Karen Ponzio Photos
Stefanie Clark Harris and the Feverfew
Friday was a night of firsts for the New Haven music scene. It was the live debut of Stefanie Clark Harris and the Feverfew, the EP release party for the band’s first record “Black Diamond’, and it all happened at the inaugural show of The Stack Sessions, a District Arts and Entertainment presentation being held in the amphitheater on the back lawn of The Stack and Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, in the District Complex on James Street.
DAE already made its mark with its weekly Wednesday livestreamed shows, that included such local acts as Nick Di Maria, The Bargain, and Harris herself as a solo act. On this evening, they hosted not only Harris and Feverfew, but also The Let Loose outside under the blues and violets of the city sunset.
The Stack: pre show.
A smoky scent filled the air as eager live music fans gathered early for a bit of beer and barbecue on the restaurant’s back patio, which was scattered with distanced picnic tables and fire pit tables surrounded by Adirondack chairs. More tables and chairs were spaced on the lawn for the show. Many also brought their own chairs or blankets. Though the audience was spaced apart, there was a sense of communal gathering as the bands sound checked and friends who had not been out to a show in months met with shouts of joy from behind their masks.
The Let Loose plays against the sunset
First to the stage was The Let Loose — and speaking of firsts, lead vocalist LaQruishia Gill mentioned that it was the first time the band had played live in many months.
“So if things get a little weird, that’s why,” she added.
The five members of the band — including Gill, Pete Greco on lead guitar and vocals, Josh Wyrtzen on keyboard and vocals, James Smith on bass, and Austin Morrison on drums — leaned right into the proceedings, offering up powerful slow grooves and sizzling blues. There was nothing weird about how wonderful and welcoming it was to hear live music once again, the buzz of I‑91 traffic and the Mill River’s natural sounds blending in with the hum of the crowd. Love was continually offered back and forth between the band and the audience, including a few requests being shouted out. Gill talked about what the band had been up to since they had last played in public.
“We’ve been in time out for six months — all of us — but what has happened to us in time out is, we have created a ton of new songs,” she said. “So if you don’t recognize anything that we’re doing right now, it’s because we’ve been in the dark for a long time, so we hope you guys like what we’ve come up with while we’ve been in time out.”
If audience reaction was any indication, people loved the Let Loose’s new music. Those new tunes, along with a couple of older ones as well as some soul-stirring covers — including Ann Peebles’ “I Can’t Stand the Rain” — gave everyone reason to sway, cheer, and be grateful to be together again.
The crowd also cheered on Wyrtzen loudly as he stopped singing during one of his songs and began to speak.
“We believe in justice and we believe in the dignity of all human beings. We want justice for Breonna Taylor,” he said, also adding, “Black lives matter. If Black lives don’t matter none of us matter. It’s not a political statement, it’s just the truth.”
Although technical difficulties prevented the show from being live streamed as planned, DAE’s executive director A.M. Bhatt said an edited video of the show would be available later this week for viewing on the company’s FB page. He also appeared on stage to introduce Harris and the Feverfew after welcoming everyone to the first Stack Sessions, highlighting what the series had planned for the next month, as well as what DAE had to offer to the community.
Stefanie Clark Harris and the Feverfew came to the stage five members strong, with Harris on lead vocals and guitar, Katelyn Russell on drums and vocals, Michael Jensen-Sembos on guitar and vocals, Jay Russell on bass and vocals, and Tiffany Negriero Ballaro on harmonica. The band’s five song EP, Black Diamond, had been released on Sept. 13, and those five songs became the centerpiece of a fun and easy set of music about love, loss, and coming back to and commanding your life again on your own terms — perfect for this show that for many was their first foray back into the world of live music.
Harris spoke to the crowd between songs, offering an abundance of love and gratitude while also calling to others to join with her and each other.
“We’re here. It’s 2020. We’re living. We’re alive. We’re celebrating and that’s great,” said Harris, also acknowledging Breonna Taylor, “who is not here,” and adding: “We rest. We celebrate. We fight. We resist.” That was before the song “Saying Grace,” which she said was about “feeling stuck sometimes” and “feeling hopeless.”
“This is on my heart tonight,” added Harris. “Spread love. Spread truth. Listen to each other. Listen to Black women.” The crowd responded loudly in agreement.
The Stack: post show
Songs such as “Where We’re Living,” with the line “are we really living if we’re not living free?” and “Black Diamond,” with the line, “I never felt more alive than today,” delivered with uncompromising honesty and sweetness by Harris, felt as fresh as the fall air. The band played with a camaraderie and closeness that made it all feel as if you were hanging out in someone’s back yard for a barbecue instead of the back of a restaurant. The band closed its set with much appreciation from the crowd as the patio’s firepits were being lit up, and although the music ended, friends lingered to catch up. There was distance between them, but in heart and mind they were closer than they had been in months.
Please see the District Arts and Entertainment Facebook page for The Stack Sessions lineup as well as video from this event and other livestreams.
