Emily Jane and Brendan Passey are The Sinners … a musical partnership whose sound is unforgettable once heard, and who definitely follow their hearts where music is concerned. You’ll most likely catch this duo around some of the smaller intimate venues in the New England, but check out their social pages to see what they have planned next!

Hi guys. What’s the backstory behind The Sinners and how you came to perform together?

It’s complicated … You see, the story of our first meeting is perhaps best left shrouded in sinful mystery … But our musical collaboration really kicked off in 2016. We connected over a shared love of beautifully crafted vocal melodies and intricate harmonies. Making vocal music like that with another person is an incomparable experience – especially when you have a personal connection to the person, the lyrics and you’ve just nailed a complex harmony together. It’s not something you come across every day. 

You both have an interesting performance background. What have been some of the musical highlights for each of you?

OK, that’s a tough one to answer – we’ve both been involved in such a variety of musical ventures over the years. 

EJ: I started pretty early performing in musical theatre productions in Sydney as a bolshy little 12-year-old. In that genre I’d have to say highlights have been The Hatpin, playing Mama Morton in Chicago, and as the soloist in the most beautiful folk opera, Misa Creole (life goal unlocked!). 

I didn’t really start making music in bands until my early 20s, but when I did, it ticked all the right boxes, pressed all the right buttons, and I realised that I had found my jam. 

I’d have to say that the shenanigans from my time in Hey Charger (band) were a standout. Creatively: my time in Crooked Morgana and that delicious groove metal sound of Ruby Sledge. 

Also, community music ventures like the Armidale Pub Choir, which we direct and co-host at the Imperial Hotel.

B: That’s a hard question to answer. I’ve had many moments with many bands; I once played at the uni bar in Canberra with my band at the time, J-Block. That would be the biggest stage I’ve played on. 

I’ve had some great moments playing bass with our party band, The Gravy. 

Perhaps the most rewarding of my musical endeavours though would be my work with Armidale Pub Choir. There is something a bit special about bringing a bunch of people together to sing an arrangement you’ve worked on. Feels good. 

“The Sinners” is an interesting name! How does it relate to you as a duo / what’s the significance behind it?

Can we refer back to our first answer? Shrouded in mystery …

Well, we’re not conventional; we feel uncomfortable wearing beige, we rate critical thinking, and we seek to get off the middle-of-the-road – like a pair of sinners. 

I kind of enjoy the uncertainty our name elicits – people often don’t quite know how to pin us down, how they can make sense of what we are saying, what we are doing.

For someone who’s never heard your music before, how would you describe it?

Well, I suppose the basics are that it features B on acoustic guitar, two vocals with alternating and intertwining melody and harmony, and EJ has started to bring in the occasional harmonica bit. 

You might say that the sound is wistful, evocative, melancholic and moody; but, it can also be bold and arresting. SD (Stephen Dobson) described our sound as “acoustic, high lonesome”, and that kind of resonated.

What types of gigs are you most at home performing?

Currently, we are really into playing at the more intimate local venues like Charlie’s Last Stand, the Speakeasy at Dobson’s Distillery, The Welder’s Dog and Studio Folk Club, but also community events like the Black Gully Festival and the Tour de North West fundraiser for BackTrack Youth Works. 

We also step out with six-piece local soul/funk/party band, The Gravy, and that always promises saucy good times.

How do you determine the musical direction you’re heading in … is it a joint decision?

Most definitely a joint decision – luckily, our musical tastes are pretty closely aligned. When we’re writing together, we bring our individual strengths to the process; B is definitely the musical boffin with the creative instrumental skills, and EJ usually brings a creative musical vision and lyrics. 

But, it’s not always as romantic as it might sound. Like, there have been times where we have gotten into dustups over time signatures and whether we should use a secondary dominant or not.

If we were to view the recent playlist on your phone, what artists/songs would we find?

EJ: Ummm … an eclectic mix of excellent taste … you’d probably find some Alabama Shakes, Tesky Brothers, Marlon Williams, Gillian Welsh and David Rawlings, but also some St Paul and the Broken Bones, Do-Jo Cuts, Bamboos, Curtis Mayfield, Paolo Nutini, Fat Freddy’s Drop, and just to confuse you … some Erik Satie, Debussy and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. What can I say … I’m a Renaissance woman!

B: it’ll be some Nathaniel Ratliff and the Night Sweats, Paul Kelly, Tim Minchin, Shovels and Rope, Alt-J, Fleet Foxes, and maybe a little Chet Faker.

What are your dreams/goals for 2020?

This year we will be focusing on our writing – making time and space for the creative process to happen and working hard to produce well-crafted, evocative songs. It can be challenging to strike a balance between doing what you need to do to survive the daily grind and making room for a creative, playful, reflective environment that inspires and feeds into the writing process.

How can we contact you/find out more about you?

You can find/contact us on the socials:

www.facebook.com/TheSinnersDuo

You’ll find info on all of our upcoming gigs there, and we may even drop some tasters for new Sinners tunes.

Thanks, guys.