A talented trio of siblings headlining their own Christmas tour will bring early holiday cheer to Waukegan.
Girl Named Tom — winners of season 21 of NBC’s “The Voice — bring their “One More Christmas” tour to the Genesee Theatre for a 7:30 p.m. show Nov. 18. Siblings Bekah, Joshua and Caleb Liechty, from Pettisville, Ohio, were the first trio to take home the top prize.
“This is going to be an amazing show. It’s our first headlining Christmas tour. We’re bringing you all our amazing Girl Named Tom songs and we’re bringing the songs from our first Christmas record that we released last year, ‘One More Christmas,'” said Bekah Liechty. “It’s going to be filled with lots of laughs, lots of joy and peace and love.”
Audiences will also be treated to classic seasonal songs by artists like Bing Crosby and Michael Bublé.
“We’ll be singing ‘I’m Gonna be Warm This Winter’ by Connie Francis from 1959,” she said.
“We’ll also be singing Justin Bieber, Kasey Musgraves and our own Girl Named Tom (songs),” Caleb Liechty said. “We’re going to be singing the phone book of Christmas this year.” Texas a cappella group Pentatonix is a big influence on the trio, from their vocals to their songwriting, Bekah Liechty said. The group learned how to put together a holiday set list from watching them.
“We opened for them last year,” Josh Liechty said. “It was a 45-minute slot. This year, as headliners, we’ve doubled it and added a whole lot of fun, goofy songs. We’ll have a whole array of emotions to help welcome in the holiday season for people who come to the show.”
Opening for Pentatonix was a mind-blowing experience, Caleb Liechty said.
“Playing for 10,000-to-15,000 people a night was absolutely wild and it made us grow a lot,” he said. “That was just last year. It’s very exciting to us to have our own Christmas show to bring to people. It’s going to be a great show.”
They travel with a bassist and drummer and the siblings trade off on guitars and keys. Bekah Liechty also plays the flute.
Girl Named Tom started in 2019.
“We set out in our minivan and did 65 shows in 30-some states,” Bekah Liechty said. “Those were all self-booked shows. We played in peoples’ yards and at their churches and at the retirement home down the road. We fell in love with creating together, arranging together as a trio and getting to share that music with people. Because of ‘The Voice,’ we’ve expanded our fan base and the people whose lives we get to touch with music. It’s been very humbling to see the response.”
Their lives have been a roller coaster since winning “The Voice” in December 2021. They were signed to a record label, have played 150-plus shows since and have been able to write music.
“This is a big Christmas tour and we’re very excited and thankful for the opportunities ‘The Voice’ has brought us and we’re excited for the future, too,” she said.
Caleb Liechty said they’re going to scale back on touring in 2024, because while doing 100-plus shows in 2023 was fun, they were left without much time to write and record.
“Next year, we hope to do a lot more writing, a lot more recording, because our identity beyond ‘The Voice’ means a lot to us,” he said. “Our live show is already far beyond ‘The Voice’ but our recorded product is not there, yet. We can’t wait to dive into that more next year. That’s our goal in 2024.”
“We are lucky we live in Nashville,” Bekah Liechty said. “There are so many incredible creators just down the street from us — which is super helpful, if you’re not always gone from Nashville. We’re excited … to really develop our style.”
Their “One More Christmas” show is family-friendly, she said.
“We’re going to be up there with a lot of energy,” she said. “We’re going to have a lot of fun.”
“We are three siblings who love singing together, who love creating together and … I guarantee we will hit all the emotions,” Josh Liechty said.
“Growing up, it seemed like there was always one concert a year, whether we were participating in it or buying a ticket to go see it, that started the holiday season for me,” Caleb Liechty said.
“There was something to really ring in that Christmas feeling in my heart and I cannot wait to be that for people all over — especially in the Midwest. It’s going to be really special. If anyone wants to start feeling festive — just come. It’s going to be really warm and merry. It’s going to be a delight.”
Girl Named Tom
When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18
Where: Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
Tickets: $29-$59
Information: 847-263-6300; geneseetheatre.com
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
