Samantha Fish, Sergeant Splendor

Throughout her career as an award-winning recording artist, singer/songwriter/guitarist Samantha Fish has infused her expression with extraordinary power, capturing her inner world in explosive riffs, visceral rhythms, and spine-chilling vocals. Samantha Fish’s first collaborative album with Jesse Dayton, Death Wish Blues is a body of work born from a shared passion for pushing the boundaries of blues music. One of the most lively forces in the current blues world, Fish has made a name for herself as an award-winning festival star who captivates crowds with her explosive yet elegant guitar playing, offering an untamed form of blues-rock that transcends genre boundaries. For Fish, one of the greatest joys of making music is the powerful exchange of energy during her incendiary live shows. “I fell in love with music by going to concerts, and I know how cathartic it can be. It heals your heart,” she says. “Whenever I play live, I want to make people forget about everything else in the world and feel the same joy that I feel on stage.”

Opening the evening will be Sgt. Splendor: Before the duo behind Sgt. Splendor joined forces, they were already accomplished solo artists, with Kate Vargas garnering praise from outlets like NPR, SPIN, and Vice (including praise from “the dean of American rock critics” Robert Christgau); and Eric McFadden amassing an impressive resume that includes guitar stints with George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars, Angelo Moore of Fishbone, and Eric Burdon and the Animals, as well as a slew of solo albums and session work with everyone from Jackson Browne to Joe Strummer of TheClash. Sgt. Splendor’s intoxicating chemistry on the fresh album is rooted not only in enduring friendships but also in the love and bond of her artistic partners, Vargas and McFadden. After bouncing around each other for a while, they eventually met at a songwriting retreat hosted by Pat MacDonald (of Timbuk 3/”Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades” fame) in Sturgeon Bay, WI, initially bonding over another parallel, their New Mexico upbringing. Their Southwest roots come through on Sgt.Splendor — a combination of desert mystery and Waits’ carnival vibe.