Held in Columbia’s First Baptist Church, this event featured live music from folk and jazz artists on the second day of True/False Film Fest
Audiences found respite from the cold early March air as they filed into Columbia’s First Baptist Church’s pews on Saturday night for True/False Film Fest’s “Sanctuary Showcase.” The free event featured live music performances by three separate folk and jazz artists from across the globe.
Philadelphia-based collective Hour started off the showcase. Led by composer Michael Cormier-O’Leary, the six-member collective incorporated a rotating selection of instruments throughout its set. Alongside a steady presence of guitar, drums and bass, the musicians frequently switched between clarinet, violin and flute between songs.
One member was also mixing their sounds to include distortion and other effects to the music, leading to a whimsical and, at times, intentionally disorienting sound.
Sachiko Kanenobu and Hour perform at the Sanctuary Showcase on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at First Baptist Church in Columbia, Mo. The musicians performed Kanenobu’s music together, with Hour providing backup acoustics. (Connor Gunn/Maneater)
During its final song, Hour brought out Cincinnati saxist Ziaire Trinidad Sherman to accompany them. While Sherman — who came out dressed in a long white lab coat and patterned pants — contrasted Hour’s conventionally folk-ish look of flannel and blue jeans, their melodies intertwined seamlessly.
Together, they danced wildly around repeating riffs and offered an exciting finish to Hour’s already captivating set.
Japanese folk artist Sachiko Kanenobu directly followed Hour’s performance. Using only her voice and an acoustic guitar, which she noted had much less scratches than the one she uses back home, Kanenobu had no issues building upon the tranquil energy Hour created in the first set of the event.
It often seemed like Kanenobu was there to make friends with the audience as much as she was to play music for them. In between songs about love and the importance of art, Kanenobu told stories about her day-to-day life.
She explained a recent DMV experience in which nobody alerted her of the chocolate on her face before taking her driver’s license renewal photo, joked about her own age compared to Joan Baez’s and discussed the difficulty she’s had playing guitar due to her arthritis.
Guitarist Sachiko Kanenobu performs for the audience at the Sanctuary Showcase on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at First Baptist Church in Columbia, Mo. Kanenobu performed several of her songs solo on stage. (Connor Gunn/Maneater)
Despite her arthritis-induced pain, Kanenobu played with warmth and precision. Her fingers moved deftly across the fretboard while her voice, rich with experience and passion, carried a gentle sincerity in each lyric.
In the latter half of Kanenobu’s set, Hour returned to the sanctuary to serve as her backing music. Together, they played “Aoi Sakana,” a Kanenobu song that was featured in the 2023 film “Perfect Days.” Hour’s instruments served as ad-libs to Kanenobu’s vocals, which were deeper playing with the collective than they were on her own. The two played two more songs before receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
Finally, Grammy-award-winning producer Josh Johnson took the sanctuary’s stage. As somebody who had heard of Johnson but had never really taken the time to explore his music before this event, I felt a little embarrassed that this was my first time ever listening to his work. With a saxophone in his hand, a few pre-recorded tracks and a looping machine, Johnson created a soundscape equal parts impressive, beautiful and haunting.
Lucas Knapp of Hour performs at the True/False Film Fest Sanctuary Showcase on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at First Baptist Church in Columbia, Mo. Three guitarists performed on stage, each contributing a different element to Hour’s backup acoustics. (Connor Gunn/Maneater)
An otherwise silent and attentive audience burst into cheers at the end of each long, winding song Johnson played. He mostly played songs from his most recent album “Unusual Object,” though his live renditions involved more improvising than the recorded tracks do. Like Kanenobu, the producer was met with a standing ovation after his final song.
Surrounded by stained glass, glowing lanterns and full pews, Sanctuary Showcase offered audiences a moment of peace during their busy True/False Film Fest weekend. The event left viewers ready to go about the rest of their night, and the second day of the festival, with a newfound appreciation for music, the tranquility and the magic that can happen when musicians from all over the globe are brought together.
Edited by Mikalah Owens | mowens@themaneater.comCopyedited by Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.comEdited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com