There is going to be an eruption by the dish rack, a lava flow down the refrigerator, and a layer of ash across the breakfast table. Volcanoes in the Kitchen, a brother and sister trio from Charleston, S.C., is exploding into the local music scene with their debut EP From the Hill Where We Counted Stars set to be released in just a few weeks. I got a preview at their recent outdoor show at Marion Square as part of Piccolo Spoleto festivities and immediately was immersed in their simple but unique blend.
The talented family, consisting of guitar-player Drew, 22, keyboardist Gabrielle, 20, and harmonica-shredder Hannah, 18, grew up being home-schooled in a very music-centered atmosphere. “Our dad plays guitar, writes songs, and sings, which has inspired us to play music,” says Drew Hadley. “We started learning entry level music theory together in 2002, and then started writing some pretty terrible songs… 147 songs later we started writing songs that we actually liked. We have been playing music together ever since.” They also have a younger sister, 11-year-old Lydia, who plays violin and might eventually make Volcanoes in the Kitchen a four-piece ensemble.
When it comes to the Hadleys, they each have interesting idiosyncrasies that both stem from and influence their musicality. They are all very aware of the environment, which comes to fruition in Drew’s anti-shampoo mission. “I like to think of my relationship with shampoo like Superman and Kryptonite, Sampson and Delilah, or Michael Blooth and the entire Blooth family. Does that make sense?” he says with just a hint of humor.
The girls both enjoy baking, “which goes against our entire band’s hobby of healthy living,” says Gabrielle. “But sometimes a girl’s gotta have a homemade chocolate chip cookie to go with her mountain of kale.” The Taylor Swift look-alike (it’s probably the red lipstick), also enjoys sketching and does all of the artwork for Volcanoes in the Kitchen including the album cover for the new EP.
Meanwhile, sister Hannah contributes to the environmental cause by riding her cherished light blue bicycle (“with a basket”). Hannah also dances barefoot on stage often, which might come from her ballet background. “Dancing helped bring out more stage presence and confidence for me,” she says. “There’s just something about freeing your mind enough to let your body do what it wants that inspires me.” She also kills it on harmonica. “I’ve been heavily inspired by Bob Dylan…. But who hasn’t? I feel like the harmonica helps set us apart from a lot of pop music these days.”
The members of Volcanoes in the Kitchen have all been inspired by the music they grew up on from the 60’s and 70’s like Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon, as well as some artists from the Charleston scene. The trio is friends with songwriter Steven Fiore, has gleaned words of wisdom from Seth Bolt of NEEDTOBREATHE, and has family ties with Christina Cone of Frances Cone and her brother who were flower girl and ring-bearer in their parents’ wedding. “We try to be like sponges and soak up as much information and ideas and ways of creating music as we can,” says Gabrielle. “We are honored by having a lot of skilled musicians that live in the same city as us. We’ve still got a lot to learn.”
The young, passionate siblings have two goals with Volcanoes in the Kitchen: to help people and love people. “Music is the vehicle that we have chosen, or that has been handed to us, to go about fulfilling that dream. Our dream is to be love,” says Drew. Track “Heart Full of Gratitude” describes a perspective of their own journey towards this goal and its most powerful line was actually written by their very supportive and influential father. He writes, “Don’t deny the process of an uphill climb ‘cause the top of the mountain is defined by its sides.” Beautifully worded and resoundingly true.
“Being a successful band isn’t our dream,” says Gabrielle. “Music crosses through all cultures and brings strangers together. It’s the ultimate weapon in the war against unhappiness, the vehicle that transports us out of our minds and into the heart of something deeper than our own hearts. It takes us on strolls through city streets, sidewalk cafés, and oceanfront parks; it sails us across foreign seas to ancient mountains and crumbling castles, or can place you in a small living room filled with the warmth of a fire and the loved ones that huddle around it. This is the core of Volcanoes in the Kitchen. We want to take you places.”
You can download Volcanoes in the Kitchen’s first single “You Can Close Your Eyes (Johnny & June)” RIGHT NOW on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify! Be on the lookout for the full EP set to be released mid-June.
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