Samantha Fish
Belle of the West Tour – Mohegan Sun Wolf Den
March 24, 2019
Samantha Fish gave an outstanding performance for her fans of at the Mohegan Sun Wolf Den bringing the blues and down home Mississippi delta sound to the northeast. An extremely talented musician with an amazing voice to go along with her amazing guitar skills Fish gave the Wolf Den an over the top performance.
Fish was joined onstage by Chris Alexander on Bass & Vocals; Phil Breen on Keyboards; Scott Graves on Drums; Christopher Spies on Saxophone and Harry Morter on Trumpet. The inclusion of the brass section in the last few years to her touring band gives a larger sound onstage but Fish has shown in her past tours she can more than hold her own with only a three piece band.
The Kansas City, MO native cut her teeth listening hearing the sounds of the most talented blues and country artists in the world. Not to be locked into one genre Fish is not only accomplished at the blues but also has her own robust take on the country sound that is obvious on her newest release “Belle of the West.” This album is a move away from her blue side reflected in her previous release “Chills & Fever.” The evening was a setlist that was a combination of many of the cuts from both of those albums.
An extremely diverse artist Fish changed from up her songs and had the audience mesmerized by her combination of talent, beauty and stage presence. She’s a gifted songwriter/guitarist and has the kind of voice that transcends time and space. She looked as if she would be just as comfortable in a honky tonk blues club of the 1960’s as a modern club in New York or New Orleans.
Fish did a fantastic job on “Somebody’s Always Trying.” She changed up the tempo repeatedly and drove it home strong on the finish of the lengthy tune. Cheering audience members showed their appreciation of her prowess on the guitar and vocal range.
The band never left the stage even briefly for an encore. Knowing the Wolf Den adheres to a fairly strict wind up time Fish told the audience the band would forgo the obligatory walk off stage and back on for the encore. Instead they continued playing to give the crowd the most out of they performance by not wasting a moment. Not a soul minded when she put on the cigar box guitar and brought out the slide to conclude the night with the Chills and Fever song “Crow Jane.” The set came to a close with the audience wanting more, it could have easily gone on for another hour and no one would have minded.
Samantha Fish is a genuinely amazing talent. She’s a great guitarist, singer and has shown she is open to trying out new and refreshing aspects of music. Her future is still just opening and I see great things for her as word spreads about this multi talented lady. Fish’s following is ever growing with new fans of all ages latching on to her timeless sound. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Fish as a part of the new style of women breaking down the barriers and doors in the contemporary blues arena worldwide. There is so much great new talent touring and Fish is right up there with the best. If you get the chance to take in a Samantha Fish performance don’t hesitate.
Review by Donna Erichsen
Photos by George Bekris
Setlist:
American Dream
Chills and Fever (Johnny Love cover)
You Can’t Go (Lonnie Lester cover)
Either Way I Lose (Teri Thornton cover)
Don’t Say You Love Me
Little Baby (The Blue Rondos cover)
Blood in the Water
Hello Stranger (Barbara Lewis cover)
No Angels
Somebody’s Always Trying (Ted Taylor cover)
Crow Jane Blues (Julius Daniels cover)
