Sarah Blacker With Chuck Fisher Saturday February 20, 2010 At Raido Bean

Words by Tim Lewis.

Woo hoo. Sarah was coming back to town. I had to work until 7 and the show was set for 8. It sounded perfect.

It was a long work day and I was a bit tired at the end but diligently walked home with a delightful sense of purpose. I stopped and grabbed a quick bite and tried to talk a friend into going to the show. He declined but I was undeterred.

It was a lovely walk down to Radio Bean and I arrived just as another woman from Boston was wrapping up her set. I found a seat at the bar, ordered a Ridge Runner and only waited a few minutes before they took the stage.

I’ve seen Sarah play with a few others in the past but never with Chuck. Immediately after they started I knew it was going to be something special. The interplay between the guitars was stunning. Sarah’s a great guitarist and to have someone dancing with her on the strings was a joy to behold.

The hour long set mixed some slow and sensitive songs with some rocking uptempo numbers, one of which brought a whoop from the restaurant next door. Her powerhouse voice was equally enchanting when showing great restraint or when she was belting it out.

She mixed up brand new songs with several from her album The Only Way Out is Through. Songs like Bad I Been and Counting Pennies rocked my world and the new ones gave me hope for the future.

After a nice long set she picked up the mandolin to close with The Smell of Carmel. I hung out for a bit and had a chance to say hi, but at that point the length of the day started to wear on me and home I walked with a head full of happiness.

This post was originally published by Tim Lewis at his personal blog, https://timstriangletribune.wordpress.com.