AMANDA SHAW

Tuesday September 17, 2024

New Faces Night @ The Basement in Nashville, TN

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

Surrounded by walls lined with show posters and faded stickers that brand the names of the artists who have called the stage at the iconic, OG Basement their temporary home for the night, the aura of the venue itself provides a snapshot of the many layers to Nashville’s distinct moniker as “Music City.”

Washed in those deep layers of influence, The Basement’s very forward thinking “New Faces Night” - every Tuesday at 8PM - dutifully bridges the gap with a weekly showcase of the genre bending talent you need to know right here, right now as they hoist the flag for generation next.

With Americana week ascending upon Nashville, this past Tuesday night welcomed a healthy array of immense talent that included, amongst others, Alex Angelo, Candi Jenkins, and fiddle playing virtuoso, Amanda Shaw.

Dropping into her 4-song set with “Lipstick Stain Blues,” Shaw hit out the gate with a rock-n-roll style that carried a swagger reminiscent of The Rolling Stones as her fiddle radiated the venue, outlining the drip of guitar shreds and the groove-heavy rhythm that kept hips popping across the crowd as her irresistible sassiness held the confidence of her vocal bends throughout the “I ain’t waiting around for you if you don’t come to me now” lyric.

“Thanks for coming out tonight y’all,” she swooned. “I’m originally from New Orleans and I’m gonna play you some Cajun music,” she said with a big smile, igniting the spirit of The Big Easy into the Nashville nightlife with the classic standard, “Grand Mamou,” bopping her way through its rhythmic fiddle saws while utilizing her own characteristics to add flares of unique originality to the timeless song.

Playfully teasing that sometimes she can’t resist a guy with good genes, the rock-n-roll push of “In His Genes” saw her utilizing theatrical styled gestures to expertly match the lyrics, fanning herself with her hand to mimic being hot for him, seductively teasing her hair, etc., in what became a 3-minute, fully immersive experience as she impressively pulled her vocals through the depth of their range, dipping them to her lower register when necessary to skillfully then highlight the higher geared tones.

Closing her set with her uber popular single, “Busy Body,” Shaw intriguingly took her fiddle laced blend of Americana leaned rock-n-roll and pumped it full of an unapologetic feistiness inspired by 70s punk rock and Riot Grrrl essence, turning The Basement on its side as she brought an undeniable spunk to the stage as the final fiddle strike slid across the strings and she said good night, putting a bold exclamation point on her 20-minute set. 

Drenched in fiery fiddle and a swarm of top-tiered individual talent within each respective player of her band, Amanda Shaw delivered pure energy from the moment she hit the stage, showcasing her all-around comfort level as a performer when picking the right spots to bend her voice so that it enhanced specific words and phrasing while still leaving plenty of room for the stellar instrumentation to shine.

Melding several different influential styles into sonic sounds that stretched the genre lines, Shaw created a decisive feel that can aptly be best described as simply “Amanda Shaw,” delivering a quick blast of music that kept the crowd on the edge of enthusiastically wondering what comes next, engaging them note by passing note to leave them yearning for more.

FULL SET LIST
1) Lipstick Stain Blues
2) Grand Mamou
3) In His Genes
4) Busy Body