WNY Music: Colorado trio returns to Springville Center for the Arts for sold-out show

By Elmer Ploetz

The Cody Sisters came out of the Colorado bluegrass scene, but labeling them as pure bluegrass would be a mistake.

The trio, which is playing a sold-out show Saturday (Nov. 8) at 7 p.m. at the Springville Center for the Arts’ Mongerson Theater, seems to be poised to hit a broader audience with a distinctive sound that expands the borders of their music.

The two sisters in the group, Maddie (guitar and banjo) and Megan (mandolin and guitar) grew up within the bluegrass and folk scenes around the Denver and Boulder areas amid festivals like Rocky Grass. But they’re not southern and they don’t bring the stereotypical high and lonesome sound,. Their songs have echoes of 1970s singer-songwriter styles, with sisterly harmonies.

With the addition of bassist Will Pavilonis in 2020, they found a different sound as his arrangements broadened the pallete.

“The first song I remember learning was a Taylor Swift song, actually, but that was short lived, and we quickly turned to mainly bluegrass things,” said Megan in a recent phone interview with the group. “But Will had a bunch of different styles growing up as well.”

Pavilonis grew up playing jazz and classical music in Cleveland before moving to Colorado, so he brings that perspective and at times almost a chamber music sound to the group.

“I love playing with a bow. I feel it gives it a little more of an open sound,” Pavalonis said. “You could change up the texture of of everything with using a bow. And we all play different ways on our own instruments … trying to create different timbres and different textures throughout the pieces.”

Megan writes most of the songs, Pavalonis arranges them and Maddie sings lead on most.

The group is still young and near the start of its touring career. When they played the Center for the Arts the first time in August of 2024, it was the farthest they had played from their home base in Colorado and their first time performing in New York State. Now they’re signed to professional management and booking and are building a higher profile.

For example, they’re headlining at Caffè Lena, one of the landmark venues in folk music history, tonight and will be at Eddie’s Attic, another significant “listening room” with a national reputation, in Decatur, Ga., in January.

“Over the past five or so years, since we started playing with Will as a trio, we started college and finished college,” said Maddie. “And now that we’re out of school, we’re touring a decent amount around the country. (Before) it was mainly just on summer break and when we had time off school.

After releasing several songs individually over the past few years, the Cody Sisters released their debut LP, “All the Quiet People,” in February. Here is the title track:

Elmer Ploetz is editor-in-chief of The Buffalo Hive.