Andy Shauf pre-show happy hour
6:00-8:00pm
538 Congress St.
heyy there, we’re hosting what we’d like to call an đź•ŻAndy Shauf Happy Hourđź•Żat SPACE before Saturday’s show.
We’d like to call it that, but we don’t want to give you the impression Andy will be there. I mean, he’s invited, but we’re not expecting him. Still, you should swing on in. We’ll prime you at our venue for the show over at the church. You know, make the lights nice, put out the seats into snug little hut-like configurations, get some visuals going, listen to a bespoke soundtrack of Shauf-adjacent material. Drink specials too of course. Â
Weren’t you gonna go out before the show anyhow? You can do that at SPACE now. It helps us, a nonprofit, keep the engine running and probably saves you a few bucks too, if we’re being honest. Plus the First Parish Church (425 Congress St.) is a mere four blocks from us (538 Congress St.). You do the math!Â
The Canadian indie songwriting icon Andy Shauf returns to Maine for a special show at the First Parish Church. His latest album, Norm, is out now on ANTI- and presents its lead single/video, “Wasted On You.” In conjunction, Shauf is set to embark on a 2024 Norm Tour including some of his biggest shows to-date.
Hailed as “a gifted storyteller” (NPR Music) for 2016’s The Party and 2020’s The Neon Skyline, Shauf writes albums that unfold like short fiction, full of colorful characters, fine details and a rich emotional depth. With Norm, however, Shauf has slyly deconstructed and reshaped the style for which he’s been celebrated, elevating his songwriting with intricate layers and perspectives, challenging himself to find a new direction. Under the guise of an intoxicating collection of jazz-inflected romantic ballads, his storytelling has become decidedly more oblique, hinting at ominous situations and dark motivations.