Critical to the Mavis Staples performance was her backing band; guitarist Rick Holmstrom, bassist Jeff Turmes and drummer Stephen Hodges. Holstrom's interplay with Mavis Staples echoed the sound of The Staples family with patriarch, Pops Staples at the helm.

"I'd been touring in a blues band since the late '80's, and a friend turned me on to Pops Staples in the mid-'90's, I used to listen to a tape of his songs while I was driving and coming down after a gig. It was quiet, airy, perfect stuff, and Pops' style just started seeping into my own songs. When I started playing with Mavis, I wanted to use some of that."
Rick Holmstrom
http://www.rickholmstrom.com