Chris Acker and The Growing Boys w/ Michael Gay & Mr. Sam at Cloudland Theater

Chris Acker and The Growing Boys

Orleans Americana world his purlieu. In the tradition of Guthrie and Prine, Chris lends a quavering voice to the half-rotten romance of the unremarkable and unrefined. Regardless if you’re sitting by a backyard fire on a muggy Louisiana night or standing stage-side in some far flung town, when you hear Chris Acker playing, you’re hearing the end result of countless hours of observing the masters of the craft…and the end result of repeating their mistakes.

Some hard-times don’t happen behind plows, they happen behind dish-pits and cash registers. Some ramblers don’t feel the hot breath of freedom, just the smell of car exhaust and a couch for a bed. From the folk revival through the golden age of country music, deafened by punk shows and brass bands alike, Chris’s songwriting is a nod to the absurd yet muted brilliance that inhabits the molded corners of the bars he patrons and cratered street he treads, paired with a pained honesty that merits a long second look.

Mr. Sam

standing beside the emerging songwriting voices of the Pacific Northwest and of the New Orleans americana scene, Mr. Sam has carved his own corner of the genre. His writing focuses on the joys and virtues of living and loving, but not without recognizing the endurance and patience that is required to find it in an unforgiving world. On his sophomore album “Again! Again!,” Mr. Sam plays freely with this duality and what paths lie between – a shoulder to cry on, a cannonball on a hot summer day, the unknown warmth of a stranger.

Drawing influence from classic singer-songwriters and New Orleans R&B greats, he has also become a student of his contemporaries through his close collaborations with Dean Johnson, The Sons of Rainier, Sam Doores, Chris Acker, to name a few. Citing them as his biggest influences as a writer, Mr. Sam says “There is no better lesson in writing than to write, but the next best thing is to be there to hear the moment when a song becomes itself.”

Guided by his sometimes soothing, sometimes raucous baritone, Mr. Sam leads The People People in a lively, electrifying dance hall sound while maintaining an intimacy fit for a long late night drive. Recorded live to tape in the summer of 2023 on the shores of the Puget Sound at Unknown Studios in Anacortes, Washington, Mr. Sam & The People People have crafted an analog concoction of rousing vocal arrangements, bouncing pianos, razor sharp steel guitar, and grooving percussion all in service of the sounds of togetherness.

“Again! Again!” feels, all in all, akin to a long phone call with an old friend. A conversation where “how are you?” is more than a formality. Devin Champlin, songwriter for The Sons of Rainier and Mr. Sam’s longtime friend and collaborator offers this –

“On Again! Again! Mr Sam’s inner voice is out for all to hear, and it’s part pregame coach pep-talker, part puppy lover, part late night host, and all delivered with such playful care and loving sincerity, that I’m inclined to believe him. He’s lending us his own kind reminders that we’re OK, we’re going through it, and we’re not alone [...] Sam can turn guilt to kindness, get to know all the strangers, watch the stars and cry, knock on wood, and twirl his tail all he wants, but I don’t believe he’s getting out of this monkey business for one minute.”

MICHAEL GAY is a country and folk singer-songwriter based in Minneapolis, MN. He plays solo and with a band, primarily in bars throughout the upper midwest (and sometimes beyond).