Sister Act

Ten years ago, five women formed Sisters Only, a musical group that specializes in vocal harmony rooted in jazz and variety-style pop.

The group’s moniker was not a political or feminist statement; rather, it was a statement of the obvious. Camilla, Julie, Grayce, Deanna and Toni----the members of Sisters Only--are, indeed, sisters.

The Gonzales sisters, who range in age from 35 to 40, are right, it seems, when they say they have music in their blood.

Not only are the five sisters singers, but their mother, Molly, is a classical guitarist and singer who performed with her two sisters in the 1960s. Their late father, Tony, was a jazz guitarist.

Even their cousin, Manuel Gonzales, is a successful guitarist who plays in the Blazers, a popular rock ‘n’ roll band from East Los Angeles.

Clearly, there’s a strong tradition of music in this family.

“Ever since we were born, Dad always had musicians over and they would just jam at our house,” Camilla said. “We loved it because it was so much fun.”

As children, the sisters often performed in community events their mother booked for them. Camilla, the oldest, is the only sister with formal musical training, so she helped coach her younger siblings.

The girls learned technique quickly, and all of them loved being onstage.

“They were singing five-part harmony as children,” Molly said. “They were astounding. Toni was only in first grade at the time!”

When her children were young, Molly found a way to motivate them to rehearse every day: She threw out the family’s television set.

“I was an at-home mother for years,” she said, “but when I went back to work, I was afraid they’d sit around watching TV all the time.”

Once the girls reached high school, however, sports and social activities replaced music as a favorite pastime. They dissolved the group until 1987, when they reunited and began to sing again.

That was the year the sisters moved to Northridge from Northern California, where they grew up. Once in the Valley, they started rehearsing and performing regularly.

“We just love music,” Grayce said. “This is what we do. It’s a family legacy.” And a life without harmony was strange, she said.

“I really missed it during the years we didn’t sing, but I was a teenager and I had a lot of other things going on.”

She still does and so do her sisters. They all have full-time jobs, and all wish they could dedicate more time to singing.

“When we were younger, we got dragged into practice sometimes,” Deanna said. “Now it’s a thrill to do it.”

The group’s performances include a mixture of original material and popular jazz, ‘50s girl-group and contemporary pop tunes. Molly attends all of her daughters’ performances and has written a couple of songs for them.

Sisters Only performs an average of twice a month, mostly at such coffeehouses as Common Grounds in Northridge, Coffee Junction in Tarzana and Little Frida’s in West Hollywood.

Years ago they performed in local clubs, but the smoky atmosphere hurt their throats so they switched to the cleaner air of coffeehouses. With the new state law prohibiting smoking in bars, however, the sisters plan to include some in their performance schedule.

The group is also in the process of recording its first album and was recently picked to appear in a print ad for Timex, which features groups of sisters.

“You can’t find a better harmony mix,” said Coffee Junction owner Sharon Benson, also a musician. “Their blend is impeccable and their harmonies are incredible. It’s amazing to think all that talent came out of the same womb.”

Benson says the group appeals mostly to a 50-and-older crowd but has the tools to captivate a younger audience.

“There’s great potential there if they maybe did Top 40 songs or used live instruments like the piano,” Benson said.

For the most part, Sisters Only’s performances include one instrument, a keyboard played by Camilla, 40. She also writes and arranges music. The rest of the sisters sing, and Grayce, 38, handles business affairs, such as setting up performances and collecting paychecks.

The sisters usually race to their gigs after work, often arriving minutes before going onstage.

Camilla is a receptionist in Simi Valley. Julie, 39, does advertising for a car company in Newhall, and Toni, 35, works with her.

Grayce works in the accounting department of a Santa Monica production company, and Deanna, 37, is an X-ray technician in Ventura.

Music brings them together at least twice a week for rehearsals, at a friend’s Northridge home or their mother’s house in Simi Valley.

Like most siblings, the Gonzales sisters say they argue and have disagreements. Once they had a heated fight shortly before a performance. But they always get through it--the sibling rivalry has never threatened to diminish the group’s powerful bond.

“This may sound corny, but we’re all for one and one for all,” Julie said. “You could never get one of us up on a stage alone.”

Friends have attempted it many times but never succeeded.

“They’ve tried during karaoke and I always say, ‘No way! You can’t get me drunk enough to go up there alone!’ ” Grayce said. “We’re really big chickens when we’re not together.”

It’s a sister thing, say the Gonzaleses.

BE THERE

Sisters Only will perform Sunday at 8 p.m. at Common Grounds, 9250 Reseda Blvd., Northridge. Information: 882-3666. Free.