Monthly Archives: April 2011
Day 3: The Songs
Amber’s Fave Live Performance
This may have been the hardest for me. One, I have not been to a bad Sam Bradley show yet, nor have I hated anything he has done on stage. And two, to pick just one song (and actually find a video for it) is the hardest thing ever. There are some songs I’ve liked, but couldn’t find videos for. And I can’t do video on my own. No way. The alcohol just does not allow me to hold a camera steady. Shocking, I know.
So when I talked to LiLi, I told her probably one of my fave shows was the last one I saw. Maybe cause it’s fresh on the mind or maybe because the album was just out and we got some new tunes. Who knows? LiLi can’t help cause she wasn’t there. (I know. We are still sad about that.)
The funny thing is… my fave song of the night was the last song Sam played, and the first song I ever heard by Sam. Maybe it’s cheesy and cliché , but this song still gets me. Every time. Even more so now because I think Sam plays it better then he did way back in the infant stages of my Sam love.
P.S. I’m pretty sure I can hear myself talking at the beginning, which always freaks me out especially when I have no idea who is recording.
Yes, the talking is so annoying. It always is. But c’mon. Does this song not just hit you in the gut? Does it not leave you just wishing for more? I mean, as the last song of the night, I was just drained following it. I love the emotions I feel when I hear it.
Maybe that is just me. And that’s cool. But damn y’all, I don’t think I’ll ever get over this song or this performance. Sam sets a new bar for me each time he performs. It really does get better every time. Which is why I love Sam, even with all the shitty jokes.
LiLi’s Fave Song Live
You know it’s funny– Amber and I met through Sam’s music first. And then as time went on (and we started to talk about other things) we realized that we do in fact share the same brain. Most of the time. Usually, we finish each other sentences and thoughts and then laugh about how much we think alike. But despite our common bond of music, there is one divide in our relationship. One that parts us like the Red Sea…
Amber likes ballads while I like fast songs.
::gasp::
I know. It’s like we are the Capulets and the Montagues. And yet, despite our differences, she is still my non-sexual lesbian life partner.
I tell you this to show that while we both heart Sam like WHOA, we see him in two totally different ways. And our favorite live performances couldn’t be more opposite. While she is drawn to his ballads, as you can see above, I am more into his faster music. Like “Derek”. I remember clearly hearing it live for the first time, that very first time we ever saw Sam in concert at Poor Davids. The whole show has a special place in my heart for many reasons, so naturally, when Amber and I decided Day 3 was going to be “favorite song live” I knew immediately it had to be this song from that night.
For me, when I see an artist or band live for the first time, no matter how much I may love their album or single, I am always wary of their live performance. What if it doesn’t translate well on stage? What if without all the studio “help” it just isn’t the same?
I usually spend the first show completely still, absorbing it all, waiting until I am at home to process it all. Every once in a while though, I will be at a show and there will be a song or a moment from the artist where I am like, “YES” and then I am in it. I feel a connection to the music and the artist and once that is established I am a fan forever.
And, that my friends is what happened when I heard “Derek” that night back in August of 2009. That was the moment that I became a Sam fan. So, without further a do….please take a trip down memory lane with me. And love this song as much as I do.
Video Source
Sorry to get all Serious Sam around here today…but sometimes we just gotta show our other side. That despite all the jokes and shenanigans we really are fans of the music first and foremost. Without it we wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t be posting/tweeting/telling our friends and family about Sam and The Men.
Can we all hug now?
Now, what about you? What’s your fave song to hear live?
Day 2: THE shirt
I know what you are thinking…
“What? A shirt? What’s this business?”
Our original idea for Day 2 was to joke about our favorite outfit we’ve seen Sam in. (Yes, we are very aware these posts sound like high school yearbooks. That’s why we love them.) So while in the trust tree, we discovered something. Something that we BOTH agree on. Wholeheartedly. Without reservation. And in fact, we both thought of it separately, and then we both kind of said it at the same time and were like YES…
Our favorite outfit is the exact same…THE shirt.
OG Sam fans (like early 2009) know of the shirt. The shirt is magical. It has powers which we do not comprehend, nor do we try. The shirt… well.. you just need to see it. In action.
(On a separate note, we also determined that it is really hot when musicians talk or gesture to the sound guys. Yep. LiLi edit: it’s up there with a guy smoking while playing pool. Don’t ask me why…it just is.)
Beware of the awesomeness radiating from the stripes.
LiLi and I experienced the full on power of the shirt in person the Summer of 2009, in Dallas, at the Marcus & Bobby show. Sam, like us, was just there to watch, so he was sans blazer. AND wearing the shirt.
