Vocalist Sonya Leigh Surrett played piano and drums as a kid. As an adult, she wondered one night how musicians joined bands. By chance, a band clocked her at a karaoke night singing “Dog and Butterfly” by the rock group Heart. She talked to the guitar player, mentioned she had bought a new electronic drum set, and received an offer to play drums for the group. They liked her enough to bring her into a gig a few months later, for which she learned 40 songs on drums in a couple of weeks.

Bassist Scott “Scottie Blue Sky” Rogers, meanwhile, was told by his father that he wasn’t smart enough to be a musician. It wasn’t until his adult years, recovering from a knee injury, that his first wife bought him a short scale bass, and during recovery, his friends came over and taught him how to play. Eventually, a group he played with was signed to a major label, and they started touring. Once touring wrapped up, Rogers moved to Denver, a place that stuck out to him during the tour.

Rogers worked on Surrett’s sprinklers after moving there, and after a while, it became clear there was more to their connection. They ultimately married in December of 2012, having discovered their mutual love of music. After playing together for a while, a connection in McCarthy’s Pub in Longmont asked the two to put together an all-stars show. Gathering friends and creating a setlist, they formed a lineup ultimately dubbed Sisters of Rock.

The name came from two of the original members, who were actually sisters. It has nothing to do with a lesser-known 90s song by Little Sister titled “Sisters of Rock,” but was rather inspired by the majority of the lineup consisting of women and the desire to make the band feel like a family. However, Sisters of Rock is an offshoot of the Heart tribute group Dreamboat Annie, which lifted its name from Heart’s 1975 album.

From Dreamboat Annie came Sisters of Rock, and from Sisters of Rock came another offshoot group, The Ladies of the 80s. The Ladies formed to allow the members to emphasize family-friendly performances. The members even perform in a rock/funk/dance group called The Corporation. Through all of these variations, the members have expanded their list of songs from female legends of the time to 80s hits in general to a wide range of artists across six decades.

Just to name a few, Sisters of Rock now includes songs from Journey, Maroon 5, Blondie, Stevie Nicks, Tina Turner, Adele, and Dua Lipa in their setlist. In a lot of ways, it’s a complete 180 for Surrett as a musician. She’s written original material inspired by singer-songwriters such as Sarah McLachlan and Jewel, and only more recently has she fallen in love with the heavier side of music, such as rock-and-roll and country.

Rogers says the biggest hit of their lineup is usually Dreamboat Annie’s “Heart of Zeppelin” shows, which combine hits from Heart as well as from Led Zeppelin. This is because Surrett has found a way to completely embody the style of Heart’s vocalist Ann Wilson in those shows. Surrett would say that if you had asked her about her singing when she was younger, she would have said she couldn’t sing heavier material. Now, those heavier styles are her primary focus.

The lineup also consists of drummer David Harms, keyboard player Michael Taggart, and guitar player Robb Warnke, all of who are prominent Denver musicians and the last of whom has been with Sisters since its inception. The lineup of women changes every show, but often includes Lizzie Sneed and Ryan Smiley. Rogers has also shared bass duties with Greg Blankenship, and Robin Jones has sometimes contributed vocals, particularly in The Corporation.

Rogers loves seeing the happy reactions of their crowds, and Surrett loves how every show feels unique and allows audiences to create memories of the time they spend there. Rogers hopes people are able to appreciate the band’s work ethic and the renditions of the songs they choose, and he and Surrett both love the feeling of knowing they’ve made their audience happy, no matter the venue’s size.

You can see the Sisters of Rock performing at the Gregory Plaza, near 317 Gregory Street in Black Hawk (the address of the Mountain Poppy Boutique), as part of a series of shows sponsored by the Black Hawk HARD District. They’ll be performing on Saturday, September 14, 2024, starting at 5 p.m. To learn more about each iteration of the group, be sure to head to the band’s websites at thecorporationband.com and at dreamboatanniedenver.com, and be sure to check out Sisters of Rock on Facebook.

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Music Events

Busey Brews

Friday, September 6 at 4 p.m. - Windy Pines

Sunday, September 8 at 2 p.m. - Jon Picket

Sunday, September 22 at 2 p.m. - Pineytops Duo

Sunday, September 15 at 2 p.m. - Ella Wren

Sunday, September 29 at 2 p.m. - Dan Williams Trio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuseyBrews/

Website: https://buseybrews.com/

Location: 70 E. 1st Street, Nederland

Phone: 1-855-633-2739

Gold Hill Inn

Friday, September 6 at 8 p.m. - Rob Pate and d’Lovelies

Saturday, September 7 at 5:30 p.m. - Cup-a-Jo (Joe Oeser Duo)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoldHillInn/

Website: goldhillinn.com

Location: 401 Main Street, Gold Hill

Phone: 303-443-6461

Gold Hill Store

Thursday, September 12 at 7 p.m. - Matt Mitchell Music Co.

Friday, September 13 at 8 p.m. - Ollella

Saturday, September 14 at 7 p.m. - Silver Steven

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gold-Hill-General-Store/

Website: https://www.goldhillstore.com/

Location: 531 Main Street, Gold Hill

Gregory Plaza

Saturday, September 14 at 5 p.m. - The Sisters of Rock

Saturday, September 28 at noon - Jennifer DeDominici and Jonathon Hayes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackhawksharddistrict/

Website: https://blackhawkharddistrict.com/

Location: 317 Gregory Street, Black Hawk (Mountain Poppy Boutique)

Phone: 720-669-0665

Howlin Wind Brewing

Saturday, September 7 at 5 p.m. - Kind Mountain Band

Saturday, September 14 at 4 p.m. - Windy Pines

Sunday, September 15 at 3 p.m. - Matt Mitchell Music Co.

