The Sweetness

The Sweetness was born in the most unlikely of places: the stairwell between the 17th and 19th floor of the Marriott Hotel in downtown Memphis, TN. Rich four-part harmonies and heavy cajon-driven backbeats echoed and resonated and drew in crowds of curious, and quickly excited, spectators. Regardless the improbability of two Texans and two Canadians meeting and entwining themselves musically to such a degree, this is what came to pass at the 23rd Annual Folk Alliance International Conference. A number of these late-night, guerrilla stairwell jams occurred during that week. After one particularly rousing number, a voice in the crowd shouted “Sweetness!” and a dream project took flight. It originated as a backing project for solo artist Aly Tadros (Austin, TX) and Chloe Charles (Toronto, ON). Fast friends from the previous years’ Folk Alliance, the two had already toured Europe and the States together. A year later, trying to expand upon a good thing, plans were made to meet up in Memphis once again, this time with some favorite collaborators – Douglas Jay Boyd (Austin, TX), himself a gifted singer-songwriter in addition to his abilities as a percussionist, and Sam McLellan (Toronto, ON), an overactive freelancer and composer willing to do anything to escape the frozen North in February. A generously donated hotel room became a makeshift rehearsal space. Harmonies were added, parts extended and rearranged. After playing a number of breakthrough showcases at the conference, the foursome quickly gained buzz and excitement throughout the halls of the hotel. Realizing that the sum was greater than its parts, Chloe and Aly invited Douglas and Sam to join them on their European tour as The Sweetness – and quickly raised $1,500 of a $5,000 goal within the first two days of announcing their plans to start a fan-funded tour and album. This March The Sweetness will record their debut EP with producer Gordon Raphael (The Strokes, Regina Spektor) and premiere at a number of SXSW Showcases. This will be followed by a string of European dates and festivals – including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. While each band member plans to remain an active fixture within the music communities of their respective cities, and maintain their own projects, the sum of The Sweetness is indeed proving to be greater than its parts as they collectively take on their most ambitious project to date.