Tweed River Music Festival is back this year…and its back with a vengeance. But, in a good way, with good vibes, good times, and of course good, no GREAT music and artists playing the festival at the end of July. In an effort to share the love and get the word out about the amazing folks playing we are featuring them here on Red Line Roots in a feature I am calling “Pulling up the Tweeds”…

(photo courtesy of Tweed River Music Festival)

The first victim…errr, very special guest is the 2014 Big Reds Favorite Find of the year and recent, but very quick, great friends The Wiles. Check it out!

1. For the fine folks who may not be as familiar with your work, how would you sum up your sound in a short phrase (10-15 words)?

The Wiles: We are a lady power trio, and we play & write soulful acoustic indie Americana feminist old-time country roots music. How many words is that?

2. The Wiles were recently announced as the Red Line BIG RED favorite new find of 2014…so you know we love your music, but for those out there just getting a taste of you, what does the next year have in store? New EP????

The Wiles: First of all, we’re honored to be recognized by Red Line Roots. Thanks for that! We’re currently working on our debut album, which will be out sometime this fall-ish. Don’t quote us on that. It’s hard for three full-time students to put together an album, but we’re so excited about the work we’ve done so far and we can’t wait to share it with the world. Of course, we’re really excited to be part of the Tweed River Fest lineup, and we’re also looking forward to playing at Roots on the River, the Cambridge River Fest, and Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, as well as playing various local gigs around the Boston area this summer. Hopefully we will also be graduating from Berklee at some point!

3. Festivals are often celebrated for their collaborations, community and bringing folks together for a weekend where they may not see each other otherwise. Is there anyone in particular that you would like to see appear on stage together at Tweed? How about collaborating with you? What are you most excited for about Tweed this year?

The Wiles: Wow, there are so many awesome acts on the bill for Tweed this year. It’s hard to pick just a few: Our friend Caitlin Canty, Jesse Dee, JP Harris, the Suitcase Junket, Joe Fletcher… Any of those bands collaborating with each other (or with us?!) would be a fearsome thing to behold. What AREN’T we excited about for Tweed?! We’re currently sitting in a cafe on a dreary, rainy March day, so the Vermont summertime weather certainly comes to mind.

4. 1 record that shaped you when you first started playing and 1 ‘lesser known’ record or artist that you are now/are listening to now that you think folks really need to hear about?

The Wiles: At the risk of overhyping or being melodramatic, the record that changed all of our lives was Shaken By A Low Sound by Crooked Still. We first heard that band because their bass player, Corey DiMario, taught at Maine Fiddle Camp, where we first played music together. That band, and particularly that album, was a huge influence on us. The way that Crooked Still reimagined traditional music inspired us in a way that we can’t quite describe. Essentially, it made us realize that we wanted to be folk musicians. As for newer acts, we’re currently listening to the Poison Oaks (one of Laura Cortese’s past projects) and our friends Fish & Bird, who recently made an incredible album called Something in the Ether. We just played a few shows with Fish & Bird and we can’t get their songs out of our heads.

5. So, why is creating music important to you? Why do you hit the stage night after night, pull out the old song notebook every day, or whatever else you do to let loose your creativity?

The Wiles: This is a difficult question to answer. I think a lot of creative people answer this type of question by saying something along the lines of “There’s no alternative” or “I can’t NOT write/play/create/etc.” To put it simply, it’s really fun (most of the time) and it makes us feel alive. It feeds and fuels us and it makes us feel that we have a way to connect with other people and contribute something to the world.

6. Aside from music, do you have any other pastimes? What would you want people to know about you aside from your musical endeavors?

The Wiles: Sometimes we feel like we don’t do anything other than music. Or talk about anything other than music. Which can get boring. So when we’re not being musicians, Ellie enjoys baking and arguing for the fashionable merits of clogs, Isa has been brushing up on her French and reading about politics, and Mali is studying English and French at Dartmouth and aspires to write a novel one day.

7. Anything else you want to plug or we should know?

The Wiles: Come see us at Cafe 939 in Boston on April 9th! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@thewilesmusic) to find out where we’re playing next and which breakfast sandwiches we recommend.

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Thanks ladies! Be sure to check out the girls at that above mentioned show early this month. You can snag tickets here. And of course, hit up their Facebook page, like the band, read up on the band, listen to music from the band, and see where they are playing next!

https://www.facebook.com/thewiles?ref=br_rs

And of course, check out the line-up, ticket info, and more at the official Tweed River Music Festival website at http://tweedrivermusicfestival.com/