Sam Amidon: Traditional Folk's Contemporary Son

Modern folk music has gained a huge following, featuring nostalgic singers shouting call-and-response choruses to sold-out arenas. To be fair, that style of music is great fun to listen to but is more of a pop-y reimagining of folk motifs than a true evolution of the genre. Sam Amidon, on the other hand, plays solo or with minor accompaniment and carries on the often somber storytelling roots of folk as it originally began. 

Amidon’s arrangements are instrumentally plain but musically complex. Putting unique takes on decades-old tunes like "Your Lone Journey" or performing original songs that would sound right at home in 19th century Appalachia is Amidon’s bread and butter. "Blue Mountains," for example, is an ageless story about two people running away together. His steady voice expresses the basic plot, allowing for his anxious fiddle and American musical legend Bill Frisell’s wistful guitar to portray more complex emotions than words would likely allow. 

Most of Amidon’s albums are recorded all at once with few, if any, overdubs or retakes. This means that they retain small human moments, like a plunky missed chord or lines where his voice fails him. He and his fellow musicians are clearly very talented, but his intent to leave these ‘errors’ in the final songs adds to their character and authenticity. In "I See the Sign," for example, Amidon’s voice cracks and strains as if truly beleaguered by the trouble in his way.

This is what strikes me most about his music and what keeps bringing me back to his records: the honest imperfections that bring the songs to life. His ability to harness fragility and truthfulness into something so basic is what makes him the most exciting name in contemporary folk music.

For more on Sam Amidon, visit his official website and Facebook page.