Chicago distillery Judson and Moore welcomed Ken Pomeroy and Ramsey Thornton for a night of music from two Oklahoma-native singer-songwriters.
Judson and Moore is first and foremost a distillery located in the northern echelons of Chicago. In the evenings, however, the bar turns into a live music venue. They seem to concentrate primarily on the bluegrass, country, and singer-songwriter genres, which is the perfect match for this room. If you haven’t attended a show there yet, make sure to check out their upcoming show schedule. And when you’re there, be sure to check out their own whiskey and cocktails.
First up for the night was Ramsey Thornton. Thornton was joined on stage by Dakota McDaniel, who provided additional guitar. Together, the duo provided beautiful bluegrass, harmonic guitar parts to accompany the thoughtful lyrics. From the moment they played their very first notes, the entire room fell silent.
Ramsey’s debut album, I Called It!, was released in May. At the tender age of 26, his lyrics could easily have been written by someone much older. The intricate finger-picking guitar added a beautiful additional dimension to the songs.
After a brief intermission, it was time for Ken Pomeroy. The first time we saw her perform was opening for John Moreland. For that show, it was a stripped-back performance with just Ken and Dakota. This time, for her own headlining (sold-out) show, she was backed by a full band, which included Ramsey Thornton, who provided backing vocals, banjo, and additional guitar. Hearing the songs performed as a five-piece instead of a two-piece offered a different way of hearing the songs.
At just 23 years old, it is incredible to hear the depth of Ken’s lyrics, some of which were written many years ago. Some were even from when she was just a mere 14 years old. The set comprised of a 50/50 split of new songs and previously released songs. Ken only just released her debut album, Cruel Joke, last year, and has already recorded the follow up release at Wilco’s studio, The Loft, right here in Chicago. The new songs that were performed are not listed as appearing on this upcoming EP, so it looks like she will be releasing even more new music in the near future!
In between the songs, Pomeroy interlaced stories and background behind them, including the fact that she nearly gave up music entirely just as her song “Cicadas” went viral after being featured on Reservation Dogs. When you listen to her lyrics, hear her voice, and take in the arrangements, it’s incredible to think that she was so close to walking away from it all. You can’t help but be drawn into it. One of her background stories which was short and sweet but garnered the biggest laugh was for her introduction to “Bullseye,” which she explained was about killing someone but that you can’t do that anymore.
Ken’s new EP, Tonight’s News, is set for release on August 20. We look forward to listening to it.
