Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
It was a night of Girl Power at Godfrey Daniels, Bethlehem, last Saturday, when a trio of popular local blues singers -- Sarah Ayers, Beverly "B.C." Conklin and Lori Donovan -- blended their lovely voices for a concert with a bit of a retro feel.
Many of the songs -- "Love Me Like a Man" by Chris Smither, "Women Be Wise" by Bonnie Raitt -- and the attitude, screamed "sisterhood," but The Girls' fans are equally divided between the sexes, as were two sell-out shows.
Still, all the girl talk prompted one man to joke, "Not bad for a bunch of girls," sparking a requisite round of groans before the trio appropriately encored with Rory Block's "God's Gift to Women."
The Girls -- who each perform separetly in groups or duos -- opened with a couple of solo songs each backed by their partners. For Conklin, it was her Bluzin' partners, bassist Mitch Shelly and guitarist Thom Palmer, who backed throughout. Donovan's partner is Jeff Roberts and Ayers was backed by Jamie Snook.
Songs ranged from folksy to bluesy to jazzy to songs with a gospel feel. The Girls took turns at lead and harmony on almost all of them -- Conklin with her gravelly low voice; Ayers, with her passionate, classically-trained voice, and Donovan with a softer, crystally, jazzy sound.
Conklin chose songs by Toshi Reagon for Black History Month, Ayers took the lead on Sheryl Crow's "Difficult Kind" and Donovan brought to the table songs that gave The Girls the air of a '50s/'60s girl group. The Girls offered a bold vocal showcase in an a cappella redition of Stephen Foster's "Hard Timers."
This was just the second time out for The Girls. Stay tuned.
-- Jodi Duckett, The Morning Call, Allentown, PA (March 4, 2006) - various
Discography
Live CD coming soon!
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
the girls story...
The Girls are a combination of three of Pennsylania's most successful and inspired female blues singers. Working independently in their own bands, duos and trios- Lori Donovan, Bev "BC" Conklin, and Sarah Ayers can be found performing live shows throughout the Northeast practically every night of the week.
In the Winter of 2005, Lori Donovan suggested to her friends BC and Sarah, that it might be fun to work together. A few months later a harmonious and uproarious trio was born on the stage of Maggie's Place, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Since that night, The Girls have been working on developing their highly praised one-night only stage show into a full-fledged blues trio. The combination has sparked a fascinating and ever changing set-list that includes standard blues, inspired folk and even some straight up rock and rock. They look forward to working on an original CD this Fall and Winter.
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