Events

[ROCK] Emerging some 15 years back as one of the most impressive artists from Boston’s indie scene, Sarah Borges released a striking debut, Silver City, in 2005, attracting enough attention to get her singed to Rounder-subsidiary, Sugar Hill, for her next two discs, Diamonds in the Dark (2007) and The Stars Are Out (2009).  Produced by former Blackhearts, Yayhoos, and Del Lords guitarist Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, her latest, Love’s Middle Name, chugs on like a punchy Stones album, combining the rough-hewn intensity of her live aesthetic with a bit more sensitivity in her writing and vocal delivery. The results, which bring her back to Houston’s Blue Corn label, portray artist and producer as something like kindred spirits—a dream team of sorts—barreling through a selection of songs that might just be her most fully realized collection to date. Borges has always been an old soul with the kind of bluesy pipes that emulate hard-won experience, something that stands out even more in her cover choices, which range from J. Geils to Tom Waits, from Smokey Robinson to The Lemonheads to Teenage Fanclub. Now in her early 40’s, she’s still cranking out the same high energy performances that fans have come to expect and newcomers are astonished by—she just gets better with age. After an opening set for the Bottle Rockets last fall, Borges returns to headline at Sportsmen’s Tavern on Friday, March 8 at 9:30pm. It’s the best $10 you’ve spent this winter.