By Chris Zebo
Thursday, March 25 at Revolution Café and Bar
Performers: Samaria and Blazing Ben Shelby
Magic was in the air last Thursday night at a chilly open air show at Revolution Café. In the heavens above the stage, a lunar halo formed a perfect circle around the Moon and Mars (a rare seasonal appearance, visible to the naked eye). Back on the ground, a short-lived fire burned brightly in a cinder block pit and wafted lighter fluid fumes and the smell of burning logs into your nose. It was the perfect atmosphere for either hearing live music or painting your face and sacrificing an animal.
The roster featured singer-songwriter Samaria and a new local band called Blazing Ben Shelby. Samaria started the evening off with some acoustic originals (some sung in Spanglish) and some popular covers. She strummed guitar solo for most of the night (until a random audience member joined her later on guitar) and played everything from the Indigo Girls to Sade. One would imagine an acoustic rendition of “Smooth Operator” to be the equivalent of a bloody sacrifice, but Samaria actually added something more to the classic by stripping it down. In addition to Samaria’s guitar playing, some people in the audience brought their own drums and accompanied her in a drum circle near the stage.
Blazing Ben Shelby got off to a rough start, with guitars out of tune for two songs and some misplaced notes throughout the set.
“We just learned the cover songs this afternoon,” said bandleader Jeff Smith after the show.
For a group that has only been together for two months and that can learn songs only hours before their gigs, Blazing Ben Shelby has proven potential. The group incorporated upright bass and keyboards into a set that ranged from contemporary rock to cosmic cowboy. And aside from the songs they were trying play correctly, there were a couple of instrumental jams where talent shined through.