Natalie Kainz
The Nields in Westville on Monday.
Sending folk harmonies and bluegrass tunes out onto the grassy slope behind Mitchell Branch Library, folk-rock band The Nields became a part of the Westville community on Monday afternoon.
The western Massachusetts-based band came to New Haven for this week’s Hi-Fi Pie Fest, a five-week annual competition that combines a pie baking competition with live music. Click here and here for previous article about this year’s Hi-Fi Pie.
Monday marked the band’s first live gig back since the pandemic, but it isn’t their first time performing in New Haven.
Katryna and Nerissa Nields.
The Nields formed in 1991, with sister duo Katryna and Nerissa Nields singing vocals and touring the country in a five-person band. They have performed at local venues ranging from Toads to the New Haven Green — coming back to the Elm City frequently to visit friends and old classmates from Nerissa’s time at Yale.
“It’s so nice to play live again,” said Lila Nields-Duffy, who plays fiddle for The Nields. “I’ve missed being able to see people and connect with them like this.”
Dave Chalfant, Katryna, Nerissa, and Lila Nields-Duffy
Lila is Nerissa’s 15-year-old daughter. She joined the band around 5 years ago as a fiddle player, long after several of the original 5 members stopped playing music professionally. Katryna’s husband Dave Chalfant, who was part of the original group, still plays acoustic guitar for the band.
The Nields have released multiple CDs and 20 records from the 30 years that they have performed together. They have also released children’s books about their experiences growing up in a musical family.
Pie number 8 — blushing peach – was later added to the list.
“I love that I can be in a band with people that I trust so deeply,” said Katryna. “We can’t ever get in a fight and leave each other because we’re family.”
Lizzie Donius, the executive director of the Westville Village Renaissance Alliance, helped bring The Nields back to New Haven. She called their booking agent after receiving a recommendation about their music.
A Mamoun’s food truck catered for those who did not want pies at the event.
John Day and Katherine LeDuc both came to the Hi-Fi Pie Festival from Berlin, Conn. because they are fans of The Nields. They have been to several of their concerts including one in Northampton, Mass..
“Their music moves me,” said LeDuc. “I have trouble expressing my emotions sometimes and they help me feel.”
Others, like Yale student Daniel Chabeda and Westville resident Richard Kramer, were first-time listeners. Both enjoyed the storytelling aspect of The Nields’ songs.
Daniel Chabeda.
“I really like their sound,” Daniel Chabeda said about the Nields. “The mixture of bluegrass and folk music took me back home to North Carolina.”
Chabeda also bought a slice of pie during the event. He said that eating pie with music playing in the background created a combination of senses which enhanced the atmosphere.
Jes Mack.
Jes Mack was this week’s winner of the pie baking competition with her Classic Cherry Pie. She competed against seven other bakers in the stone fruit category. Although Mack was a first-time baker at the Hi-Fi Pie Fest, she has been coming for the music and pie for many years.
“I made this pie because I really love cherries,” said Mack. “It just feels like a pie you would have in your grandmother’s kitchen.”
Cummings hands a gift card to Mack.
Mack won a $25 gift card to Pistachio Cafe in Westville. The cafe is run by this week’s celebrity judge Chris Cummings. Cummings went to pastry school and worked as a chef for eight years. His specialty is a roasted peach, black cherry pie.
He judged alongside Tim Kane, the saxophone player at last week’s Hi-Fi Pie Fest. Both sat outside listening to The Nields with a plate of each pie.
Chris Cummings and TIm Kane with their pie plates.
“The classic cherry pie had a thick crust that really kept its structure,” said Cummings, while explaining why he chose Mack’s pie as the winner. “They used an accent of vanilla and the juice of the fruit wasn’t too sweet.”
Mack is also a fan of The Nields, having watched their socially distanced live streams online. Every Monday evening, the band has been putting on a show from their studio which they broadcast on Facebook Live and Youtube.
Mack said she felt like The Nields became a part of the community when they performed at Hi-Fi Pie. She described the atmosphere of the Hi-Fi Pie Festival as a “communal living room” because everyone feels at home in the space.
On Saturday, The Nields will perform at Falcon Ridge in Hillsdale, New York. Their music is on all major streaming platforms and can be found at www.nields.com. Click above to watch a video recording of Monday night’s concert by Travis Carbonella.