Kindred musical spirits Hannah Prater and Chris Meyers of the Bittersweets have honed their sultry musical talents from a very early age. Prater’s soothing and yet haunting vocals combine with the smoothly flowing harmonies, piano, and guitar of Meyers to produce a sound much like the breaking of the sunrise. Color floods the ears and sweet melancholy is balanced with uplifting crescendo, making the Bittersweets one of the most unique sounds in music.

    The Bay Area brought California native Prater together with Massachusetts native Meyers and a special musical kinship was born. It wasn’t long before fans and record labels alike were standing up to take notice. The Bittersweets’ very first show brought two hundred people out on Super Bowl Sunday, by their third performance, the head of Virt Records was flying to see them play. Already an accomplished Jazz pianist, Meyers picked up the guitar in his twenties as his influences began to shift toward new genres. Johnny Cash, Gram Parsons, and bluegrass were among the styles that brought Meyers’ musical education full circle. Prater grew up as the daughter of music teachers who sang in jazz choirs and musical performance theatre before pursuing a degree in vocal performance. Joni Mitchell and Over the Rhine turned Prater’s attention to a new style of vocal expression and allowed her to hone her own instrument into its finely tuned form.

    As the primary song writer, Meyers spins poetic lyrics and sweet, pleasurable melodies that border on exhilarating while keeping the tone light and tender. Prater’s voice shines through as a soothing siren, weaving melody and harmony into a unique style that both stimulates and soothes the senses.

    Their road to the present has not been all smooth going. Before their move to Nashville, the quintet became a duo, with members of the band leaving for law school or to start families. While these are all wonderful events, it caused Prater and Meyers to rethink their line up and forced them to show their versatility as they continued to play and record. With the Bittersweets as a duo, they came to Nashville and recorded their newest EP, Goodnight, San Francisco. With the help of Lex Price, who was the producer for Mindy Smith, the Bittersweets gathered a group of seasoned and talented musicians to fulfill their vision. Don Williams steel guitarist Russ Pahl, John Prine bassist Dave Jacques, Counting Crows drummer Steve Bowman, Patti Griffin guitarist Doug Lancio, Ben Folds cellist David Henry, Emmy Lou Harris organ player John Deaderick and others lent their talents to the record, and Guster’s GRAMMY nominated Jason Lehning also brought his mixing and playing abilities to the project. In just a few short years, the Bittersweets have already played with some of the best in the business.

    The Bittersweets’ music hovers between the dying of the night and the dawning of the day, where the shadows of passing give rise to hope and change. Their unique blend of musical influences proves the artistic maturity of Meyers and Prater who are searching out new avenues of creativity and breathing life into a unique sound that truly is bittersweet.