Nobody Loves Me But My Own Kind

"Everyone starts somewhere, and it's not unusual for kids to pick up an instrument before the pimples sho up or the hormones start raging. What a youngster does with that is the real story.

So Samantha Savage Smith's tale begins like that of many others. Raised on a combination of rock and roll (her father's influence) and jazz (her mother's), she took jazz singing lessons and her dad taught her acoustic guitar at 11. She dabbles in that in violin for a time before becoming fully committed to the electric. Writing and performing in punk bands followed, peppered with solo coffee shop and poets stroll performances. Then came a brief move to the coast.

Flash forward to today when the 20-year old might sell you shoes or serve you a beverage on 17th Avenue. After the day/ evening job hours are out of the way, you'll find her at Lorrie Matheson's studio working with him and other folk rock luminaries Brooker Buckingham and Scott Munro, or performing at clubs around town.

Smith takes her raw talent and love of Billy holiday, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones to craft intense, blues-inspired original songs. They're sparse and stripped-down creations that support achingly beautiful melodies and strong, personal lyrics that will leave you with a bittersweet taste in your mouth, and a longing for more.
-from 2010 Calgary Folk Music Festival Program
I had the pleasure of seeing Samantha Savage Smith at the Calgary Folk Festival and she is an amazing talent. She has a wonderful stage presence. You can buy her new CD directly from Samantha here: http://samanthasavagesmith.bandcamp.com/
-Robert Williston