I didn’t get any pictures with the shirt since I wasn’t quite besties with Sam yet. But I did get to hug it. And it was soft. And smelled like sunshine.
And I had this realization… I think we like Casual Sam the best. Kinda like the way Ken has multiple outfits for multiple moods & events– Sam has his dressed up concert look and then his casual v-neck-tee-with-slip-on-vans-rugged-jeans-type thing going on.
Which, don’t get us wrong here people. We love Fancy Sam. A LOT. But in the end, we are beer drinking, sports watching, chicks who dig a man in a tee shirt and jeans tearing it up on stage. Especially if that tee is striped. With a hoodie. And smells like rainbows.
What about you all? Do you have a preferred look or outfit? Don’t be shy….lay it on us.
And of course, be sure to check in tomorrow for Day 3 of our OMG-The-Sam-Bradley-Band-Starts-The-Minor-Tour-This-Week-Post-A-Polooza…where we actually, I dunno, talk about the music? Crazy notion, huh?
The ‘OMG The Sam Bradley Band Starts The Minor Tour This Week” Post-a-Polooza – Day 1: Facepalm
In honor of the beginning of Sam’s tour (a headlining one at that!), we thought it may be fun to take a little trip down memory lane. Re-experience the awesomeness that always happens when you attend a Sam Bradley concert. Over the next few days, to gear up for the start of the tour which I KNOW all of you are jazzed about, LiLi and I will each pick a topic of the day and one of our favorite memories that fits that topic.
Today, our topic of choice….
Facepalm Moments
I think what makes all these moments all the more awkward, embarrassing and downright hilarious is the fact that Sam forgets nothing. NOTHING. It threw me for a loop when I finally realized that. I mean, hell, he recognized me from Facebook and Twitter before we ever met. Scary, right?
Because of this, every time we see Sam from here to eternity, we’ll always wonder which of our facepalm moments will be floating through his mind at that particular moment. If we are lucky, it will NEVER be these ones… Read the rest of this entry
presents
The Treasures
In case you weren’t already aware (and if you weren’t, then I have to ask, what pray tell brought you to this site? ) Mr. Bradley and The Men are headed out on tour this week. Stopping first in Canada, the guys will be supported by The Treasures while they tour the land of Tim Horton’s and Universal Health Care.
So, for those of you lucky enough to live in Canada, stop watching Rick Mercer interview dumb ace gullible Americans and check out The Treasures:
video source
From their myspace:
“Life is full of beautiful contradictions; this is one of them. You may wonder why a bunch of northern city guys are writing tunes reminiscent of the Outlaw Country movement, laced with thick harmonies, and smoky steel lines. One listen will tell you: the creamy vocal harmonies are striking, and the infectious pedal steel and lead guitar perfectly compliment the classic rhythm section. Country Rock’n'Roll never felt quite like this before. The Treasures have taken the rawness of the Outlaw artists like Gram Parsons, and infused it with their northern musical sensibilities, taking the music to a place that may remind you of artists like The Band or CSNY. It’s like nothing you’ve heard and like everything you’ve heard, fresh but familiar.
The Treasures band began as a side project in which, all the members could take time to air out the musical ideas building up inside their heads, as well as take a break from their other bands. After a few rehearsals and a last minute show, however, it was plain to see that The Treasures could not be kept within the periphery. The Treasures are a relatively young group, but it doesn’t look like they’ll be wasting any time, so check in frequently and listen to the progress. You can hear The Treasures playing around Toronto at venues such as ‘The Drake Underground’, ‘The Silver Dollar’, and ‘Clinton’s’.”
Gah. I am such a sucker for a steel guitar. I think it’s passed in vitro if you are born anywhere in the South that you must love what Stephen King calls “chrome tears”– which describes what a steel guitar sounds like perfectly, eh?
From my quick google search hours and hours of research, I could only find that one video and only two songs on their myspace page, but in this case, that’s all I needed to come to the conclusion that I will be soory to miss these guys during the tour.
You can listen for yourself on their myspace page HERE.
What about you? Are you in Canada? Are you familiar with these guys already? If so, tell us more! If not, then what do you think?
PS– Now, for you Americans– never you fear– we will be highlighting Ms. Conlan next week so you can all get a little taste of her musical delights before the guys cross the border.
Kemptation- EP: Marcus Foster Tumble Down
“It’s not too often that singer songwriters genuinely impress but Foster is one of them, complementing his story-telling lyrics with the kind of delightfully addictive melodies that both old folks and kids can get down on.”
word.
Amber
Li Li
