Eras of sound: Samantha Fish tours in support of Grammy-nominated album, reimagines older material

Samantha Fish has a lot of good things going on in her life.

She recently went on tour in Australia with Jesse Dayton.

Later this year, she will go on tour with Slash, as well as play guitar on the Experience Hendrix Tour.

Eras of sound: Samantha Fish tours in support of Grammy-nominated album, reimagines older material

Right now, she’s focused on her own tour, which makes a stop at The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing in Santa Fe on Tuesday, July 30.

“This time around, the jet lag has been really bad,” she said. “I’ll get back on track quickly because the tour will be amazing.”

Fish is touring in support of her Grammy-nominated album, “Death Wish Blues,” which was an album that featured herself and Dayton.

Before “Death Wish Blues,” Fish released the highly-acclaimed “Faster” in 2021.

She says the album marked a new chapter in her musical journey, showcasing her admiration for North Mississippi blues legends like R.L. Burnside and innovative mavericks like Prince.

During the Australian tour with Dayton, she stepped back and let Dayton choose the songs.

“I leaned on him for that,” she said. “With this tour, I’m going to have songs from ‘Death Wish Blues,’ but I’m also going to lean into the bulk of my discography. I have so many records. This show technically isn’t one with a brand-new album, so it gives me the opportunity to spread my wings.”

The 35-year-old guitarist has had a long journey in music.

She began playing drums as a teenager – making the switch to guitar by the age of 15 and began cold-calling local bars.

“I used to open the phone book and call up every place in Kansas City, even if they didn’t have live shows,” she recalled. “I had maybe a 3% success rate, but eventually, I started filling up my calendar — if you put on a good enough show, word of mouth gets around.”

By 20, she recorded and produced “Live Bait,” which helped attract the attention of Ruf Records.

Being in between albums, Fish is able to reimagine some of her older material for the set.

“I remember being at the start of my career and I would have so many cover songs in the set,” she laughed. “I was just trying to show people who I am through other material. I’ve started to look beyond that and I could really do a show full of original songs. There’s a huge difference.”

Over time, Fish has enjoyed the growth she’s had professionally and personally.

She uses each lesson as an opportunity to learn.

“There are different eras to my sound,” she said. “I’m grateful for that because the show can move into interesting places. My relationships with some of the songs has evolved and it’s refreshing to look at a song that I wrote when I was 20 through my eyes now at 35.”

Fish was born a performer and enjoys her time on stage.

“My love for performance has been the consistent factor,” she said. “Every time I’m on stage, it feels overwhelming. Then I realize that there’s a power in getting the opportunity to create moments. I’m still in love with the stage and that’s why I tour relentlessly. I’ve been chasing this my whole life and I embrace the growth.”