Leith Ross & Emma Harner Rock Out Thalia Hall in Chicago

By: Mayzie Clark​

Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, Leith Ross has become a prominent presence in the alternative
& singer-songwriter music scene. Ross’s music career began in their early teen years, and they
eventually pursued a degree in Jazz Vocals at Humber College in Toronto. After graduation, they
released their debut EP “Motherwell” in 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and being unable to
tour, Ross turned to TikTok to share their music. Shortly after, Ross posted a video of their original song “We’ll Never Have Sex” which struck a chord with millions on the App, receiving over 41 million streams on Spotify.

Opening for the show was 22-year-old artist Emma Harner. I had the great pleasure of seeing
her last July when she opened for mxmtoon at the Old National Centre in Indianapolis. Harner’s
poignant lyricism and ghostly guitar melodies are absolutely enchanting and refreshing to the ear.
Harner spins new life into present-day, guitar-driven music as she savors both alternative tunings and unconventional plucking patterns. She even noted in her closing song, “False Alarm” off of her debut EP, “Taking My Side”, that the song alternates between counts of 11 and 12. Then asking, “Want me to count them out for you?” To which the crowd cheered in response. Emma Harner is a prodigy in the making, and I hope this is far from the last time I get to see her perform again.

After Emma Harner finished her opening set, Ross took to the stage to welcome Barbara
Arango, of The Harbour, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to providing “immediate, stable, and safe housing to youth and young mothers experiencing homelessness.” Arango took just a few minutes to tell the attendees about their organization, how they seek to assist and elevate the voices of LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and other vulnerable people groups in the Chicago area, and what they can do to help. This portion of the show remains a central part of each one of Ross’ shows; however, they seek to provide a platform for a different organization at each show, local to the area they are performing in that evening. This effort remains one of the key focal points of Ross’s mission to build community across the country as they tour from city to city. The set list for Ross’s show was as follows:

Point of View
Treasure
Stay
Terrified
Home
What My Love Is For

I Love Watching You Eat Dinner
I'd Have to Think About It
I Will
What Are You Thinking About
Alone
Grieving
(I Can See) The Future
(You) On My Arm
Encore:
We'll Never Have Sex

Ross’s vocals were emotive, dynamic, and as smooth as butter- their formal training shone
through throughout their performance. Ross accompanied themself with both acoustic and electric
guitar, additionally supported by bass, drums, electric keys, mandolin, and fiddle. I thought the band was very well mixed; my only critique would be that I felt the drum overheads got a little bit lost at times. Additionally, the crowd was, by far, one of the most respectful and engaged audiences I’ve ever witnessed. Leith Ross is such a kind & radiant soul. Their music doesn’t just capture you, it transports you. What an ethereal evening of compassion, connection, and community. From open to close, I was incredibly grateful to shoot this performance and be a part of a moment in time where the world felt a little less scary and a lot more hopeful.

LEITH ROSS

EMMA HARNER