Beam Me Up

Iron and Wine
Album: The Shepherd's Dog
Flightless Bird, American Mouth

You may have noticed that my Blogger name is "SufjanBeam".  The Sufjan part I've already covered, and now comes the Beam.

Sam Beam is a musician from the southern US who records under the name Iron and Wine, and who is, in my opinion, the best of the "new Americana" folk movement.  As you rightly have guessed he is also one of my favorite current artists, along with Sufjan Stevens and DM Stith.  (By the way, I couldn't figure out a melodious way to incorporate Stith into my Blogger nickname.  If you have a suggestion, please pass it along.)

You know, I've been going to live events for as long as I can remember; several moments stand out.  Seeing the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the great Simon Rattle perform Le Sacre in London.  Bobby Wiseman (former Blue Rodeo keyboardist -- don't hold it against him) at Amigos on a miserable winter night.  Fugazi at an all-ages show in Saskatoon back in the day.  And Sam Beam at the 2009 Regina Folk Festival.  An absolutely stunning performance.

The guy looks like Jesus.  If I had one wish right now I would be sorely tempted to ask for a beard as utterly fantastic as his.  Shallow, I know, but I think I'm entitled to my priorities.  He's tiny, too.  And he likes to wear sweater vests.  Despite these obvious drawbacks, Beam has a riveting stage presence.  He's funny as hell, about as laid back as a La-Z boy recliner, and when he started to sing in Regina in his whispered wispy way the entire crowd went dead silent.  It really was a magical night.  He had us all in his thrall.

His guitar playing is excellent too, in a way similar to The Tallest Man On Earth: not at all flashy but in perfect control.  A musician's musician.  Enjoy.