MANSFIELD, Ohio — Even though the Becca Stevens band was short one member when they performed Thursday evening at the City News-Suzy’s Smoke Room, 100 N Main St., their audience seemed impressed nonetheless, shouting cheers between puffs of smoke.
The singer and songwriter, who had never performed in Mansfield before, traveled from New York City as part of her current tour, which features music from her fourth and most recent album, “Regina.”
Stevens explained the that some of the songs on the album serve as “tributes” to queens found in history and literature. But all the songs are meant to make people feel “divine.”
“With this record, in particular, I hope people take a sense of strength and belief in themselves,” Stevens said.
She named the album, “Regina,” which is what she calls her alter-ego.
“Like a dream, she exists separate from me but is reliant upon my consciousness to exist. I carry her with me in everything now,” she explained on her website. “So I guess you could say that neither ends; in Becca, there is always Regina, and in Regina, there is always Becca.”
She says there’s no simple way to classify her music, especially the songs on Regina. Drawing her inspiration from some of her favorite artists like Joni Mitchell and Tori Amos, Stevens has avoided categorizing her music since she released her first album in 2008.
“I’ve never wanted to limit myself to stay within a genre,” she said.
Some of her music might sound like folk or jazz but other songs sound like pop or rock.
Born in South Carolina, Stevens always considered music an important part of her life. She first stepped on stage at age 2 with a family band. Later in high school, she studied classical guitar and jazz.
Other band members include Chris Tordini, who plays bass, and Jordan Perlson, who plays the drums. The fourth member, Liam Robinson couldn’t perform in Mansfield but will return to the stage for the Chicago, Illinois show next week.
The band keeps a busy schedule. Tomorrow night, the group will perform in Indianapolis, Indiana and by next week, she’ll have performed in Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Next month, the tour will take Stevens and the trio abroad. They will perform in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Switzerland.
To find out more about Stevens, check out beccastevens.com.
