The Sam Chase & The Untraditional w/ The Turkey Buzzards
Sometimes, music comes to town on a hurricane. It shakes doors from their hinges and blows windows from their sills, and what's left is the flesh and bones of the foundation; music's soul, so to speak. Some bands say to hell with the adornments and look you straight in the eye before they whisk you away with a sweeping embrace not easily eluded. The Sam Chase & the Untraditional and the Turkey Buzzards are two such bands. They shrug off the lavish and celebrate the struggle as their music touches upon the basis of why we gather for shows, and their silhouettes shimmer as the personification of a fearless devotion to their art.
The Sam Chase doesn't ask permission. Nor do they seek forgiveness. With grizzled vocals as the engine, the collected parts link together to form a train that barrels forth far beyond wherever a conventional track might lead. Their music drips with emotion and each instrument has a say in how deep the songs bore into the audience's core. Their performances gather momentum the further the night descends. Beams start to creak, stages begin to wilt, but the band spares no one in their crowd. They emanate such will that they've garnered a High Sierra encore- an honor almost unheard of at the festival- before the clock had struck noon. They turn the world upside down, and they will not be held responsible for flipping it back again once they're done.
As the embodiment of the Central Coast, The Turkey Buzzards are nothing less than the ground beneath our feet. Their songs are born from the soil, course through the veins and come steaming out the ears to usher the listener into an indeterminate time. Their lyrics step out into their own while the giants who came before them look on approvingly, and the band unearths every stone that lies between where they are and where their music is headed. Their newest album demonstrates a versatility and loyalty to everything they've built up to this point, and as they continue to venture out into the world they promise to cast their home and the people they represent in the very best light.
When the Turkey Buzzards helped launch For the Folks, the vision was to showcase the best of our community while extending our open arms to the strangers, wanderers, and seekers in our midst. A year and a half later, the best we have to offer combines with the best of the Bay Area for a night that demonstrates just how dreams materialize when ideas outgrow expectations. There's a storm coming on September 8, the one we've always wanted, and there's no reason to try to get out of the way.