Sam is also an award-winning promoter and his Nest Collective initiative offers a vital platform for both new and traditional folk musicians.
In the latest issue of M magazine we asked him to talk us through the songs that have shaped his life.
The first music I remember hearing was…
Yiddish folk songs, sung to me by my grandfather as I sat on his knee. They made no sense to me but seemed so wonderfully exotic. Then my dad used to sing the Paul Simon Songbook to me when I was growing up,so luckily music was within the family.
The first record I ever bought was…
When I was 13 I joined one of those music clubs where you get five free CDs and I chose Michael Jackson Dangerous and Thriller, Madonna Erotica and some others I care not to publicly mention! All three albums I still love to this day, especially Dangerous which has maintained such a fresh and inventive sound.
The last great record I listened to was…
I am in love with Gerry Diver's Speech Project - a unique piece of work - but lately have fallen in love with trumpet player Ibrahim Maalouf's new album Diagnostic.
The song I wish I’d written is…
Joni Mitchell’s Old Furry Sings the Blues from her Hejira album. It’s a song that captures the decay of the old order and the relationship between new enthusiasts looking into this other world.
The song that makes me want to dance is…
I made a pact with myself when I was younger that if I ever hear a Michael Jackson song I have to dance. It is a repaying of the debt I owe to him for learning how to dance from him.
The song that makes me cry is…
Whenever I hear songs sung by my late teacher Stanley Robertson (the Aberdeenshire traveller), and if it’s late and I’m tired or emotional, I struggle to stay dry-eyed at all.
The song that I know all the words to is…
The Irish folk song Whiskey in the Jar, which I learned as a kid. The last verse goes: ‘Some folks take delight in their carriages a-rolling, some folks take delight in the hurly and the bowling, me I takes delight in the juice of the barley and courting pretty women in the morning bright and early’. I remember each moment in my growing life when the penny dropped on each line and that verse piece by piece made sense.
The song I want played at my funeral is…
I have saved a little song called The Linden Tree that will be my little requiem. One day I shall record it, but until then all I can say is that it’s a stunning and tiny little ode to the cycle of life I once found, sung by a Polish-American traditional singer. It’s a gem.
In the latest issue of M magazine we asked him to talk us through the songs that have shaped his life.
The first music I remember hearing was…
Yiddish folk songs, sung to me by my grandfather as I sat on his knee. They made no sense to me but seemed so wonderfully exotic. Then my dad used to sing the Paul Simon Songbook to me when I was growing up,so luckily music was within the family.
The first record I ever bought was…
When I was 13 I joined one of those music clubs where you get five free CDs and I chose Michael Jackson Dangerous and Thriller, Madonna Erotica and some others I care not to publicly mention! All three albums I still love to this day, especially Dangerous which has maintained such a fresh and inventive sound.
The last great record I listened to was…
I am in love with Gerry Diver's Speech Project - a unique piece of work - but lately have fallen in love with trumpet player Ibrahim Maalouf's new album Diagnostic.
The song I wish I’d written is…
Joni Mitchell’s Old Furry Sings the Blues from her Hejira album. It’s a song that captures the decay of the old order and the relationship between new enthusiasts looking into this other world.
The song that makes me want to dance is…
I made a pact with myself when I was younger that if I ever hear a Michael Jackson song I have to dance. It is a repaying of the debt I owe to him for learning how to dance from him.
The song that makes me cry is…
Whenever I hear songs sung by my late teacher Stanley Robertson (the Aberdeenshire traveller), and if it’s late and I’m tired or emotional, I struggle to stay dry-eyed at all.
The song that I know all the words to is…
The Irish folk song Whiskey in the Jar, which I learned as a kid. The last verse goes: ‘Some folks take delight in their carriages a-rolling, some folks take delight in the hurly and the bowling, me I takes delight in the juice of the barley and courting pretty women in the morning bright and early’. I remember each moment in my growing life when the penny dropped on each line and that verse piece by piece made sense.
The song I want played at my funeral is…
I have saved a little song called The Linden Tree that will be my little requiem. One day I shall record it, but until then all I can say is that it’s a stunning and tiny little ode to the cycle of life I once found, sung by a Polish-American traditional singer. It’s a gem.
