After two years of touring restrictions, the Juno Award winning Ennis Sisters are ready to get back on the road.
The Newfoundland-based group played a few live shows in their home province the last two years, but stopped touring across Canada. With music venues reopening, and a newly recorded album ready for release, the trio of Maureen, Karen and Teresa couldn’t be more content.
“It’s a real treat,” Teresa said of their latest tour, which comes through in Prince Albert on April 10. “We haven’t performed off of the island of Newfoundland since the pandemic began…. This is our first run of shows outside of Newfoundland, and we’re really excited to be getting back on the plane, getting back on the road, and getting back on stage.”
Although the trio was able to squeeze in a few virtual performances, Teresa said it pales in comparison to being on stage. Fans can enjoy the music over the internet, she explained, but there’s something special about connecting with an audience while on the stage.
“You can’t really replace a live show, and we’ve really missed” she said. “It does our hearts good to actually get out and get on stage, get in front of people, and feel the reaction.”
The Ennis Sisters kept busy during COVID, despite the lack of touring options. The group went back into the studio and recorded a new collection of original songs which are due out in June 2022.
The group plans to perform a few of them during their stop in Prince Albert and other prairie venues on the schedule.
“We weren’t sure when this collection of songs was going to come out,” Teresa said. “We weren’t sure when we were going to be able to tour again, but finally, we have a release date.
“It’s just really nice to have some new music to bring to the world now that things are opening up again. Hopefully they’ll stay open. It’s really exciting to get out and be able to sing some new material, and test out these new songs in Alberta and Saskatchewan.”
The trio has shows scheduled in Alberta on Friday and Saturday before making their way to Prince Albert on April 10. Ennis said they’re looking forward to playing at the Rawlinson, and enjoying a bit of prairie spring.
“We are loving it because the Newfoundland spring doesn’t really exist,” Teresa said with a chuckle. “It’s winter, winter, winter, summer, fall, winter.
“We’ve been looking forward to these dates for so long and finally they’re here. It still fills like it’s kind of hard to believe we’re back doing this, but we’re really, really glad to be.”
The Ennis Sisters Prince Albert performance begins at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre. Tickets are available at www.earc.ca.