There may have been a minute of “Shit, what if these guys aren’t as great a live band as we remembered?” before Sam Champion’s set at Merc last week, but that was before they tore off faces with another bone-breaking set of their suddenly powerful slack-jawed rock. Old cuts were served, new tunes revealed. And covering the Mac’s “Rhiannon” will always make us smiley. No doubt that the Champ spent as much of their year off shedding as in the studio, cooking up loose-hinged gems like “Nowhere To Get Off,” “Jealous Shakes,” and the awesome “Like A Secret” (which you can and should download here). With a new record on the way and a bulldozing live set, Sam Champ is one to watch in ’07.
More pics after the jump.
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Where is all this sudden love for Sam Champion coming from? I’ve heard the band’s old material, and seen them live a couple of times, and have never been particularly impressed. In fact, the singer’s voice has always kinda grated on me. Yet now all the blogs are talking about them like they’re the greatest thing since Takka Takka (or something). Is the new material possibly that much better than the older stuff, or is there something else going on here?
You know the best way to answer your question, Steve? Listen to the new stuff. The answer is yes, it’s that much better.. mixed with blogs being blogs, smelling buzz and barking.
Forgot that the ‘Gum had one of the new tracks up. Checked it out. It’s fine. His voice still bothers me. The song itself isn’t bad, but isn’t great either. I’ll wait to hear more from the new album before making any final statements. I just get skeptical when all of the blogs start going crazy over a band at the same time, especially when the band has been around a while and never gotten the buzz before.
Lighten up Francis.. or Start Your Own Blog Steve! Good show Sam Champion. Appreciating the coverage.
steve doocy is a far superior weatherman