New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Sam Amidon kicks off an eight-show tour of North
America in a performance of Nico Muhly's The Only Tune with members of the Oregon Symphony, led by Jeffrey Kahane, in Beaverton, Oregon, on Friday. Timo Andres performs on the program as well, which is hosted by Gabriel Kahane. Amidon then continues through the Pacific Northwest with shows in Seattle, Vancouver (with special guest Joachim Cooder), and Portland, before heading to the East Coast in support of The Weather Station at shows in Philadelphia, DC, Brooklyn, and Boston. A complete list of dates can be found below, including his November UK tour with Chris Thile.
Sam Amidon released his self-titled album in October 2020 on Nonesuch Records. The record, which he considers the fullest realization to date of his artistic vision, comprises his radical reworkings of nine mostly traditional folk songs, performed with his band of longtime friends and collaborators. Amidon produced the record, applying the sonic universe of his 2017 album, The Following Mountain, to these beloved tunes, many of which he first learned as a child. Rolling Stone calls it "a fine showcase for Amidon's studio experimentation," and praises its "elements of spacious, echoing ambient electronic music to complement Amidon's warm vocals, reminiscent of Nick
Drake and Arthur Russell." Pitchfork calls it a "revival in the truest sense," adding that "few artists have drawn as strong a personal statement from the public domain."
The latest album is Amidon's fifth recording on Nonesuch and follows the 2019 EP Fatal Flower Garden (A Tribute to Harry Smith). Additional recordings include his 2017 album The Following Mountain and Kronos Quartet's Folk Songs the same year, on which he was a featured singer along with Rhiannon Giddens,
Natalie Merchant, and
Olivia Chaney; Lily-O in 2014; and his label debut, Bright Sunny South, in 2013.
SAM AMIDON ON TOUR
Apr 15 Pat Reser Center for the Arts* Beaverton, OR
Apr 16 7400 Woodlawn Hall Seattle, WA
Apr 17 Biltmore Cabaret** Vancouver, BC
Apr 19 The 1905 Portland, OR
Apr 24 The
Music Hall at World Cafe Live*** Philadelphia, PA
Apr 25 Union Stage*** Washington, DC
Apr 26 Music Hall of Williamsburg*** Brooklyn, NY
Apr 27 Crystal Ballroom*** Somerville, MA
Jun 22 Monheim Treinnale Mondheim Am Rhein, GERMANY
Nov 9 St George's^ Bristol, UK
Nov 10 Warwick Arts Centre^ Coventry, UK
Nov 11 Queen
Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre^ London, UK
Nov 12 RNCM Theatre^ Manchester, UK
Nov 13 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall^ Glasgow, UK
Nov 15 National Concert Hall^ Dublin, IRELAND
* w/members of the Oregon Symphony, Timo Andres, hosted by Gabriel Kahane
** w/special guest Joachim Cooder
*** w/The Weather Station
^ w/Chris Thile.
