Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Live Shows: Sarah Shook & The Disarmers and Zephaniah Ohora, Atwood's, Cambridge, MA 4/29/18

Photo via Facebook
It feels like I've been obsessed with Sarah Shook & The Disarmers for years now, even though it's been just over a year. I unfortunately was unable to make their one Northeast trip for Sidelong, so when I saw that they were playing at the end of April, I knew I had to make it, despite it being another Month of Too Many Shows.

Luckily, they are completely worth staying up far too late on a Sunday night. Sarah Shook & The Disarmers play the kind of country punk that translates much better live than on record, and, considering how much I've loved Sidelong and the just released Years, that is saying quite a bit for their live show. It's nearly impossible to pick a few highlights for the songs they played live. "The Bottle Never Lets Me Down," "Fuck Up," "The Nail," etc were all just as equally great as the last song they played. Despite not being much of a touring band before signing to Bloodshot Records, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers feel like a seasoned band that's been touring and playing together for decades. If you think their albums straddle the line between country and punk, their live show stops all over that line. Right now they're playing the type of venues so small all five members barely fit on the stage. This is the time you simply need to make it out to see them.

I had almost forgotten Zephaniah Ohora existed until I saw him listed on the bill, and it was nearly my loss. He was a perfect opener for Sarah Shook & The Disarmers. He has a laid back, almost cowboy era vintage country sound without being the least bit hokey. Playing as a duo, Ohora perfectly set the pace of the evening.

No comments:

Post a Comment