Have You Heard (Samantha, That Is)?

...because if not, you missed a real treat at the Viper Room tonight, London-born world traveler Samantha Heard, who earned one of the most positive responses of the entire conference from the SRO Viper Room crowd. (On an absolutely irrelevant sidenote, both of our UK-bred Viper Room artists this evening have used the lyrical phrase "Whatcha gonna do when they come for you"...who knew "Cops" had achieved such worldwide renown?) Anyway, back to the matter at hand, Samantha is backed by a standard guitar/bass/drums trio, one whose musicianship is anything but standard, providing a more than solid backing for Samantha's own tasteful guitar work. Note to MUSEXPO staff: the poor beleaguered blogger really needs access to set lists next year, as he'd prefer to refer to the current tune by title (any band members reading this, be sure to front-announce your song titles and help a brother out). Regardless of the title (which will undoubtedly be added upon edit in the morn), it's an absolutely masterful piece of music that had the Viper Room audience hypnotized by the compelling sounds emanating from the stage. Samantha's haunting vocals and sound songwriting sense bode quite well for the future of this truly talented 22-year-old songstress.