An Evening with Concert Series Presents: Soraia with Bonnie Bishop
The Listening Room at Streetside
Whitesburg, Kentucky
April 6, 2019
Tonight was the official launch of Whitesburg, Kentucky’s newest music venue – The Listening Room at Streetside. Philadelphia’s own Soraia and Texan Bonnie Bishop had the honor of christening the new room. If tonight was any indicator, the future looks bright for the Evening With Concert series.
Bonnie Bishop, in her third visit to Whitesburg, took the stage first. No band to start with, just Bonnie and a keyboard. What followed was a beautiful rendition of Aint Who I Was. Most in attendance had been to one of Bonnie’s previous two visits to Whitesburg so they knew how good that song was but for those that hadn’t seen or heard her live, she had their undivided attention! When she brought that song to an end Clint (drums) and Ryan (guitar& and vocals) joined her for the rest of the set and what a set it was!
With songs like Mercy, Poor Man’s Melody (my personal favorite), Every Happiness Under the Sun and River of Joy, Bonnie, Clint and Ryan had everyone in The Listening Room doing just that, listening! They also played Not Cause I Wanted To (a song that Bonnie Bishop wrote) which, if you are a fan of Bonnie Raitt, you’ve probably heard before. In 2012 Bonnie Raitt recorded Not Cause I Wanted To, the New York Times selected it as the Best Song of 2012 and it went on to win a Grammy in 2013! Bonnie and the guys closed out this fantastic set with Soft To the Touch. If you’ve not been to a Bonnie Bishop show, fix that quick!
Soraia was next. I’ll be honest I really didn’t know much about them before the show, I’d looked up a couple videos on Youtube and heard a few songs on the local Rock Radio station (WZQQ 97.9) but that in no way, shape or form prepared me for what I was about to witness! What I witnessed was am extremely talented, tight rock band with a singer in ZouZou Mansour who was born to be on stage!
From the first notes of Love Like Voodoo everyone in The Listening Room knew they were in for a rock and roll experience. And for the next hour and a half Soraia kept that experience going with songs like Have Love Will Travel, Evergreen, and Trash (New York Dolls cover).
Throughout the entire set ZouZou never stopped moving. If she wasn’t dancing on stage she was out in the crowd dancing and singing with fans, playing songs from their latest release Dead Reckoning that included Je Ne Sais Quoi, Come Down, Angel and Wandering Star plus two songs produced by Steven Van Zandt (yes, that Steven Van Zandt – Springsteen’s E Street Band, The Soprano’s and the XM Radio Show “Little Steven’s Underground Garage”) Wow, a cover of a Prince song and Why, a song he wrote especially for Soraia. But the highlights (yes, there was more than one!) of the night for me was their single Quicksand and the closing song of the set Beggar – a track from 2015’s 12” 45RPM EP and when they played it on this night was incredible!
There’s a scene in the short lived TV show “Vinyl” where Ritchie is talking about finding music that makes the hairs on your arms stand up, it was that kind of moment! I was sitting close to the back near Greg (Greg Napier, promoter of the Evening With Concert Series) I heard him yell at me, I looked over and he said “Holy Sh*t!”
Yes it was that kind of moment. I’ve had that feeling a few times in the last several years, 2013 when Rival Sons played across the road from The Listening Room and again in 2017 when Rival Sons played what has been described as a rock and roll church service down the road in Hazard, Kentucky and again when The Winery Dogs, Last In Line and Israel Nash played the Concert Series. Whatever you describe “It” has Soraia has it! Do not pass on them! Rolling Stone says “Soraia are the rock you need, in your face now” Yes they are!
As always, support live music, get out and see a show. Support your local venues and bands. Your favorite band or musician started out as a local artist somewhere and without local support they wouldn’t be where they are now.
https://www.soraia.com/
http://www.bonniebishop.com/
https://aneveningwithconcertseries.com/
All photos by Tom Biggs at TRB Photography LLC
©2019. Please DO NOT copy or use without permission.
