Samia | 02.15.19, The Ready Room (with photo gallery)

Photo of Samia by Joe Johnson, Crossroad Images. See below for a full photo gallery

Samia and her guitarist, Sara, walked onstage, plugged in their guitars, and started playing. It was the most unpretentious, natural, and casual entrance I’ve ever seen. The music that followed was the same. Honest, earnest, funny, and natural.

The crowd was into it, excepting the two drunk girls chattering through the first few songs. I think I glared at them so hard that their heads got hot and they left. I could tell that people were actually listening to the lyrics.

“You don’t have to be an ingénue/ There is nothing that is wrong with you” was the lyric that made me so happy I brought my daughter and my bonus daughter to the show. I found Samia’s music through her mom, who is a comedian, actor, and activist that I adore. I thought that my daughter would like it and conned her into coming. I’m happy to say that Samia has two new fifteen-year-old fans because of this show. Her message is not just of strong women, but of strong women who are a little bit busted and vulnerable and that that’s part of being strong. Exactly what young women in particular need to hear.

The performance was fun to watch. You could tell that this woman used to be the girl who sang into her mirror with a hairbrush microphone. She reminded me of a young Bette Midler. Smiling at the audience, closing her eyes and really feeling the music, and engaging with her guitarist. She looked like she was having fun, and that made it fun for the rest of us.

She closed the set with The Knack’s “My Sharona,” during which she and the crowd bounced up and down joyfully. Sara is an excellent guitarist and kept up with the springy energy of this young singer. We’re going to be hearing more about Samia, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. | Melissa Cynova

Photos by Joe Johnson, Crossroad Images. Click to enlarge.

Samia tour dates:

02.21 | Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA

02.22 | The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA

02.24 | U Street Music Hall, Washington, DC

02.26 | Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC

02.27 | Aisle 5, Atlanta, GA

02.28 | The Basement East, Nashville, TN

03.16 | House of Blues – Bronze Peacock Room, Houston, TX

03.17 | 89th Street Collective, Oklahoma City, OK

03.18 | Club Dada, Dallas, TX

03.20 | Marquis Theater, Denver, CO

03.21 | Soundwell, Salt Lake City, UT

03.23 | Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR

03.24 | Neumos, Seattle, WA

03.26 | The Independent, San Francisco, CA

03.29 | El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

03.30 | The Casbah, San Diego, CA

04.18 | Egyptian Room at Old National Centre, Indianapolis, IN

04.19 | The Blue Note, Columbia, MO

04.20 | Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa, OK

04.22 | Blue Moose Tap House, Iowa City, IA

04.23 | Monarch Music Hall, Peoria, IL

04.25 | Sokol Auditorium, Omaha, NE

04.26 | The Sylvee, Madison, WI

04.27 | The Intersection, Grand Rapids, MI

04.29 | Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT

04.30 | L’Astral, Montréal, Canada

05.01 | Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, Canada

05.03 | Upstate Concert Hall, Saratoga County, NY

05.04 | State Theatre, Portland, ME

05.06 | House of Blues Cleveland, Cleveland, OH

05.09 | Westcott Theater, Syracuse, NY

05.10 | Fete Music Hall, Providence, RI

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