Pekarek was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She grew up in a household with her parents and one sibling, an older sister. She began playing the cello at age nine, performing in her school's orchestra. She chose the cello because the school's policy was that only fifth-graders could play woodwind instruments, while fourth-graders could play stringed instruments. Explaining her thinking, she said, "...I went with cello because I wanted to get started sooner." Growing up, she enjoyed listening to powerful vocalists such as Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, and Otis Redding. Her parents introduced her to American folk music via vinyl records of Bob Dylan, Carole King, and Emmylou Harris. She attended college at the University of Northern Colorado, where she initially majored in vocal performance and musical theatre. She changed majors, however, graduating with a degree in music education; she initially planned on becoming a choir teacher. Although she did not play the cello much while attending college, she earned some income post-graduation as a cellist at weddings.
The Lumineers
After finishing her degree in music education, Pekarek responded to a Craigslist ad posted by Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites. Schultz and Fraites were looking for a cellist to join their band, The Lumineers. Explaining why she responded to the ad, Pekarek said, "I was living with my parents and kind of just looking for something to do. I thought it would be a fun way to pass my time until I found something full time to do." For several months, the three rehearsed and played shows around Denver. They decided to undertake a small-scale concert tour for 30 days, playing shows from Portland, Oregon to New York City. Of her decision to tour with the band, Pekarek said, "I was only 23 years old. If you are going to be in a band and do something stupid, it might as well be then." The 30-day tour was followed by a tour of the West Coast and a weekly installment at The Living Room, a venue in New York. While her contribution to the band was most noticeable as a cellist, she had a larger role as a vocalist in live performances, including performing a duet with Schultz. She took a passive approach to songwriting, with no credits on their first album and two credits on their second album. Pekarek said that she was content with her limited role in songwriting, stating of Fraites and Schultz, "They're very meticulous and being a part of that writing team is not for the faint of heart...I'm quite content to stay out of it." Pekarek stated that she struggled with inequality in the music industry as the sole female member of The Lumineers, saying that women "have to talk twice as loud and perform twice as hard, and you have to wear heels! I see myself working really hard to make everything equal between all of us. The boys are learning a lot about it and they've been really supportive, but there've been some growing pains." She also stated, "...if I were to join a new band, I would definitely not be the only girl in it. It would be a much easier life to have another female around." On October 18, 2018, it was announced that Pekarek would be leaving the band to pursue a solo career. Speaking of her reasoning behind leaving the band, Pekerak said:
Musical theatre
Pekarek wrote a "folk opera" called Rattlesnake about Katherine McHale Slaughterback, popularly called "Rattlesnake Kate," who was a renowned snake hunter of Colorado. Pekarek created a studio album of the songs from Rattlesnake. Rattlesnake was released on January 18, 2019 via S-Curve Records. Pekarek enjoys singing barbershop music competitively as a member of Sweet Adelines International, seeing plays, and conducting musical training workshops with school-children of her native Colorado.
Solo (2019 to present)
To promote the 2019 release of her debut solo album, Rattlesnake, Pekarek announced her initial headlining solo tour since her departure from The Lumineers.
