Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
LOS ANGELES – Johanna Samuels celebrated the release of her album “Sorry, Kid” in front of the Los Angeles home crowd at Zebulon.
It was a night for her to go all out with a stage packed with her backing band and musical instruments galore. A moment to revel in the adoration of the home crowd. It didn’t take long for someone in the crowd to affirm the sentiment of all, “We love you.” That got the response, “I love you too. I don’t know who it was.”
The night included numerous highlights. Her song “Two People, the Moon” was inspired by romance movies that “always end up the same way.” “Full Story” featured her guitarist giving the perfect pinch of care to make it stand out for the night. When she asked if people had gotten to listen to the album (it came out the day before), a person in the audience yelled out, “We love it.” She responded with, “Me too.”
The album was created in a unique manner. She went through her catalog of lyrics and created an album that combined songs from when she was 19 and those written much more recently. One of those songs written when “much younger” was “Circles.” She laughed after singing the song, “I was smoking a lot of pot back then.”
She isn’t very good at keeping surprises. She collaborated with numerous artists such as Tyler Ballgame for the album. It was mentioned that there was a surprise coming. The crowd urged to know and she immediately called up Grammy multi-nominated and 2023 winner Madison Cunningham for the song “Rare (The Runner Song).” A fun anecdote about the song was provided. It was written when she was stuck in Nashville due to a snow storm.
Her song “Blue vs. Pinkerton” was inspired by a high school romance where her object of affection asked if she listened to Weezer. She “totally” agreed even though she didn’t know who Weezer was. She found out that she enjoyed the music. The night ended with a band jam for “Do What I Can.”
Of course, there was one final non-surprise remaining. When she mentioned the fact that she was playing two final songs and calling it a night, she quickly admitted that an encore was coming – “Falling” by Ben Kweller.
In support were Small Shake and Zelma Stone. Small Shake (Aarin Wright) opened up with a folk sound. The band’s bassist is Genevieve Quiquivix who plays guitar for Taleen Kali. The two bands are of two different genres. When Small Shake played a more rocking tune, Quiquivix went wild with the bass, just like she does for Taleen Kali. Lead singer Aarn Wright gave an amused side eye. The end of her set was met with an appreciative ovation.
Zelma Stone focused their set on unreleased material that will likely end up on a future EP or debut album. It was their first set ever at Zebulon. Their song “Body Bag” was a heartbreaking tune about losing their mother when they were just 20 years old. The song “Big Boy” picked up the energy and dealt with the topic of toxic masculinity. The set had a country vibe. With the two openers providing a folk and country foundation, the start of the night aligned seamlessly with Johanna Samuels’ sound.
Johanna Samuels Setlist: White Limousine. The Kind One. Two People, the Moon. Bats. Full Story. Circles. Grade 11 (Sorry Kid). Rare (The Runner Song), Blue vs. Pinkerton. Do What I Can. Encore: Falling (Ben Kweller cover).
Zelma Stone Setlist: Fly, Serve It Up, I’m On It, Body Bag, Big Boy, Not Looking, Control, Bloomin.
Small Shake Setlist: Veruca, Montana Dream Wife, Tally, Elementary Hill, My Moon, Lucky, Toxic.
