[One of the paltry number of my co-workers who subscribes to my newsletter accosted me after last month’s missive. He said, “Sometimes I like the newsletter, and sometimes I don’t. But I have no idea at all who wrote the last one.” Apparently, at least to him, as a softie I’m essentially unrecognizable. So this one’s for you, Scott.] Read more »

I cannot promise you that this is the last holiday essay I’ll write this year. I’ll do my best to be both heartwarming and snarky, but the likelihood that I can maintain that delicate balance is kind of slim. Read more »

Some rooms make me nervous, and some rooms, like Somethin’s Brewin’, make me feel right at home from the first moment I walked in. I’ve been there twice so far, and each time I’ve struck up comfortable, casual conversations with many of the patrons. Not to mention the yummy snacks. Read more »

I met my precious wife, She Who Must Be Taunted, when I was 36 and she was 34. By some standards, that’s relatively old. And not only did we each have an adult life before we met each other, we had those lives not five miles apart. The chances that we were in the same room without meeting are actually relatively high. Read more »

It’s been clear to me for a very long time that if you take a look at the four components of a singer/songwriter’s performance – stage presence, voice, songwriting, instrumental skill – instrumental skill comes in last in importance. That is, while better guiter playing is a Good Thing, adequate guitar playing is more than good enough to deliver a stellar performance, if you’re good enough at everything else. On the other hand, if you can’t manage your presentation on stage, you’re pretty much toast; if you can’t sing, you’re pretty much toast if you’re not trying to be funny. And the importance of each of those is magnified if you don’t write your own material. Read more »

Lately, I’ve been making the rounds with a novelty song called “The Wreck of the Chicken Piccata”. The fact that I’m even playing it, and that it’s going over well, is a wonderful illustration of the principle that you can’t be your own critic. Here’s the story. Read more »

When Bill Clinton ran for President in 1992 (seems like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?), rumor has it that he had “It’s the economy, stupid” posted everywhere in his campaign headquarters, to remind people to focus on the big issue of the year. And it still seems today like good advice, because everywhere around us, we’re seeing the wreckage of people believing that various economic laws of gravity had been repealed. First, it was just going to be a few irresponsible subprime borrowers, and then we blinked, and suddenly banks are failing, students can’t borrow money for school, automobile sales are plummeting, the unemployment rate is rising, and on and on. Everything’s connected, and it amazes me that people keep forgetting that. Read more »

A few weeks ago, I attended the open mike at the Harvest Cafe in Hudson. (Brief plug: I love this place. The owner is a sweetheart, the food is excellent. Visit them whenever you can.) This open mike is typically run by my old pal Steve Howard, but he was absent on this particular night, and in addition, the open mike was a benefit for the Hudson Food Pantry. So there was something of a crowd, and the crowd was buzzing. Read more »

This past Friday, I went off to Steve Friedman’s recording studio to mix down a live recording of the feature Dave and I did in April at Emack & Bolio’s in Roslindale. Steve records the open mike there, and I slipped him a few extra bucks to record my whole set. I thought I’d give you a little peek behind the curtain, into the process. Read more »

So I’m hangin’ with my homies a couple Fridays ago – Steve Rapson had asked me to stop by his studio and do some keyboards for John Gerard‘s upcoming CD – and we were just chewing the fat, and Steve says, “Sam, you know what your act needs?” And since Steve is the author of a very, very valuable book on solo performance skills, I say, “What, Steve? What does my act need?” And Steve says, “You should tell more stories. You have such a commanding voice. Spaulding Gray is dead. Someone should take his place. Why not you?” He went on to emphasize that these stories would need to be carefully crafted, but he thought they could add a great deal to the show. Read more »