As I peer through the sweaty folk to see who was playing next, a heavy gust of wind tosses me back. What am I dealing with here? And why are my elbows not nuzzled on the stage? I push my way forward to witness something unexpected and outright majestic: ZZ Ward’s performance at Firefly Music Festival. More importantly, and more majestic, the band will be performing at your favorite King Street venue tomorrow with special guests Linus Young and The O’My’s.
Backed by a finger-savvy guitar duo and a set of sticks, ZZ rocks the zz out of your night. With bluesy, flint rock vocals and a gritty, steel-based backdrop, there’s no question Friday’s performance will be fiery inferno of badass blues. I’d love to tell you to quickly buy your tickets, but it’s too late. If you’re into strong vocals, blues music, and a hip-hop flavor, the sold out show will far surpass your expectations.
Look out for ZZ Ward’s cover of Son House’s “Grinnin’ in Your Face”. It speaks to her interest in the deep and southern blues. It speaks to her interest in collaborating with Jack White — who also covers the classic. But it doesn’t just speak. She BELTS out the timeless sound with all the required moodiness.
We got to speak with her before her June 2013 performance in Madison. ZZ Ward has been busy tearing it up at SXSW, but I got a chance to ask her a few questions:
You get asked about your musical inspirations from everyone. As important as inspirations are, at what point did you recognize that you harnessed in their sounds to produce a style of your own?
“I don’t think there was a moment in time when I realized that. I think you grow up with having a certain sound within you and you have to learn to embrace that sound. It’s all about embracing who you are as an artist. It takes time to do that.”
What memory do you have of Madison, Wisconsin from when you last performed at the Majestic Theatre?
“I just had such a great time. I thought the people were so welcoming and fun. We had a blast and I’m so excited to come back.”
And finally, can you tell me a little bit about each of the band members sharing the stage with you on the Last Love Tour?
“I have Shadarius Shields on bass, Chris Pat on drums, and Erick Walls on guitar. They are all incredible musicians and incredible people. They’re my touring family and I love them.”
We know you’ll be at the show. We know you’ll love it. Just be sure to rock a ZZ Ace of Spades fedora. You’ll look fedorable, baby!