Photo: Benjamin Booker at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA. Credit: Tim Bugbee via Flickr

Benjamin Booker is one of the most “came out of
nowhere” artists in the scene today. Known for his unique resurgence of blues
via a punk route, the New Orleans based musician jumped onto the scene with a
2012 EP that put his name on the map. He then released his self-titled debut
album in 2014 under ATO and quickly became known for songs like “Violent
Shiver” and “Slow Coming,” both of which are on the opposite sides of the
spectrum with “Violent Shiver” opening up the album loudly, and “Slow Coming”
adding a more mellow tone to the album. This album moved his name from the map
to the charts. He began landing TV gigs, festival acts, and even toured with
Jack White.

His sophomore album, released in June 2017, was even
more anticipated than his successful debut. The album sought to address racial
tensions and other issues in America with power songs like its title song,
“Witness.” With a significantly more mature sound and subject matter, the album
became the album of the summer to many.

Benjamin Booker is currently on his “Witness” Tour and
is playing at Thalia Hall in Chicago on Monday, October 16th, 2017. This is
definitely a show worth going out of your way to see especially if you care to
see him before he gets huge.

-Pat Bartman