Among the American musical microcosm of New Orleans resides a songwriter with a mission to love better, love freer, and celebrate the simple moments of joy so easy to overlook. With the help of his band comprised of New Orleans friends and musical aces (including Sam Doores of The Deslondes, Ross Farbe of Video Age, Gina Leslie, and The Lostines), Mr. Sam & The People People delight with songs of the many small things worth holding onto on their new record People People People People!, which is due out September 23rd.
Mr. Sam’s kindly baritone croon welcomes the listener like a warm hug on a cold night, floating atop a mellow analog stew of New Orleans rhythm & blues, indie rock, folk singer-songwriter, and jangle pop sounds. From the breezy, psych-tinged nostalgia of “Pictures Of Us” to the rollicking piano jaunt “Get Up Early” to the playful, infectious groove of the album’s title track, it’s clear that Mr. Sam (aka Sam Gelband) is not hindered by limitations of genre. He simply writes to remind us of the happiness to be found in everyday moments and time with cherished loved ones: a joke with a neighbor, a sunny drive with the windows down. Equally sentimental as it is uplifting and whimsical, People People People People! will make you laugh, cry, smile, and rejoice all at once, and then pick up the phone to call an old friend.
Mr. Sam’s influences are often within arms length. As a drummer, harmony vocalist and general collaborator, he has worked intimately alongside The Sons of Rainier, Sam Doores, Chris Acker, The Lostines, Dean Johnson, and has admired and studied their work while bringing his own songwriting voice to the table. While nodding to his earliest idols (Jonathan Richman, Velvet Underground, Neil Young, John Prine, Michael Hurley) Mr. Sam also brings out styles from deeper in the record bin, including older New Orleans R&B, (Lee Dorsey, Allen Tousaint, Ernie K-doe) and re-discovered lost works of artists like Johnnie Frierson.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for Mr. Sam’s standout track “Get Along,” an exuberant and upbeat anthem that captures the album’s overall message of rejoicing. Mr. Sam and his talented band bring together a shuffling New Orleans R&B sound, a hint of laid back country music, and swinging rock and roll. As the video portrays, this is a song that encourages you to do what its title says and we see this by the party that erupts at the end. Mr. Sam isn’t trying to be the hippest act with “Get Along,” but rather bring us back to a time when music could be simple, catchy, and fun. Perhaps most importantly, this is the kind of song that will bring an audience together at a show and get them dancing and laughing in unison, so let’s hope we get to see Mr. Sam on the road sometime soon.
Sam Gelband describes the inspiration behind the song:
I often write songs with performance in mind. I don’t picture myself onstage shimmying, rocking and/or rolling. I think of the opportunity that is given to all of us – performers, and audience members – to participate in the creation of something larger than the sum of its parts. When I’m at a great show, I am feeling something beyond the performance, beyond the crowd. I see the proof in those moments that beautiful things happen when people gather simply for the sake of beauty. I wanted a song to commemorate such serendipity, to deliberately call attention to the miracle that we are creating all together. The lyrics are simple, but I mean them, and often before I play this song, I’ll ask the crowd to look around and remember how lucky we all are to find each other in places like that.
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