Zoh Amba came to underground prominence as a free jazz saxophonist, serving up illuminating skronk that appealed to an experimental rock audience as much if not more than the jazz scene. They also cracked our list of the best new artists of 2022. So it was no surprise that they ended up in the experimental supergroup Beings with Steve Gunn, Jim White, and Shahzad Ismaily or making a record with Chris Corsano and Bill Orcutt. However, this latest foray into the indie rock world is at least a little bit surprising.
Matador Records announced today that it has signed Amba as a guitar-based singer-songwriter. According to a press release, "Amba’s work on Matador will follow a new path, that of an emerging guitarist and songwriter with music that draws deeply on their childhood in Kingsport, Tennessee." After a show at New York's Night Club 101 on April 17 designed to re-introduce Amba in this context, they'll be heading out on tour supporting Folk Bitch Trio this spring and Courtney Barnett this summer.
But first, there's pro video of two live tracks, "Thousand Years" and "Southern Soil," recorded at the Owl in Brooklyn last month. Watch those below.
TOUR DATES:
04/17 - New York City, NY @ Nightclub 101 w/ Superfan
05/07 - Asheville, NC @ Revival %
05/08 - Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl %
05/09 - Nashville, TN @ Blue Room %
05/11 - Houston, TX @ White Oak %
05/12 - Austin, TX @ 29th Street Ballroom %
05/13 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Arts %
08/11 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater #
08/12 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre #
08/14 - Cincinnati, OH @ Megacorp Pavillion #
08/15 - Kansas City, MO @ The Truman #
08/21 - Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom #
08/22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Rockwell at the Complex #
08/24 - Sacramento, CA @ Channel 24 #
08/26 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore #
08/29 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium #
% w/ Folk Bitch Trio
w/ Courtney Barnett
