WEEK OF 9/27/2019

The Still Tide / all 📷 : John Barnard

On my leave from work, I’ve been able to enjoy some quiet time in a city that’s usually anything but. I did attend Riot Fest, but purely as a spectator. The rest was “me” time. However, I get show restless after not much time, and I needed to get a couple in before I’m on the road for nearly three weeks. I knew I had some early next morning commitments to take care of, and so I needed a venue I love that’s not far from home. Enter Schubas Tavern – convenience factor A- (only a minus because there are two, literally stumbling distance… and now everyone can figure out where I live); John’s style factor A+. Also an A+ was the opening act on this lovely Tuesday evening, Anna Morsett’s The Still Tide project.

Usually a full band, tonight’s performance was solo Anna, and I expected it to be a sparsely populated, subdued set. It was anything but. Schubas’ back room was packed by the time she took the small stage, and quickly made use of every inch. Interspersed with fiercely sung personal tales, Anna regaled the crowd with her obsession with Chicago’s love of Malort, and educated us on the new British slang for farting – “Trumping.”

Pulling songs from her various EPs, including personal fave Each, After (especially eyes-shut-sing-a-along, “The First Last”), and debuting new hit single “Change of Address” from the forthcoming Between Skies EP. It’s a powerful song about leaving things behind when life gets tough and with the vocals to back it up, it is an apt summary of a slice of my life. I’m not heading on an extended road trip to escape everything, but sometimes packing up and opening your eyes is just what the doctor ordered.

Morsett filled the hell out of a room that’s typically used for soft-spoken singer-songwriters. If she can do that by herself, I can’t wait to see the full band when they swing by. Great music is a gift, and great performances can move mountains. Do yourself a favor, and check this mover out.

-John Barnard