Sam Evian at Johnny Brenda’s
Joined by Hannah Cohen and a cool breeze from the Catskills.
I vividly remember the first Sam Evian song that I discovered and played on my first college radio show. As I turned up the levels on Dark Love, which opens with a hum of synthesizers and progresses courageously with an electric organ’s beat, I knew the song would speak to some souls. Dark Love was a hit song off of Evian’s first album, Premium, in 2016. He’s released three other albums since then, the most recent being the 2024 album Plunge. This week, I finally got to see Sam Evian (née Sam Griffin Owens) play the keys, saxophone, and a Gibson guitar in the lovely-as-always Johnny Brenda’s venue upstairs.
There’s nostalgia in the air, and it’s making me want to chill in an attic or hand-constructed tree house somewhere. Much of Evian’s new music in his 2024 album Plunge is the type you would want to hear crackling out of a stereo while you’re resting on a wooden floor of that kind. Fittingly, Evian produced the record from his studio in the Catskill Mountain range, Flying Cloud Recordings. The perfect setting to reflect on old times…
THE STAR
While Sam Evian was the headliner of the night, he was joined by the wildly talented singer Hannah Cohen as an opener. Cohen and Evian are partners, creatively and otherwise I believe. And they brought with them a Catskills magic that I found to be fresh, despite its inkling for the past.
Taking turns taking lead, Hannah also joined Sam on stage for the majority of his set. One of my friends came to the show specifically for Cohen, but I hardly knew Hannah before tonight. It was fantastic to catch her final two songs, which went from an upbeat, almost jailhouse rock style of song to an angelic solo. Hannah brought a presence to the stage that vitalized it, especially when she pulled out the tambourine.
Evian’s commitment to creating an unfettered, rippling soundscape was put on display during his performance of one my favorites from the album, Rollin’ In. While playing a sensitive melody on the electric organ, Evian began to rise from his seat. The guitar player from the right stood behind his shoulder for a few moments, then perfectly swooped in to hold down the keys as Evian moved to retrieve his saxophone. It was on sight…the saxophone added a gorgeous croon to wind down the tune.
The style of Evian’s new music reminds me at times of the band Djo, which has gained a lot of popularity in the past two years. If you’re a fan, I’d definitely recommend getting hip to Evian’s music across any of his four albums.
THE SET
Evian’s set opened with the two songs that also open his album. Wild Days has an excellent chord progression that gets your spirits up. It’s a song about yearning and persistence, and the remark of Wild Days is meant to call the times for what they are. The song can be interpreted in a melancholy way, but I like to think that it’s a tune about enjoying the times. In my interpretation of the album, this is the resolution we often come to. Flowing into the jammier Jacket, the artist’s words tell you that it’s never too late to try something different.
How Evian plays with time as a metaphor and a tool is central to his performance. There’s a romance about the heydays, even if it can bring with it darker memories.
The musical prowess of Evian and his band are outstanding. The show featured a bass player with fingers that moved quickly like a spider spinning something intricate. The mustachioed drummer played on a sparkling blue set, and a curly-haired guitar player was also seen harmonizing during a few songs of the night. Having range is one thing, but the talent playing each instrument is what makes this live music an art.
My favorite song from the new Evian album is Freakz. It has a catchy rhythm that makes your feet want to shuffle and your head bounce. It also has great electric guitar. The energy from Evian’s singing builds the song to a cathartic peak. Many of the songs in Evian’s latest album reflect on the relationship of his parents, who were both artists themselves. I can picture the lyrics of Freakz being a conversation between two creatives who may be crossing harder times. It opens with my preferred outlook, “Hey, babe // Look on the bright side,” followed by a chorus that settles on,
“Never wrong and never right //
Keep the devils out of sight //
Make the money, by and by //
Keep it loose but hold it tight.”
Sometimes in concerts as well as in recordings, vocals are distorted to blend into the melodies of other instruments. This drowning of a singer’s words into the music can be a stylistic choice. But it did not feel like that was intentional during Evian’s set. I was disappointed that we did not get to make out more of his lyrics that night. But we did get to see him play sax, so for that reason I am still feeling thrilled.
THE CROWD
Standing upright in a crowd is a tenuous task for the body when it’s done without much movement. Not every concert-goer may realize how much pressure it puts on the knees.
It’s easier to move freely if you feel like no on’e watching, though, which is why I consistently see more people twirling in the balcony of Johnny Brenda’s than on the floor. Still, there was the classic crowd of sways.
PDA at a concert is a very contentious subject. My boyfriend and I moved to the first floor of the stage, where we stood behind another couple that were evidently enjoying the concert as a pre- to whatever else the Sunday night had in store. Music can inspire passion. But this type of upright grinding stood a little far out. But I say whatever. Get your groove on, the music is made for it !!!!
CONCLUSIONS
Sam Evian was as cool as I thought he would be during his live show. Getting the chance to see someone perform, who you’ve appreciated as an artist for years, in a space that puts you on the same dance floor as them before or after a set ends is a hugely fulfilling experience.
Plunge is a wonderful album with range. Is it neo-Western or psychedelic rock? Sam Evian’s music cannot be trapped inside one box. Still, it brings me back to good times.
Cheers, as always, to many more.
