Sam Amidon kicks off an eight-show tour of North America in a performance of Nico Muhly’s The Only Tune with members of the Oregon Symphony, led by Jeffrey Kahane, in Beaverton, Oregon, on Friday. Timo Andres performs on the program as well, which is hosted by Gabriel Kahane. Amidon then continues through the Pacific Northwest with shows in Seattle, Vancouver (with special guest Joachim Cooder), and Portland, before heading to the East Coast in support of The Weather Station at shows in Philadelphia, DC, Brooklyn, and Boston. A complete list of dates can be found below, including his November UK tour with Chris Thile; for all the latest, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

Sam Amidon released his self-titled album in October 2020 on Nonesuch Records. The record, which he considers the fullest realization to date of his artistic vision, comprises his radical reworkings of nine mostly traditional folk songs, performed with his band of longtime friends and collaborators. Amidon produced the record, applying the sonic universe of his 2017 album, The Following Mountain, to these beloved tunes, many of which he first learned as a child. Rolling Stone calls it “a fine showcase for Amidon’s studio experimentation,” and praises its “elements of spacious, echoing ambient electronic music to complement Amidon’s warm vocals, reminiscent of Nick Drake and Arthur Russell.” Pitchfork calls it a “revival in the truest sense,” adding that “few artists have drawn as strong a personal statement from the public domain.”

The latest album is Amidon’s fifth recording on Nonesuch and follows the 2019 EP Fatal Flower Garden (A Tribute to Harry Smith). Additional recordings include his 2017 album The Following Mountain and Kronos Quartet’s Folk Songs the same year, on which he was a featured singer along with Rhiannon Giddens, Natalie Merchant, and Olivia Chaney; Lily-O in 2014; and his label debut, Bright Sunny South, in 2013.

SAM AMIDON ON TOUR

* w/members of the Oregon Symphony, Timo Andres, hosted by Gabriel Kahane
** w/special guest Joachim Cooder
*** w/The Weather Station
^ w/Chris Thile