Hello friends!
Once again I apologize for my less than faithful writing. I hope to make up for it with this post. Get prepared to discover some fantastic new music.
About a year and a half ago we played a show at Grace Church in Dover, DE. An acoustic trio of siblings opened the evening for us and we found ourselves sitting on the edge of our seats, breathless, and completely stunned by the beauty of their set. Their voices blended perfectly, the lyrics pulled at our heartstrings, and the peaceful melodies they sang made my whole body ache with a hope for something more.
Their music literally moved me to tears. That doesn’t happen often. In fact I can only think of a few times that I’ve cried at a concert, one being at a Mumford and Sons show a couple of years ago and another when I heard Audrey Assad sing Bridge Over Troubled Water when we toured with her last fall. There was something so sincere and authentic about Salvage Kin’s live show. We fell in love.
Salvage Kin, comprised of sisters Audrey Moore and Tracy Peters and Tracy’s husband Matt Peters, recently released an EP that Tyler had the privilege of recording and producing. The EP is completely live and was recorded in the sanctuary at Grace Church in one 12 hour day. The acoustics in the room are wonderful and the sparse production really lets the voices of Audrey, Tracy, and Matt shine.
I requested an interview with Salvage Kin recently and they were kind enough to oblige. Tracy Peters took the time to answer my questions. If you don’t have time to read through the interview, go check out their music over at their Facebook Page.
Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Salvage Kin:
J: Tell us a little about Salvage Kin. How did you come together as a band?
TP: Audrey and I are sisters, so we grew up playing music together. We started out singing worship songs and bits from disney movies and musicals like The Sound of Music and The Lion King. Someone was always singing something while riding in the car, washing dishes, or doing laundry. We eventually learned piano and guitar and spent time learning to play anything from hymns to Elvis Presley. Our parents always encouraged us to pursue music, and they would bring their friends home for us to sing or play piano for them. Most of our experience with music came through the church, because we always got involved with choirs and worship teams. But we never really tried to write our own songs.
My husband Matt and I began writing music together in 2008 while we were dating, and did a couple of rough recordings. We never really played for anyone but a few close friends after we were married in 2009.
Salvage Kin was formed in 2010 after Matt and I moved to Delaware from Colorado. Matt and I would occasionally play at home and Audrey began adding harmonies and background vocals. A good friend of ours signed us up for a coffeehouse with Delaware Friends of Folk and after that we began playing at different small venues in our area. People started calling us “Peters and Moore” (our last names) which we didn’t necessarily like. . .so we decided to come up with a real band name. It took us a lot of thinking. . .but we eventually decided on Salvage Kin.
J: Is there a story behind the band’s name?
TP: The name Salvage Kin holds a lot of depth for all of us and contains a few levels of meaning. We have endured a lot of family hardships together over the years, so we wanted our name to describe how our family has been salvaged or restored from disarray. In addition to representing the physical state of our family, Salvage Kin is also meant to represent the spiritual state of man. Because of man’s sin, we are all broken or fallen, but because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been redeemed and are now being used for new purposes within the body of Christ. We have been salvaged by grace, and are now kin to the Savior.
J: What is your song writing process like?
TP: Our song writing process has changed a lot over time. At first, Matt and I primarily would write the songs and then all three of us would make changes and add vocal layers. Audrey then started bringing some of her finished songs to the table for us to perform as a trio. The latest songs have been more of a group effort as we present our ideas to each other and collectively sit down and write lyrics and melodies together. Writing alone and writing as a group are entirely different ball games. It took some time for us to reach that level of comfort with each other that allows us to feel free enough to present ideas to each other in the initial stages, rather than perfecting or finishing them before bringing them to the group. We’re still working on this.
J: What/who inspires you?
TP: The majority of our inspiration for lyrical content comes from our life experiences; hardships, joys, tragedies, amusements, or just plain old observations. When something happens, good or bad, which teaches us something about life or God, we often write about it. A common theme that we often seem to return to is contentment. Finding peace in whatever situation God has placed us in. Our lyrics contain a lot of Biblical allusions, because the Bible has been a huge part of our upbringing and has greatly influenced the way we view our lives. We seek to create music that honestly portrays the way we feel, but that also speaks the absolute truth. Our feelings are often in disagreement with the truth regarding a certain situation, but it is important to be honest and express both. And that is the beauty of music. It can be used to express our deep emotions, or it can be used to send a message of truth. We try to do both.
Musically. . .its hard to say. We have been exposed to so many different styles of music its difficult to tell if we draw from one group more than another. I really love classical jazz, blues, and swing, Matt enjoys mellow acoustic artists, and Audrey primarily listens to alternative folk. If you listen, you can hear all of those influences in the music we create.
J: What do you hope the EP communicates to your listeners?
TP: We often say this at our shows, but if listeners get nothing else out of our music, we hope that for a few minutes, at least, they can experience peace. We experience the joy and peace of Christ when we play music together, and it is ultimately our hope that we can draw others into that when they hear us, even if its just for a season. We cannot fix this broken world, heal the wounds, or fill the unmet needs. But we do have the peaceful hope that one day all things will be made new. We want you to have a piece of that.