Sam Amidon releases Golden Willow Tree today, the latest single from his forthcoming album ‘Salt River‘ (reviewed here). Amidon first heard the song, an English sea chanty turned Appalachian ballad, being sung by American folk singer Almeda Riddle. In his recent interview with KLOF Mag (read it here), he states “…the stories of these folk songs are so fascinating with the imagery, and for me, it is fun to try and find new settings that bring out different sides of those stories. Like the ‘Golden Willow Tree’…we tried giving it this very monotonous but hopefully moody background that lets you kind of swim inside the story.” The effect is also haunting, as mentioned in the accompanying press, which describes how the song “arrives as a haunting piece of stripped-back folk that hits hard with a sparse, spine-tingling atmosphere that allows Amidon to be affecting & heartbreaking with a song that first emerged in the 1600s – a ballad of heroism and betrayal that is given new emotional resonance here.”
An accompanying video featuring Amidon performing solo is equally entrancing; it was filmed and directed by renowned photographer Steve Gullick.
Salt River (24th January 2025) River Lea
pre-Order: https://samamidon.rtrecs.co/saltriver
Forthcoming Tour Dates:
Sat 25th January – Dublin – Gate Theatre (Foggy Notions Presents)
Wed 29th January – London – Moth Club **SOLD OUT**
Thu 30th January – London – St Giles, The Crypt **SOLD OUT**
Thu 6th February – New York, NY – Public Records
Sat 8th February – Brattleboro, VT – Stone Church
Tickets via: https://www.samamidon.com/
Pre-Order Salt River: https://samamidon.rtrecs.co/saltriver
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