The Waifs - Biography
The Waifs, the Australian folk singing and songwriting trio that includes sisters Donna and Vikki Simpson, along with fellow traveler Josh Cunningham, often open their shows with an a cappella rendition of “Wayfaring Stranger.” It’s an American folk song that shows off the trio’s trademark three part harmonies, but its theme of hard work and hard traveling, while looking for a way to escape the everyday grind could be their theme song. The band honed their act by spending five years traveling all over Australia singing for their supper.
“We wanted to see Australia, so we played music as a means to make money for fuel,” recalls Vikki Simpson, the younger of the sisters. “Most people pick fruit to get around; we’d play in rough bars to the fruit pickers. I don’t think I’d have the nerve to step into those bars today, but we were young and didn’t know any better. We also played in Hell’s Angels bars where we’d play for 40 minutes and then the strippers would come on. I’d like to think they enjoyed our music, but I think we got gigs because we were young girls and most of the people in the bars were guys. When we met Josh, he was in a rock band that was playing covers of American hits. He knew the songs we were doing [mostly Everly Brothers, Bob Dylan and The Eagles] and could play the solo for ‘Hotel California’ note for note, so Donna asked him to come along. At first, I don’t think we were all that good, but we had a passion for singing and slowly developed an act.”
When asked if traveling as a threesome created any difficulties, Vikki Simpson laughs. “That’s a whole other story. Donna and I were sisters who looked out for each other. After he joined, Josh and I were in a relationship for about 10 years and that changed the dynamic. We approached it indirectly, writing songs about our feelings for each other, but we were living together so intimately we had to get through it. We’re all close now, but you can’t sum that tale up in a short paragraph or even in a bunch of songs.”
The Simpson sisters had an average middle class Australian upbringing, with one exception. Their father was an outdoorsman and the family spent four months every year in the country living off the land. “We’d eat fresh fish and run around without clothes on,” Simpson recalls. “There’s no electricity or distractions. When we got bored, our dad put a guitar in our hands. There are a lot of songs you can play with three chords so it didn’t take long before we were singing and playing together. We still go back there every year and I’m always inspired to write songs by the place.”
Australia’s folk tradition has some of the same roots as American folk, but the Simpsons were more interested in American music. “Me and Vikki learned the alphabet watching ‘Sesame Street’ and looked up to Dylan and Creedence,” Donna Simpson says. “We were into music in school, but never had an interest in Australian folk as such. We learned the basic bush ballads [frontier songs,] ‘Waltzing Matilda,’ ‘Botany Bay,’ and songs written by the Irish and English settlers, but mostly played Dylan songs.”
After three years on the road, The Waifs were confident enough to venture into the big cities and get serious about a career. Vikki Simpson continues the story: “In Sydney and Melbourne we started writing more original songs. We made a cassette of six tunes to get gigs and sold 1,800 copies, which funded our first album The Waifs (1996 Jarrah). We started our own indie label, Jarrah, and sold almost 30 thousand records out of the back of our van. We’d pop into local record stores and leave them albums. Donna developed a distribution network and started dealing directly with big chain stores, which was unheard of. I did the publicity and Josh did the booking. When our first album jumped onto the charts, it took everyone by surprise. We were already one of the biggest touring acts, but nobody in the music business had heard of us. We’d been working underground, outside the normal music industry channels.”
The success of The Waifs album helped lay the groundwork for Australia’s thriving indie label scene and created a renewed interest in acoustic music. The press fell in love with the band, praising their dexterous picking, intricate harmonies, heartfelt songwriting and the inventive arrangements, often accented by Josh Cunningham’s subtle electric guitar work. While the music draws on American folk, blues and pop, every tune has its own individual character. Adding bass and drums to their lineup allowed them to develop a style that fits comfortably between acoustic rock and traditional folk. They were also praised for singing “in Australian.” “We weren’t aware we sang in American accents until we listened to the playback of our first album. We made a conscious decision to start singing as we speak and suddenly we became Australian folk artists with huge international appeal. I think it’s the references to life on the road and the experiences we had that make us sound Australian. The energy of the music is also innately Australian, but I can’t quite put my finger on why.”
The band followed up with Shelter Me, (1998 Jarrah) and Sink or Swim (2000 Jarrah). Having conquered their homeland, The Waifs set to win over America. Both sisters now live in the US with their American husbands and newborn children. They’ve made two more albums since relocating to the US, Up All Night (2003 Compass) and Sun Dirt Water (2007 Compass).
