Jessica and Sandy are the sweet, sweet voices of Canary in the Coalmine - a harmony driven, Appalachian and alt-country influenced Americana folk band. I first heard these lovely ladies play at One Spark earlier this year. After listening to their first song, I promptly found my way over to their merch stand, bought myself one of their EP's, took it home and then sent it straight on through to Australia. I couldn't not share their sound. It was southern perfection. Yesterday, while having the privilege of hanging out with Sandy and Jessica and while taking their photograph, I was lucky enough to be audience to a few of their songs. I could listen to their harmonies all day - their voices are just meant to be together. Canary in the Coalmine can often be seen playing around the local Jacksonville music scene. You can also take a look at their website and their current (and brilliant) music video, Leaving Tonight.

What projects are you currently working on?

We are working on releasing our full length CD hopefully very soon. We are also working on new material that we hope to be debuting at our live shows very soon.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

For the most part, we draw inspiration from real life experiences. We both have had dark times in our past that affect our songwriting and help bring hope and meaning to those experiences, and provide a way of connecting with others who can identify.

How would you describe your music style?

We are influenced by several types of American roots music, including country, bluegrass, blues, and soul. We describe our genre most effectively as 'Americana'.

What has been the most standout performance for you so far?

Playing the Springfest and Magnolia festivals at Spirit of the Suwannee music park is always a great experience for us. Most recently, we played a different setting at the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival that was sort of stripped down, focused on the vocals and strings (we played with a cellist at this performance), and it was exciting to hear the songs in a different context.

What is a typical day like for you?

Just like anybody else, work and hanging out with friends- but there is also that creative time to yourself when we do most of our writing, either alone or the two of us.

Sandy: Sometimes we're asked to do interviews or photoshoots. In which case we walk around teasing our hair & playing ukulele.

If you could travel to any part of the world right now, where would you go?

Australia with our new found friend Selena!

What is your favorite meal to cook at home?

Jessica- meatloaf with cilantro and jalapeño peppers.

Sandy: All things Thai & Indian!

What is the most difficult part about working in the music/creative industry?

Balancing creativity with hard work! It takes patience and dedication to be successful.

The best part?

Jessica: I think having that creative time in the studio when you are fine tuning the songs, and of course the raw energy of live performances is the best.

Sandy: For me it's the collaboration between Jessica & myself as well as the talented men in Canary we're fortunate enough to work with.

What do you love most about Jacksonville?

I love the growth in the creative artistic community we have seen over the past few years and how the rest of the community has become a part of and supported that growth.

What are your sweetest daily moments?

Jessica: Spending time with our animals!

Sandy: Espresso in the morning & whiskey in the evening.

Looking back 10 years from now, what would you like to see?

We would like to see that we stuck with it and were able to maintain this band and sustain this music.