The sibling trio known as Joseph didn’t become one of Portland’s biggest bands by writing songs that were dull and unambitious. Indeed, when the Closner sisters were starting out—playing house shows and small clubs around the region in the mid-2010s—they were cognizant of the transformative role that dynamics can play in a simple song.
“Even when it’s just the three of us and a guitar,” says Natalie Closner, who has married and now goes by Natalie Schepman, “we rely on the soft moments and the loud moments to create the tension and the thrill of it.”
They do that very well. Schepman and her younger twin sisters Allison and Meegan Closner seemed to arrive fully formed with their 2014 album Native Dreamer Kin, which showcased their likable blend of folk rock, pop instinct, and vocal harmonies honed over a lifetime together.