PHOTO: ERIC JONES | You can simultaneously check out a great touring band and watch the Saints at everybody’s favorite Canal Street fine listening establishment on Thursday evening beginning at 6:30 PM. The third and final night of the “3-String Circus” features an eagerly awaited performance by Boston-based rock-band-disguised-as-a-folk-band, The Ballroom Thieves.
The trio wowed the crowds with their performance at this past summer’s Newport Folk Festival. They have been running at full tilt since the addition of cellist Calin Peters in September of 2013 and the release of A Wolf in the Doorway, their first full length recording.
The trio blends the rich harmonies of folk music conventions with modern hymns and the grit of the delta blues. They explore pop music influences while wholeheartedly rejecting any genre restrictions. Think of this distinction as taking the very idea of roots music and creating ways to make a catch-all category for acoustic-based songs into something progressive.
Prior to Peters joining the band, guitarist Martin Earley and percussionist Devin Mauch were working with a different cellist after initially playing as a duo in college. Since then, the trio has grown considerably. Peters developed into a charismatic vocalist, though she had never sung lead before.
Mauch, who began as djembe player, has evolved into a complete percussionist with his own unique style and Earley’s guitar work has progressed as he continually experiments with new ways of making his guitar sing.
For a band this young, they have found a niche in a tight-knit New England scene known for camaraderie among the players and a supportive atmosphere. They revel in the interaction between band and audience, a hallmark of New Orleans crowds. Their harmonies and rapport on stage are like a custom fit into the zeitgeist of 21st century New Orleans.
Showtime is 6:30 PM. The band will break for the first half of the Saints/Falcons game on the big screen and resume when and if the game gets out of hand and the groaning begins.
