Tasseomancy
Posted on April 29, 2008, by Lauren Raham
Filed Under Events, Music
Romi and Sara Lightnman—twin sisters who make up the freak folk duo Ghost Bees—are performing tonight at the Queen St. United Church basement as part of the Apple Crisp concert series. Their debut album, Tasseomancy, was released on Youth Club records earlier this month and has been getting a lot of play on CFRC and other campus radio stations.
Tasseomancy refers to the practice of tea leaf reading, and the Lightman sisters’ great-great-grandmother, Clara (whose picture is featured on the album’s cover), was somewhat of an expert. The title track describes their distant ancestor’s difficult life in a small Russian village— losing her parents at a young age during anti-Semitic riots, marrying a man twice her age who cheated on her, and escaping to Canada with her children: “18-year-old orphaned bride,” “he’s getting friendly with the landlady” lament Romi and Sara over waltzing string arrangments. In researching their family history, Ghost Bees discovered that their great-great-grandmother used Tasseomancy to support her family instead of her true passion, singing. The album, then, gives a voice to a long-forgotten woman who might have written similar songs had she been given the chance.
Ghost Bees sound a lot like another sister duo, CocoRosie, who also sing about family struggles and fairy tales. They will be playing with Fall Horsie, Culture Rejects and Timber Timbre tonight at 7pm. Tickets are 5 dollars and apple crisp will be sold during the show.
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Friends & Supporters
This was a really decent show for $5. And the treats were great as well.