Fo(u)r Each Other: A Review of the Porch Party Mamas
“Is there anything she doesn’t play?” Felicia Brady-Lopez of the Porch Party Mamas exclaims as Katrin Peterson switches from her percussion setup of eight instruments — cajon, frame drum, and bongos, to name a few — to a Roland keyboard. But Brady-Lopez’s remark applies to all four women in the well-loved band. Indeed, throughout their two-hour set, each musician switched instruments at least once: Brady-Lopez from the piano to the accordion to the percussion kit, Ksenia Mack from acoustic guitar to banjo, Jane Grondin from fiddle to guitar, and Peterson’s aforementioned use of the percussion kit, made up of instruments from five continents. Despite their individual skills, though, what truly unites the Porch Party Mamas is their harmony — both interpersonally and vocally.
The show was filled with a delightful combination of playful banter between band members and tender, evocative moments. Before Mack launched into a song in Italian (!!), she commented, “These girls amaze me when they play this song.” Likewise, after playing a co-write, “Ink and Pen,” between Mack and Peterson, the two songwriters gestured toward each other in mutual appreciation. The love between them was further exemplified when we asked the band about their musical inspirations. Mack responded, “These guys are all inspirations for me,” to which Brady-Lopez immediately agreed, while Grondin added, “I was just thinking that.”
All four members write songs, sometimes individually and sometimes together, and their lyrics are the works of true storytellers. In “Broken Line,” a folksy number complete with their trademark fiddle and accordion accompaniment, Mack sings, “I forgot what I just said / I lost the thought that I had / It must have slipped between the seat and the drum beat.”
The artists’ chemistry with one another extended to a deep connection to the audience as well. They had the whole room laughing to a joke — for instance, one about Mack pulling down Brady-Lopez’s pants — before segueing into a solemn, serious song about moving through life after the loss of a loved one, to which the audience listened attentively and emotionally. With the band’s guidance, they intuitively knew when the mood changed from lighthearted to serious. Everyone was right there in the moment with them, listening, watching, and waiting for their next cue. A highlight of the night was when audience members began to get up and dance to a particularly lively fiddle tune, on which Grondin naturally took the lead. People were dancing down the aisles and linking arms with friends they had never met before, while the band danced along on stage with them. What’s fun for the audience is also fun for the band. Grondin told us, “When you’re having a really good show, and you’re really connecting with the audience and with each other, it’s so much fun… I don’t do anything that’s more fun than that!”
Musically, the Porch Party Mamas are truly unique: folk blends with rock and blues influences to create their sound, which fills both rooms and hearts with warmth and joy. Their four-part harmonies, however, are one of their most distinguishing features. In a creative and clever arrangement of Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “Helplessly Hoping,” Grondin sang, “They are one person,” and Brady-Lopez joined in to add, “They are two alone.” Then, they all sang, “They are three together,” before effortlessly but emotionally crescendoing into the final line: “They are fo(u)r each other.” This song was the perfect way to end their set, as it served in many ways as an ode to their love for one another.
Club Passim, 5/12/24