The Nields
Encyclopedia
The Nields was a folk-rock band that performed from 1991 to 2001. It toured much of the United States
, performing with artists such as Dar Williams
, Moxy Früvous
, and Catie Curtis
and appeared at many folk festivals. Two members, Katryna and Nerissa Nields, continue to tour as a folk
duo.
, when Nerissa Nields met David Jones, and started a band with Nerissa's sister Katryna.
In 1991, Katryna had graduated from Trinity College
in Connecticut, and Nerissa had graduated from Yale University
. Nerissa married David, who was now known as David Nields, having taken her surname.
By now, the threesome was performing together as the Nields, with Katryna as the lead singer, Nerissa playing rhythm guitar
and singing harmony
, and David Nields on lead guitar. In 1992, the three of them moved to Connecticut
, where David had accepted a job at the Loomis Chaffee
School, and the band recorded its first album
, the self-released 66 Hoxsey Street, named for a house in Williamstown where they had lived. The band began to tour New England
in earnest, earning a reputation in the regional folk music scene. In 1993, they released a live album titled Live at the Iron Horse Music Hall
, recorded at the popular folk club in Northampton, Massachusetts
.
In 1994 the band grew from a three-piece folk group to a five-piece rock band
. The new members were Dave Chalfant (bass
), whom Katryna had met in college
, and Dave Hower (drums
), a friend of Chalfant's. Chalfant also produced the band's album released that year, Bob on the Ceiling. This album featured a mix of the acoustic
material that the Nields had previously specialized in and a more rock-oriented sound that would become their trademark. With their new sound, the Nields received critical acclaim, and quit their day jobs to become full-time musicians.
Their 1995 EP Abigail, named for Katryna and Nerissa's sister, was self-released, followed by Gotta Get Over Greta in 1996 on the independent Razor & Tie
record label
. The album was re-released in 1997 with three bonus tracks on Guardian, a division of Elektra Records.
Unfortunately, the group suffered a number of setbacks the next year. Guardian folded, leaving them without a record label, and their tour van
was growing increasingly unreliable. The band self-released an album called Mousse (the nickname
for Dave Chalfant's sister Andromache
) and held a special 'Jam for the Van' concert. As a result, the Nields were able to purchase a new van, and were also able to secure a new label, Zoë, a division of Rounder Records. Over the next three years, the Nields released two more records (Play and If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Now), and in 1999 Katryna Nields and Dave Chalfant got married.
Although the band enjoyed a moderate degree of success, they broke up in 2001. Their final recording was a two-disc album titled Live From Northampton. Like their 1993 album, it was recorded at the Iron Horse Music Hall
, and was self-released by the band. Shortly after the breakup of the band, David and Nerissa Nields were divorced.
as a duo. The performances were successful, and the two sisters performed several more shows together in areas where the full band had not previously been able to tour. Dar Williams
dubbed this the "probe effect," a reference to Star Trek
's Enterprise
sending a probe to unexplored areas.
By 2001, shows by the full band were increasingly rare, as Katryna and Nerissa toured mostly by themselves. In mid-2001, Katryna took some time off to have a baby, Amelia. Afterwards, she and Nerissa recorded their first album as a duo, titled Love and China, followed by an EP of children's songs,Songs for Amelia. In 2004, they released their second full album, This Town is Wrong. In 2005, Nerissa's young adult novel, Plastic Angel, was published by Scholastic Books. This Town Is Wrong was intended as a soundtrack to the novel, which came packaged with a CD containing the songs "This Town Is Wrong" and "Glow-In-The-Dark Plastic Angel" from the album.
In addition to making music, Nerissa has been teaching guitar, leading writing
workshops, and working on a second novel, titled The Big Idea. In May 2005, she married Tom Duffy, a writer. On May 3, 2006, Nerissa gave birth to her first child, Lila Mary Nields-Duffy. John Patrick Thomas Nields-Duffy followed on August 23, 2008.
In November 2004, Katryna gave birth to her second child, a son named William John Chalfant.
Katryna and Nerissa lead a popular children's singing class called Hootenanny, which draws new pre-school-aged fans to their already substantial grassroots following.
Dave Hower plays drums with a variety of bands, including Winterpills
, Spanish for Hitchhiking, and The Fucking Sparklies.
Dave Chalfant has opened a recording studio
and produced
albums by a number of artists. He is also currently a teacher of Instrumental Music at the Academy at Charlemont
in Charlemont, Massachusetts.
