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"Sometimes music is a collision of opposites. Realities clash
and coexist, and the tension that results is scary and strange,
but undeniably beautiful. Maybe that's why Samantha Crain and
the Midnight Shivers embody so many conflicting unities and
clashing identities. With a blow-your-hair-back vocal presence
that occasionally yields to whisper-soft vulnerability, Samantha
Crain unites the sounds of confidence and desperation. Traditional
folk arrangements tremble beneath the tasteful drumming of Jacob
Edwards, the heart-beating bass lines from Andrew Tanz. Lyrics
about disaster and despair peacefully coexist with anthems of
community and reconciliation. Here are darkness and light; here
are life and death.
These colliding realities stem most notably from Crain's unlikely
artistic heritage, which she wears on her sleeve but just as
readily transcends. Hailing from the state that birthed both
The Flaming Lips and Woody Guthrie, Samantha Crain writes with
both the brazen conviction of the latter and the unflinching
creative ambition of the former. Hers is a folk tradition indebted
to Radiohead as much as Bob Dylan. Her shadowy arrangements
and razor-sharp lyrics blur whatever superficial lines of genre
or aesthetic may seem to separate these influences. It seems
whatever the ingredients, she has a place for them in her inexplicable
artistic recipe. Her sound is deeply rural and southern, but
also itinerant and urban. Like Jack Kerouac before her, Crain
is lost on the subway, sleeping in boxcars, leaving lovers behind,
and dining in small town obscurity all within a few short days.
Nearly more remarkable than her creative vision is her practical
ambition. At the young age of twenty-one, Samantha Crain already
has several national tours and dozens of self-produced recordings
to her credit. Her and her band's tireless work ethic promise
years of fruitful touring and recording, and their dynamic live
performances are gathering a widespread community with every
subsequent tour. They are uniting opposites, living deeply,
and working fruitfully, with no signs of slowing down any time
soon.
Currently they are playing shows and promoting the Confiscation
EP which was released Summer 2007. It was produced by Joey Lemon
of the Chicago-based band, Berry."
-Christopher Leonard
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Purchase Samantha Crain's Music
Online:
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| Amazon.com |
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