The Vespers / Hayley Reardon

For this show it’s not enough just to be talented. You’ve got to be under the age of 23 as well. And why don’t we throw in an act made up of a sister duo and a brother duo for good measure? We’re talking about The Vespers, of course: the Cryar sisters and the Jones brothers, who’ve already got a couple of albums out. It’s hard to imagine a better collection of unsigned, indie artists in the 19–22 age bracket capable of breaking through that wall. ¶ Hayley Reardon opens the show. This Marblehead High sophomore and singer/songwriter is seasoned way beyond her years and has been a me&thee favorite for a while now.

THE VESPERS are one of those lucky young bands who are becoming a word of mouth sensation though they’ve only quietly self-released a couple of records. With two sisters on lead vocals and two brothers filling out the sound, the foursome is distinguished by an arsenal of instruments and the kind of harmony only siblings can create. They have toured from Boston to Austin, hitting everything from festivals to college campuses in between.

The Vespers’ lead vocalists — Callie (21) and Phoebe Cryar (19) — were brought up in a musical family in Nashville, honing their gifts as children singing background vocals on Music Row. While their harmonies are described as “ghostly and haunting” and “honey sweet,” they both have expansive characteristics to their vocal and instrumental abilities. It was a chance meeting at a campfire jam that brought the sisters an earthy grounding in brothers Bruno (20) and Taylor Jones (22), who were drawn to gritty southern rock and the depth of their father’s record collection, which included soul music from the likes of Stevie Wonder.

Everyone in the band contributes to the songwriting, but the most prolific writer is Phoebe. “We all grew up listening to a little bit of everything, but roots music didn’t come in until more recently,” says Bruno. “Folk and roots music tend to draw from spiritual themes. We don’t run away from our faith when writing, because that’s where our hearts are planted.”

The Vespers also offer a full share of effervescent pop songs like “Will You Love Me” and “Flower Flower.” Callie and Bruno wrote the latter when he said he needed a “summertime jam.” Callie hummed a melody, and the tune quickly sprung up on the banjo, ukulele, drums and bass. “Most of our songs come about really organically like that, without planning to write. It just happens and we try to let it flow,” says Bruno.

Most of the songs on The Fourth Wall have the energy of a live show because the band polished them on the road, where they also came up with the album title. The fourth wall, in theater terms, is the invisible wall between the audience and performers. “Our music reflects that. We decided to go on tour shortly after we joined forces and we really learned what our band was all about while playing to the people at our early shows. It shaped us and that’s how we really became ‘The Vespers’. It’s all about connecting with people and breaking down that invisible wall,” Says Callie.

. . .

In addition to sharing the stage with folk icons such as Peter Yarrow and Tom Rush, and recently releasing her debut album, Where the Artists Go, Hayley Reardon has spent the past few years inspiring her peers to express themselves and create positive change through her role as Peer Spokesperson for PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center.

Recently naming her a 2012 “Bostonian Of The Year,” the Boston Globe characterized Haley as “a confident, radiant teenage singer/songwriter who is helping to pen the next chapter of the Boston folk scene. . . . While Reardon is rapidly making a name for herself under the stage lights, it could be said that she’s having a bigger impact on her peers across the country as a leading spokesperson for bullying prevention. By pairing her music with a message of collective responsibility, she has become an effective teen-to-teen ambassador, sought after by schools nationwide.”