The Good Lovelies bring harmony and group singing to The Spire
The Good Lovelies are no strangers to Kingston music audiences, nor to The Spire, but they’re back this Saturday with a “super-special show,” according to Caroline Brooks, one of three lead singers in the band, along with Kerri Ough and Sue Passmore.
“Carrie and Sue grew up in choirs, a big part of our MO is to have the audience walk away with a big smile on their face, and one way to accomplish that is with group singing,” said Brooks. “Ticket holders can sign up for a choral workshop in the afternoon, and we’ll have three of the best choir directors in Canada each directing one Good Lovelies song, and that evening you can perform it with us on stage.”
The three directors are Marie Anderson, assistant conductor for Cantabile Choir, Ian Juby, chorus master for Kingston Choral Society, and Andy Rush, Artistic Director of Open Voices. Anderson will also be leading the opening act, S.O.N.G. — Sounds of the Next Generation, a youth choir that offers free choral opportunities for kids in the Cobourg/Port Hope area.
“If you like singing, come to this show,” said Brooks. “Every show we do includes group singing. If you sing in a group, you walk away happier, there is a lot of science behind that. We’ll have all of the singing.”
Choral elements aside, The Good Lovelies are currently touring as a quartet with Christine Bougie on lap steel and electric guitar.
“What you’ll get is a mix of original music, a lot of harmony, and you’ll walk away feeling like you were in the living room,” explained Brooks. “We want to make everyone feel at home and comfortable. We do some storytelling about the songs and our lives. We have a lot of love for each other after 13 years together. Regardless of whether we’re in a big hall or a small theatre, we want everyone to feel the same happiness after the show.”
After 13 years together, Brooks is still feeling the same excitement for The Good Lovelies as when they started.
“We just finished recording a record, which is stressful, and when we got on stage the other night and started singing, all of that went away. We’re not huge, but we’re successful, we make a living doing this, and we’ve maintained a deep friendship with each other. I’m super grateful that I have this outlet of music.”
The recording they just finished is a Christmas record (“We’ve had Christmas on our brains since May ”) which they will tour behind this December. This year also marks the 10-year anniversary of the band’s first Christmas record, Under The Mistletoe.
“Christmas music is a big part of our lives,” said Brooks. “It’s a big to-do. We always try to one-up ourselves from each year. It was time for new Christmas songs.”
With the new Christmas record in the can and the tour coming up, The Good Lovelies are already looking ahead to their 2020 plans.
“We’ll be doing a few smaller tours as a quartet, and we’re looking at recording some new non-Christmas music as well. We’re all doing some side projects too — creatively spreading our wings ,” said Brooks. “We’ve also been thinking a lot about sustainability lately, and since we started really, so a percentage of some of our ticket sales next year will go towards tree planting in Northern Ontario, to offset some of the impacts of touring on the environment.”
The Good Lovelies perform at The Spire this Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance.