Sam Amidon - Saro (Video and Lyrics)

[DudeAsInCool]

'Saro' is Sam Amidon's cover of the traditional Americana song, 'Pretty Saro', which has been performed by Doc Watson Family, Iris Dement and others. The song, will appear on Amidon's "All is Well" cd, due out in February on the Bedroom Community label. You can pre-order it at Amazon.

Sam, who is also an actor, is a bit of a prankster, as you can see in this homemade video-- but the song itself transcends. According to Stylus Magazine, Nico Muhly (who has worked with Björk, Antony, Philip Glass, Thomas Bartlett, etc), "arranged the strings, horns, and woodwinds that along with Amidon and his guitar/banjo form the heart of these songs." It was recorded and produced by Valgeir Sigur∂sson in Iceland with additional contributions from Ben Frost, Aaron Siegel, Eyvind Kang & Stefan Amidon.

I'm really looking forward to the new album, and it is definitely on my hot list for 2008.

Lyrics

When I first come to this country in Eighteen and Forty-nine

I saw many fair lovers but I never saw mine

I viewed it all around me, saw I was quite alone

And me a poor stranger and a long way from home

Well, my true love she won't have me and it's this I understand

For she wants some free holder and I have no land

I couldn't maintain her on silver and gold

But all of the other fine things that my love's house could hold

Fare thee well to ol' mother, fare thee well to my father too

I'm going for to ramble this wide world all through

And when I get weary, I'll sit down and cry

And think of my Saro, pretty Saro, my bride

Well, I wished I was a turtle dove

Had wings and could fly

Far away to my lover's lodgings

Tonight I'd draw nigh

And there in her lilywhite arms I'd lay there all night

And watch through them little wind'ers

For the dawning of day

Learn more at the Artist's Website

[DudeAsInCool]

Sam recently sat down for an interview with ThanksCaptainObvious to discuss his musical upbringing and transformation:

Obvious: You were something of a child prodigy on fiddle. How did the transformation into a folk singer/songwriter occur, and do you plan on revisiting your violin for any of your future work?

Samamidon: My parents are folksingers and I grew up singing with them and other musicians around Vermont. But in high school I was definitely more interested in fiddle playing, obsessed with traditional Irish tunes. And as a listener at that point my friend Thomas (Doveman) and I were beginning to listen to different stuff (until age 13 we had almost literally only listened to folk music) - Sun Ra, Chris Whitley, Miles Davis, Yo La Tengo, Cat Power etc., all that other wonderful music in the world. But only still playing fiddle music. It wasn't until we came to New York that we started playing other kinds of music. And for some reason, though I had never sung folksongs alone as a kid, just in a harmony singing kind of way with my parents or other people, when I started to learn the guitar a few years ago, singing the folksongs was a good way to do that, and it just kind of grew out of that by accident. But I still play fiddle. All the time. It is my favorite activity.

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[DudeAsInCool]

Here's another version of the video, which was constructed by Jeremy Blatter. A tip of the hat to Stereogum for the head's up.

[DudeAsInCool]

You can listen to another cut off the album, "Sugar Baby", over at Green Clothes Music. Here is the the full tracklist for All Is Well - it will be available February 5, 2008.

[DudeAsInCool]

Here is Sam's latest video Wedding Dress, from the All Is Well Album. Directed by Sigga Sunna Reynisdóttir, it was launched as a Pitchfork.tv Video Premiere today. Enjoy.