Show Review: Sarah Shook & The Disarmers (4/29/18 at Atwood’s Tavern)

After introducing each member of her incredible band, The Disarmers, during their absolutely smoking set, Sarah Shook introduced herself, saying, “I’m Sarah Shook. I wrote these songs, and I went through some shit to get ‘em.” She laughed a bit as she said it, but, as in everything she says or writes, truth and honesty was at its core, and this show was no exception. I heard some folks talking after the show at Atwood’s on Sunday night; one of them said, raving about her, “She’s just so passionate.” Yeah, that is part of it, but I think what draws me to her music and to her as a performer isn’t so much passion as it is how unflinching her delivery is.

Leading off with “Good As Gold,” from the new album Years, captured the packed-house crowd right away, but it was really about four songs in, with “Fuck Up,” that the band really started to cook. This was the moment where Sarah seemed to really dig into the lyrics with the same sort of no-fucks-to-give attitude that draws comparisons to punk icons like The Ramones and The Sex Pistols. From there, the band had found its groove and burned through their set. The audience’s energy built throughout, with people positively screaming their applause by the end.

“Lesson,” which is my favorite tune off the new album, was stunning, and “Damned If I Do, Damned If I Don’t,” had people stomping along with it. But the one that really got me, if I had to name one song, was “Dwight Yoakam,” from Sidelong. The delivery wrung out all the bitterness that doesn’t always come through on the studio version and it was truly incredible.

 

 

Pedal steel player Adam “Ditch” Kurtz grew up in Newton, MA, so he had a large contingent of family on hand for the show. (He dedicated “Make It Up to Mama” to his mom.) He was also super helpful on the banter side of things, which is a tricky aspect of things but can’t be overlooked for a touring artist. “We made it into town today in time to see a movie,” he said, which prompted Sarah to share, kind of reluctantly, that she and the band were the subjects of a documentary that premiered at Boston’s International Film Festival. The filmmaker, Gorman Bechard, was on hand for the show, and it was cool to see him singing along to a lot of the songs, clearly displaying his real love for this band and its music. In a self-deprecating way, Sarah said, “It’s weird to see your face on a giant screen.” Well, she should get used to that, because she’ll be getting to asked much bigger venues very soon, maybe of the jumbotron variety. I feel very lucky to have caught this show at Atwood’s. It’s probably the last run like this for Sarah, and even though she might know that on some level, she’s taking nothing for granted and is bringing everything she’s got every night.

Find out more about future tour dates here. Go see this band; you’ll be happy.