Sam Champion 2/29/2005

On the heels of a few rainy days in the Big Apple, winter-like weather pushed fans of the indie act Sam Champion inside the Mercury Lounge early on Tuesday night. It was one of the last times like this in March before spring made its official arrival. Clusters of guys and girls were still layered in heavy wool coats and corduroy jackets to bare the crisp, cold air.

The wind roared as small groups of friends and couples came indoors and immediately rid themselves of their excess clothes. Members of the four-piece rock outfit from New York - Noah, Jack, Sean, and Ryan - were already inside and mingling among the crowd near the bar. At 9 p.m. the guys finished up a few beers and moved from a chat with friends to set up their equipment in the Music Room.

Listeners are fortunate each time they hear a band they love in a quaint hangout where they don't have to stand on their tiptoes just to see the lead singer. That's exactly how the show went down at the Mercury. Fans observed the floppy-haired frontman Noah Chernin, from every corner.

The sound system is quite phenomenal for such a small venue. Past the long bar, the club opens into an intimate performance space. It's a sparse, understated room with brick walls and just enough seating for those who don't wish to stand the whole night. It's also no wonder artists who might easily fill venues six or seven times larger return to this space year after year to perform. Even new acts like Sam Champion find themselves on this same stage every couple of months.

"It's good to be back home," the lanky lead singer told the audience after the group's first song, a new tune called "Mexican Rags." The second number, the feisty strut of "Company Dance," kicked the energy level up a notch and got the party started.

The band showed they indeed deserve comparisons to stellar acts like Neil Young &Crazy Horse. They combined previews of their debut album, Slow Rewind, awaiting a July release on Razor &Tie, with a few new songs thrown into the forty-five minute set.

One can't help but get caught up in the Sam Champion mix of bleeding country with a rock twist. The band's dynamic sound builds from a rhythm section, which swings with a laid-back slam. The guitars rattle and twang while Chernin's earnest vocals insinuate themselves deep inside the hardest of hearts.

Sam Champion recently performed at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, but all of the guys agree that nothing beats playing live in New York City. While some may consider NY audiences to consist of "shoegazers," drummer Ryan Thornton says the often stoic crowd he sees is actually listening to the words and paying careful attention to the performance. "People are really interested here. In other towns, people are rowdy and have a lot of energy - they're trying to talk about the basketball game over your music. I guess I'd rather have people just be quiet and listen."

The “adult" set was at the Mercury Lounge to hear the organic musings of the Twinemen, but Sam Champion definitely won listeners over with their fast-paced collection of tunes, often turbulent modern tales about lost love, financial instability and day jobs. Many rock bands try to be cool, allowing each member of the group to emphasize individual style and specific forced image. Unless you're Pele Almqvist from The Hives, Sam Champion doesn't think outrageous clothes are an option. They like comfort. Think cool T-shirts for Ryan, perhaps a bandana for Sean, or wild sunglasses for Noah. Every time Sam Champion plays in New York, bassist Jack Dolgen's fair blonde locks appear a tad more cropped. He is not the guitar player with mystique, although Jack often does wear stylin' navy blue blazers. On this particular night, he decided to take it off like the rest of the New York crowd.

There's a certain look bandmates can give or get when it comes to making a mistake on stage. Most of the time, the audience doesn't even know it happened, but if a "glare" is spotted from the crowd, concert attendees discover the mess-up. Sam Champion is good at pulling off what might be considered a major setback to some and moving on. That's just how they roll.

The band was about to crank out an old song called "Sally," that was recently made cool again with a new part from guitarist Sean Sullivan; he only joined the band four months ago. When Thornton looked down at his set list, he started counting off the fifth song, "Hold Out," by mistake. Instead of stopping the song or making a big fuss about it, Noah looked over at Ryan and the drummer immediately sped up and started playing the right tune.

"I can say I don't believe in love. When this is over, deliver for me this note," Chernin sang in a sweet drawl. His voice does what it does, moving in many different directions, He doesn't try to contain it. "Sally had a baby and Joey got arrested in Rome."

Noah forgets he is even singing and focuses most on the melody and guitar chords when it comes to performing live. He doesn't try to go back to the moment when the song was conceived. The words are second nature to the songwriter, even though he says he sometimes "messes up" the words to "Sally" or "TV Fever," which the band ended its show with. He did in fact forget a few of the words to "Sally" on this particular night but no worries. He got right back on autopilot and moved smoothly with the band into the next number.

The guys often save "Too Broke," one of their most catchy numbers, for last. The song combines a sweet melody and pointed words for a true-life anthem that many have thought. But no one has coined the phrase, "I'm too broke to go get drunk." It's usually the perfect way to conclude a night. This time at Mercury, the band played the song right smack in the middle of its set just to spice things up. And it worked!

The evening’s hidden treasure arrived in the quartet's cover of the Bob Dylan song, "Is Your Love in Vain?" Sam Champion had only played it three times as a band, but took the night to really break it down. They stripped away the organs from the record, and the audience was left with a beautiful sound.

It's surprising to think that Sam Champion is not even three-years-old. The group, which has honed its live act playing with such like-minded bands as Rogue Wave and the Two Gallants, concluded the night with a solid finish. Listeners were left craving more. The songs lingered, especially the chorus of "Too Broke," even after the next band came on stage.

What's next for the four friends? Even though the guys have gigs lined up at other small clubs in NYC and will be back at the Mercury Lounge in May, Sam Champion dreams of playing the Bowery Ballroom. After Slow Rewind hits the music scene this summer, it's not hard to believe that this dream will certainly become a reality.

Jennifer Harmon is a freelance writer, reporter and poet living in New York City. You can contact her at jdharmon03@hotmail.com