Anna Moss and the Nightshades

230 Commercial St. ,Nevada City CA 95959

11 May, 2023

Description

The first two times Anna Moss and the Nightshades played the Crazy Horse, of course we had to kick off the conversation by referencing the band Moss is best known for around these parts – Handmade Moments. That duo with Joel Ludford is a very special phenomenon which exists in its own sphere. We also told you how Handmade Moments opened for Jack Johnson at three amphitheaters and Moss was basically an artist-at-large, making her presence felt all over the High Sierra Music Festival. She has become such a blazing comet of talent, charisma and empowerment on her own, it’s only fitting there would be a fresh vessel such as this to transmit her gifts to the world at large. An Anna Moss and the Nightshades show is an immersive experience where the audience is welcomed into her intimate world of startling vulnerability and raw emotion. This comes through both musically and in her dialogue between songs. It comes through in her expressions which blur the line between anguish and ecstasy. Together we gasp for air as we are transported to timeless dreamscapes on the wings of her sultry vocal pipes, tasty electric guitar licks and rich saxophone flourishes. Moss transmits a luminescent presence with her unmistakable sincerity and commitment to communicating universal truths. You wouldn’t doubt she’d be playing this same music to the alley cats in her hometown of New Orleans or to Carnegie Hall. This quartet carries intentions which far exceed the simple goal of entertainment. The band is a “pandemic baby” by pure definition. Fueled by a dark depression from her passion and livelihood being stripped away, Moss wrote a whole new crop of songs as a form of self-therapy. She labels the sound as “bedroom pop.” Rather than the quirky fun of Handmade Moments, this delves deeper with its emotional impact, taps in to a juicy space and relies more heavily on heart-rendering beats. Moss elaborates: “Pop has a bad rap but I don’t care. Pop music was jazz in the 30s. It was The Beatles. It was Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. It changes over time. We’re talking about a different genre of pop. There are hooks and it’s like folk music except with dreamy sounds and danceable. I want these songs to get stuck in people’s heads.” Renowned as the comedic freak of Handmade Moments, there’s a disarming coolness seeing Ludford just laying it down on the bass with this project. Then you’ve got the one-of-a-kind style of Fernando Lima on drums which is a defining factor of the Nightshade’s sound. His sparse, jazzy grooves have a subtle complexity which pulls listeners in and makes you hunger for whatever comes next. The band welcomes a new keyboardist who will fatten up the sound with even more melodic nectar. Prepare to raise your collective consciousness and have it be revealed how hope can spring forth from the most unlikely of places. Once Moss’s voice hits the airspace, anything beyond that seems to rapidly retreat into the distance. We never ask this, but in this case humbly request in advance that you keep conversations to a low roar and let the power of the music fully overtake the room. About the Supporting Artist: Gina Leslie Floating between country and jazz, Gina Leslie blends a melancholic jubilee that sinks its teeth into your heart. This “absolute gem” is a good friend of Anna’s from New Orleans and she’ll be playing a short set to set the night on a course of even deeper emotional resonance than we had already expected.