Meet The Staves
Our man in England reports...
Thoughts on Shows
by Tom Sweeney
The Staves are sisters; Camilla, Jessica and Emily, hailing from Watford, just north of London. They sing in close harmony, accompanied by Jessica’s simple-but-effective Paul Simon-like fingerpicked guitar. Conveniently blessed with complementary vocal ranges, their music is delicate, simple yet finely crafted.
A couple of weeks ago, I caught The Staves in a pub down a rain-lashed street in the English city of Nottingham, I saw the future.... They will be supporting The Civil Wars, everybody’s favourite CMA-nominated, double-Grammy-nominated duo, on their January tour in the United States.
A couple of weeks ago, I caught The Staves in a pub down a rain-lashed street in the English city of Nottingham, I saw the future.... They will be supporting The Civil Wars, everybody’s favourite CMA-nominated, double-Grammy-nominated duo, on their January tour in the United States.
The Staves possess wise old heads on their young shoulders, and if you’re ready to spot them you can hear the influence of Simon & Garfunkel or Crosby, Stills & Nash in their harmonies and Joni Mitchell in their phrasing. They sing with an awareness of the power they wield, more knowing than naive... And seeing them live reveals that they’ve taken these ethereal close-harmony pieces and have done something distinctly English with them.
They also sing with astonishing precision, seemingly able to start and stop singing together, moving from solos or duets to full three-part harmony without cues, snapping suddenly into unison for a line before swooping gloriously back into lush, full harmony again. Live, their stunningly intelligent singing is mixed with charmingly humble chat.
The Staves' debut full-length, the first ever collaboration between father and son producers Glyn and Ethan Johns, is slated for release early 2012 on Atlantic. We will be there.
The Staves support
The Civil Wars on tour in 2012:
Tue, Jan 10 - Germantown, TN
Tue, Jan 10 - Germantown, TN
Germantown Performing Arts Center
Thu, Jan 12 - Nashville, TN
Thu, Jan 12 - Nashville, TN
Ryman Auditorium
Fri, Jan 13 - Louisville, KY
Fri, Jan 13 - Louisville, KY
Kentucky Center for the Arts-Brown Theater
Sat, Jan 14 - Cincinnati, OH
Sat, Jan 14 - Cincinnati, OH
Madison Theater
Sun, Jan 15 - Saint Louis, MO
Sun, Jan 15 - Saint Louis, MO
The Pageant
Tue, Jan 17 - Lawrence, KS
Tue, Jan 17 - Lawrence, KS
Liberty Hall
Wed, Jan 18 - Cleveland, OH
Wed, Jan 18 - Cleveland, OH
Cain Park
Thu, Jan 19 - Austin, TX
Thu, Jan 19 - Austin, TX
Paramount Theater
Fri, Jan 20 - Houston, TX
Fri, Jan 20 - Houston, TX
Cullen Theater
Sat, Jan 21 - Dallas, TX
Sat, Jan 21 - Dallas, TX
The House Of Blues,
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