SLCene Suggests: Carrie Rodriguez at The State Room

CARRIE RODRIGUEZ, THE STATE ROOM, Wednesday, March 13, 8 p.m., $12

Carrie Rodriguez has spent the last decade or so establishing herself as one of the freshest voices in the roots-music scene. Her songwriting has grown leaps and bounds since she first visited Utah for a Zephyr Club gig with Chip Taylor, a fellow Texan and songwriter who she paired with for four albums before releasing her solo debut, Seven Angels on a Bicycle, in 2006. Her combination of mellifluous melodies and serious fiddle chops–she once studied classical violin at Oberlin Conservatory before taking her playing toward the old-timey–helped make her a standout performer during her live shows, and she just released a set of tunes recorded with her long-time live partner Luke Jacobs, Live at the Cactus, that ably captures Rodriguez’s live gifts, and great chemistry with Jacobs. Co-headlining the tour is singer/songwriter Ben Taylor.