Fort Collins sister act comes home for Hodi's show

They've come a long way since the vacuums.

Fort Collins-grown sisters Sarah, Hannah, Eva and Liza Holbrook, the alt-folk band SHEL, are making it in the Nashville music scene and have been featured on a Nicholas Sparks movie soundtrack. But they got their start playing old vacuum parts — a mess of tubes they would hit on the ground and make animal sounds into — when money was so tight their parents couldn't afford instruments.

"Our parents loved it," Eva, 25, said, adding that her father set up a "show" for the young girls to play at a coffee shop in Fort Collins.

Fast forward to now and the sisters have been playing together as SHEL for 15 years — the last five professionally.

Now they are back to their roots in Fort Collins for a show at Hodi's Half Note on Jan. 30.

The quartet grew up on a farm north of Fort Collins, where their artist mother and singer-songwriter father fostered a creative environment that paved the way for their daughters' music careers.

The four sisters, who have two other siblings — decided to "just go for it" and pursue music full-time five years ago after making connections in Nashville, including with Grammy award-winning producer Brent Maher, Eva said.

That meant Hannah, 26, who plays keyboard, piano and sings, and Sarah, 24, who plays the violin, bass guitar and sings, had to drop out of college. They're all living in Nashville now, making music and moves in the local scene. Eva plays the mandolin, electric mandolin, bass guitar and sings, and Liza, the youngest at 21, plays drums and also sings in the band.

SHEL has released a six-song EP called "Try to Scream" as well as their full-length self-titled album in 2012. Most recently, the band was featured on the soundtrack for the Nicholas Sparks book-turned-movie, "The Best of Me." That track, "Hold On," was written by Eva and the sisters' singer-songwriter friend Gareth Dunlop.

Another song of theirs, "Follow Me Home," will be featured on the MTV thriller series "Eye Candy," which will air at 10 p.m./9 central on Feb. 2. "Follow Me Home," comes off their newest album, "The Laboratory Sessions," which will be released in March, but is available for pre-order through a Pledge Music campaign.

On Friday, SHEL will also be in Los Angeles to perform as the opening act at the 2015 She Rocks Awards, which will also feature appearances and performances by Colbie Caillat, Mindi Abair, Orianthi and The Bangles.

Hannah and Eva, who say the band has spent the better part of three years touring heavily, say they're now looking forward to 2015 and to staying closer to their new home of Nashville. This year's focus will be on the creative side. They've started collaborating with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics and will spend more of their time writing and recording, Eva said.

But their first home will always be Fort Collins.

It's where they played their first concert. It's where they grew as musicians. And now, it's where they come home to for their Jan. 30 show at Hodi's.

"Every time we come home, it's hard to leave," Eva said, adding that the people in Fort Collins make it an open, inviting place for artists.

"Friend and fan are synonymous here," she added.

See SHEL

SHEL and Winchester Holiday will perform at 8 p.m. Jan. 30 at Hodi's Half Note in Fort Collins. Tickets range from $8 for presale to $13 for day-of purchases, plus an additional $5 for anyone under 21. For more information, or to buy tickets, visit www.hodishalfnote.com.