David Nields was the director of the Williston Theater and 12th grade English teacher at The Williston Northampton School
in Easthampton, Ma. He is now currently the Theatre Director for the Imperial Centre of Arts and Sciences in Rocky Mount, North Carolina
. He is married to Susan Daniels, and has three step-children: Chelsea, Hannah, and Maxx.
A lifelong dream of Nerissa and Katryna's, this is a CD full of the songs they learned from their father when they were kids. This album is the first to return to "The Nields" moniker since "Live From Northampton."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, performing with artists such as Dar Williams
Dar Williams
Dar Williams is an American singer-songwriter specializing in pop folk.She is a frequent performer at folk festivals and has toured with such artists as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Griffin, Ani DiFranco, The Nields, Shawn Colvin, Girlyman, Joan Baez, and Catie Curtis.-Biography:Williams was born...
, Moxy Früvous
Moxy Früvous
Moxy Früvous was a politically satirical folk-pop band from Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. The band was founded in 1989, and was active throughout the 1990s...
, and Catie Curtis
Catie Curtis
Catie Curtis is an American singer-songwriter. Her music has been categorized in several genres, including pop, rock, alternative country, indie and folk. She has recorded 11 CDs. The most recent, Stretch Limousine On Fire, will be released in August 2011 on Compass Records.-Early life:Catie...
and appeared at many folk festivals. Two members, Katryna and Nerissa Nields, continue to tour as a folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
duo.
History of the band
The first incarnation of what would later become the Nields came together in 1987 in McLean, VirginiaMcLean, Virginia
McLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....
, when Nerissa Nields met David Jones, and started a band with Nerissa's sister Katryna.
In 1991, Katryna had graduated from Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
in Connecticut, and Nerissa had graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Nerissa married David, who was now known as David Nields, having taken her surname.
By now, the threesome was performing together as the Nields, with Katryna as the lead singer, Nerissa playing rhythm guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and singing harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
, and David Nields on lead guitar. In 1992, the three of them moved to Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, where David had accepted a job at the Loomis Chaffee
Loomis Chaffee
The Loomis Chaffee School is a premier coeducational boarding school for grades 9–12 and postgraduates located on a 300-plus acre campus in the Connecticut River Valley in Windsor, Connecticut, six miles north of Hartford...
School, and the band recorded its first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, the self-released 66 Hoxsey Street, named for a house in Williamstown where they had lived. The band began to tour New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
in earnest, earning a reputation in the regional folk music scene. In 1993, they released a live album titled Live at the Iron Horse Music Hall
Iron Horse Music Hall
The Iron Horse Music Hall is a music venue located in Northampton, Massachusetts, west of Boston and north of Springfield, Massachusetts. Its motto is Music Alone Shall Live...
, recorded at the popular folk club in Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
.
In 1994 the band grew from a three-piece folk group to a five-piece rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
. The new members were Dave Chalfant (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), whom Katryna had met in college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, and Dave Hower (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), a friend of Chalfant's. Chalfant also produced the band's album released that year, Bob on the Ceiling. This album featured a mix of the acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
material that the Nields had previously specialized in and a more rock-oriented sound that would become their trademark. With their new sound, the Nields received critical acclaim, and quit their day jobs to become full-time musicians.
Their 1995 EP Abigail, named for Katryna and Nerissa's sister, was self-released, followed by Gotta Get Over Greta in 1996 on the independent Razor & Tie
Razor & Tie
Razor & Tie is a New York-based corporation founded in 1990 by Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam. The company encompasses a record label with major label distribution , a home video company, a media buying company, a music publishing business, a marketing, promotion and sales team, and a direct...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. The album was re-released in 1997 with three bonus tracks on Guardian, a division of Elektra Records.
Unfortunately, the group suffered a number of setbacks the next year. Guardian folded, leaving them without a record label, and their tour van
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
was growing increasingly unreliable. The band self-released an album called Mousse (the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
for Dave Chalfant's sister Andromache
Andromache
In Greek mythology, Andromache was the wife of Hector and daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled...
) and held a special 'Jam for the Van' concert. As a result, the Nields were able to purchase a new van, and were also able to secure a new label, Zoë, a division of Rounder Records. Over the next three years, the Nields released two more records (Play and If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Now), and in 1999 Katryna Nields and Dave Chalfant got married.
Although the band enjoyed a moderate degree of success, they broke up in 2001. Their final recording was a two-disc album titled Live From Northampton. Like their 1993 album, it was recorded at the Iron Horse Music Hall
Iron Horse Music Hall
The Iron Horse Music Hall is a music venue located in Northampton, Massachusetts, west of Boston and north of Springfield, Massachusetts. Its motto is Music Alone Shall Live...
, and was self-released by the band. Shortly after the breakup of the band, David and Nerissa Nields were divorced.
