The Staves challenged their audience this Tuesday to show their bravery and battle the near zero visibility snow storm, to find shelter at the Fairmount Theatre. The show promised to be a warm embrace of harmony from the three talented sisters from Watford UK, a small town of a little more than 90,000 inhabitants.
We braved the crazy rush hour traffic to make our way early for an interview with The Staves. Needless to say, these musicians were just a friendly and warm as you would imagine. They are the kind of down to earth musicians you can simply hang out with like old friends.
Montrealers didn’t let us down, they filled the venue much more than I expected, all in great spirits. These were the brave ones that didn’t worry about getting home, just enjoy the moment and deal with the storm after the show.
The evening started with Mikaela Davis, from Rochester New York, at the helm of a majestic harp. I’m not that enthusiastic about the harp, apart from the Beer brand, so I wasn’t expecting much, to say the least. As she started playing, it did feel like I was at the spa, but without warning, Mikaela’s voice, style and humorous banter was quite unexpectantly enjoyable. She reminisced about missed opportunities to come up to Montreal to enjoy the lower drinking age. Now 23, legal in her home country and touring with the Staves, she is catching up. Once she plays, you soon forget about the harp, her voice taking over the musical lead. It’s a combination that works remarkably well and the crowd filled the front of the stage, mesmerized. Alas, her time was up, but it would not be the last we would see of Mikaela tonight. After her set, I told her that her style of music should be called “Hip Harp”. She didn’t find it as funny as I did, but she truly did make this instrument hip again.
The crowd came alive at the sound of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer” being pumped through the PA system, indicating the show was about to begin, with an ironic choice for a snow storm. The three sisters took the stage, along with a drummer who could have been part of Def Leopard as he would often drum one-handed while using his other hand to play a shaker instrument. They told us earlier in the afternoon how Camilla was becoming quite adept at the sampler, which was evident with their first song “Outlaw” from Sleeping In a Car EP. Interestingly, the girls were part of the movie Austin to Boston in which they rode VW Campers while touring with Ben Howard, Nathaniel Rateliff and Bear’s Den, so they have firsthand experience with sleeping in cars.
They followed with “Steady” where the harmony of their intertwined voices causes a physical reaction.
They should place a warning on all tickets: Caution: Will cause goose bumps!
Song after song, they broke any kind of possibility of calling them a folk band. When asked during their interview what song they felt was underrated, “Damn It All” was mentioned. This is an emotional song for the girls, where they came together to protect and support Jessica. You can feel the emotional connection, but these girls are strong, whatever event inspired this song has been dealt with support from loving sisters.
Throughout the night, the girls practiced their French, much to the delight of the crowd. They felt so completely at home on the stage, the intensity of the crowd feeding them energy during their songs. Throughout the night, there was a love affair between the audience and the band, a connection filled with respect and admiration.
For “Make It Holy”, they invited Mikaela back to accompany them on her harp.
The encore consisted of Camilla on Ukulele and Jessica on acoustic for “Facing West” (but marked at Facing White on the setlist) ending with “Mexico”, a place the girls have yet to visit. Those last two songs were so intimate, we all felt we were sitting by a fire in their living room.
The lights went back on, breaking the spell these sisters had on a brave crowd that payed their respect to the talent of these three women who each shine in a unique way. It was a special evening of strangers united in a bond caused by the harmony of The Staves. If you weren’t there, you missed out on a special evening of warmth and escape from the reality of the cold harsh world outside. We all wished it never ended.
Review & Photos – Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and Business coach with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
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