The talented acoustic band trio ‘Looking for Jane’ includes senior Martha Clifford, junior Ryan McFadden, and freshman Kay Clifford, and will take the Talent Show stage this week.

Starting in 2015 as a sister singing duo and adding their third piece to the puzzle, McFadden, to the crew in 2018, the band hasn’t been together for a very long time. 

But hear them perform once, and it’s safe to say it doesn’t sound like they’ve only been singing together for two years. 

The sounds of the three musicians flow perfectly, which is why it was rather easy for them to come up with this talent show act when given the opportunity. Only playing the song before the talent show once before as a group, the three knew that ‘Language’ by Tori Kelly would be perfect for this year’s show.

“When trying to find a song, we were trying to find one that would fit well with just the three of us,” Martha said. 

The group has another member who goes to another school and plays guitar for them, but couldn’t make it out for Talent Show. This posed as a challenge for the three, but one that they easily overcame. 

Kay added that Ryan really liked the song at first, but it had a bass in it, which they didn’t have. 

As this band seems to fair well with adaptation, Martha stepped up to the plate and learned bass so that they could play the song for the show. 

Mcfadden taught her how to play the bass just two weeks before their talent show audition, something most people probably couldn’t imagine attempting. But with group’s immense talent, this isn’t too much of a surprise.

“Ryan was just like, ‘do this,’ and I was like, ‘okay,’” Martha said.

Overall, the three agreed that this song showcased the girl’s voices well and was one that would get the audience excited when they sang it. (They even get to clap along with the song at one point!)

But Talent Show is a far point along a long journey to success, especifically for the Clifford sisters. 

Starting from a young age, the sisters have grown up in a family of music-loving people, in a household with parents that they said “raised them with music always on.” 

From performing at Swamystock, a concert in Wisconsin put on by one of their family friends on a stage on a farm, to Beachapalooza in Lake Bluff, to singing the national anthem at the Lake Bluff Parade, the girls talent has been put to use for so many people to see these past few years.

“Any place the audience has good energy, we will perform,” Kay Clifford said. 

The communities around the Cliffords have noticed the girls and definitely taken a liking to the bountiful talent they possess. 

“We have some people in Lake Bluff and Lake Forest who always come and watch us play at all of our different events, which is a lot of fun,” Martha said.

People started to see McFadden’s talent and the sister’s talent separately, and many of them went to the Clifford sisters telling them that the three had to work together. 

Soon enough, their talent radiates through the walls of the RMA and anywhere else they may perform. 

You can see Looking For Jane alongside a wonderful lineup of talent from Thursday, Feb 27 to Saturday, Feb 29 at 7pm in the RMA.

LAST MINUTE tickets are available with limited selection at bit.ly/LFHS-TS20.