Posted by: Elise McGannon and Kaylie Pauche
The Chicago winter is just beginning to thaw out and we’re all still feeling the chill – but Faye Webster’s southern infused upbeat music opened Schuba’s right up this past Friday night!
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Faye does an incredible job mixing an undeniable southern twang with beachy tones and pop notes to create a unique, rarely heard kind of. Her island-chic, fun, darling single, “Room Temperature,” came out this March and is worth more than one listen.
Faye’s charming personality shone through during the periods in between songs when she chatted good-naturedly with the crowd. Halfway through her set, Faye pulled not one, not two, but THREE yo-yo’s from her pant pocket. She proudly confessed she’d been practicing her yo-yo skills and we were lucky enough to witness some of that skill!
The crowd’s jaws collectively dropped when Faye asked, “Is Zion in the crowd?” and a young man walked on stage with an impressive looking yo-yo. Faye had “slid into his DM’s” and asked him to perform his yo-yo-ing during her set, which he did so flawlessly. Zion was a tad more (a lot more) advanced at yo-yo-ing than Faye, but we all have faith the singer/songwriter will get to Zion’s great level of skill! Fans cheered in excitement as Faye went onto gush about her favorite rapper Father before playing her own rendition of his song “Cheap Thrills” before slipping into the crowd to talk with fans.
Next up, the Australian singer-songwriter Stella Donnelly confidently took the stage at Schuba’s after a short intermission and dove straight into the things with “Seasons Greetings,” giving the crowd a warm welcome. Donnelly put a personal touch on each track, from recounting how an old boss at a job she worked truly owed her, to her digesting the realities of rape culture through her friend’s experiences.
Stella informed the crowd that “Boys Will Boys,” highly emotional and honest at its core, came out just around the time Weinstein was outed in the media, making it all the more powerful. “I never expected anyone outside of the pub or anyone outside of that room to hear that conversation,” Donnelly said to the crowd “but we’re having it here now.”
As heavy as the moment was, there were plenty of playful parts of the night including Donnelly poking fun at the best Chicago beer being “Milwaukee’s best,” regarding her song “Mosquito” as the “only love song” she’d probably ever written, and inviting Webster back onstage for a dance party before signing off.
With a packed room, personable atmosphere, loads of laughters, and tender moments – we highly doubt that this is the last time we’ll be seeing either of these two leading ladies in Chicago.