Katryna and Nerissa Nields as a duo
In 1998, Katryna and Nerissa were invited to play Lilith FairLilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...
as a duo. The performances were successful, and the two sisters performed several more shows together in areas where the full band had not previously been able to tour. Dar Williams
Dar Williams
Dar Williams is an American singer-songwriter specializing in pop folk.She is a frequent performer at folk festivals and has toured with such artists as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Griffin, Ani DiFranco, The Nields, Shawn Colvin, Girlyman, Joan Baez, and Catie Curtis.-Biography:Williams was born...
dubbed this the "probe effect," a reference to Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
's Enterprise
Starship Enterprise
The Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
sending a probe to unexplored areas.
By 2001, shows by the full band were increasingly rare, as Katryna and Nerissa toured mostly by themselves. In mid-2001, Katryna took some time off to have a baby, Amelia. Afterwards, she and Nerissa recorded their first album as a duo, titled Love and China, followed by an EP of children's songs,Songs for Amelia. In 2004, they released their second full album, This Town is Wrong. In 2005, Nerissa's young adult novel, Plastic Angel, was published by Scholastic Books. This Town Is Wrong was intended as a soundtrack to the novel, which came packaged with a CD containing the songs "This Town Is Wrong" and "Glow-In-The-Dark Plastic Angel" from the album.
Current status
Katryna and Nerissa continue to make music and perform together. They have continued touring as a duo, although they have occasionally performed shows as a full band. In their 'full-band' shows, they are joined by Dave Hower or Lorne Entress on drums, Paul Kochanski on bass, and Dave Chalfant on guitar. In July 2007, they released a duo album, "Sister Holler."In addition to making music, Nerissa has been teaching guitar, leading writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
workshops, and working on a second novel, titled The Big Idea. In May 2005, she married Tom Duffy, a writer. On May 3, 2006, Nerissa gave birth to her first child, Lila Mary Nields-Duffy. John Patrick Thomas Nields-Duffy followed on August 23, 2008.
In November 2004, Katryna gave birth to her second child, a son named William John Chalfant.
Katryna and Nerissa lead a popular children's singing class called Hootenanny, which draws new pre-school-aged fans to their already substantial grassroots following.
Dave Hower plays drums with a variety of bands, including Winterpills
Winterpills
Winterpills are an indie rock band from Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. Its members are Philip Price, Flora Reed, Dave Hower, Dennis Crommett and Brian Akey. They are also joined on tour sometimes by José Ayerve and Henning Ohlenbusch...
, Spanish for Hitchhiking, and The Fucking Sparklies.
Dave Chalfant has opened a recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
albums by a number of artists. He is also currently a teacher of Instrumental Music at the Academy at Charlemont
Academy at Charlemont
The Academy at Charlemont is a small, private, college-preparatory day school, located on the Deerfield River in Charlemont, Massachusetts, that serves grade 7 through postgraduate. It has approximately 110 students. The school was founded by Eric Grinnell, Dianne Grinnell, David W. McKay, Patricia...
in Charlemont, Massachusetts.
David Nields was the director of the Williston Theater and 12th grade English teacher at The Williston Northampton School
Williston Northampton School
The Williston Northampton School, or "Williston," is a private co-educational preparatory school for boarding and day students in seventh grade through postgraduate year located in Easthampton, Massachusetts. The campus offers a range of extra-curricular activities in the arts and athletics...
in Easthampton, Ma. He is now currently the Theatre Director for the Imperial Centre of Arts and Sciences in Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award-winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the state of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of...
. He is married to Susan Daniels, and has three step-children: Chelsea, Hannah, and Maxx.
Discography
- 66 Hoxsey Street (1992, out of print)
- Live at the Iron Horse Music Hall (1993, out of print)
- Bob on the Ceiling (1994)
- Abigail (1995, EP)
- Gotta Get Over Greta (1996)
- Gotta Get Over Greta (re-release) (1997)
- Mousse (1998)
- Play (1998)
- If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Now (2000)
- Live From Northampton (2001)
- Love and China (2001, Katryna and Nerissa Nields)
- This Town is Wrong (2004, Katryna and Nerissa Nields)
- Songs for Amelia (2004, Katryna and Nerissa Nields, EP, children's album)
- All Together Singing In The Kitchen (2006) (family album)
A lifelong dream of Nerissa and Katryna's, this is a CD full of the songs they learned from their father when they were kids. This album is the first to return to "The Nields" moniker since "Live From Northampton."
- Sister Holler (2007, Katryna and Nerissa Nields)
- Rock All Day, Rock All Night (2008)