Email
PrintMarital Harmonies
Anne and Pete Sibley
Anne and Pete Sibley sing of the West, channeling its contours and culture, its past and personalities, its hearths and hearts. Blending folk, bluegrass, and blues, their songs tap the Teton landscape and lifestyle, yet resonate well beyond. Raised in Connecticut and singing in the choir, where they met, the Sibleys found their music when they moved to Jackson eleven years ago. From their induction at the Jackson Hole Hootenanny, they have gone on to play premier festivals like MerleFest in North Carolina, and famed venues like the Kennedy Center. In spring 2009, the Sibleys won the Great American Duet Sing-Off on A Prairie Home Companion, a contest that drew more than seven hundred submissions.
Q: How did you immerse yourselves in the local acoustic music scene?
Pete: It was very accessible. I only knew a handful of chords on the guitar, but I could still play along. We realized the folk and bluegrass world was about getting people singing and sharing in the music.
Anne: The beauty and pace of life here are reflected in the music we love. When singing these songs, you feel like you are telling a great story. It makes me picture people sitting around a campfire or going on a hike.
Q. Was releasing your first album, Think of This River in 2003, a turning point?
Anne: All of a sudden, people started calling, wanting us to play at events. It was wild how the CD spread our music and stepped things up for us. It made us realize, “We can do this,” instead of music being something that we always loved but did on the side.
Q: Has becoming parents influenced your music?
Pete: Our latest record, Coming Home, is the way it is because we had a kid. We weren’t able to work up songs the way we normally do. They sat a lot longer, which allowed for creativity throughout the whole process.
Anne: Being parents makes us much more present. We pare things down to the basics and enjoy.
Q: What advice would you give a fledgling duo?
Anne: Follow your instincts. Though it’s tempting to think you need to do things a certain way, the more you stay true to what you feel is right—at least for us—the more things blossom.
Pete: Life gives you exactly what you need, when you need it. Because one festival didn’t hire us, we were available to do Prairie Home.
