Bio

Sam Friend’s in a world of his own — a ghost poet with lyrical wiles, undying melodies, meandering wordplays, and shaggy dreams. His songs appear like keen jewels in the dust, and enter your consciousness filled with juicy ambiguity, though fine-tuned enough to remain there and unleash all manners of firepower imagery in your mind’s eye.

Originally from Miami, Friend is shaking things up in the current post-folk movement. At an early age, he was strongly influenced by his West Virginian poet uncle, Larry Colker. He spent many summers in his uncle’s home state as a child, soaking in the surrounding music, which is where the “folk” in his sound trickles in, now carried by a voice with a distinct, high-pitched sheen of melancholy. Drawn to the inventive effusions of Beat Generation writers, he absorbed all of Jack Kerouac’s books.

At first, Friend wrote poems and played guitar separately. Then he discovered it was easier to create his own jazz and stream-of-consciousness inspired compositions than it was to learn covers, and his songs started growing, taking shape organically like a green-baby Bob Dylan in their wit and sagacious demeanor. There are hooks in these songs, but more compelling is the mystery: a push-and-pull dichotomy for the listener to bridge the gap between the known and yet-to-be discovered.

In 2008, Friend released his proper debut, Secured and Fastened for Daisy Buchanan, recording it in Barry Gibb’s Miami home studio with Veltrac Music. In 2010, he released Lady Madly, recording it himself in Seattle and delving into more exploratory territory with mandolins, accordions, and violins. Long interested in visual as well as auditory creations, Friend did the artwork for Lady Madly as well.

After touring fervently recently and moving to Brooklyn, Friend is playing regularly and recording his third effort Spirit Mirrir, reflecting the singer-songwriter’s peripatetic nature in finding new places, collaborators, muses, sensibilities, inspiration, and friends when producing a new album. He says this one will take on the notion of duality and capture the essence of a live show — another step forward for one of the most promising young singer-songwriters to emerge from South Florida.

Catch Sam currently performing with his Brooklyn based group, affectionately titled Sam Friend and The Freckles.