Sisters in Song: A Night of Women in Folk/Americana

The energy at the Exit/In was magical as the crowd filed in on March 29 for Sisters in Song, a concert presented by River & Row Management. As the pre-show playlist cycled through songs by Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, Brandi Carlile, and other artists in the Americana realm, attendees got progressively more excited.

Eloise Rixey performing, photo by Maggie Oradat.

Eloise Rixey was the first artist onstage, joined by cellist Ethan Hill and special guest Jael Woolfolk on keyboard and backing vocals. If I wasn’t already acquainted with Rixey and Woolfolk, I would’ve immediately assumed based on their welcoming energy that we’d get along. 

Others felt this sense of community too. On the first song, “Time”, my friend started sobbing. As the song ended, Rixey smiled at her and apologized for making her cry. The audience became more teary-eyed during “Rocketship”. Rixey and Woolfolk exchanged a smile as "Love of My Life” closed – a song dedicated to self-love. Rixey launched into a cover of “Funeral” by Phoebe Bridgers, making the sobs worse. Rixey’s set was one of the most beautiful displays of emotion I've ever witnessed. On the lighthearted side, a couple people (myself included) laughed at how she introduced the crowd to cellist Ethan Hill, “He’s now known as Boyfairy”. Very typical of Rixey – see this article’s headline to understand.

Jael Woolfolk playing keyboard, photo by Maggie Oradat.

The anticipation stayed high when Monica James entered the stage with a full band. She launched into “Rufus”. Me and my no-longer-sobbing friend screamed along, “Heaven help a lover, Heaven help a friend”. She hit the crowd with a classic James line, ““Do you ever take things a little too serious, and then be like, ‘It was never that serious’?” The song was aptly titled “Serious”, and the crowd clapped to the beat. 

Monica James performing, photo by Maggie Oradat.

Special guest Lilly Martin made an appearance playing fiddle on the tragic ballad “Did You Ever Love Me?” It was performed with only acoustic guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, paying homage to the bluegrass genre using some of its staple instruments. 

Lilly Martin taking the stage, photo by Addison Hilton.

James brought the happy energy back with a cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Girl I’ve Always Been” and closed with the banger “Leo”. Drummer Preston Mann tore apart the drums, and James let it all out at the end of the bridge in which, instead of a love confession, “Leo” says, “You’re such a great friend!”

Ella Choi brought out yet a fuller band with added string instruments (including Martin on fiddle again). The set, while upbeat, felt mellow and floaty. Her band members were incredibly in sync with each other, something I’ve noticed is audible both in concert and in the studio versions of her songs. “Heart Valley” and “Label” featured special moments for the fiddle, electric guitar and mandolin, the latter two played by Caroline Floyd and Blaise Gill, respectively. This was followed by a full band cover of “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell.

Ella Choi performing, photo by Shelby McHugh.

In an acoustic shift, Choi performed a favorite of mine,“Blind Man”, acoustic with just guitar and harmonica. She introduced it, “People get super caught up in politics and forget to think about what’s moral”. Band members stepped back and watched with admiration.

Choi’s first special guest was Kelly Jean Carter, who joined her for “Miss Me Maine”. Then Ella Gibson made an appearance for Choi’s finale, a cover of “Walkin’ Down the Line” by Joan Baez.

Ella Choi and Kelly Jean Carter performing "Miss Me Maine", photo by Shelby McHugh.

Between sets, co-presenter and co-founder of River & Row Management, Annie McNamara took the stage to thank all the women involved in the show.

Ella Molsee donned glittery stars on her face. Her first song, “Guilty”, featured an electric guitar solo. She teased the cheering audience, “It might be coming out soon.” She asked, “Y’all mind if I play a sad one?” before launching into her latest release, “Secret”. As she made her way through “Hands”, “Newer Clothes” and “Push Me”, she took moments to honor Harger and McNamara’s work putting on the show. She discussed young adulthood beautifully, reminding the now slightly sentimental crowd of mostly college students that we’re all on similar boats. Molsee described “The Dog”, her final song, “It’s about words”. Audience members screamed along.

Ella Molsee performing, photo by Addison Hilton.

Emma Harger made a speech between sets, discussing the female empowerment goals of the show, “You’ll notice, though, that we are up here onstage with our male peers because tonight is not about exclusion, but rather inclusion and championing diversity.” After this important acknowledgement, she thanked the all-female media team.

Rocky LeRoe and Zeke Meyer performing, photo by Ellen Bugler.

When Rocky LeRoe came out, she swung her guitar out over the audience and yelled into her microphone, “Are you ready to rock?” The first songs she performed, “Red Rocks” and “The Hold”, featured electric guitar and fiddle solos played by Zeke Meyer and Emma Buckner, respectively. She then played “The Band”, during which Buckner switched to acoustic guitar and backing vocals and mandolinist Gabe Zinser had a moment to shine. LeRoe brought out a tambourine.

Kelly Jean Carter made a second appearance as a special guest, joining LeRoe for their co-write, “This Close”. The band stood in a line, old-timey folk style. A fiddle interlude played between that song and “Another Winter”. As the ambient intro to LeRoe’s cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “Angel from Montgomery” played, LeRoe and her band joked that they felt like they were entering divine presence. Buckner, back on fiddle, had a couple solos throughout the song. The audience cheered as LeRoe ended with “Tambourine”, the title track of her debut album. She ordered the crowd to treat Meyer like Led Zeppelin as he played his electric guitar solo. I laughed as she hit a cymbal with a drumstick with one hand while playing a tambourine with the other. She cackled as her set closed.

From left: Monica James, Eloise Rixey, Ella Molsee, Ella Choi, and Rocky LeRoe performing "Rhiannon" together, photo by Maggie Oradat.

The last hurrah of the show was a heartwarming group cover of “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac, sung by all the artists. Rixey and Molsee swing-danced onstage. Harger and McNamara bounded up to the barricade and screamed the words as the song finished. They rejoiced in seeing the effects of all their hard work, as well as that of everyone else involved.

Presenters and founders of River & Row Management, Emma Harger and Annie McNamara, photo by Addison Hilton.

After the show, all the artists came into the crowd, making their ‘thank you’s and ‘I love you’s. 

And now it’s my turn! This was my first big project as a journalist, and I am eternally grateful for everyone who helped make my involvement possible. It means the world to me. 

Keep up with future events for River & Row Management here and navigate to my Events tab to see the next big upcoming events for the leading ladies from Sisters in Song. See embedded links throughout this story for more information on them.