Ryn Weaver w/ Sam Dew at Triple Rock, Minneapolis (21 July 2015)

Sam Dew

Chicago-raised, Atlanta-based Sam Dew first made his mark behind the scenes, writing for the likes of Wale, Jessie Ware, and Mary J. Blige, but has become an artist in his own right with debut EP, Damn Sue (RCA Records) which is stretching the boundaries of traditional hip-hop.



Dew, like his Atlanta contemporaries Outkast and Janelle Monae, takes rap/soul and turns it on its side, getting somewhat experimental with keyboard blips and samples, unorthodox song structures, and vocal loops, changing from a falsetto to balladeer.



‘Reincarnation’ was a slow burn, with the drummer trading a drumstick for a maraca to play the skins, and a mid-set cover of Bill Withers’ ‘Use Me’ turned a new leaf on the old classic.  The closing ‘Victor’ like the EP title (which is a play on his own name), had the singer turning away from being called “son” or “boy” and digs into something socially deeper.

Ryn Weaver

“OctaHate” was much more like “OctaLove” in the room as the buzz was a palpable hum turning into a growing roar before Ryn Weaver even hit the stage.  Like contemporaries Lana Del Rey and Tori Kelly, the young California singer has been cultivating a loyal fan base and building anticipation for the local live debut of her self-described “fairy pop”.



Following last year’s Promises EP, the debut full-length The Fool (Interscope / Mad Love Records) came out last month and Weaver opened her 45 min. set with the percussion heavy, dreamy ‘Runaway’.



Dressed in a black jacket and crushed velvet short blue jumper, Weaver rarely stood still, moving from left to right and in-between her four piece band, knelt on the floor, and even mugged for the bevy of smartphone cameras up front.



Lamenting the fact that so many today are nose-deep into their phones and computers, Weaver encouraged the crowd to meet each other “Catholic style”and face to face, before ‘Sail On’, a song about both the end of a relationship and her subsequent self-wandering.

Setlist with thanks to Milla

‘Stay Low’ had an ethereal Bat for Lashes-esque quality about it, also showing Weaver’s admiration for The Dreaming– era Kate Bush, while her “saddest song” inspired by her recently deceased grandfather, ‘Traveling Song’ brought her to actual tears near the end.



While single, ‘OctaHate’ is garnering the most attention, title track of her EP ‘Promises’ is the soaring showcase of Weaver’s vocal range and depth as a performer.  Breakout single ‘OctaHate’ is irresistible with its xylophone and keyboard melodies exploding effortlessly into a loudly released chorus, the recorded version helmed by super producer Benny Blanco and Passion Pit‘s Michael Angelakos, with a little help from Charli XCX, who Weaver is currently collaborating with.



“It’s my favorite song, because it’s unresolved” Weaver said, introducing the closing ‘New Constellations’, a torch song that evolves into a crashing sonic crescendo that also ends her album.  Weaver ended the song and show asking, “What if there’s just a little bit more? What if there’s more?” – from the reaction of her local live debut, it’s safe to say there’s much more to come from Ryn Weaver.