I’ve seen Sam on every tour since Summer 2009 and it looks like he will finally be eluding me. And I am one sad panda about this.

How can this NOT exist on the tour? HOW??

I’ve been frantically searching every travel site, working and re-working flight schedules, checking fares and clicking on every flight ‘deal’ that has landed in my inbox the past week to see if I could make it happen. And I am coming to the dreadful conclusion that I don’t think I can.

::sigh::

The worst part? That week is my birthday week. I already have the time taken off. I will basically be sitting on my ass at home with no where to go cause I can’t get to any of these slightly too north and far too east shows. Well I could. If I took a second mortgage out on my home. But I do have my limits.

And really, does Sam even know how to have a tour anymore without seeing me? Drunk Amber has gotta be a highlight of every tour. Am I right?

I know I am not alone in this. I have seen your tweets. You all pretty much begging and doing things like offering your first born child just to get Sam to swing out this general direction. I even made a little map, just in case Sam somehow forgot.

I think we might need a support group or something. I’m pretty much borderline depressed about this. I may turn to drinking. Oh, wait…

Clicky for a clear view of where we need Sam to be!

And, for those of you situated in that red circle, I am happy for you. I really am. I am not at all seething with jealousy with the other blue circle people. NOT.AT.ALL. And I will be much happier with you if you share pics, videos, stories, WHATEVER so I can live through you vicariously.

So, who is with me on the list of sad and depressed? Who’s taking out the 2nd mortgage? Are you a northeasterner who is going to take care of us all? Let us know in the comments.

Don’t know when Sam is on tour? We got you covered on our Tour Dates page.

presents

Holly Conlan

Since you are ALL going to see Sam Bradley on his Minor Tour, those of you in the U.S. need to get familiar with another name… Holly Conlan. And let me tell you, you are going to want to get there early to see her because she is pretty much amazeballs. Srsly.

Here is her bio from Shore Fire Media:

Los Angeles native Holly Conlan has carved out a distinct niche in Hollywood’s expansive music community. Her musical journey from a child pawing her father’s grand piano, to classical composition student, to surefooted indie-pop artist has led to the sort of burgeoning career that few independent artists enjoy.

A 2008 release of the Bird EP saw Holly’s first national exposure, with the languid piano and soaring cellos of “Winter” and the upbeat smirk of “OK” appearing in hit shows like One Tree Hill, 90210, Drop Dead Diva, Ghost Whisperer, The Ex List, and Privileged. That Summer, “You Are Goodbye” was awarded the coveted iTunes Single of the Week spot– its heartbreaking lyric and haunting production garnering a slew of new fans. Soon the film world took notice, and Conlan was offered a spot on the soundtrack of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits starring Natalie Portman. Radio play followed in a nod from KCRW (Top Tune – “OK”) and her addition to their 2009 pledge-drive giveaway package.

With the support of LA’s famed Hotel Cafe, Holly has been lucky to share the stage with a number of notable performers including Sara Bareilles, Colbie Caillat, Katy Perry, and Butch Walker. As part of 2008′s Hotel Cafe Tour, she traded sets with the likes of Ingrid Michaelson, Meiko, and Erin McCarley. Plus, her addition of “I’ll be Home for Christmas” to their holiday compilation, Winter Songs, rounded out the Sony/Epic release.

2009 saw the independent release of her newest LP, Fascinator. A culmination of more than a year’s work, the thirteen song offering retains the piano driven spirit of the Bird EP but delves deeper into instrumentation and arrangement, with lyrics that hypnotize. Produced by Al Sgro (Meiko, Gary Jules) and mixed by Darrel Thorp (Beck, Radiohead), Fascinator’s mature realization is proof that Holly Conlan’s journey is far from over.

Here is a taste of Holly AND you can get this song on her website for free!

Not only does Holly have “You and Me” as a free download on her site, you ALSO get a free coupon code for Toms when you sign up for the newsletter. Free music and a deal on shoes? Win-win, my friends.

And really? Sam? You are not fooling anyone. We see what you are doing touring with all these hot babes. And for that we say, kudos Sam. Kudos.

Find Holly all over the interwebs below:

Website
Facebook
Youtube
Myspace
Twitter

AND, if you haven’t bought your tickets yet for the tour, while you are getting the major side-eye from us, you need to go check the tour dates and get on it.

What do y’all think? Tell us in the comments! We love to hear from you!!

————————————————>

MARCUS IS JOINING SAM ON THE LAST LEG OF HIS MINOR TOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(No, that is not enough exclamation points to express my joy.)

We have got the dates that Marcus will be there! Click the jump or scroll down to see if your Sam date is one of them!

APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!

