Laura and Lydia Rogers came from a musical family but neither had seriously considered a career in music until Laura traveled to Nashville for an open audition, where she caught the ear of industry execs and producers. Asked to return for a follow-up, Laura brought Lydia along. Shortly thereafter, the Secret Sisters were on a plane to L.A. to record demos for their 2010 self-titled debut on Universal, produced by T Bone Burnett. Sophomore effort Put Your Needle Down followed in 2014. In the interim they toured with Bob Dylan and recorded with Jack White. Put Your Needle Down, a respectable album on the slick country-revival model, garnered uneven reviews. Then the Secret Sisters were dropped by their label, but they didn’t stop writing. The new You Don’t Own Me Anymore‘s cheeky title obliquely recalls the Secret Sisters’ major-label woes—as does much of the lyrical content—but the album (on New West) as a whole fits into a long tradition of country statements about survival past deep damage. Laura and Lydia will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week, Read our new feature on them.
Laura and Lydia: Olivia Rae James is a wedding and editorial photographer born and raised in Franklin, Tenn., but now based in beautiful Charleston, S.C. We were first introduced to Olivia’s photography four years ago while on tour with Iron & Wine. Olivia reached out to us after seeing we would be coming to her town for a show and asked to take a few photos of us that afternoon before soundcheck. After taking a look at her website, there was no way we were turning her down. Every photo looks like a painting, and she has such a talent for catching perfect moments, unposed and raw and unassuming. The Secret Sisters love her work—we think you will, too.
