One of the nicest suprises of my musical year was my
discovery last winter of Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel. A friend of mine was playing
in a band that was opening for them at Gunther Murphy’s and I went down to see the
show. I had no idea who they were but decided to stay for a song or two. By the time they
were 10 minutes into their set, I was convinced that I had found the next great Chicago
band. Fermin’s voice was clear and bright, like her songs, and the band (guitarist
Andon Davis, upright bassist Mike Kranyiak, and drummer Paul Bivans) played with both fire
and finesse. Their sound, a pleasing country/roots rock hybrid, caught my ear and
wouldn’t let it go.
I didn’t see the band again after that night, so I was looking forward to catching
their show Oct. 7th at the Hideout, which was part of the clubs’ Thursday
night Honky Tonk Living Room series. Every seat was taken by the time they hit the stage
and the crowd reacted to Fermin & co. immediately. The show was comprised mainly of
songs from the groups’ debut full length CD "Things To Come" which was
released in May of this year. Although the disc has been out only a short time, I was
impressed by how many people in the audience seemed to know the words to all the songs,
which is always a good sign. Highlights of the set included "Northern Lights",
"Fate", and an outstanding cover version of "Besame Mucho", which is
also on the album.
The countrified environment of the Hideout proved to be a perfect setting for the band,
although they will soon be growing out of venues of its size, if they haven’t
already. This is clearly a band marked for bigger things. Already they have shared stages
with Johnny Cash, Joe Ely, Hank Williams III, Delbert McClinton, Jimmy LaFave, and many
others. The combination of Fermin’s voice and writing, guitarist Andon Davis’
hot-rod hillbilly guitar style, and a perfectly appropriate rhythm section amount to one
of the most complete acts I have seen in the city. If all this sounds good to you, I
recommend seeing them as soon as you can. Unlike a lot of acts, I get the feeling that
Anna Fermin and Trigger Gospel’s days in the bars won’t last forever.
