I first heard Sam Amidon's unmistakable voice on Nico Muhly's album Mothertongue.
Though I was obsessed with the three-part "The Only Tune," it never occurred to me to research the singer. Then I saw him perform with Ryan Sawyer at Union Pool down the street from my old apartment and I swore up and down I'd heard that voice before.
What I learned is that Amidon is fascinatingly someone both steeped in very traditional Americana and international avant-garde music, regularly collaborating with Bill Frissell, Doveman, and Valgeir Sigurðsson, among others.