It was the day of my birth and I had marked the occasion by spinning and slanging vinyl at SweetWater Brewing under the moniker DJ StrawBarry Manilow. As you can imagine the beers and beats were flowing prodigiously. Of course, no birthday extravaganza would be complete without a lil’ bit of live music from a stellar guitarist like Samantha Fish. I love it when a plan comes together. After a quick safety meeting and some tacos my cohorts and I were ready for round two at The Aggie Theater.

The night started with solo axe man Eric Johanson. He hails from The Big Easy and has a long list of credits that includes gigs with the Neville Brothers, Anders Osborne, JJ Grey, and Eric Lindell. He is normally backed by a full band but for this opening slot we were treated to a stripped down solo performance. He gave us a taste of his homeland with songs like “Oh Louisiana” and “Riverbend Blues.”  Johanson’s vocals are smooth but with a tinge of emotion that permeates his blues rock sound. He released a record Below Sea Level produced by Luther Dickinson in 2020 and it seems now he is finally getting the chance to tour on that material. He foot stomped his way through a room shaking rendition of “Never Tomorrow.” He dropped jaws with his rendition of Elmore James’ “I Believe My Time Ain’t Long.” He got a similar reaction from his version of Nine Inch Nail’s “Head Like A Hole.” Johanson wrapped up his 45 minute set with the title track from his 2018 release Burn It Down. He was a solid choice for this tour, but I get the sense that his real talents shine when he plays with his full band. If you dig Louisiana Blues, check out Eric Johanson.

Samantha Fish born in the blues soaked society of Kansas City played the drums until she picked up a guitar at age 15. Her show at The Aggie was highly anticipated locally with a near sellout crowd in attendance. She opened up the set with the hard hitting “Bulletproof.” She has a dynamic range that goes from a whisper to a growl from one line to the next and her musicianship on the guitar is stunning. Her stage presence is mesmerizing but not flashy. The lights danced across the stage during “All Ice No Whiskey” as Ms. Fish absolutely shredded her cigar box guitar. “Chills & Fevers” was a singalong with the crowd taking the lead. “Hypnotic” was aptly named but “Kill Or Be Kind’ as a real show stopper. From start to finish fans were engaged and paying attention. She closed her rip roaring set with “Bitch On The Run” which could bring the house down in any stadium in the U.S. She encored with Neil Young’s “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” before calling it a night.

Samantha Fish is the next generation keeping the heart and soul of blues and roots music alive and well. Her prowess as a bandleader should not be overlooked, but it often is because her incendiary guitar skills take the spotlight. With artists like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Marcus King and Samantha Fish bearing the torch the spirt of blues music will continue to spread far and wide. Do yourself a favor and go see this amazing performer as soon as possible.