An Evening with Tres Chicas

Tres Chicas is a sisterhood of singing and songs born out of friendship and mutual admiration among Lynn Blakey, Caitlin Cary and Tonya Lamm, who debuted together in 2004 with Sweetwater (Yep Roc), “a landmark album.” (Los Angeles Daily News). “Some of the sweetest country rock ever,” – LA Daily News.

Every member of the threesome has a notable career that continues alongside Tres Chicas. Blakey is known as the frontwoman for Glory Fountain as well as for her early work as a member of both Let’s Active and Oh Ok. Cary was an original member of the groundbreaking alternative country rock group Whiskeytown and as an acclaimed solo artist as well as a duet partner with brethren Yep Roc artist Thad Cockrell. Tonya Lamm was a founding member of the band Hazeldine, which found favor as an indie act in the U.S. and won a major label deal and wide European audience. All three are also known for their vocal and musical contributions to recordings by other noted artists.

The Chicas met and became friends when, over the years, their respective bands shared live bills. The three gravitated toward one another and eventually started writing and singing together. At an initial gathering at Cary’s house, the magic was immediately evident: “I had to call a friend and get the ladies to sing a song on his answering machine because it sounded so great,” recalls Blakey. Following a show at a Raleigh club by their longtime friend and colleague Alejandro Escovedo, the budding trio first sang together in public during an after-hours hang. The response of their friends and fellow musicians convinced them that they had created something special together. For their debut gig at Raleigh’s Lakeside Lounge, the club owner dubbed the nameless act “Tres Chicas,” and the name stuck.

“Everything that has happened to us has seemed almost magic,” concludes Cary. “It’s been kind of miraculous that we could even do this, and then to see it morph into something that means so much to us is serendipity. I don’t speak this way normally. I’m not the kind of girl who talks about acts of God or Fate or anything like that, but somehow it feels that way; it’s a blessed little thing that the universe did for us.”