by Steve Kennedy November 18 2025
Samantha Fish ignited the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara on a sleepy Tuesday night with a performance that felt less like a concert and more like a highly anticipated sold-out event. Dressed in black leather and lace and playing her white Gibson SG, she opened the show with Kick Out the Jams followed by the title track to her most recent Grammy Nominated album Paper Doll. She is a soulful singer, songwriter, and blues guitar powerhouse has been steadily reshaping the boundaries of the modern blues genre for more than a decade, and this tour is proving she is entering an especially bold new chapter. With the release of her latest album Paper Doll. She has sharpened her sound, deepened her songwriting, and doubled down on the fearless artistry that has defined her since her early days coming up the Kansas City clubs.
Samanta’s story has never been one of overnight success. She came up through the unforgiving circuit of Kansas City and mid-west regional clubs, where late nights, long sets, and audiences that expect authenticity that helped forged her into the player she is today. She joined up with Ruf records in 2011 and generated seven albums though 2019. Fish then singed with Rounder records and has produced four new albums including the last two; Death Wish Blues w/Jessie Dayton (2023) and Paper Doll (2025), both records have been nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album. With her latest album, she reaches this point in her career not just as a rising star, but as a fully realized musician who has endured the grind, the joys, and endurance that shapes a true blues guitarist.
The sold out Lobero provides an intimate theater on a small scale that give space for the show to feel like a return to those early rooms, except now she carries herself with the poise of a seasoned road warrior who knows exactly what her instrument can summon. Fish played a different guitar on almost every song, from Gibson SG, a sparkling Gibson ES 335, to her signature Guitar Box guitar and more. While her guitar playing and tones were riffed in southern blues what was really captivating was her voice. She has a sultry delivery like a syrup made of whiskey butter but also a sharpness with the ability to grab you by the collar and shake you relentlessly. Her songs about love and heartbreak, about fear and loneliness, added depth to her show and the musical experience.
Yet it wasn’t just the music or singing that defined the night. Fish’s connection with the audience felt genuine and offered a conversation. She joked, reflected, and let the crowd into her world just enough to remind them that behind the fire of her gritty solos is a person who has a softer comedic side. What started out as seated theater crowd on a mid-week tour stop ended up having the Lobero on its feet, rocking out. The start of a fall tour that promises to push Samantha Fish further into the women who rock territory she has earned—a reputation that is raw, resilient, and unmistakably her own.
You can look for Samantha Fish on her current Paper Doll Tour and hopefully winning at the upcoming 2026 Grammy Awards in February.
SETLIST
Kick Out the Jams
Paper Doll
I’m Done Running
Sweet Southern Sounds
Bulletproof
Miles To Go
Fortune Teller
Better Be Lonely
No Angels
Poor Mattie
Don’t Say It
Black Wind Howlin’
Check out the full gallery of photos of this show by Joel Shover here.
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