SAM BEER

After months of hunting Sam down and constantly harassing him via e-mail, I now have the interview with Sam for you all to read. Sam has been making noises in the London folk scene for quite a while now but hopefully this will be the year he breaks through to a much wider audience. In one review I read he was compared to an English version of Ray LaMontagne and although I can see why that comparison was made Sam is a much more accomplished guitar player than Ray and for me he has a completely different style, more folky and less country for one. He is an astonishing guitar player as you can see from the youtube clip I recently captured when I saw him play at the tiniest venue ever in Bom Banes in Brighton (posted). In my opinion I would draw a comparison to perhaps John Martyn for his folk style and Nick Drake or Bert Jansch for his guitar playing ability. Now i know that’s high praise especially when just about every new english finger picking folk singer comes along is compared with Drake  but he really is that good, he plays the guitar like he and it are one but all done in such an effortless way, it’s a joy to watch. When you hear Sam’s voice live it takes you slightly by surprise, I feel he let’s it rip a lot more than he does on his album and I guess this may be where some reviewers get the Ray LaMontagne connection, still i would love to hear him really belt a few songs out on his album just to show his vocal range which is clear he has when you hear him play live, again it’s astonishing and a joy to listen to. He is due to release a new album Far from you in the very near future and of course I will keep you all updated on any news of that. Has a few dates coming up but one special one is the Union Chapel in London on 7Th June which if you have never experienced a concert there is a must see, breath taking acoustics which will suit Sam and his music perfectly, a ‘must go to’ gig.

In the meantime here is the interview that Sam was forced kindly agreed to do for us along with a couple of mp3’s that he has allowed for YCD to post. Please support this independent artist, he’s a superb talent who i think is on the brink of greatness. If you don’t believe me go and see him live, you will not forget it. Enjoy

YCD – So firstly, could you please tell us who you are and where you are from?

Sam - My name is Sam but my full name is Samuel James Beer, I think that sounds rather grand but everyone calls me Sam so Samuel has never really stuck, Actually people only called me Samuel when they were cross with me.

I have moved around quite a lot in my life as my dad’s work took my family to several places, my first years were spent in Spain although I was born in London. In the end I came back to London to go to Art School and I have been here ever since.

YCD – Ok, might as well ask you now, promoting anything right now or recently released anything?

SAM - I will be bringing out my first album in a couple of months called Far From You. With out sounding over confident I think it is going to be the best and most true thing I have made to date. I am in the middle of recording it and its going really well. I really respect and admire the players I am playing with on the record and I’m recording it in a great studio so its going to be something special when its finished. I’m really enjoying the process and am happy about what I’m doning…

YCD – So where can we get a hold of this?

SAM - You will be able to get the EP through my myspace page and through Itunes ect but we are in discussion with labels and distributers so it should be available all over, I can\t say any more than that at this stage.

YCD – You recently played the Union chapel in London, how did that go?

SAM - I would say it went really well! I have wanted to play there ever since I saw a gig there a few years ago. It is a wonderfully atmospheric place to play and I was lucky enough to play for a very good audience, people really got it and that made it all come alive.

YCD – What are the biggest obstacles you feel a singer/song writer faces today?

SAM - That is a tricky one for any musician and there are a lot of obstacles. It all depends on what you want and where you want to go.

You are only as good as your next song and that can be the biggest obstacle. Most of the barriers are in your own head and for one reason or another I think musicians have an internal struggle that is lifelong and that is the journey to become the best you can be.

YCD – Ok, I don’t know if you are aware but they have recently found an old law that says all musicians since time began are allowed to take any song from anyone they like from any moment in time and claim it as their own, Which one are you having then?

SAM - That answer changes on a daily basis and this one is really difficult. I feel like I am having to save one puppy from a house fire and watch the others cook, do I only have one song shit!

(TWO CUPS OF TEA LATER)

Grant Spivey (Live) by Victoria Spivey.

I heard this song on a compilation CD when I was coming back from a show in Exeter and it completely transported me. I was on a busy train and I think I was moving a bit and really getting into the song I got some odd looks from people around me as I was probably looking a bit special (if you know what I mean). That song devastates me every time I hear it. She sings about her father (Grant) and the song has so much movement and feeling. She is rough around the edges and completely natural.

I would never be able to play that song. If any of my songs come close ill sleep well at night.

There are so many other songs I could have picked for so many reasons

YCD – What’s your guilty pleasure?

SAM - Instruments! They are my heroin as it were.. I love old instruments and am lucky enough to say I own a couple of beauties. Old guitars that have been played a lot in my opinion have something very powerful within them. I could go on and on

YCD – What’s your best musical experience so far and why?

SAM - Again that’s difficult. When ever I truly connect with another musician that is something very special and moving for me. When I connect with a player it feels like we are talking and exchanging something highly personal and open. When ever that happens I am knocked over and I remember why I am doing this. I feel the same when the audience really gets it.

YCD – who’s currently rocking your stereo?

SAM -Quite a lot of story tapes

YCD – What band/artist would you most like to play with?

SAM - Neil Young, Danny Thompson (Double Bass), David Rawlings (Gillian Welsch’s guitar player), Tom Waitts, Joni Mitchell Nina Simone, I would be terrified to play with all of them and would probably make a tit of myself. But their all just people, they all have mothers.

YCD – What are your hopes and fears for you in the future, musically?

SAM - I fear my guitar will go out of tune and I won’t be able to write any more songs

I hope my guitar stays in tune and that I do too.

Many thanks for the interview and we here at you crazy dreamers wish you all the best for the future.