NEWS

Hilarie Sidney of The High Water Marks is the co-founder of one of the most influential musical collectives of the past, oh, forever amount of years.

Elephant 6 is a storied and now, legendary, musical collective, and Sidney was at its nucleus as a founding member of The Apples in stereo.

“I am so lucky to have been a musician throughout my life,” Sidney says. “Having been in the Apples since 1993, I started to have many more songs than could ever be released.”

Sidney found a new musical partnership when she formed The High Water Marks, releasing a debut album (Songs About The Ocean) in 2003. The record was written through the mail with her now-husband and bandmate, Per Ole Bratset, whom she initially met at an Apples gig in Norway in 2002. A follow-up album (Polar) arrived in 2007.

Sidney then headed in another direction after being awarded a prestigious study abroad scholarship at the University of Oslo.

“Moving to Norway was everything I had hoped it would be,” she says.

Thirteen years later, The High Water Marks, have completed a new album that reflects the maturity, perseverance, songwriting, and performing talent that made Sidney’s contributions to Elephant 6 and the Apples so integral.

If she was marginalized at the time, those notions are blown out by Ecstasy Rhymes, 38 minutes of perfect power pop that will take any fan of the songs that Sidney contributed to Apples recordings – her voice is instantly recognizable – right back to the most potent days of that band’s career.

As he did on previous releases, Bratset also contributes lead vocals on several songs, all of which were co-written with Sidney. The band is completed by Logan Miller (Bass, Guitar, Drums) along with Øystein Megård (Drums, Keyboards, Backing Vocals.)

“I feel like for the first time ever, we have a dream team,” she says.

Sidney’s luck as a musician hasn’t run out yet.