Sam Amidon today shares a new single “Golden Willow Tree”, the track is accompanied along with a performance video filmed and directed by Steve Gullick. Having recently, collaborated with Bon Iver, the song is Amidon’s unique take of the English sea chanty turned Appalachian ballad, which Amidon first heard sung by Almeda Riddle.”Golden Willow” Tree’ arrives as a stripped-back folk tune that allows Amidon to be affecting & heartbreaking with a song that first emerged in the 1600s. River Lea will release new album Salt River on January 24th.

The Vermont native, who is now based in London, has collaborated with saxophonist and producer Sam Gendel to reinterpret and regenerate ten songs that he has gathered together as part of a decades-long quest to recontextualise what it means to sing folk songs or make folk music.

The music on Salt River ranges from traditional Appalachian ballad “Golden Willow Tree” to a radical reimagining of Lou Reed’s ”Big Sky,” and was recorded by Amidon, Gendel and percussionist Philippe Melanson, who played together as a trio during sessions in Los Angeles. Having initially encountered Gendel at his residency at the Hollywood Italian restaurant Pace, Amidon and Gendel have collaborated on various recordings and concerts over the past few years; but Salt River is their first extended collaboration, sparked when Amidon suggested they delve into his treasure box of collected songs.

From Sam Amidon:

“This album is a campfire, but the campfire is around Sam Gendel’s synthesizer. Or maybe it’s a journey through the corridors of my memory, if my memory was transplanted into Sam and Phil’s dreams.”

SamAmidon
Salt River
track listing

1 – Oldenfjord (originally by Grey Larsen)
2 – Three Five (originally traditional hymn Old Churchyard)
3 – Big Sky (originally by Lou Reed)
4 – Tavern (originally traditional American fiddle tune Salt River
5- Golden Willow Tree (originally from Appalachian ballad tradition)
6 – I’m On My Journey Home (originally from shape note singing tradition)
7 – Ask The Elephant (originally by Yoko Ono)
8 – Cusseta (originally from shape note singing tradition)
9 – Friends And Neighbors (originally by Ornette Coleman)
10 – Never (incorporates the fiddle tune “Her Long Hair Flowing Down Her Back” composed by Junior Crehan)

Sam Amidon 2025 Live Dates

Sat 25 th January – Dublin – Gate Theatre  ** Details Announced Tomorrow**
Wed 29 th January – London – Moth Club **SOLD OUT**
Thu 30 th January – London – St Giles, The Crypt **SOLD OUT**
Thu 6 th February – New York, NY – Public Records
Fri 7 th February – Hudson, NY – The Half Moon
Sat 8 th February – Brattleboro, VT – Stone Church
Wed 19 th February – Boston, MA – Club Passim

Pre-order Salt River HERE