SASAMI (pronounced like “salami“) performed at PhilaMOCA in Philly on Monday, April 29th. Sasami Ashworth, the LA-based songwriter/multi-instrumentalist (and former member of Cherry Glazerr), just released her self-titled debut LP in March. She’s toured alongside/opened for some of our favorite artists including Mitski, Snail Mail, and Japanese Breakfast – now, she’s in the middle of her own run of headlining shows (with jazz-rap artist Sen Morimoto as her opener).
Late last year, The Fader declared SASAMI as “rock’s next big thing” – she’s also featured in the current issue (Issue #17) of She Shreds (preview here). Her album features an eclectic blend of influences and sounds. On the opening song (“I Was a Window”), Ashworth is Nina Persson-esque (of The Cardigans) in her vocal style, while the next track (“Not The Time” – music video below) features more lush harmonies and instrumentation including shoegaze-y guitar distortion. They played through nearly the entirety of their 10-song album, in addition to 1 new/unreleased track. Although her songs are thematically gloomy, Ashworth’s on-stage persona and banter are delightfully goofy. In between songs, she spoke in a hilariously campy robot/alien voice that had me cracking up nonstop (you had to be there). Watch her live performance at Paste Studio NYC and you’ll get a good taste of her humor/personality.
SASAMI will be finishing off their headlining dates in the next week then will be joining Snail Mail on a tour of the Midwest in July. See all of their upcoming tour dates below and keep scrolling to see more photos from the show.
SASAMI – Upcoming Tour Dates
MAY 1, 2019 /// ROUGH TRADE /// BROOKLYN, NY
MAY 3, 2019 /// DC9 /// WASHINGTON, DC
MAY 4, 2019 /// CLUB CAFE /// PITTSBURGH, PA
MAY 5, 2019 /// RUMBA CAFE /// COLUMBUS, OH
MAY 6, 2019 /// THE BASEMENT /// NASHVILLE, TN
MAY 8, 2019 /// THREE LINKS /// DALLAS, TX
MAY 9, 2019 /// BARRACUDA /// AUSTIN, TX
MAY 10, 2019 – MAY 12, 2019 /// FORM /// ARCOSANTI, AZ
JUN 5, 2019 /// THE FONDA THEATRE /// LOS ANGELES, CA *
JUL 15, 2019 /// FIRST AVENUE /// MINNEAPOLIS, MN #
JUL 17, 2019 /// GRANADA THEATER /// LAWRENCE, KS #
JUL 18, 2019 /// OFF BROADWAY /// ST. LOUIS, MO #
JUL 19, 2019 /// TURNER HALL BALLROOM /// MILWAUKEE, WI #
JUL 24, 2019 /// HEADLINERS MUSIC HALL /// LOUISVILLE, KY #
JUL 26, 2019 /// BEACHLAND BALLROOM /// CLEVELAND, OH #
* w/ Broken Social Scene
# w/ Snail Mail
