, and when I clicked on the app, I’m pretty sure I started screaming with excitement!!! We immediately started group FaceTiming some of our closest friends so we could scream for joy with them as well! The amount of mindless/energetic pacing that began was quite entertaining. I was supposed to be packing my suitcase for the next tour run, but was much too excited to focus.
What was the creative community like in Milwaukee? How did you pick Nashville?
Chauntee: The creative scene in Milwaukee is oozing talent. My experience with the scene began mostly when I returned back to Milwaukee after graduating college and started exploring local venues and artists. The community is supportive and can be super close-knit. I met some of my best friends/forever chosen family due to Milwaukee’s creative community. I had such a beautiful community in Milwaukee, I was afraid I wouldn’t find that in Nashville, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. In late summer of 2020 I realized that I couldn’t stay in Milwaukee any longer. My parents and two of my older siblings and their families had moved to Jackson, Tenn., and I knew I needed to be near family. We took a look at Nashville and Memphis, but Nashville just seemed like a better fit for us.
Monique: Upon leaving college, Chauntee and I rented a house together along with some of our best friends. It was a house of young musicians, and my baby girl. The amount of music, jam sessions, writing and inspiration that happened in that time period — and specifically in that house — is a memory that I will always treasure. The local music venues — Company Brewing, Cactus Club, Colectivo Back Room, just to name a few — were all so supportive, and we performed a lot as we collectively grew as artists.
SistaStrings
You both grew up playing music in the church as well as classical music. What draws you to classical music? How do you feel that translates to playing in folk and pop settings?
Chauntee: My main influences are gospel and classical. There’s an excitement about the virtuosity of classical music that I love. I remember listening to a super difficult-sounding piece before I would learn it and just be like, “There’s no way I can learn all of these notes.” A few weeks later, I could play the piece memorized. This connects to playing in nontraditional settings for the violin … the challenge. I love to embrace what isn’t considered “normal” and play with it, which usually comes out as a blend of sounds.
Monique: As a young musician put into lessons at 3 years old, classical was one of the first languages I learned to use to express myself. I was a very shy child, but music was a way I felt I could express myself without having to speak to anyone. All of the different genres under the umbrella of classical music — baroque, Romantic, symphonies, concertos, operas, etc. — all are so different and make one feel different things. I feel like it organically happened that we would of course use our training/influences to create any of the music that we play!
You released the breathtaking album Love Is the Only Thing with Peter Mulvey last year. How did you three craft those songs together? What was the songwriting process like?
Chauntee: I love that project as well! It was recorded about a week before the shutdown in 2020. It holds a special place in my heart because of the very specific time of life it speaks from. Peter had most of the songs written already, and we just came in and added string parts and vocal parts where they needed to be. It was just one big ol’ collaboration where we spent a week in one of our favorite spaces to play, Cafe Carpe in Fort Atkinson, Wis. That entire week we would just introduce a song, workshop it, and then record it.
I understand Peter helped make introductions in Nashville. How did you and Peter come to work together?
Monique: When we opened up for Peter Mulvey, it was at this awesome music venue: Paradigm Coffee and Music in Sheboygan, Wis. I happened to be quite sick, but in true pre-COVID times, we still pushed and worked even with a head full of mucus!! Peter had a hot toddy, and it truly helped me get through our opening set. When Peter’s set began, I was super into it, but when he sang “Are You Listening?” I began to cry. Something about that set moved me, and soon after he asked us to perform with him. The rest is history.
You’ve also worked as music educators, helping audiences appreciate the connections between classical and pop music. How do you feel that experience translates to playing to large crowds, like on your recent tour with Brandi Carlile and Pink?
Chauntee: I don’t think I would say I set out to help folk connect these genres of music, but rather connect folks to their dreams. I play an instrument and learned in a setting where I was definitely the “other.” If I didn’t have the support system of my incredible parents and teachers, I would have quit and given in to the voices that said a loud little Black girl doesn’t belong in the conservatory setting. As an educator, a lot of my work is through representation. Just the sight and sound of my brown skin and purple hair slaying some Beethoven might help the next little girl or boy or them to see themselves doing something that they’re passionate about, whether or not that’s widely accepted. I’m now touring too much to keep a studio of students anymore, but it’s really the same thing on these large stages. We can never underestimate the power of representation.
Monique: As an educator, I’d have to say it was an honor to both educate the youth, but to also be an example of what you can do when you explore your instrument outside of the standard classical sound. Some of my favorite memories were when myself and Chauntee wrote some groovy beginning-level pieces for our students to learn. Some people thought that my syncopated bass lines would be too difficult for the young students to learn, but kids love a groove — and when they both nailed it and had fun doing so, I was beyond proud. Letting students know the sky is the limit with what you can do. We follow the rules in the beginning to learn the importance of technique, etc., but once you have that understanding, you can literally create whatever sounds speak to you. It is a beautiful, amazing thing how music lives and breathes — and lives and breathes differently for each of us.
This last couple of years seem like they’ve been a whirlwind, if an exciting and fruitful one. Is it time for a rest? What’s next for you?
Chauntee: It’s been an incredible journey. I learned a lot the first year moving to Nashville and wanting to say yes to every single opportunity that came my way. I sort of burnt out touring with three projects outside of SistaStrings, and eventually learned that was too much for me to handle. I have no plans of rest, but I have learned how to create a better balance in my life — from my super amazing job, to being able to connect with self and have time home with friends and family. The main focus right now is writing a ton for SistaStrings’ debut album. We’ve been writing some super incredible songs, and I can’t wait for this project to all come together and have a life of its own soon!
Monique: What is that word, “rest”?! I kid, because the name of the game really is the grind. And luckily we get to grind doing something that we absolutely love doing. I don’t see any rest in my near future, but learning the importance of balance is a conversation that comes up for us often. We have so much more that we want to do as SistaStrings. The whirlwind is exciting and fruitful, so hopefully it continues while we continue to grow both as humans and as artists.
Ahead of AmericanaFest, check out our conversations with Adeem the Artist and SistaStrings, our show recommendations and more
