Sunflowers & Sin - Of Water & Whiskey (2019)

Sunflowers & Sin, the duo of singer/guitarist Lorra Amos and singer Kaitlin Casteel, describe themselves as "distilled in Tennessee, distributed in Charleston." It's about as apt a description of the pair's music as one could imagine.

Amos and Casteel have plenty Greeneville, Tenn. bluegrass, country, and Appalachian folk in their high-lonesome vocal harmonies and Amos' quicksilver acoustic guitar skills. When it's just the two of them onstage, that's the main thrust of their rustic, rootsy sound.

But Charleston is where the duo was able to work in some of their other influences, specifically the mainstream rock of classic bands like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Fleetwood Mac. On their soon-to-be released album, Of Water & Whiskey, the nucleus of Amos and Casteel's tightly intertwined vocal harmonies and single acoustic guitar are bolstered by full-band arrangements, courtesy of guitarist/keyboard player Will Evans of the Dead 27s, who both produced and played on the album, along with members of Sol Driven Train, the Hungry Monks, Dangermuffin, and other popular local and regional acts. Essentially, the music on Of Water & Whiskey wouldn't exist if it weren't for Charleston's music scene.

In fact, the band itself might not even exist. Amos and Casteel have known each other since they were in high school; they were in chorus together and began making music together as teenagers. But it was only after they graduated from college and decided to move to Charleston five or six years ago that Sunflowers & Sin became a serious project. Exactly why they decided to move here in the first place is an interesting tale. Amos was offered a job here and Casteel followed shortly thereafter, but there's another reason.

"We both happened to be obsessed with Shovels & Rope before we moved here," Amos says. "That big sound that they make as a two-piece; how rock 'n' roll and raw it is with some roots and singer/songwriter elements to their music. They were such a huge influence."

"They're one of the reasons why we started playing music," Casteel adds. "And the only thing that we knew about Charleston was that Shovels & Rope were from here."