Column by Arts & Entertainment Writer Chloe Walker
Saturday night saw Texas based folk musician Joe Pug at Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre. Performing in the Lobero’s noteworthy “Sings Like Hell” concert series, (featuring “the greatest music you’ve NEVER heard”) the 25-year-old singer- songwriter shared his tales of lost battles and heartbreak fresh off his latest album “Messenger.”
Entering the stage clad in full cowboy attire, Pug may have appeared at first glance to be at odds with the Santa Barbara crowd, however he quickly made light of his culture shock, quipping that he’d arrived just in time to see the “feral people” celebrating the summer solstice. His apparent humility and sociability warmed up the crowd, largely unfamiliar with Pug, setting the tone for the next hour of honest (and self-proclaimed “brooding”) folk music. Following his opening song, “Messenger,” Pug’s seemingly foreign sheen had entirely disappeared as the audience sat in awe of one man and his guitar sharing the most fundamental stories of humanity.
With a playwriting background (he studied the craft at the University of North Carolina before realizing it was music that made him happy) Pug’s knack for storytelling is evident and all the more interesting when placed on the southern backdrop he paints in the majority of his songs. In one track titled “Bury Me Far” Pug sings “Bury me far from my uniform/ So God might remember my face,” playing the part of a soldier (of life or war) who yearns for respite among the unsettling carbon-copy people he finds himself surrounded by. In other songs Pug shares glimpses of fear, self-loathing, and even love; topics faced by all at one point or another.
By the end of the night, Pug’s talent for honest song-writing and ear-catching melody had been confirmed. Emphasized in his closing number “Not So Sure” during which Pug unplugged his guitar, stepped away from the microphone and sang acoustic, Pug brought the audience to its feet at the simple splendor of his Southern folk.
Great review. I like his music too!
I went to the show and it was incredible. He sounds a little bit like Dylan and the Lobero is such a great venue. Thanks for covering this!
Perfectly describes Pug and his music! Nice review.
Great concert, great review!