{"title":"Sam Sweeney","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"escape-that","title":"Escape That","description":"\u003cp\u003eRenowned fiddle player and tireless musical adventurer \u003cstrong\u003eSam Sweeney\u003c\/strong\u003e returns with the passionate, raw and expressive new album \u003cem\u003eEscape That\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe record ties together the threads and footpaths of all of Sam's musical loves; an honest and fearless expression of himself, combining pop hooks and aesthetics with his pioneering work in the world of traditional dance tunes. \u003cem\u003eEscape That\u003c\/em\u003e simultaneously presses the reset button on what a folk record should sound like while marking a major stride forward for Sam into the world of composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWritten without ever touching the violin, Sam retreated to his attic during the lockdowns of 2020-21 and created over twenty pieces of music. Composed almost entirely on synths and guitars, with snapshots of loved ones and memories as inspiration in a time of isolation, he devised a way of writing where he'd lay down a chord sequence and then record an improvisation over the top. On listening back, anything that could be considered a hook would be kept, everything else was deleted and tracks developed by linking the hooks together to create dance tunes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSam then translated the melodies back to the fiddle, an instrument of which he is considered a modern master. Nominated four times, and winner in 2015, of Musician Of The Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Sam has been at the forefront of the revival in English music for the last fifteen years. He is a veteran of the mighty Bellowhead, former and inaugural Artistic Director of the National Youth Folk Ensemble, a founder member of ground-breaking trio Leveret as well as a passionate and experienced educator. He has collaborated, recorded and performed with The Full English, Eliza Carthy, Martin Carthy, Jon Boden, Fay Hield and Emily Portman as well as creating his own theatre production \u003cem\u003eMade In The Great War\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hudson Records","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50443962319179,"sku":"2000101","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50443960648011,"sku":"2000100","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50443962777931,"sku":"2000102","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Escape_That_f92b9ed5_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727022390"},{"product_id":"the-unfinished-violin","title":"The Unfinished Violin","description":"\u003cp\u003eA veteran of the mighty Bellowhead’s domination of British folk for ten years, artistic director of the National Folk Youth Ensemble, founder member of the acclaimed instrumental trio Leveret, and a superb instrumentalist at the forefront of the revival in English traditional music, Sam Sweeney has signed with Island Records to release his first solo album, \u003ci\u003eThe Unfinished Violin\u003c\/i\u003e, an expansion and development of his acclaimed live show, \u003ci\u003eSam Sweeney’s Fiddle: Made In The Great War\u003c\/i\u003e, which toured to great acclaim from 2014 to last year. Rob Harbron, along with guitarist Jack Rutter, pianist Becky Price, double bassist Ben Nicholls and a brass and string section, appear with Sam on \u003ci\u003eThe Unfinished Violin\u003c\/i\u003e. It’s apt that the last recording sessions were at erstwhile Island stablemates Fairport Convention’s studio in Oxfordshire, underlining the label’s rich history in supporting British folk. Sam signed to the label following an appearance on Radio Four, to talk about \u003ci\u003eMade In The Great War\u003c\/i\u003e. Island Records subsequently invited Sam to create an album of the kind of music Richard Howard’s violin would have played had it been assembled at the time of its making. “I said, give me a few days to think about it, because I really didn’t want to create a jingoistic, patriotic album,” he says, “but after some research, it was very clear that there would be loads of great tunes, and great stories.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Island","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50497903919435,"sku":"1038792","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/135057e0-c82d-4440-9d8a-94d0d772d5d3_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727734788"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/sam-sweeney.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}