Sammy Rae & The Friends

with Victoria Canal

Doors 7 p.m. | Show 8 p.m. | 18+

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Sammy Rae and The Friends

For as much as Sammy Rae & The Friends may be a band, this collective of dreamers and artists considers themselves a family first. That all-for-one and one-for-all camaraderie ignites their unforgettable and can’t-miss live shows, which serve as a catharsis for both the musicians and their fervent audience. Fronted by singer/songwriter Sammy Rae and honed through years of touring, the group is capable of flourishing in any spotlight thanks to its signature blend of palpable chemistry, deft virtuosity, and vocal fireworks.

Their sound, which has attracted new fans by the thousands in the past few years, is a unique mélange of Sammy’s influences: classic rock, folk and funk and sprinkled with soul and jazz. Rae has been building toward this moment since moving to NYC from Connecticut in her early 20s. Finding herself without a built-in peer group, she simply built it herself: the literal and proverbial Friends. When she started playing shows, she made sure the audience was part of the family too. Everything that’s happened since, from the EPs The Good Life (2018) and Let’s Throw a Party (2021) to sold-out shows in major markets and secondary markets alike across North American and the UK & Europe, to high-profile festival sets around the world, including Bonnaroo’s main stage, Sound on Sound, Green River Fest and more, has been based on friends telling friends. This year, they’ll take it up a notch with appearances at All Things Go and Holland’s North Sea Jazz fest.

As they prepare for the release of their long-awaited debut full-length album in 2024, Sammy Rae & The Friends have come to represent more than just a band: they are a full-on movement being adopted with refreshingly diverse clientele.

Victoria Canal

For almost two years, singer-songwriter Victoria Canal used her gift primarily as a way to process grief. The result of this transformative period was 2022’s Elegy EP, a bittersweet collection of tracks. Now, after experiencing creative and emotional catharsis, Canal is turning the camera back on herself and zooming in further than ever before. Grown from heartache and made with unabashed honesty, her upcoming release finds the artist at her most vulnerable—and her most courageous.

Canal, who received the 2023 Rising Star award at the prestigious Ivor Novellos, embraces the discomfort of self-analysis. “These days I’m writing mostly to confront things about myself in order to gain more of an understanding and acceptance of them,” she shares. She first started sowing the seeds of her new project during quarantine, in part while watching the TV show Parenthood. She recognized herself in a people-pleasing character, remarking, “I’ve definitely shrunk myself down before to please everyone else. I deserve to take up space.”

Canal challenges the habit of self-shrinking across all of her work, magnifying parts of herself that she’s never openly shared before. The gentle gut-punch of opener “Shape” delves into the complex and intimate topic of body dysmorphia. Against folky guitar and airy backing vocals, her retrospective lyricism brings to the surface internalized moments, like the lasting impact of passing cruelty and the relationship between self-image and faith. These experiences are all too common for anyone who sits outside the status quo, and Canal reclaims her own power by bringing them to the surface on her own terms.

“She Walks In” continues to explore body image, this time from a more current perspective. “The idea of this song stems from a beautiful girl turning heads when she walks into a room. I have the experience of people staring at me, but it’s because of my limb difference,” Canal shares, “There’s an inherent yearning for people to look at me the way that they look at her.” This vulnerability comes through in her poignant reflections set against waltzing watery instrumentals. Its candid delivery and gentle rocking almost makes you forget its devastation. But she ensures that it can’t be ignored.

Canal recently made her acting debut exploring the ideas of confidence, belonging, and self-awareness with regard to limb difference in Apple TV+’s acclaimed anthology series Little America. She has also been featured in campaigns for Nike, LinkedIn, and Mastercard.

This project marks an expansion for Canal, not just thematically, but also with regard to her growth as an artist. Working with the likes of Sean Carey and Madison Cunningham helped push her creatively in a way she’s never experienced before. The artist attributes her new sound to her clear vision and the dedication she brings to her craft.

The project concludes with a sense of introspection and growth. After an impactful journey, Canal emerges with a renewed sense of self and a deeper connection to her artistry.