Saturday, September 21 at 4 p.m. - Steepland String Band

Sunday, September 22 all day - Pop up with Justin Rice

Saturday, September 28 at 5 p.m. - NoGo Gilbillies

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howlinwindbrewing

Website: https://www.howlinwindbrewing.com/

Location: 51 A Main Street, Rollinsville

Phone: 309-825-5245

Jamestown Mercantile

Thursday, September 5 at 7 p.m. - Salomé Songbird

Sunday, September 8 at 12:15 p.m. - John Statz

Wednesday, September 11 at 5 p.m. - Open Mic

Thursday, September 12 at 7 p.m. - Violet Breeze

Friday, September 13 at 7 p.m. - Pass the Snakes

Sunday, September 15 at 12:15 p.m. - Foggy Tops Bluegrass Band

Wednesday, September 18 at 5 p.m. - Open Mic

Wednesday, September 18 at 6 p.m. - Mike Clark and The Sugar Sounds Duo

Thursday, September 19 at 7 p.m. - Johnny Blueheart

Wednesday, September 25 at 5 p.m. - Open Mic

Thursday, September 26 at 7 p.m. - Unpaid Bills

Friday, September 27 at 7 p.m. - Fast Floyd

Sunday, September 29 at 12:15 p.m. - The Matt Katters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamestown.mercantile/

Website: https://www.jamestownmercantile.com/

Location: 108 Main Street, Jamestown

Phone: 303-442-5847

JKQ BBQ

Friday, September 6 at 6 p.m. - Duey Weibel

Saturday, September 7 at 5 p.m. - Duey Weibel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JkqBbq/

Location: 200 Gregory Street, Black Hawk

Phone: 720-316-1361

Knotted Root Brewing

Saturday, September 7 at 5 p.m. - Tyler Stuckey

Saturday, September 14 at 5 p.m. - New Family Dog

Saturday, September 21 at 5 p.m. - Break Signals

Saturday, September 28 at 5 p.m. - Gratefully Acoustic

Fridays at 7 p.m. - DJ Night

Every Second Friday at 7:30 p.m. - Reggae DJ Night

Sundays at 5 p.m. - Jazz Sundays

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/knottedrootbrewing/

Website: https://www.knottedrootbrewing.com/home

Location: 250 N. Caribou Street, Nederland

Phone: 720-248-7129

Nederland Farmers Market

Sunday, September 15 at 10:30 a.m. - Stellar Jays Duo

Sunday, September 29 at noon - Kutandara

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NederlandFarmersMarket/

Website: https://www.nederlandfarmersmarket.org/

Email: nederlandfarmersmarket@gmail.com

Location: 85 E. 1st Street, Nederland and 80 E. 2nd Street, Nederland

Old Gallery at Allenspark

Friday, September 6 at 6 p.m. - Chain Station

Friday, September 20 at 6:30 p.m. - Open Mic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAPOldGallery

Website: https://www.theoldgallery.org/

Location: 14863 Highway 7, Allenspark

Phone: 303-747-2906

The Caribou Room

Saturday, September 7 at 7 p.m. - THE CARIBOU KICK-OFF Season Opening Party with Smooth Money Gesture & River Spell with Bear Hat

Friday, September 13 at 7 p.m. - George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners w/ Damon Wood’s Harmonious Junk

Saturday, September 21 at 7 p.m. - White Trash Adult Prom

Friday, September 27 at 7 p.m. - Tom Hamilton (guitarist for Joe Russo’s Almost Dead & Billy and the Kids) with full band with Cole & Eric from Dragondeer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecaribouroom/

Instagram: thecaribouroom

Website: https://www.thecaribouroom.com

Location: 55 Indian Peaks Drive, Nederland

Phone: 303-258-3637

Very Nice Brewing Co. (Gilpin County)

Friday, September 6 at 6 p.m. - Derek Dames Ohl

Saturday, September 7 at 5 p.m. - The Lofty Pines

Friday, September 13 at 6 p.m. - Poorfree

Saturday, September 14 at 5 p.m. - Tony Crank

Friday, September 20 at 6 p.m. - David Tilmon

Saturday, September 21 at 5 p.m. - Windy Pines

Friday, September 27 at 6 p.m. - Ella Wren

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verynicebeer

Website: https://www.verynicebrewing.com/

Location: 180 Jankowski Drive, Black Hawk

Phone: 303-582-2015

Very Nice Brewing Co. (Nederland)

Friday, September 6 at 6 p.m. - Aaron Mitchell

Saturday, September 7 at 5 p.m. - One Drum

Friday, September 13 at 6 p.m. - Mad Dog Blues

Saturday, September 21 at 5 p.m. - Chris Smith

Saturday, September 28 at 5 p.m. - Mountain ReVerb

Sunday, September 29 at 5 p.m. - Rick Lobato

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verynicebeer

Website: https://www.verynicebrewing.com/

Location: 20 E. Lakeview Drive, #112, Nederland

Phone: 303-258-3770

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Did we miss you? Want to submit your music listing in the Peak to Peak area? Do you have updates to your business? Please call 303-810-5409 or email info@themountainear.com to be included in the next edition.