Who: Amythyst Kiah
What: performing (w/CAM)
Where: World Cafe Live ~ Philadelphia, PA
When: September 29
Time: 8pm (doors @ 7pm)
Tix: $25-$89 (ticket link)
Amythyst Kiah released her own stirring rendition of the Green Day deep-cut “Hitchin’ a Ride.” Stripping back Green Day’s signature, snarling pop-punk, Kiah’s version packs the same sonic punch through layers of bewitching guitar riffs and kaleidoscopic sonics, all of which crescendo with mesmerizing urgency to showcase the story of someone tormented by addiction.
The track is the latest from her forthcoming EP Pensive Pop (out August 12th via Rounder Records). The 4-track digital release – which features her renditions of Tori Amos’ standard “Sugar” and Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” – highlights the iconoclastic alt-rock and hard-hitting, diary-like songwriting that first sparked her musical passion. Kiah’s continued exploration beyond the roots influences that have earned her acclaim only cements Pitchfork’s assertion that her “spirit, vast talent and musical savvy yield dazzling results.”
“‘Hitchin' a Ride’ is one of those songs that I loved to head-bang to when I was alone in my room, but I never really gave much thought to what Billie Joe Armstrong was actually singing about,” says Kiah. “I ended up revisiting it for this project, and when I read the lyrics while listening, I was really blown away to realize that it's a song about a person struggling with addiction. Billie Joe has a great sense of melody and storytelling, and this song is a great example of that.”
The tracks of Pensive Pop and of her 2021 Rounder Records debut Wary + Strange – which was lauded by The New York Times, NPR Morning Edition, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and more - are just a selection of her setlist for her U.S. and European tours this Summer and throughout the rest of the year. Kiah – who was recently named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country - just recently capped a run of shows with The Who and will be headed out on the road with CAM this year. Throughout the year, Kiah will headline a European tour, plus take the stages at Palomino Festival, globalFEST at Summer for the City at Lincoln Center, Only The Wild Ones Weekend 2022 and more.