Legendary performances are always a hit in Rock City, and Friday night was no exception. Two powerful blues-rock acts performed in the historic theater, demonstrating the brilliance and raw emotion of the genre.
Fans flocked to the venue to see a double bill of samantha Fish and Zac Schulze Gang, two musicians who are passionately advancing the blues while being in different stages of their careers. The electric “Samantha Fish” took the stage at 8:10 PM after the up-and-coming guitar prodigy “Zac Schulze” kicked things off at 7 PM. It was a spectacular evening full of soulful vocals, fiery solos, and high-octane performances that had the fiercely political audience cheering from beginning to end. Here’s how it all unfolded, with a little introduction to the night’s stars before each set.
Gillingham native Zac Schulze is a guitar whiz who has been making waves in the blues-rock scene. Legends like Wilko Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Rory Gallagher, and Joe Bonamassa have greatly influenced Zac’s style, which is fiercely current yet deeply anchored in the blues lineage. His band, the “Zac Schulze Gang,” has rapidly established itself as one of the most intriguing new bands on the blues scene, and his guitar playing is raw, edgy, and soulful. Zac, who is still in his early twenties, has already achieved significant success with his most recent hit, “Woman,” which is now on Joe Bonamassa’s playlist. One to watch is Zac Schulze, who has a gritty voice and a style that blends the bravado of traditional blues-rock with a youthful vigor.
A dense cloud of smoke and a whirl of red, green, and blue lights engulfed the venue as the lights went down. Zac Schulze and his band, which included brother and drummer Ben Schulze and bassist Ant Gunnarsson Greenwell (Groccy), took the stage at precisely 7 PM.
As the Ink Spots’ 1941 introduction, “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire,” sounded through the speakers, the audience was a hive of excitement. The raw, gritty opening chords of “Laundromat,” a fiery rendition of Rory Gallagher’s 1971 hit, quickly overpowered the eerie, old recording. As the band settled into a hard-hitting groove, Zac’s guitar tone was gritty and crisp, and his fingers moved fluidly across the fretboard. The audience is captivated by Zac’s guitar’s unadulterated, unrefined blues from the very first note.
Zac’s most recent single, “Woman,” came next, and the slow, melancholic riff that opened the song immediately captivated the audience. His soulful, deep, and raspy voice complemented the song’s gloomy, melancholic vibe flawlessly. This song had a strong dynamic: the verses grew tense with each line, then exploded into a riff-heavy chorus that had everyone shaking their heads. With each note bending and moaning with the kind of emotion that only a true bluesman who has stood at the Crossroads can muster, Zac’s solo in “Woman” was ferocious and impassioned.