The Ballroom Thieves @ StageOne 7.7.16
Just under a year ago, I was listening to The Ballroom Thieves’ A Wolf In The Doorway for the first time on my drive down to Newport Folk Festival. Two days later, I saw them play their first set at the festival and knew I’d found a new favorite. This marks the third time we’ve covered the Thieves here on BTV Sounds, and we’ve yet to be disappointed.
This was their second pass through Fairfield, CT this year, and it wasn’t hard to see why they came back. Seated shows can feel low energy, but the crowd filling StageOne on Thursday night had more than enough enthusiasm to keep that from being the case. At one point Martin Earley asked how many people had been at there at their January show, which by cheer response showed that a good portion of the audience had been. He followed up by asking how many member of the audience were related to Callie Peters, getting nearly as much of a response.
While every show we’ve caught has been stellar, The Ballroom Thieves have shown definite growth over the past year. They seem more comfortable on stage, with increased confidence and and easier stage presence.
Each show has incorporated at least a couple new songs, giving us a better and better idea of what their next release might sound like. This included “Peregrine,” which Martin mentioned would be more fleshed out in its recorded form. Honestly, I think it works wonderfully in its simple, stripped down acoustic state. The band has branched out to share writing duties, and Callie took over lead vocals for one of hers. Her writing style differs noticeably from Martin’s, but still fits perfectly with their overall sound.
There was no opener for the 8:00 PM show, so The Ballroom Thieves had plenty of time to play. Their set included nearly (if not) all of A Wolf In The Doorway, along with a cover of fellow Newport alum Joe Pug’s “Hymn #101.″ They’ve described themselves as a rock band in a folk suit, and that certainly is an apt description. In this performance space in particular, their ability to play with the intensity of their sound was on full display. They’re able to go from full on roar to near whisper in the space of a few lines, creating a sense of intimacy and truly felt emotion.
About halfway through the set Devin Mauch and Callie left the stage. Watching his fellow band mates leave the stage, Martin assured the audience - “don’t worry, this was planned!” Devin responded with a playful “I quit!” as he pushed through the curtain. After a little pause, Callie added a “Me Too!” While Martin played a couple songs solo, Devin took the opportunity to change his shirt. Earlier in the night he had urged the audience not to look up pictures of their previous performance, “because I’m pretty sure I wore the same outfit.” That was no longer an issue after he “fulfilled a lifelong dream - a mid-set costume change.”
Towards the end of the set, Martin indicated that since both he and Callie had gotten to sing a few songs, it was now Devin’s turn to take the lead. This was met with a hearty cheer - “oh good, because that could have been really awkward.” Devin’s choice was Frightened Rabbit’s “My Backwards Walk.”
After finishing up with “Here I Stand,” this time the whole band headed off stage, only to be quickly cheered back on by the audience. Devin let us know that, “you could have had another costume change if you hadn’t been so impatient!” Callie took the lead for the always haunting “Bury Me Smiling.” The last time I heard her sing it, she was battling bronchitis and still managed it beautifully. This time she seemed to be running on all cylinders and her rich, husky voice filled the space. The Ballroom Thieves finished off the night with “Archers.”
With a hectic schedule and variable locale lately, I haven’t had much of a chance to catch live music. I couldn’t have been happier to break that trend by catching a great show from The Ballroom Thieves. Though they hinted it might be a little while, we can’t wait to check out their next release.
