Having long established themselves as top-tier performers in the Washington DC area, the husband and wife songwriting team of Annie and Steve Sidley create their finest music yet as indie rock and soul group, The Sidleys. Influenced by artists as diverse as Stevie Wonder and The Beatles, and powered by Annie's soulful voice, The Sidleys write songs that are memorable and modern, yet instantly classic. A family-based collective, they are frequently joined on both stage and record by their sons, Sean, Colin and Ian, three uniquely talented musicians in their own right. The Sidleys have released three critically acclaimed albums, "Bittersweet" in 2013, followed by "The Love You Make" in 2017, “Breathless" in 2020, and their newest release “Sugar Kingdom” will be out May 10, 2024.
As a band, they have performed at some of the most prestigious venues in the mid-Atlantic region including The Warner Theatre, The Fillmore, The Hamilton Live, The Barns at Wolf Trap, The Ritz Amphitheater in Georgia, and The Bethesda Theater as well as large festivals and outdoor concert series up and down the East coast.
Annie and Steve explain, “we’re songwriters first and foremost, so we have a respect for all the great songs. Having had so many influences and experiences, and also having been trained in so many areas, it’s like our brains are always on shuffle. And like a lot of people, we listen to music in an eclectic and wide variety of genres. So we write interesting music for interesting people. Always remember that it’s ok to not be a one trick pony…be sure to get around to showing them every single one of your tricks…” 😘
Prior to forming The Sidleys, Steve and Annie Sidley had been performing as solo artists as well as backing up and producing an eclectic variety of musical acts:
Trained as a classical musician but influenced by artists as diverse as Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, The Police and Jeff Buckley, Steve Sidley is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who provided the funky bass for popular East coast bands The True, Derryberry & Alagia, Vertical Horizon and Sam’s House while opening for national acts such as James Brown, The Moody Blues, Cheap Trick, Tom Tom Club and Everclear. Steve released a solo album under the name Mojo Nation in 2008, which along with Annie’s three solo records, formed the seed that would soon blossom into The Sidleys.
Influenced by soul greats such as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight, Annie Sidley honed her skills as a vocalist, songwriter and guitarist while touring across the country from New York to California. As a recording artist, Annie released three solo albums between 1995 and 2007 and opened for Joan Jett, Chuck Brown, WAR and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
Sean Sidley has been playing drums since he was a one-year old and quickly grew into a prodigy, performing onstage with his parents from the age of four. Deeply influenced by funk, gospel, jazz and progressive rock drummers such as Aaron Spears, Vinnie Colaiuta, Dennis Chambers and Keith Carlock, Sean has a dynamic, propulsive style of drumming that always powers the music forward. He currently performs with multiple bands in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area.
Colin Sidley began playing the bass at the age of 16 and within a few short years has become a prodigiously talented multi-instrumentalist and singer. Trained in classical music as well as jazz, Colin has a wide array of influences that shape his musical style, particularly those of bassists James Jamerson, Jaco Pastorius, Paul McCartney and John Entwistle, bringing an exceptional sense of melody and arrangement to everything he does. He studied jazz bass performance at Frost School of Music at The University of Miami.
Ian Sidley grew up playing along with his favorite rock songs on piano and quickly became a fervent disciple of jazz during his teen years. Playing and crafting his own instrumental compositions, Ian channels the sounds of influences like Chick Corea, Ahmad Jamal, Keith Emerson and Hiatus Kaiyote into a distinctive, rhythmic style with melodies and voicings that bring a deeper texture to the music. He's attending Washington State University studying jazz composition and piano performance, and was the winner of the 2020 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.
Q: So what’s it like playing with your family and working together as a band?
A: You know, when Sean, Colin and Ian were little, people used to tease us by saying, “it looks like you’re starting your own little rhythm section there!” We’d kid each other about it but never really gave it a second thought because we didn’t want to be in The Partridge Family! But little by little, we started playing together and discovered that music was the bond that brought us closer and closer to each other. Over the years, they’ve become amazing musicians in their own right and we feel so excited and lucky to be able to play and connect with each other on stage. There is nothing more amazing than the sound of family singing and playing in harmony…this is the best band we’ve ever had and there is so much joy when we perform together!