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Concert Mon Apr 07 2008
Sam Baker/Gurf Morlix bring a bit of Texas to Bill's Blues Bar
The best show in Chicago this week is in Evanston. It's at the occasionally misnamed Bill's Blues. On Thursday two of Austin's finest singer songwriters will be playing Bill's.
Gurf Morlix is a name that anyone in the americana or alt-country world knows well from his early work on guitar and production for Lucinda Williams. He has also produced scores of records from artists in the americana world as well as released several critically acclaimed solo records. He doesn't get out of Texas much, but is a world traveler compared to Sam Baker.
Sam Baker has an interesting story. He's at an age (52) where he could probably have 8-10 solo albums under his belt. But instead an event in 1986 sidetracked his life. Sam was traveling in Peru where as he tells it he "got in the middle of someone else's war". The train he was traveling in was blown up by a terrorist bomb planted by "the shining path". Several passengers died including a German family sitting next to Sam. Sam suffered many injuries and nearly bled to death. One of his injuries was to his right hand another caused brain damage and he was laid up in bed for 20 years. It's astounding to imagine that since seeing him perform today you'd hardly notice (he can hold a pick, but just barely, and his guitar playing is simple but beautiful).
The brain damage resulted in Sam being unable to remember words. Which is perhaps the most incredible part of the story, since it's with words that Sam Baker now excels. Check out "Juarez" from Sam's 2007 release Pretty World below. And catch the tandem at Bill's Blues Bar this Thursday at 8pm.
[streaming mp3]: Sam Baker - "Juarez"
