State Radio

Born to each other, a band raised from the beginning, the Parkington Sisters create an aural experience that is both magnetic in its delivery and genuine in its emotional impact. Seeded from a generation of musicians, Rose, Nora, Sarah and Ariel Parkington were raised in a wildly musical household where every room sounded with a spark of song, naturally inspiring their individual hearts and hands to find their own instrumental avenues.


These roads led them through every direction including stints in eclectic rock bands, to performing on stages in far away lands, with symphonies and string quartets, and to conservatory and university. Between the sisters they hold seven degrees; five of which are in string performance.

Despite their extensive musical background, it wasn’t until 2005 that their roads harmonized and they began performing instrumentals together for the first time on the salty streets of Provincetown. Eventually their passion for songwriting won out as their sound evolved into each sister writing and singing individually. Combining their diverse tastes, filtered through their acquired classical training, the sisters soon realized the potential for combining four dynamic voices with four confident instruments. Rose plays guitar, piano and accordion, Ariel and Sarah play violin and viola and Nora plays violin and percussion. Nonetheless, all are multi-instrumentalists and their music is embodied by vibrant string arrangements combined with tight, interwoven four-part vocal harmonies, and gorgeous, blending voices. Ambitious and intricate, the Parkington Sisters produce an undeniable expression of sisterhood able to slip from their hearts into a sound all their own.

Since 2005, the sisters have traveled the country, capturing audiences wherever they play. They have been guest artists on recordings by The Spring Standards, Sonya Kitchell, Dub Trio, Dropkick Murphys, Horrible Crows and recently, recorded their debut album at New York City’s Avatar Studios and Studio G with engineer/producer Joel Hamilton (Elvis Costello, Tom Waits). After performing at the Bonnaroo Music Festival 2011, they will be touring Canada and the West Coast with the Dropkick Murphys.