INFO
Driven to raise money to go to DisneyLand as elementary school kids, the JansenSisters began singing publicly on the streets of Calgary, armed with their City of Calgary Busking license and accompanied by their Dad on guitar.
At the age of 14, behind closed doors, Cassidy taught herself to play guitar and the siblings ousted their Dad from the band. In just two years, the sisters have incorporated the ukulele, mandolin, cajon and most recently the upright bass into their repetoire.
Originally the band sang songs crafted by their parents but recently they have been penning their own songs. They sing songs that reflect their family, faith, and friendships. They cover artists such as Kina Grannis, Coldplay and Josh Garrels.
Their most notable achievements to date are having won the $1000 Grand Prize for the 18 and Under Originals in Long and McQuade's 2013 national Head-to-Head Music Showdown and being runner's up for the 2014 Calgary Folk Festival Songwriting Contest in the Sonic Youth division. This is what Long and McQuade had to say about them:
Congrats to the JansenSisters and their original song
"No Typical Girl."
It was the infectiously hypnotic acoustic guitar track that caught our attention right off the top... and then the backups in the choruses. The vocal harmonies here are complex and beautiful. Topped off with great songwriting and lyrics supporting a pertinent message, this was an easy choice for us to choose as the winning entry of their category.
