It was an intimate night at the Observatory Oct. 17 as Hachney the mouthpiece and EH440 acapella group rocked the stage for the first time. Over 145 people were in attendance.
EH440 is a group of five, Janet Turner, Jake Stern, Luke Stapleton, Stacey Kay, and Joe Oliva. They’ve been singing together for four-years.
“We drove all the way from Toronto to come for this show,” Kay told the crowd to cheers.
“We tour a lot in the States, so we’re really excited to be in Canada and in our nation’s capital,” added Stern.
The event began at exactly 7 p.m., opening with Hachney’s spectacular performance with a mouth organ.
“I’m usually with my kids within the week and for once I’m not with my kids on a Monday; so I swear I’m gonna do things your mom won’t like,” he joked.
Everyone was laughing at that point and there was clinging of glasses from most tables.
However, most people left right after Hachney’s performance.
Those who stayed were the real fans of EH440, and the members of the band picked up on the vibe.
“This really is a cool space for live entertainment,” said Turner just a few minutes before the show began.
“I like the relaxed vibe with a dance party twist in here,” added kay.
She was the most-lively one in their group and she led more than 4 of the 10 songs they sang.
Luke Stapleton said what he liked most about being part of EH440 is performing for people and touching people’s hearts and giving them some escape for happiness.
“You basically need other people in life to support you,” he added with a big smile as he looked towards his teammates.
Jake is the only single member of the group and he rocked the aisles with some sexy dance moves, making the crowd cheer even harder.
Kay introduced Stern as “the girl” in their group because of his voice.
“He sounds like a girl,” said Stacey.
Stern confirmed this when he led the song, “That makes you crazy”.
This got lots of girls cheering for him.
They had EH440 CD’s and T-shirts for sale right after the show for $10 and $15 respectively.
The concert was a success for EH440 because it was their first time in Ottawa to perform as a band, and they loved the crowd from Algonquin.