Long run continues for Severin Sisters
Submitted photo
Heidi Wiegal took time from her busy schedule to answer a few questions about The Severin Sisters, who perform Wednesday at Main Street Park in Monmouth. Show time is 6:30 p.m. Admission is free.
The Severin Sisters are familiar faces at Music in the Park, having performed here some 10 years. Taking the stage for most of those years were Wiegal and her twin sister Amy Scott. Younger sister Haley Duvall made her Monmouth debut last year, and is back in 2024.
Sam Wells and Kenneth Herrera complete the quintet.
Here is the interview:
What does music mean to you? What does it mean to you that others want to hear you play?
Music means connection. It's the pathway to common ground; an unspoken, timeless language that can improve a mood and give us that extra boost on a tough day.
It's always an honor when we witness a full house and we have quite a history playing at the Monmouth summer concerts. We played back when they had a gazebo and no stage lights - at least a decade or so ago.
Seeing families in particular at these concerts - it's such a thrill because absorbing live music is life changing for some. It was for us. Kudos to families that prioritize exposing their children to live art. Listening to a recording is pretty great but watching, listening, feeling a concert in real time is an incredibly humbling and grounding experience because it really does connect everyone present.
File photo by Lance Masterson
You and your sister Amy honed your skills playing at the Guthrie Park Community Center in Dallas. Do you have a favorite memory from those days?
Guthrie Park in Dallas is where we learned to play music well with others, so to speak. We were 10 at the time. I’ll never forget our first Friday night jam session we attended. The music was so fast and everyone was watching us because we were the only kids there. It was incredibly intimidating because we didn't know ‘jam session circle etiquette.’ There were foot signals for when to end the song, for last time through a song, etcetera. We had no clue. When it came time for our turn to announce what song we'd play, we both said, ‘pass,’ thinking we'd get out of it. They didn't let us. We played a simple fiddle tune, called ‘Liberty.’ It was one of the only fiddle tunes I knew. I remember feeling total relief when everyone joined in and played along.
What is it about Americana that captivated you at such an early age?
We were always drawn to stringed instruments. While we gravitated towards performing bluegrass and country, we have performed many genres including classical and Celtic. Any chance I get, I am listening to acoustic instrumental music. Very often it's light classical or Chet Atkins. Amy loves Bela Fleck's ‘Drive’ album. It's on constant rotation. Haley loves any independent acoustic artists. Noah Kahan is a fav.
On your bucket list, what musical goals have you checked off?
First, performing at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville Tennessee with the John Cowan Band and award winning songwriter Darrell Scott and Pat Flynn. Second, recording four albums of mostly original music. Third, songwriting in Nashville.
What goals are unchecked?
On the to be checked list: Getting Haley recorded with us.