How much do you hate us right now? Feel free to take that hate to the comments.  ———————->

We will love you through the anger.

But no worries if you are still trying to remember everything that happened in the world of Marcus. I have decided to dedicate this week’s fangirl report to all of goings on of Marcus cause the boy was on FIRE this week!

Enjoy!

get yo tickets!:

Live at Leeds 2011 —  April 29- May 1 — Marcus Foster

NME Shockwave Music Awards w. Mumford & Sons and Marcus Foster — SOLD OUT

from the blogs:

Timber and Steel – Spotlight On: Marcus Foster

Stay Loose Digital Group - Marcus Foster // Exclusive free download and in-the-studio teaser documentary

from the wide world of Twitter:

TONS of new videos (including the teaser doc):

Same song… different angle.

Vids courtesy of CommunionRecords, kyndldestroyer and katieh101 aka MadAboutVampires.

great pics to frame and love forever:

Screencaps from doc vid courtesy of @BobbyMarcus_ita

Pic courtesy of @joelfarland

free tunes to download:

I Don’t Mind – Marcus Foster

Tumble Down – Marcus Foster

I think I got it all… Did we miss anything? Tweet us and let us know! Or better yet, shoot us an email. And remember, if you are at ANY of these shows and caught some amazing pics, great video or just have a really good story to tell, please let us know! We love to share!

Now, we don’t know if you all out there actually listen to our oratory awesomeness but they make us laugh and in the end that is the point of the whole thing anyways, right? To have fun. That being said, I had every intention of actually writing out my thoughts on Marcus’ “unofficially confirmed” (heh) tour in August– and then I thought, pshaw, writing posts is sooo 2010…audio posts is where all the cool kids are at, yo.

so, here ya go…my rando thoughts on why Marcus needs to announce his tour dates….like yesterday:

What do you think?? Do you likey the Boo? Or no likey the Boo? And, more importantly, do I sound like a man? Amber promises me that I don’t but she also isn’t on the receiving end of “Thank you sir” when on the phone with people that don’t know me.

What is it about a man, his guitar, and a field... ::le sigh::

Andrew Soloman

AND if you can make Andrew’s first show our in sunny California, SAMaM Global is gonna make the pot just a wee bit sweeter for you! The first 20 fans to buy a $5.00 advance ticket get a free autographed “Tides” CD!

Sweet, right? Just email ahartman@samamglobal.com to purchase. Here is the cool flyer and deets for the show:

::sigh::

I know he is off recording an album (with a band no less, SQUEE), and he has a few shows scheduled over across the pond, but man, I may go into withdrawals very soon. I mean, even though I fangirl hardcore at his shows and quite possibly embarass myself every time, I can’t wait to do it again!

Good news for some of you, your withdrawals are ending soon. Are you on the list?

Yeah, me neither. So, let’s pine for Marcus together, and admire his “hobo” ways. Hey! He said it, not me! Okay, I’ve said it before but not today. Not while I’m pining away!

P.S. I really love this song. Like, bunches.

Are you following SoS on Twitter?! Why not?!?!? Do it today, and as soon as I hear that Marcus has added some more dates, I will tell you.

We will get through these hard times. Let’s hold hands and listen to Circle in the Square and dream of short pants and sculpting.

First on the list, Bobby blogged! And not just a little bit, I mean a massive blog that is so full of win it’s kind of hard to believe. Here is just a little taste…

I have some really good shows in front of me. I have a big run in Texas which should be a lot of fun and to see Texas from the perspective of a car should be really interesting. Not that im

Source: K. Thruston

gonna start to don myself in cowboy gear but I really liked Dallas when I was there and its rare when im on tour to actually see the make up of the city or state. Im hoping to walk or drive away from Texas educated and ready to hit Detroit, Chicago and New York with enough southern vigour to brand a bull! Im also heading to Portland which was one of my favourite places last time I visited. I didn’t get to a try a doughnut from voodoo doughnut so that’s the first thing im gonna do followed by another Elliott smith memory lane trip. I recently did a cover of his song Between The Bars in Kansas, which was another great crowd.Im always too scared to touch his stuff because I love it so much but a friend of mine and me were singing it in the car on the long trip from beautiful Minneapolis so I played it and it went down really well. Im not sure if ill do it again however some things should be looked at and not touched or as my Nan defines it “you look with your eyes not your hands” so not to disappoint an old lady ill stick to her philosophy. Im gonna dip my hands in the Mississippi river when im in New Orleans and grab a flask and send it home to my great uncle Charlie as he is now wheelchair bound and cannot go. He first played me some of the jazz I love and on my christening wet my head with water from the Thames as he could not get any from the Mississippi. It’s surprising my head did not dissolve but he loves and still sings those songs with the famous river in the title. He also gave me a puff on a cigar when I was eight as he thought it may of helped the cough I had. A year later when my Mam smelt smoke on me he was banned from all of my birthday parties until I was sixteen!

