Don’t call Sammy Rae Bowers a jazz singer. Well, you can, but be sure to acknowledge the laundry list of talents they serve up with a funky bunch of friends. Ivory tickler, string plucker, and songwriter are among a lengthy list of Bowers’ talents, but there is one that rings most familiar to the 30-year-old. “I’m a band leader. It encompasses everything I’m capable of doing,” says Bowers. “I can’t really pigeonhole the type of singer I am, but I know I’m a rockstar.”
Style Weekly caught up with the emotive performer via Zoom just hours before a second sold-out 930 Club show up the road in Washington, DC. “We’re really proud of these shows. That room has such a sense of history and lore to it. The team and hospitality are second to none,” she says. “I had one of those 9:30 branded cupcakes for breakfast yesterday, and I’ll have another today.”
The Connecticut native recognized early on that music was her trajectory and played shows of originals at just 15. Bowers became immersed in hard and classic rock, mesmerized by the electric likes of Freddie Mercury, but spent quality downtime with jazz singer Sarah Vaughn in their college years. All of that is evident in the band’s sound today. “I realized early on that I thought about music, sounds even, differently from others,” Bowes explains. “I played by ear and frustrated teachers … sometimes I overwhelmed myself because I couldn’t relate to anybody. It was a little ostracizing, but also a superpower.”
After gigging about hometown for a bit and cranking out three solo EPs, Bowers took off to the Big City to pursue a singer-songwriter career like so many. After meeting a gaggle of talented players and other assorted creatives, things soon panned out. Three years later, Sammy Rae and the Friends came to fruition and released a self-produced EP, “The Good Life.” Sold-out shows ensued, including a residency at the latest incarnation of the famed Cotton Club in New York City.
So what to expect in Richmond? With a signature staccato that hop-scotches bass grooves, the dynamic Brooklynite commands attention like their early idols, flanked by a double-barrel sax blast, drum kicks and fiery keys. Expect reciprocal energy between the band and crowd at shows. It’s a vibrant, inclusive, free-to-be-yo-self fest, y’all. The night typically builds up to an irresistible frenzy and sing-along of the devout. A clip of the band performing “The Coming Home” song posted online prompted one die-hard across the pond to post, “I’m about to book a trip to the US just to see you play. No, really.”
The band often says, ‘We don’t have fans, we have Friends.” On previous tours, they’ve even offered up the official Friends membership card with a goodie bag and exclusive perks (keep your eyes peeled, RVA).
Speaking of tight-knit, the sizable brood considers themselves family first. While it all seems like peace, love, and kumbaya, you have to wonder what the secret to not killing each other is while living and working together on tour. “Family is first, that’s how I was raised anyway,” says Bowers, explaining the secret sauce is a combo of forgiveness, working to understand, communicating, and boundaries. “That’s how you maintain long-term, sustainable relationships. We really do treat each other like family. We’re not a cult, though.”
With new tracks on the horizon slated to drop later this year, Bowers pridefully reflects on the process.
“By design, we had a couple of months to sit still and hold space for the music; really give it time. Put a level of heart into it I’ve never experienced before. I needed that. I can’t write on the road,” they say.
A couple of creative retreats in the woods and an immersive, 11-day band camp recording stint resulted in “a polished version of us,” Bowers says (and appropriately, this current run of show dates is called CAMP: The Tour!). They note that most of what you hear on earlier recordings is not the current roster of players, and the new touring family is ready to keep the good times rolling. “We’ve got the experience of the road behind us now, and I think it shows. We’ve been saying – it’s where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to go.”
Sammy Rae and The Friends play The National on Monday, Feb. 19, with RVA openers Erin & The Wildfire. Doors at 6:30 pm, show at 7:30 pm. All ages. $28
