Samuel James

Latest Articles

Exploring the countryside with Max García Conover

Take to the trees
There are so many guys with guitars nowadays.
By SAM PFEIFLE | February 01, 2012

Otter calls

Wax Tablet
The adventurous folks at ETERNAL OTTER RECORDS have been keeping things nice and weird lately.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | November 16, 2011

Sibilance
The metalsmiths in DEAD SEASON have hit the HEATSEEKERS (NORTHEAST) BILLBOARD chart with their latest album, The Negative NUMBers . It's debuting this week at positive number 2.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | June 15, 2011

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Dropdead, The Body ready to slay AS220

Off the Couch
Feel the pain
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | September 23, 2010

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Summer Festivus Meximus: The Portland Music and Arts Festival, and other local music news

Sibilance
People sure do like putting on festivals.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | July 07, 2010

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Eternal Otter Records releases a slew of singles

Sibilance
On July 10 ETERNAL OTTER RECORDS will be releasing its next slew of vinyl singles with a cool gig both in the Narrow Gauge museum and on the train itself.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | June 30, 2010

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As Fast As at the Empire, Grand Hotel's new album, and more

Sibilance
AS FAST AS are playing a reunion show of sorts July 3 at the Empire.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | June 24, 2010

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It's BiMPy time: Rhode Island Music Awards at Lupo's

Off the Couch
Start the weekend off proper.
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | June 02, 2010

One man’s picks for the BiMPys

Handicapping the Best Music Poll
Pffft. That Phoenix Best Music Poll is just a popularity contest!
By SAM PFEIFLE | June 02, 2010

Moms rock!

Musician-mothers learn to balance boundless energy and tireless creativity
Some moms decide, from heartbeat one of ultrasound, that they aren’t going to let a small (i.e., life-changing) thing like motherhood get in the way of their art.
By DENA RIEGEL | May 05, 2010

We heart these people

Meet Portland's most influential
We all know Portland is a busy, exciting place to live. It takes a lot of people's amazing energy to keep it going, though. Who's doing the moving and the shaking?
By JEFF INGLIS | February 10, 2010

Love among the ruins

Eternal Otter documents make-ups, breakups, and shake-ups
To Will Ethridge, who runs the small Portland-based label Eternal Otter Records, any song or album is just one crucial piece of a larger puzzle.
By CHRISTOPHER GRAY | January 20, 2010

Local luminaries’ picks

A sample of other best songs of the 2000s
I asked a bunch of people who really dig local music to help me make sure I wasn’t leaving any songs out when I was developing my list of the best 10 songs of the 2000s, but then I quickly realized that “best” is about as subjective as things come when you’re talking about songs.
By SAM PFEIFLE | December 22, 2009

Short-form Portland

The 10 best LPs and EPs of 2009
I can hear the snarky comments already: "What?!? Rustic Overtones put out an album this year and Pfeifle hasn't fallen all over himself naming it #1? The sky is green!" But this isn't 1999. It's 2009. And it isn't all that strange for a phenomenal album to hit Portland's city streets anymore.
By SAM PFEIFLE | December 16, 2009

Second summer

Catching up with discs missed
Summer's over, the kids are getting back to school and I'm loath to turn the seasonal page. The music's been terrific. New discs by Spencer and the School Spirit Mafia, Grand Hotel, dilly dilly, Samuel James, and Gypsy Tailwind have highlighted the depth and breadth of our local talent and the return of shows on the pier has reminded many of us just what a great summer town this can be.
By SAM PFEIFLE | August 26, 2009

Book of Samuel, Vol. 3

For the ages, and For Rosa, Maeve and Noreen
It's so easy not to think about the music Samuel James makes much at all. Built from the very pillars of American music, it's easy to dismiss it as an homage, a throwback, a curiosity. And it is all those things, with James's ageless voice — he could be 20 or 80 — and variety of stringed instruments that scoff at modern technology.
By SAM PFEIFLE | August 19, 2009

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Samuel James at SPACE and the dilly on Dilly Dilly

Sibilance
• Keep next weekend open: throwback bluesman SAMUEL JAMES has a release party scheduled for his third full-length, For Rosa, Maeve and Noreen. Joining James on August 22 at SPACE will be the likes of SONTIAGO , LADY LAMB , MICAH BLUE SMALDONE , MEANTONE , and, well, lots of other folks. Sounds like a party.
By PORTLAND MUSIC PHOENIX STAFF | August 12, 2009

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A decade of song

10 years of the Portland Music Awards
It’s been a decade since the Portland Phoenix and the Portland music scene first joined up to celebrate the best in local music. Here are some highlights from this year’s party, and some artifacts we dug up from the archives.
By MARGO ROY, CLIF GARBODEN, JOHN MARSHALL, LISA CRAIG, MATTHEW ROBBINS, SONYA TOMLINSON, JEFF INGLIS, AND JENNIFER KEARNS | June 11, 2009

Music Seen: All over

All over, April 27 to May 2
Last week we spent five of six nights out on the town. If anyone ever complains that we don't have enough venues or shows to attend we beg to differ.
By SONYA TOMLINSON | May 06, 2009

Greater than fiction

Mainers find ideas and connections at a Missouri film festival
The True/False Film Festival, which just wrapped up its sixth year in Columbia, Missouri, presents an encouraging object lesson in how to establish a destination film festival in an unlikely location.
By CHRISTOPHER GRAY | March 04, 2009

Scrutiny of the bounty

Was 2008 the best year ever for local music releases?
I'm an enthusiastic guy, and maybe prone to hyperbole from time to time, but it's hard to argue that 2008 wasn't an all-time banner year for music created here in the Portland area.
By SAM PFEIFLE | December 23, 2008