Go and read the whole thing on Bobby’s MySpace page! You will not regret it!

Also out there… a really great review of Bobby’s show at the Hotel Cafe!

Playing selections that included tracks from his self-released Dirty Pond Songs album, hair strewn across his face, Long offered some wry yet also self-effacing intros (including commenting on his problem with a “bulging disc” bringing severe discomfort if he sat, so he stood for the night). He came across as quite personable in a nice, boyish way — a contrast to the often heart-on-the-sleeve, dramatic nature of the material, such as “Left to Lie” and “The Bounty of Mary Jane.”

Other key numbers included the kiss-off of “Dead and Done” (“For the dusk falls to dawn, I’ll have you banished from my mind/I just need a moment’s rest to make it mine”) and the waltz tempo carried “Penance Fire Blues.” He also featured songs that will likely appear on his next release, planned for 2010, “Only You,” among them.

The influences were obvious at times, but they’re good ones, like Dylan and Neil Young. Can’t go wrong there. His way with wordplay and imagery also recalled Conor Oberst a few years back. But unlike Oberst’s early work, Long has already found a fine singing voice to match that imagery. Plus, he’s also an impressive guitarist as a picker and more; it would be interesting to hear him with a little band at some point.

Oh, I like the idea of Bobby with a band! I think that could be really cool!! Anyway, read the rest of this review at the Buzzine and be sure to get to see Bobby tonight at The Mint if you are in the area!

And I have more Bobby, right after the jump…

Even my hometown has caught the Bobby Long bug!! I was hoping they wouldn’t miss him. Unfortunately, for now, I can only link you to the story. The damn thing won’t let me copy any text to post here. So read it here! I will, however, be updating this post later today with a scan of the article. I will tweet once I have it!!

Bobby Long on OKGazette.com

Update!! Here is the scan from the paper! You still need to click the link to read the text, but I’m sure you all will dig the picture!

Click to see full size!! Please source SoS if you post!!

And I know we got mad representation in the big OKC, and I (Amber) will be at the Conservatory on 12/7 for the Bobby show, so be sure and come say hello to me! LiLi will be at the Dallas show on 12/8 at Poor David’s Pub. Go and ask her for her autograph!!

There can’t possibly be more, can there… oh yes there can!!

My good Twitter friend Krista (@AccentOnLife) who works for The Times of Arcadiana had the opportunity to conduct a Q&A with Bobby:

ToA: Talk a little bit about the differences between recording and playing live. Do you prefer one or the other?

Long: Being in the studio is hugely refreshing. It’s great to play with other people, especially when they’re very different. Recording is the epitome because you’re putting something down. But you have to be able to perform live. There’s a lot more freedom performing live. I change songs all the time live but try to find the mean in the studio. They both have their differences.

ToA: What is your favorite song to perform?

Long: It changes all the time. There’s a song I wrote with my sister, Only You, but other than that, it changes.

ToA: Take us through the process of recording your EP, Dirty Pond Songs.

Long: There wasn’t one. I walked into my bedroom, put a microphone on my pillows and played into it for an hour. One take. It was just sitting down and doing it. I do try to bring aspects of my live performance into recording. There is some security in recording because you have enough takes.

ToA: What do you hope audiences take from both your live performances and your EP?

Long: I want people to know what I’m about and sit on it for a couple of days. I want them to think about it. First, I want to put on good show. I want people to be respectful of what I’m trying to do. And they are. People come up and say, “Yeah, that’s really cool.” That’s the most anyone can ask for.

Read the entire interview right here! Krista did a fantastic job, as always, spreading the love in New Orleans!!

Phew!! That was a lot of good stuff, right? Are you all hyped up to see Bobby now? Be sure to check his tour dates on our tour date page and get your butt to a show!

In case you missed them:

Well, I don’t know about all of you, but I am excited! For those of us that got to see Marcus his first go round through the U.S., we can tell you that you are in for a treat! However, Marcus does change up some of my plans for other concerts (and probably does yours as well!), so I thought it might be a great idea to have a quick post and see where other SoS fans will be when they see Marcus.

Feel free to use this page to talk to others, make plans, WHATEVER so we can give Marcus the biggest showing yet! Bring your friends and start converting them to the Brit boy love!

Watch them in order, as that is the order of the conference. Enjoy gals (and those couple of guys, you know who you are!)!

(Okay, I think there will be more videos, as this is clearly not the end. I will post them as they are put up on YouTube!)