SAM AMIDON

Effective August 6, 2021, Passim will require all staff, performers, and patrons to show proof of COVID-19 vaccine when they work, attend performances, classes, and workshops at Passim.  Patrons will be asked to show their vaccination card or a photo of their vaccination card when they enter the club.  Patrons will be asked to show proof each time they visit the club. If a patron is not able to show proof of vaccination they will not be allowed to attend the performance, and their ticket purchase will be refunded.

During COVID, Passim has invested in its live stream capability, and we encourage patrons who have not been vaccinated or others who don’t feel comfortable yet visiting the club to watch the live streams or attend online classes instead. If you purchased a ticket but aren’t feeling well, please stay home and watch the livestream instead.

Effective September 3, 2021, the City of Cambridge has issued an emergency order requiring that face masks or coverings be worn in indoor public places.  Patrons and staff must wear masks at Passim unless actively eating or drinking.  Artists may remove masks when performing and will maintain a 6-ft distance from the audience.  Visit https://www.cambridgema.gov/covid19/facecoverings for full information on the Cambridge mask mandate.

Passim is committed to providing a safe environment for all to work, listen, and enjoy live music.  It is our hope that we can ease these restrictions once further progress has been made reducing transmission of the virus.  Until then, we appreciate your patience and cooperation.

The Following Mountain, Sam Amidon’s sixth album overall and his third for Nonesuch Records, is his first album of original songs. A deeply personal synthesis of folk-based song form and experimental improvisation, it “feels like a liberation” (Uncut) and “provides constant, jolting surprises” (The Guardian). But in his decade-long career as a recording and touring musician, the singer and multi-instrumentalist (banjo, guitar, fiddle) has always managed to create work that’s utterly original, even when, as on previous discs, he was digging through the sounds and stories of traditional American music. The Following Mountain features appearances by musicians such as Shahzad Ismaily, master percussionists Milford Graves and Juma Sultan, and psychedelic jazz musician Sam Gendel.

Prior to The Following Mountain, Amidon released five solo albums on the Bedroom Community and Nonesuch labels. Amidon’s material for these albums consists primarily of reworkings of traditional American ballads, hymns and work songs, with the New York Times writing that Amidon “transforms all of the songs, changing their colors and loading them with trapdoors.” The albums have been deeply collaborative in nature, inviting contributions from musicians such as composer Nico Muhly, guitarist Bill Frisell, producer Thomas Bartlett, and improviser Shahzad Ismaily among others. Amidon has also recorded or performed as a guest artist with groups such as Kronos Quartet, Jason Moran, Bon Iver, Tune-Yards, and Amidon’s wife, the singer-songwriter Beth Orton.