Growing up in Austria my exposure to Blues was quite limited. Pretty much 5 minutes devoted to in music class as school (but ask me how much we learned about Mozart and Strauss) and the Bundesbahn Blues. That changed a bit thanks to 2 movies Stormy Monday and the Blues Brothers but it wasn’t until starting this blog that I got more exposure thanks to our staff covering this genre. So I was curious to say the least what Samantha Fish’s show at the Fine Line would bring.
Starting the evening was Minnesota’s Mark Joseph & The American Soul. The Fine Line was pretty full already for their set, a credit to their local fans. Their energetic set included a new song “Poor People Blues” that was only performed for the send time live.
Samantha Fish’s “Kill Or Be Kind” album is her 10th, pretty impressive by any measure, but considering that she is only 30 doubly so. Looking at the audience many of them fell into the “serious blues fan category” The age of the audience was not what I expected, for one I fell into the younger than average category (a refreshing change from the “old guy with a camera” I have gotten used to). That led to some confused looks at the door when couples in their 60 got carded and it made the Fine Line feel a bit more packed than usual when sold out. I’m sure there is a formula calculating the concert goer per square foot ratio based on average age and music genre out there. But I digress.Samantha Fish launched into “Bulletproof” from her new album as her first song. The sound of her Stogie Box Blues guitar and her distinct vocals (paired with a distortion mic) hit the Fine Line like an electric wire. After the first song a few more musicians joined her band on stage adding horns to the sound. Fish stayed with her new material the first few songs. Fish is one of those artists you have to experience live to get an understanding on how impressive they are. Her vocals at times remind me of Amy Winehouse but even on her slower numbers, there’s an edge, a sense of danger that draws your eyes (and ears) to the stage.
“Bitch on the Run” the final number of her set came full circle leaving us with the heavy rocking blues sound Fish started her performance with. All said a very impressive performance that opened my ears to a music genre I have not paid enough attention to in the past.
Set List: Bulletproof / Kill or Be Kind / Watch It Die / Love Letters / She Don’t Live Around Here / You Got It Bad / American Dream / Blood in the Water / Little Baby / No Angels / Try / Dream Girl / Highway / Fair-Weather / Crow Jane
Encore: Go Home / Bitch On The Run