Samantha Fish brings the blues to Budd Lake
Samantha Fish realizes that she is not Muddy Waters – and not simply because she is Caucasian, female, and all of 27 years old.
“I don’t play the kind of blues that Muddy played,” says Fish, a Kansas City native who has been singing and playing the blues for about nine years.
“But I can be inspired by Muddy Waters,” she says. “I can be inspired by B. B. King. I can be inspired by Buddy Guy.”
Fish adds that her musical palette embraces many shades of the blues – from the Mississippi Delta blues of Waters to the rocking blues exemplified by Stevie Ray Vaughan.
“Some people want to hear the blues in a certain way,” she says. “I’m not like that. As long as we accept growth and changes, the blues will survive.”
Fish’s approach to the blues will be on display this Sunday, Feb. 14, in concert at Vasa Park in Budd Lake.
Opening for Fish and her band will be another act that draws inspiration from the blues and other sources: the Quimby Mountain Band, a roots-rock ensemble whose members hail from Morris and Warren Counties.
Fish will draw heavily from her new CD, “Wild Heart,” which was produced by Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi All-Stars.
“I’ve always had a soft spot for the North Mississippi sound,” Fish says. She also cites R. L. Burnside as another bluesman in that tradition who inspires her.
Fish considers “Wild Heart” her most mature work to date. “I felt that I was writing songs that I wanted to write,” she says. “I didn’t feel that I had to fit into a box. It’s a raw, honest record.”
Her interest in the blues - and American roots music in general - began when she was growing up in Kansas City.
“My parent listened to Americana,” she says. “I heard people like John Hiatt and Tom Waits.” Rockers such as Sheryl Crow and Tom Petty also appealed to her.
Fish credits Stevie Ray Vaughan with being an important influence on her style, particularly on her guitar playing. “He was the one who bridged the gap between rock and blues for me,” she says.
At the same time, she was exposed to live music at Knuckleheads Saloon, a music venue that was a frequent stop for blues and gospel artists. In addition to national acts, she heard such Kansas City heroes as Tab Benoit and Mike Zito.
By the time Fish was 18, she was singing and performing at Knuckleheads. Her early CDs (which were produced by Zito) gradually brought her a larger audience. The 2011 album “Runaway” earned her a Blues Music Award for best new artist.
Fish’s profile was enhanced by a collaboration with Devon Allman (son of Gregg Allman) on the Tom Petty-Stevie Nicks song “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” in 2013. That same year, she had the chance to join Buddy Guy on stage.
Though Fish says she is perfectly happy to be known as a blues artist, she is also looking to broaden her horizons. She has already begun working on an acoustic album with a number of session musicians.
“It’s going to be something different for me,” Fish says. “I think it’s an honest evolution of where I’m at.”
However, Fish says that her Vasa Park performance will be far removed from anything acoustic. “Live, I’m still doing high-energy, rocking shows,” she says. “It’s going to be electric, in more ways than one.”
SAMANTHA FISH
WHEN: 3:15 p.m. Sunday (Doors open at 2:30 p.m.)
WHERE: Vasa Park Cultural Center, 93 Wolfe Road,
Budd Lake.
TICKETS: $15 in advance