Texas-based Quebe Sisters Band bring Southern folk to Wilson

Everything is bigger in Texas — including the music.

Texas natives, The Quebe Sisters Band, will be performing at 5 p.m. today in the Pleasants Family Assembly Room in Wilson Library, and the Southern Folklife Collection is sponsoring the event.

Hulda Quebe said she and her two sisters, Grace and Sophia, were inspired to take up music upon attending a concert in Texas. After the concert, they began taking fiddle lessons from Joey McKenzie, a three-time fiddle world champion. After a while, McKenzie encouraged the women to form a band and began booking them gigs.

In 2005, the sisters began to pursue music as a full-time career. McKenzie became a part of the band, playing the guitar and creating all of the musical arrangements.

Quebe said that since then, the band has toured full-time in the United States, Canada and Europe. The band also finished up a Russian tour earlier this year. They have put out two albums and have played in many famous venues, including the Grand Ole Opry, the Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center.

“We would pay to do what we do,” McKenzie said. “We absolutely love to play music”

McKenzie said the band’s style is mainly western swing, although they play in a variety of styles, including hot jazz, Texas fiddle music, and vintage country music. In addition to playing fiddles, the women also sing three-part harmony.

McKenzie said that although their repertoire consists solely of covers, the band does all its own arrangements, which gives their music a unique sound.

“The best way to describe our style of music is Quebe Sisters Band style music,” McKenzie said.

However, their Texas roots are definitely a major influence on the band.

“We’re definitely a Texas-flavored band,” McKenzie said.

Steve Weiss, the curator of the Southern Folklife Collection, said he asked the band to perform because he felt that the various styles of music the band plays represent the building blocks of traditional American music.

“The kind of music they play is very influential in American music as a whole,” Weiss said.

Weiss hopes this event will not only provide entertainment for audiences but will also serve as a learning experience. The Southern Folklife Collection will be displaying relevant pieces to give attendants some historical context.

“I hope the audience will have a lot of fun and gain a deeper appreciation for this style of music,” Weiss said.

Quebe said the band is currently working on a third album. In the future, the women are hoping to begin writing their own material.

Quebe said she and her sisters get along well, and she feels extremely blessed to be able to travel and make music with her family.

“We joke that we’re triplets, just different ages,” she said.

arts@dailytarheel.com