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"Sam Plotkin featured on award winning Bright Night's "Holiday Music collection" ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
LiveWire Awards: 2009's Best Local Discs Looking back, it was quite a decade for local music. Springfield’s very own Staind turned into one of the most popular acts in the business and the region’s metal scene graduated acts like Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, and All That Remains to the national and international stage. Northampton’s supportive music community gave rise to Ware River Club and Winterpills, to name just a few, again pushing local talent to a more-worldly audience. All of those bands showed promise early on, submitting locally-produced recordings here and to other outlets for review. Staind’s “Tormented” (now somewhat of a collector’s item) and Shadows Fall’s “Somber Eye to the Sky” were feted in this column for being innovated, inspiring, and rising to the head of the stack of local CDs. "It's interesting, because obviously, people are at these places to eat," he explains. "So you can't expect their undivided attention—and I don't. But I look at those gigs as jobs more than performance—and it's a great place to try out new material." Looking forward, who will carry the torch for 2010 and beyond? Here is a collection of five, culled from entries in this year’s LiveWire Awards, who stand a good chance to make some beautiful noise in the decade ahead. Jamie Kent and The Options - “The Collective” - For a real surprise, track down the five tracks on Jamie Kent’s EP “The Collective.” Kent possesses a great voice and a fearlessness to be admired as he drifts through glimpses of blues, jazz, and rock notes that suggest Steely Dan influences without being derivative. This one has true promise. Check out jamiekent.com Bright Nights – “Holiday Music Collection” - What’s better than Bright Nights? Springfield’s great Winter Wonderland could only be improved if it had its own soundtrack. So….credit the folks at Spirit of Springfield for creating the “Holiday Music Collection” as part of Bright Nights 15th Anniversary celebration. The disc features the classics sung by the area’s most talented performers including Frank Manzi, Sam Plotkin, Ashley Gearing, and Eric Bascom. The CD was recorded, mastered, and mixed at Rotary Records by Warren Amerman. For more information, log on to brightnights.org. Mark Nomad – “Soul Proprietor” - Nomad carries the torch for local blues musicians this year with “Soul Proprietor,” a 10 song disc recorded live in one night during the summer. Nomad balances originals like “Don’t Waste Yourself,” and “Rocking Horse,” with the Junior Wells penned “Snatch Back and Hold It” and James Brown’s “Talking Loud and Saying Nothing.” Available through marknomad.com Eva Cappelli and The Watershops Band – “Valentine” - Cappelli turned a few trips to open mic nights into a burgeoning career as the leader of a pretty cool band. “Valentine” is a 10-song disc about love, unrequited and otherwise, that showcases not only her writing and singing talents, but also the talents of her assembled group of musicians known as The Watershops Band. The title track is the real highlight, a stirring torch song that anchors the disc. Find them at evacappelli.com Merrick Section takes its name from a West Springfield neighborhood but pulls its sound from Austin, Texas and the alt.country / Americana movement. Jim Walsh (drums, guitar, vocals), Tom Doherty (guitars, vocals), and Jeff Burch (guitars, vocals) strum and wail through some lo-fi, high lonesome gems highlighted by the opener “A Crested Wave,” and a wistful “She’s An Angel.” The band has a page at myspace.com/merricksection Nightcrawler: Summer of Sam -Valley Advocate Article History would suggest not. In fact, it almost reveals the polar opposite—each established artist seems to have as different a route to the top as there are tales of the thousands who failed to follow in those footsteps. While perhaps not a household name yet, Somers, Conn.-based songsmith Sam Plotkin has amassed quite a musical resume at his present age of 16. He's performed at the MassMutual Center, Six Flags and The Big E, recorded three CDs and, recently, shot his first video in Nashville at Reba McIntire's studio, among other things. And although Plotkin stops short of citing exactly what—aside from his obvious talent and drive—has propelled him so far so fast (and so young), he concludes that his steady diet of restaurant gigs certainly must be factored in. "It's interesting, because obviously, people are at these places to eat," he explains. "So you can't expect their undivided attention—and I don't. But I look at those gigs as jobs more than performance—and it's a great place to try out new material." Much like the culinary masterminds in the back kitchen, Plotkin says he utilizes his standing restaurant performances (he can be found at East Longmeadow's Fusion Caf? most Saturdays from 7 until 10 p.m. and will appear at the 350 Grill on Worthington Street in Springfield July 24 and Aug. 8) to tinker with his set, working in new songs and riffs whenever he can, seeing what makes people drop their forks and take notice. Then, when a "fat" chance pops up—like, say, the opportunity to open for FAT at the Stearns Square CityBlock concert series, as he will on Thursday, July 30—the pre-adult popster can pull out the proven material when all eyes are upon him. "It's definitely different—and nice—when everyone is there to see you, and I am so happy that FAT is having me back again," Plotkin says. "Lead singer Peter Newland is actually an important influence and mentor to me, and as you know, they draw huge crowds. My current largest audience was 5,000, but maybe we'll top it!" In the "had to ask" department, considering his age, style and voice, Crawler couldn't help but wonder if Plotkin had Idol aspirations as well. "No, it seems everybody is doing that lately, so I don't see what makes it so special," he responded. "There's so many ways to get into the business besides a talent show, and I'd like to do it with more integrity." Think I love this kid... Sam Plotkin's 'Underground' earns LiveWire Award LiveWire Awards honor the best in local music …Sam Plotkin joins Glier on this year's list of young guns. Another singer-songwriter with a musical and lyrical vision that belies his age (he is 16), Plotkin's "Underground" follows the award-winning "Give Me a Sign" released in 2007. Already a player on the local scene (Plotkin held his release party at the famed Iron Horse), the gifted vocalist is networking in Nashville to expand his reach on a national scale. His work has attracted the attention of noted producer Cliff Downs who has collaborated on the last two recordings. More information is available at samplotkin.com Video
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