David Shaw at the Varsity Theater (02-21-25)

“I’m from Texas and it’s cold!”

Actually, it wasn’t. But I don’t think you could convince the opener, Angel White, or anyone who doesn’t live in Minnesota that twenty degrees Fahrenheit is balmy. But balmy it was while heading to the Varsity Theater after a month of temperatures well below zero.

To warm up the crowd White kicked off his set with the rousing instrumental “Rattlesnake”; then moved into a song dedicated to his grandma, “Red Blanket”.

White is from Cleburne, Texas, and is a singer-songwriter who deftly blends musical genres. Fort Worth Magazine describes his style as: “… blending pop, country, and a dash of R&B into a sound that is unmistakably Texan.”

For someone new to the musical scene and supporting his debut album Ghost of the West, White, held a steady confidence. It helped to have Silly Willy Six Strings by his side playing electric guitar. White mentioned that it was his second night touring, and it was great, “… to play with and travel with your best friend.”

David Shaw next took the stage with a sense of gratitude for those who came. “Seriously, thank you for coming out,” he added. “Lot of people know my band. But not a lot of people know ‘Little Davy’.”

The Revivalists at Starlight Theatre (30 June 2023)

Shaw is the frontman for The Revivalists, a band he helped form in New Orleans in 2007. We last saw them in June, 2023, co-headlining with The Heart and the Head. Recently, Shaw started a solo career in order to produce songs that are more stripped down and personal, his self-titled album released in 2021.

After singing “When You Love Someone” from his latest album Take a Look Inside, Shaw said the song came from being couple’s therapy, and asked if anyone in the crowd had done it.

“Not anymore,” shouted a guy.

After the laughter died down, Shaw opened up on how hard it was to go through therapy with his wife, but eventually there was a light in the tunnel, and he’s glad he did it. But he added that he wasn’t promoting anything or making any money. One of the band members chuckled about saving money at a therapy website by entering 20SHAW.

Although the content of the evening was reflective, the sound was also joyous, especially with “Something to This Feeling”, a gospel-tinged dance song that had Shaw moving through the crowd to dance, even taking a selfie with a woman wearing a baseball cap with the words “ANGELS DON’T DIE” complimenting his own cap which said, “THIS IS MY COWBOY HAT.”

After a cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes”, Shaw and his band found a musical sweet spot with “Arms of the River” and “I Can Hear You (Calling on Me), a neo-soul song with a splash of funk that had a crazy “Space Invader” synth solo that cracked up the rest of the band and the audience as well.