For anyone who hasn’t witnessed a Sam Stewart performance since he cut his hair, shaved off his beard and revamped his band, you missed quite the show on Wednesday night at Melrose. After a brief acoustic set by Simon Kerr, Sam was joined by his new band, Horsefinger, as they opened up the stage for the recent group, Colorfeels, and Nashville staples The Hollywood Ten and Evan P. Donohue. With the addition of Horsefinger to Stewart’s setup, old fans can tell he is already moving in a different but more intentional direction with his music. While Stewart remains on guitar, Horsefinger thickens the bluesy, folk-rock sound with Ben Ford (of the Hollywood Ten) on rhythm guitar, Clint Wilson (formerly of Darla Farmer, Max and the Wild Things and Frank the Fuck Out) on drums, and Graham Knight (the only member of Sammy’s original entourage) on bass. With an understanding of the incestuous tendency of Nashville musicians to frequently form new bands with friends who play in other bands that play together all the time, it’s surprising – and somewhat disappointing – that Stewart’s new ensemble didn’t come together sooner.
It was during songs such as "Better Off Dead" and "Windshield" where Stewart and Horsefinger definitely demonstrated the different musical influences that each of the band members contributes. There was a fairly noticeable presence of the Big-Band, deranged Darla Farmer style and the raw, intentional grooves that The Hollywood Ten always seem to slip into. "Better Off Dead" was a dark, circusy number that would have been appropriate to hear as Alice tumbled down the rabbit hole, rather than the musical accompaniment to the smokey air and smacking pool balls ever so prominent at Melrose Billiards. Few songs could enhance the character of that establishment; this one did. The next song, "Windshield", was particularly memorable because it was oddly reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand’s "Take Me Out." As it turned out, this was the audience favorite, evidenced by the girl who sprung up from her spot laying down on the pool table and then began dancing wildly. In her defense, the choppy guitar riffs and thumping kick drum, paired with Stewart’s occasional screams and broken wails, made the song pretty irresistible.
So if you weren’t there on Wednesday, check him out this February 25th at The End. With a name like HORSEFINGER, how could he disappoint? – Erin Manning