Compelling storytellers on and offstage, it was our pleasure to speak to Folk Bitch Trio about where they've come from, what lies ahead, and where the band are finding meaning in this chapter of their life.
Folk Bitch Trio’s musical style is not easily classified. The primary way Gracie Sinclair, Jeanie Pilkington and Heide Peverelle work their magic is through timing: the band treat every breath with respect, and every lyrical verse is woven with elasticity stretching back and forth between each musician.
After a delightful hour spent chatting to the band at the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne’s inner north over a pot of beer, it’s clear this process stems from their friendship.
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“We’ve grown up in very supportive communities,” Gracie says. “Our high school was very supportive, and our parents too; it’s given us a sense of, you know, gentle, quiet self-confidence.”
Folk Bitch Trio tell an absorbing tale of how ordinary lives can lead to extraordinary experiences. Gracie, Jeanie and Heide are childhood friends turned housemates and bandmates. The supportive environment that nurtured the trio is the same in which they work and play today.
Jeanie’s father, Craig Pilkington, is a producer and sound engineer at Audrey Studios, where the band recorded their first two releases, and her mother is a musician. Gracie used to work behind the bar at the Northcote Social Club, when Courtney Barnett and Julia Jacklin – musicians they now share stages with – were gracing the bandroom. Heide currently works at Milk! Records, a label founded in 2012 by Barnett and Jen Cloher.
When discussing who they’ve played with and who they’re set to play with this year, Jeanie and Gracie are all tongue in cheek, not attempting to hold back their chuckles at the absurdity of how far they’ve come.
“We’ve been really lucky; we’re gonna be on the same bill as Angel Olsen,” Gracie adds. “A lot of it is quite ridiculous, like us supporting Julia Jacklin last year, which for our 17-year-old selves would have been hilarious,” adds Jeanie. “We never would have put ourselves on the same stage as her.”
Singing together was often more tempting than studying for their year 12 exams. Still, they never imagined where they’d be three years on.
“We were teenagers when we started singing together,” Gracie explains. “Our chemistry was really fun. It was in high school, and often we did it to procrastinate studying for our year 12 exams.”
This year the band are investing their time and creative energy into making music and touring, with their sights set on international stages and an attitude of “we’ll see where it takes us”, propelling them forwards.
“We’re definitely taking it slowly,” Jeanie says. “We want to make sure that everything we release we’re proud of and feels like a reflection of what our songs sound like live.”
As for where the band are finding meaning in this chapter of their life, each of the band’s members carries the influence of wise old souls within them: Joni Mitchell, Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, Jeff Buckley and Bob Dylan are just a handful of names in their musical repertoire.
The influence of Americana folk singer-songwriters with minimal instrumentation and themes of love, loss and hope revealing themselves in what is sung and what is left unsaid is not lost on anyone who has listened to Folk Bitch Trio perform.
The band are young and have a lifetime of experiences and work ahead of them to experiment with and develop their sound. However, they believe it will stay the same, as Jeanie explains. “It will always be the three of us singing together. The most important thing is that we want to keep our sound as true to the experience of singing together as we can while exploring the potential.”
As for what’s on rotation at the moment, the band were kind enough to list every single record they’ve had on rotation for the past twelve months. With their blessing, here’s a sample:
Folk Bitch Trio are playing Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal on February 5 and the Brunswick Ballroom on February 7 and 8. They’re also playing the Eltham Hotel’s Natural Bridge party with Mdou Moctar and Drugdealer on March 5 and the wonderful Port Fairy Folk Festival from March 10-13. Grab tickets to that one here.
