Satsang celebrates 10 years of ‘The Story of You’ in St. Louis, acoustic-style

Acoustic shows belong to the kind of people who know every single word. Satsang fans tend to be that way: deeply loyal humans that are drawn in by music that feels less like entertainment and more like a conversation that they desperately need to have. This particular occasion gave them plenty to feel good about, too; it was a full acoustic evening celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Satsang’s debut album The Story of You, a record that quietly launched an intensely dedicated following that would make any independent musician feel loved.

Joey Harkum opened the show at Old Rock House in St Louis this past Saturday, June 6th, with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a genuine smile. His set was warm and unhurried; you could tell how he was just soaking in every moment and focusing on simply being present. He was doing a great job of relaying that message to the crowd, too. Harkum played a lot of his own material and, between songs, he made no secret his gratitude for the opportunity to be out the road with Drew McManus of Satsang.

By the end of the set, the crowd was in high anticipation for his headlining return to the venue in a few short weeks.

Then came Drew McManus — frontman and soul behind the Americana-infused reggae band Satsang. Except this time, there was no band, no elaborate set up: just McManus, his acoustic guitar, and a room full of people who have been listening to and giving life to Satsang songs for years. The full band experience — one I got to enjoy at Eclipse Festival out in the middle-of-nowhere, Missouri, back in April of 2024 — delivers reggae groves, hip hop cadences and folk storytelling… a totally different animal than when these songs are stripped down raw. The lyrics, which have always been the backbone of what Satsang does, had nowhere to hide. Luckily, they didn’t need to.

The set was the debut record played in its entirety, with standouts like “Grow”, “Remember Jah”, and “Thrill of It All”. Without the full band, each song really settled into something spectacular. The words were being forced to sit right up front where they couldn’t be missed and, for a room full of fans who came to these songs during their own hard chapters, that type of intimacy hits differently than a normal show would. “Thrill of It All” carries a particular weight, being the first song McManus ever wrote; it was born on a mountainside in Nepal, at 20,000 feet, with Everest staring back at him. Hearing that story, followed by that song, on a night built around celebrating where everything started, was definitely its own kind of moment.

It was a modest night by most measures.

Two guys, two guitars. Simplicity doesn’t mean small, though. There is a reason why people drive across state lines to see shows like this. It has everything to do with using music telling the truth and, 10 years in, Satsang is still doing exactly that. If Saturday night was any clue about what the next decade will bring for the band, I’d say it’s pretty promising.  

Photography by Thomas Semonco

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