Bluesy vintage pop singer ZZ Ward is playing Marathon Music Works tonight, Sept. 4! The singer-songwriter’s husky voice calls to mind other throwback pop artists like Amy Winehouse, Adele, and Joss Stone, but leanings towards the blues and hip-hop rather than jazz or soul make her sound stand out amongst other female singers looking to the past. Ward just released a new EP, Love and War, in order to whet fans’ appetite for her upcoming sophomore record This Means War. She’s collaborated with Kendrick Lamar, named her dog after Muddy Waters, was one of the breakout new artists from last year’s Bonnaroo, and is one of the coolest new voices on the pop scene. She also plays a killer harmonica, which isn’t something you see at every pop concert these days. Folk singer-songwriter Marc Scibilia and indie pop band The Young Wild will open. Tickets are available here, and you can click through for more details on the lineup.
ZZ WARD
ZZ Ward has been carving out her own niche in the vintage pop scene with her bluesy act that includes hefty amounts of her own guitar and harmonica playing, and is touring in support of her upcoming sophomore album, This Means War. Going from the two singles she’s released, “Love3X” and “Lonely,” the record indicates a more polished, more electronic, and poppier sound than her previous effort, as well as dissects a destructive relationship. Ward was one of the standout acts from the new artist showcase that is Thursday night of Bonnaroo in 2014, and she’s certainly worth checking out if you’re into throwback-inspired pop.
MARC SCIBILIA
If you’ve never heard Marc Scibilia‘s name before, you probably have at least heard his voice. That’s because the Nashville-based singer-songwriter sang a version of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” for a Jeep commercial that not only aired during the Super Bowl this year, but also went viral, racking up 12 million hits on YouTube. The New York-born singer’s original music is in a similar pop-folk vein, melding sounds of the folk greats like Guthrie himself with more modern takes on the genre.
THE YOUNG WILD
Southern Californian pop band The Young Wild are joining Ward and Scibilia on this North American jaunt. The recently signed group make catchy synth-pop similar to the new stuff Ward has been putting out from her new record. The trio are indeed young, having met in college and released their first EP For Now Not Forever just last year, and this tour supporting a bigger artist from a similar genre could be a key early-career boost.
ZZ Ward, Marc Scibilia, and The Young Wild perform tonight, Sept. 4 at Marathon Music Works. The show is 18+, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available for $22-$95.