Photo by Tanvi Shah
One thing you need to know about Kelsey Blackstone is that she isn’t just a vocalist — she also blows bubbles at her live shows.
Inspired by rock, blues, and jazz, Kelsey has found her unique sound by incorporating elements of her past as a jazz vocalist, a musical theater student, and her experiences at Berklee. She describes her sound as “soulful pop and retro rock” and has been inspired by late 60s and early 70s music. Kelsey has also been inspired by some local Boston bands including The Q-Tip Bandits, Whale Tail, and The Cotones.
Having found her footing in the Boston music scene in April 2022, she has played at Harry’s Happening (not Harry’s House) in Maine, Club Passim in Harvard, and most recently at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge. Kelsey decided to do a hometown show at the Cantab Underground as a way to highlight her 7-piece band (yes, scheduling is tough) and 2 other woman-fronted local artists: Zoe Sparks and Miranda Rae.
It was my first time seeing Zoe Sparks, and her voice and tone took me by surprise. Zoe has this growl in her voice that I didn’t expect, which really came through in her cover of “Oh! Darling.” She played as a trio instead of a 6-piece band, and everyone in the band riffed off everyone else’s energy. The song that stuck with me the most was Zoe’s original song, “Famous,” with the iconic line ‘All my friends are famous, and it’s like I never existed.’
If you’ve read my previous article about Miranda Rae, you’ll know that I’m obsessed with her lyrics and music (in a non-creepy way, of course). Miranda blew us all away with her effortless runs and covers of “Crazy” and “U Got It Bad.” Miranda even had us putting our hips and shoulders into her call-and-response song, “Sure.” She took us through the songs in her latest EP For What It’s Worth, and the songs are indeed worth it.
Kelsey did a great job of finding artists who complemented her sound and brought the energy on a Tuesday night. Kelsey performed a mix of originals that showcased her vocal abilities with some amazing sustained high notes and these pretty scoops she sang. One of my favorite songs that Kelsey and her band sang was “Willow,” which touches on the fear of growing older. During this song, she paused to make sure she blew her bubbles and encouraged everyone in the audience to do the same, reminding them that bubbles have this freeing power. There’s something about bubbles that made the Cantab Underground magical. She even made sure her other band members had an opportunity to blow bubbles when they weren’t playing the sax or trumpet.
Kelsey also sang a full-band version of her latest release, “When I’m With You,” and had us grooving and dancing along. Kelsey described this song as her “fun, Stevie Wonder song,” and it really lived up to its name! My favorite song of Kelsey’s set was “The Grass is Always Greener,” where Kelsey sings about impostor syndrome and her shade of green being different from other people’s greens. Kelsey ended her set with her version of the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” where her scatting put her jazz influences on full display.
A bunch of the songs she sang on Tuesday will be part of her upcoming EP, coming out next year, so keep an eye out! Kelsey is also going on her first tour ever, titled “With a Little Help From my Friends Tour” with Gōst Pepper. She chose this name because her friends have helped her book the shows on tour and are hosting her band members — who are also her friends. She just wants to continue to build her music community and introduce her friends to other friends so they can all vibe with the music.
If you want to groove out to Kelsey’s music (and get free bubbles), check her and her band out at her Boston show on August 2nd at O’Briens Pub, or head over to her website to buy some colorful and cute t-shirts! Also, Kelsey will be releasing a cover of a secret song in the fall, so keep an eye out there — you heard it here first!