Following in the long tradition of first-names-as-band-names, Alex Silverman and Samantha Sidley are two halves of the whole that is Alex & Sam -- a downtempo, indie/jazz duo that's been making quite an impression on LA. Earlier in March they won the title of Artist of the Month in the Deli Magazine LA, and they've been featured on various other local blogs since releasing the 6-song EP Sounds Like This: Volume One.Fun fact: American Idol fans (it's ok, you don't have to raise your hand) might recognize Sam from the show's 7th season, when Ryan Seacrest and Paula Abdul switched seats for her audition and the former called her out for "spinning around" too much while she sang. But take one listen to her voice and all of that becomes water under the bridge.
The two songs below make up a third of the EP, and I picked them because Alex & Sam are like those couples you're friends with, so you like to hang out with them together, but you're also really good friends with the people separately -- i.e. they sound great in tandem but it's a treat to hear their distinct voices featured on their own as well.
Alex sings "Buy Your Side," a sweet acoustic love song just begging to be featured in the next Garden State or Juno. (Interestingly enough, the first time I heard the song was in a live video session they did for Groupee.com, and Sam sang it in that version.) "See You Through" features Sam's smoky voice accompanied by a muted trumpet and electric keyboard, and it'll make you feel like you're sitting in a lounge somewhere drinking a gin and tonic, forgetting the slog of your day-to-day.
Alex & Sam are playing a *FREE* show this Friday, April 3rd at HOME Restaurant in Silverlake -- rumor has it they are usually accompanied by a slew of up to 12 other awesome musicians playing a range of instruments. Do yourself a favor and head out!
No comments:
Post a Comment