Hiss Golden Messenger and Sam Amidon

I can definitely get behind the way that someone plays guitar, in a way that’s not just strumming chords with a plectrum but really going all out and doing something a little different. “Southern Grammar” is a song that does that for me. Hiss Golden Messenger, plays and sings with a Deep South American drawl of an accent, on his orchestral model acoustic guitar, which is a shape of a guitar that was originally used to play bluegrass music. There is a captivating honesty about his voice that definitely draws you into his lyrics, which are worth listening to again after the first time. His music is definitely more on the minor side of composition with hooks and melodies that paint the picture of darker lyrics, but as a musician, you can definitely appreciate M.C Taylors brainchild, that is Hiss Golden Messenger, which he has been doing for the last five years releasing five albums in the process. Definitely worth a watch if he comes to a town near you.

It’s rare that independent artist get enough exposure to pursue their music to a professional level, but Sam Amidon has done exceptionally well in his career to date. The singer/songwriter’s folk music is heavily inspired by his parents and his first musical release back in 2001 was an album of Amidon playing the fiddle. Seeing him live, it was great when he switched from guitar to the fiddle for one short track, and seeing his skill on the instrument was breath taking.
The venue was very intimate, he probably could’ve played without a microphone and we would’ve heard. It was an awesome atmosphere, he could hold everyone in silence for his slow emotional songs, such as Short Live, but then have everyone dancing for the more up beat tracks.
He was great at interacting with the audience, he was shouting out to us to move forward, dance along, or sing along. It was incredibly special when he climbed off stage, and came into the middle of the audience, and he cleared a circle and played a track right in the middle of us. Everyone was completely silent and respectful. He’s an incredibly talented musician, and I would highly recommend checking him out.