In Olden Days

With the re-opening of music venues, folk trio The O'Pears announced a last-minute Christmas show at the Cameron House only 10 days beforehand. This annual tradition has been wonderful when I was able to attend. Being in Ottawa, I was happy that they would live-stream it on Instagram.

So on Monday night, I settled snugly into bed awaiting its start. I was initially worried since there was no broadcast for a while. Finally at 9:45 pm their live feed appeared showing Meg Contini, Jill Harris, and Lydia Persaud on stage fiddling around with some cables. They'd probably decided to skip the opener. The venue sounded full with lively conversation and clinking glass in the background. But a hush quickly fell when The O'Pears began with A Candle Burned. In fact, this quiet reverence stayed throughout their set (as opposed to the usual bar chatter) punctuated by loud cheers between songs.

I can definitely understand this awe. These 3 women wrap you tight in their intricate and wonderful vocals on their original material (Terrified, Long Winter, Morning Song) and covers (Joni Mitchell's River, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas). If there was a drawback to Instagram, it was that a phone with its tiny mic couldn't fully convey the spine-chilling power of their harmonies. Despite the short notice, they were able to wrangle a backing band with Christine Bougie (electric/slide guitar), Ben Whiteley (bass), and Steve Lavery (piano).

The fun of live concerts was all the unexpected touches. First, we learned that Meg was now a mother to a brand-new baby. Second, Jill got them producer credit on Pentatonix's cover of River. The former's version was, shall we say, "highly inspired" by the latter's arrangement. Appreciation was better when it comes with tangible benefits. Finally, we were treated to two great pop covers. From her collaboration with Queer Songbook Orchestra, Lydia brought over The Emotions' What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas. And when the O'Pears came back on stage because of raucous demand for an encore, despite no rehearsal and 7 years since they last sang it, they nailed an uptempo rendition of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Amazing!