On July 11th, the seven-piece band Stella Ruze performed at Levitt Pavilion as a part of their free concert series. Stella Ruze is a folk-rock band from Philadelphia that wowed the crowd at SteelStacks with their impressive four-part harmonies and wide variety of instruments. The band consists of guitarist & singer Brendan Johnson, singer & mandolin player Katie O’Donnell, keyboardist Eliot Garland, singer & trumpet player Alex Styer, drummer Sean McIntyre, bassist Ted Mayo, and saxophonist Gabe Preston. Stella Ruze has established a great reputation in Philadelphia and the surrounding area as a high energy, crowd-pleasing folk band. It is this well-earned reputation that garnered the attention of Levitt Pavilion board members who tried for over two years to book the band for their summer series. The band’s popularity was evident as many in the crowd were already familiar with their music and ready to sing along during the show.
Stella Ruze was founded in 2014 and was originally a four-piece band. They expanded in 2017 by adding McIntyre, Mayo, and Preston to become the force that they are today. Stella Ruze is particularly unique because they blend traditional folk sounds, like guitar and mandolin, with funk rhythms coming from trumpet, saxophone, and keyboard. This combination of folk and funk infuses Stella Ruze’s music with an energetic feeling that inspires their listeners to get up and dance. Likewise, their songs also blend the traditional storytelling that is expected in folk music with funky instrumental interludes. Balancing serious storytelling with groovy instrumentals allows Stella Ruze to both engage audiences in deep narratives about loss, love, and life and get people to move with their upbeat tempos and rousing horns.
The band’s most recent album, The Great Dog, released in 2020 exemplifies this. The album features astute storytelling about the experiences of contemporary bands in the music industry. The song “Open” discusses having an open heart and feeling hopeful about success as musicians despite the sacrifices they make by going on tour. Likewise, “Travel Song” details how musicians can leave worries behind when they go on tour to focus on their art. In these songs, Stella Ruze details the difficulties and joys of being musicians with classic folk storytelling.
Stella Ruze’s concert at Levitt Pavilion consisted of original music from their 2020 album as well as a few covers. One theme for the evening was the idea of living in the present and refusing to obsess about past relationships, missteps in life, or missed opportunities. While playing Sufjan Stevens’ song “Chicago,” Stella Ruze emotionally sang, “I made a lot of mistakes / You came to take us / All things go, all things go / To recreate us / All things grow, all things grow.” These lyrics echo the theme of learning from past errors found on The Greater Dog by both acknowledging mistakes, but also seeing them as educational opportunities.
Towards the end of the concert, Stella Ruze introduced their newest song “Firework,” a seven minute song that was created during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Johnson explained that he wrote the song while thinking about a significant memory from quarantine. He told the crowd that late one night in 2020 he heard loud noises outside his home in Philadelphia. He remembers feeling instinctively afraid of the thunderous booms only to learn that the sound was coming from a neighbor setting off fireworks. While the memory itself included heavy existential fears, Johnson wrote “Firework” to “bring levity to the situation.” The song itself promises “it’s going to blow,” insinuating that your life will be disrupted by illness or the noise of others, which cannot be avoided. However, the song encourages listeners to remember that they can still find joy in life despite such disruptions as Johnson repeatedly sings out the import of “enjoy[ing] the show!” By both promising that nothing lasts forever and encouraging the audience to enjoy life while we can, Stella Ruze inspires listeners to appreciate the time that they have. “Firework” is the first single from the band’s forthcoming album, which will be released in 2025.
Stella Ruze’s concert brought a fun mix of folk music and bouncy funk sounds to Levitt Pavilion. Their focus on growth was inspirational for the local crowd. The band encouraged the audience to acknowledge their mistakes, let go of them, and appreciate the life that they have.
To find out more about Stella Ruze and keep up to date with their new music, visit their Instagram account Stella Ruze. To explore upcoming Levitt Pavilion concerts and events, visit Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks.
