Kansas City roots, modern bite
Songs that might surface
Samantha Fish came up in Kansas City clubs, fusing barroom blues, Southern soul, and road-hardened rock into a clean but fearless guitar voice. Recent seasons included a gritty duo chapter with
Jesse Dayton on
Death Wish Blues, yet her own band leans sleeker, with snap-and-sting riffs and a bigger vocal arc. Expect a tight set that hits
Bulletproof,
Bitch On The Run,
Kill or Be Kind, and
Faster, with room for a slide showcase and a smoky mid-tempo ballad. The crowd skews mixed in age, from local guitar tinkerers comparing pedal notes at the bar to couples who found her through radio features, plus roots fans chasing big hooks. Up front, you will spot folks in worn boots and patched denim nodding to the backbeat, while a pocket of dancers rides the groove near the rail. Trivia: she first learned drums before switching to guitar as a teen, which explains her crisp sense of time when she pushes choruses. Another note: the cigar box guitar often takes a star turn, usually tuned to open D or open G for a swampy drone and fat slide. These setlist and staging details reflect informed hunches from recent reports, and they can change from show to show.
The Scene Around Samantha Fish
Style in the aisles
Shared rituals, small moments
The scene leans practical and expressive at once: patched denim, brimmed hats, guitar-pick necklaces, and boots built for long nights on concrete. You will hear quick tone talk between songs, with fans trading notes on slides and strings after a cigar box workout. When
Bulletproof hits, claps lock to the stomp and a low sing-back rises on the chorus, more groove than shout. During
Bitch On The Run, many punch the word run like a drum, a tiny cue that turns the floor into a rhythm section. Merch tables stack vinyl for
Kill or Be Kind and
Faster, plus posters that nod to retro soul art with modern gloss. First-timers often stand near the soundboard to take it all in, while repeat diehards drift forward for the slide showcases. Between sets, the soundtrack favors swampy blues and Detroit soul, which primes the room for her mix of snap and sway.
How Samantha Fish Shapes the Sound
Guitar bite, band glue
Small choices, big impact
Samantha Fish sings with a sharp edge that can soften to a smoke-trail whisper, and the band leaves space so phrases land clean. Live arrangements ride a tight pocket, often starting lean as a trio before keys or a second guitar swells the chorus for extra color. Tempos push a notch faster than record takes, lifting the energy while keeping verses clear enough for her stories to breathe. The rhythm section favors short, dry tones so riffs punch, while the bass locks on the kick to anchor her slicing leads. On slide numbers, she retunes the cigar box to an open chord and leans on droning strings, which makes each note feel wider and more vocal. A recurring trick is dropping the band to near silence mid-bridge, then snapping back on her cue for a call-and-response break that resets the room. You may also hear a lower-octave pedal thickening her choruses, a simple move that turns single-note lines into something closer to a duo. Lighting tends to favor warm ambers and cool blues, framing the music without chasing big spectacle.
Kindred Spirits for Samantha Fish Fans
Neighboring sounds on the road
Why these names click
Fans of
Larkin Poe will feel at home in the slide-forward roots rock and sibling-tight harmonies that echo
Samantha Fish's blend of grit and melody.
Gary Clark Jr. draws a similar line between blues tradition and modern textures, appealing to listeners who like big tones and moody dynamics.
Eric Gales brings fearless guitar phrasing and a conversational stage energy that mirrors the improvising sparks in Fish's show. If you chase big-room blues with modern arrangements,
Joe Bonamassa scratches that itch with horn-kissed polish and extended solos. For fans who want twang in the fire,
Marcus King mixes soul vocals and southern riffing that often lands with the same punchy release. All of these acts prize tone, pocket, and song-first hooks, so crossover interest tends to be high even when the venues differ in size.
