Sisters, brothers
The Vespers double duo of siblings debuts at Liberty
Perform — The Vespers brought folksy-rock music to the LaHaye Event Space along with Joel Kaiser and the Native Spirit band. Photo credit: Michela Diddle
Folk rock band “The Vespers” made its debut appearance at Liberty University Saturday, Feb. 6.
Hosted by Student Activities, students gathered in the LaHaye Student Union’s Event Space as the band Joel Kaiser with Native Spirit opened the event.
“We didn’t expect to see this many of you here, to be honest,” bass player Bruno Jones said. “I thought that’s awesome. We’re blown away.”
Sisters Phoebe and Callie Cryar led the vocals, while brothers Taylor and Bruno Jones played the drums, bass and other various acoustic instruments.
The Vespers preformed a variety of songs from their albums, including their most recent album, Sisters and Brothers, which was released in February 2015. Singer Callie Cryar explained the idea behind the song “Sisters and Brothers.”
“It’s about what it’s like being in a band with your family, ‘cause us girls are sisters and the guys are brothers,” Callie Cryar said. “It’s basically what we’ve learned over all our years together, and it boils down to: take care of people. Take care of each other.”
The Vespers invited the saxophone player from the group Joel Kaiser with Native Spirit to the stage to perform a saxophone solo during an instrumental break. The crowd clapped and cheered as he played.
Before playing the song “New Kids,” the band introduced it as an R&B song, something different than their typical sound.
“It’s all fun (and) games until the bluegrass band tries to be funky,” Callie Cryar said.
In the spotlight — Joel Kaiser with Native Spirit opened for The Vespers. Photo credit: Michela Diddle
Bruno Jones backed up the song’s uniqueness by defending the instrument he was playing, a banjo.
The Vespers continued in a night of entertainment and fun. The crowd cheered as the set came to a close and the band said their farewells.
Phoebe and Callie Cryar began the band as a duo under the experience of their father, Morgan Cryar, who is an 80s and 90s contemporary Christian music star.
It was not until May 2009 that Taylor and Bruno Jones left their rock band and joined with the sisters to become the band they are today.
Bruno Jones said Phoebe Cryar liked the name because it can also mean evening prayer, which they thought was an appropriate tie to faith.
Although the band identifies as having a folk rock genre now, it was not always classified as such. The sound of their band has changed throughout the years.
“We started off a little bit more like indie folk, and then the sound has kind of gotten bigger,” Bruno Jones said. “We added a keyboard track, and then we just added more power in their vocals. It got a little bit more powerful, ‘blues-ier’ and stronger as they came out of their shells.”
With musical inspirations from The Beatles, Nickel Creek and The Avett Brothers, The Vespers have hopes to continuing writing and performing in larger venues.
“We’ve always loved the idea of playing in theaters,” Bruno Jones said.
The Vesper’s albums are available on iTunes, and the band has tour information on social media sites.
SWEENEY is a feature reporter.