Sam Lewis & Scott McMahan Perform at Isis Music Hall on Thu 8/29
Sam Lewis @ Isis Restaurant & Music Hall
Also performing is Scott McMahan
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Doors 8pm, Show 9pm; $8 adv/ $10 dos
Limited seating, dinner reservations recommended
828-575-2737
743 Haywood Road Asheville, NC 28806
www.isisasheville.com
Since his successful debut of his self-titled album, Sam Lewis has been busy crafting songs the next one. A soulful songwriter, Sam sings with raw emotion, inviting you into his life and love stories; he has a way of touching deep into the heart of listeners with his straight-forward and captivating music. “There’s so much soul pouring out of this guy’s pores you could bathe in it. It’s like hearing Al Green for the first time,” writes No Depression’s Grant Britt.
Sam debuted four new songs on Daytrotter.com this July. To listen in to the new tunes, please visit -> http://bit.ly/18S1S55.
Six years of constant writing, performing and touring have become the nexus of Lewis’ music. In March of 2012, Sam released his self-titled debut with the help of co-producer Matt Urmy, Sam has woven ten songs into a conversation, between himself, the band, and his listeners. Urmy, himself an accomplished singer/songwriter, assembled a group made up of Nashville’s top session and touring players, including guitarist Kenny Vaughan, keyboard player Reggie Bradley Smith, Derek Mixon on drums and bass player Dave Jacques. Making a surprise appearance on the album is soul chanteuse Jonell Mosser, providing backing vocals on “I’m A River”.
Music was one of the few constants in Sam’s life. His family never stayed anywhere for long, which meant that friendships were forged between himself and the music he absorbed, from Roy Orbison to Van Morrison to Willie Nelson. The influence of Ray Charles can be felt from the first note to the last beat, making Sam’s debut a complimentary companion to Charles’ own, two-volume Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. Leaving home as soon as the opportunity arrived, Sam landed in Knoxville, and later Nashville.
Sam has spent hours, in fact years, collecting and arranging the relationships and experiences he has forged. To the average person, they seem like an amalgamation of time and happenstance, but to him, they are the moral of the story. “I never once felt, in this whole process that someone just kind of pointed. No one took me by the hand, but almost every single one of these connections were very personal. I was introduced to these people that helped make this record. These are gonna be people that I’m going to know the rest of my life.” Lewis has drawn us a clear picture of where he’s going, and thankfully, he has invited us along for the ride.
“Sounding a bit like James Taylor, but bluesier and more country … often about human flaws, weaknesses, and some of the facets of love.” –Tom Geddie, Buddy Magazine
“The complete artist is one that everyone should be reminded of from time to time – the one who writes, sings, performs and handles every aspect of the form of expression found in music. And this is where you find Sam Lewis, blending a mix of country and soul in a manner such as Van Morrison or Ray Charles. He has a story to tell that is relevant to all” –Travis Swann, Mufreesboro Post
“The realness … instantaneously creates a link between Lewis and other famous singer/songwriters like Amos Lee, John Prine and Henry McCullough.” –Greenberry Taylor, Fishbowl Records
For more about Sam Lewis, please visit: samlewistunes.com
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More about Scott McMahan:
Scott McMahan blurs the lines between Soul & Folk. Honest and direct – he sings of longing, loss, and the hope of redemption. His warm, gritty baritone is at times weary and emotion-laced, bringing to mind artists like Otis Redding and Van Morrison.
“Somewhere within Scott McMahan’s wounded, tender voice there’s a tremor that makes women want to take him home, make him some stew, smooth the worry from his brow and put him to bed. His soulful, self-effacing songs are about long drives home when you’d really hoped to stay the night; they’re about unanswered phone calls, and love too-long unreciprocated.” –Metro Pulse
For more about Scott McMahan, please visit: www.facebook.com/scottmcmahansongs
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