Sam Amidon with Brian Harnetty

"His interpretations are so singular that it stops mattering how (or if) these songs existed before—all that matters is how they exist now."—Pitchfork

Forward-thinking folkie Sam Amidon's uniquely contemporary approach to reconfiguring roots music will be very well served in our intimate black box setting. His treatment of sources like the folksongs of Appalachia draws equally from both traditional and vanguard practices to strong effect. On his latest release, I See the Sign, Amidon continues to benefit from the deep connections that came from his upbringing in Vermont (where his parents were members of the Word of Mouth chorus, a community choir that performed sacred harp hymns). He also stretches out with fascinating arrangements created with collaborators such as neo-classical wunderkind Nico Muhly. Even his surprising take on hip-hop star R. Kelly's "Relief" achieves the haunting atmospheres that inhabit the spirit world he conjures from antiquated sources.

Columbus musician and found-sound composer Brian Harnetty opens the concert with a set drawn from Rawhead & Bloodybones, his soon-to-be-released Atavistic label recording that features settings of folk tales told by children in the 1940s and selections from past projects utilizing material from the Appalachian sound archives of Berea College in Kentucky.