“Only 21 years of age, Crain has conjured up a batch of rural orchestrations that somehow manages, in five songs, to bridge the gap between Radiohead and The Carter Family."

- American Songwriter

Hailing from the Oklahoma, the state that birthed The Flaming Lips and Woody Guthrie, Samantha Crain writes with both the brazen conviction of the latter and the unflinching creative ambition of the former. Hers is a folk tradition indebted to Radiohead as much as Bob Dylan, and a literary sense more in keeping with Carson McCullers and Flannery O’Connor than her songwriting contemporaries. At only 21 years of age, the Choctaw Indian singer-songwriter has already developed the unique sound and old soul sensibility that color her slightly eerie songs, collected as a “musical novella” on her EP, Confiscation (out July 22 on Ramseur Records, home to the Avett Brothers, the Everybodyfields, Carolina Chocolate Drops and more).

Says Crain, “Every second, everybody is being fulfilled or robbed, and when that happens, there is a story. Everybody has a story and they are stories of redemption or they are stories of betrayal.” While each narrative in The Confiscation is of a different voice, they all relate, as do the people involved, through the atonement that is bestowed, or the Judas kiss that plunders all.

Like fellow Native American folksinger Karen Dalton (onetime muse to Bob Dylan who has been rediscovered by artists ranging from Devendra Banhart to Nick Cave), Crain is earthy and spiritual at the same time, able to convey hope but unafraid to confront despair. Lyrics about disaster and dark times peacefully coexist with anthems of community and reconciliation. Traditional folk arrangements tremble beneath the tasteful drumming of Jacob Edwards and the heart-beating bass lines from Andrew Tanz.

Crain is no stranger to the road and to having to make things happen for herself. She completed dozens of self-releases and several national tours before signing to Ramseur Records and booking agency Concerted Efforts. Listen to music at www.myspace.com/samanthacrain and catch Crain and her backing band, The Midnight Shivers, on one of these dates:

SAMANTHA CRAIN & THE MIDNIGHT SHIVERS
WE Jun 4 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement 8:00P (Tour Kickoff!)
TH Jun 5 - Knoxville, TN @ WDVX Blue Plate Special 12:00P
TH Jun 5 - Knoxville, TN @ The World Grotto 8:00P
FR Jun 6 - Johnson City, TN @ Acoustic Coffeehouse 8:00P
SA Jun 7 - Charlotte, NC @ Evening Muse 10:30P
SU Jun 8 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl - Dunch Show
TU Jun 10 - Mount Pleasant, SC @ Village Tavern 8:00P
TH Jun 12 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 8:00P
FR Jun 13 - Winston-Salem, NC @ The Garage 8:00P
SU Jun 15 - Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Chop 8:00P
TU Jun 17 - New York, NY @ Pianos w/ the Woes, Jones Street Boys, and Born at Sea 8:00P
TU Jun 24 - Cambridge, MA @ TOAD w/ Gretel 9:00P
WE Jun 25 - Woodstock, NY Colony Cafe w/ Mike and Ruthy of the Mammals 8:00P
TH Jun 26 - Lansdowne, PA @ Concerts at the Beach House 8:00P
FR Jun 27 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Howler’s Café w/Lohio 8:00P
SA Jun 28 - Cincinnati, OH @ Northside Tavern w/ the Hiders 8:00P
SU Jun 29 - Lexington, KY @ Al’s Bar 8:00P
MO Jun 30 - Bloomington, IN @ Cinemat Screening Room 8:00P
TU Jul 1 - Indianapolis, IN @ Venue TBA 8:00P
WE Jul 2 - Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s with Berry and Caleb Engstrom 8:00P
SA Jul 5 - Iowa City, IA @ Picador w/ Caleb Engstrom 8:00P
SU Jul 6 - Columbia, MO @ Ragtag Cinema 8:00P
MO Jul 7 - Champaign, IL @ Memphis on Main 8:00P
TU Jul 8 - Saint Louis, MO @ Cicero’s 8:00P
TH Jul 10 - Little Rock, AR @ Whitewater Tavern 8:00P
FR Jul 11 - Okemah, OK @ Woody Guthrie Festival--Brick Street Cafe Stage 3:00P
MO Jul 28- Lawrence, KA @ Jackpot Music Hall w/ Bombadil, the Roseline, & the Fairer Sex 8:00P
FR Aug 1 - Portland, OR @ Pickathon Roots Music Festival 8:00P
SA Aug 2- Portland, OR @ Pickathon Roots Music Festival 8:00P
TH Aug 7 - Cottage Grove, OR @ Axe and Fiddle Pub and Music Club w/ Paleface and Bombadil
FR Aug 15 - Springfield, MO @ The Outland w/Cornbelt Chorus 8:00P
FR Sep 26- Lawton, OK @ International Festival 8:00P