Tag Archive: Sam Amidon


MUSIC I HOLLERED ABOUT IN 2013

whisperinandhollerinIn 2013 I wrote 170 reviews for the webzine Whisperin’ & Hollerin’, an average of just over 14 a month.

In terms of the total releases overall this is a drop in the ocean but for what it’s worth these were my favourite ten albums together with some honourable mentions.

There are links to my reviews of you want to know why.

TIP OF THE ICEBERG – THE BEST OF 2013

1. MUTUAL BENEFIT – Love’s Crushing Diamond

2.ÓLöF ARNALDS – Sudden Elevation

3. ANNABELLE CHVOSTEK – Rise

4. ORLA WREN – Book Of The Folded Forest

5. OLIVER COATES – Towards A Blessed Island

6. SAM AMIDON – Bright Sunny South

7. ALASDAIR ROBERTS & FRIENDS – A Working Wonder Stone

8. ADAM STAFFORD – Imaginary Walls Collapse

9. VARIOUS ARTISTS – The Outer Church

10. SAMARIS – Samaris

BUBBLING UNDER – 10 HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

ROVING OUT WITH SAM AMIDON

Sam_Amidon-1160199If you close your eyes and listen to the voice and virtuoso banjo playing, I am sure you’d visualise Sam Amidon as an older and more ragged individual. A modern-day Dock Boggs perhaps.

Instead, as you’ll see in this quirky video, he’s clean-cut and far younger than he sounds. The track – As I Roved Out – is from his excellent new album, Bright Sunny South, which I had the pleasure to review for Whisperin’ & Hollerin’.

Amidon was born less than 25 years ago into a music loving family in Brattleboro, Vermont (where the New Weird America genre took root after Matt Valentine’s free-folk festival).

His music has gradually evolved to embrace British influences, thanks in part to his marriage to Beth Orton.

All his songs are covers of old and new tunes but he adapts these so radically they could pass as his own.

The new album shows that he’s an artist brimful of talent and brimming in confidence.