Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
A bit of Newfoundland’s Christmas spirit will make its way to Napanee on Dec. 8 when the Juno award winning Ennis Sisters come to town.
The trio will be performing at Trinity United Church as part of the Starstop Concert Series in a show aptly titled Christmas Time with the Ennis Sisters of Newfoundland.
“It’s a family friendly Christmas show,” explains Teresa Ennis, who will be joined on stage by sisters Maureen and Karen. “We have recitation, there’s humour, there’s storytelling, there’s Irish step dancing and of course the vocal harmony blend we’re known for.”
With over 20 years experience of touring and three Christmas CDs in their collection, they have no shortage of songs for their set list. The sisters will be joined onstage with two musicians to round out their sound.
“The songs are mostly original, but then we also have medleys where we combine traditional or well known songs into the set,” said Ennis, adding that audiences are encouraged to sing along when they know the words.
“We try to keep it fresh but have songs people can sing along with as well,” she added.
Their blend of Celtic-folk just seems to resonate with audiences says Ennis, noting that the songs’ lyrics are relatable to people of all ages.
Embarking on a Christmas tour has become a tradition for the sisters, who will make stops across Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI before coming to Ontario. They’ll typically play larger venues but through a bit of luck on Napanee’s part, Starstop organizers were able to land the well known act.
“It brings back those old time Christmases where there were no iPhones, no distractions from conversations,” Ennis said of their Christmas show. “You got one toy at Christmas and that was really special. There’s no reason why we can’t still have that, even with iPhones and things like that. There’s no reason we can’t still connect with our families and enjoy the time we have with them. This is just a little reminder to do that.”
Having travelled with her sisters for the last two decades, she says she’s come to appreciate that time with family and feels extremely lucky to have gone right from school to a life of performing.
Counting their three Christmas albums, the group has released 10 total albums. Their most recent, Keeping Time, was released this past June. To help with the writing and recording process they brought in help from another famous Newfoundlander-former Great Big Sea frontman turned solo artist Alan Doyle.
“He’s not only a musical champion, but also a person who has a great business sense,” said Ennis. “To work with Alan was amazing. He’s so professional and his work ethic is incredible. We learned a lot from him and he challenged us and pushed us outside our comfort zone on this album.”
She says he gave them about three months of pre-production ‘homework.’ Once completed they needed just three days in a Halifax recording studio to finish the 10 song album.
They’ll take a break from promoting that album as they embark on their 2018 Christmas concert tour.
Tickets for the Dec. 8 show are $30 and are available at Ellena’s Cafe, Marie’s Place or online http://www.starstop.ca/tickets. They will also be sold for a cost $35 at the door the day of the show.