Sam Lee is one of the most prolific creative types around. And a most talented one at that. He is a singer, a conservationist, and maker of music events, festival stages, curated projects, and 'wild dance parties'. He's a Mercury Award nominee and one of the brightest flames from the burgeoning folk scene. With his handsome good looks (wholesome outdoorsy glow animated by a definite cheeky spark in his eye) and a Vogue double-spread under his belt, he's well placed as folk's pin-up fella (of the wised-up, thinking variety). This Mahler quoting chap has gone from art school student to being a wilderness survival teacher; from a west-end Burlesque performer to becoming a respected member of the traditional folk community (while presenting himself with a contemporary edge). With a special 4-date tour of London (north, east, west and south - see dates below) over Valentine week, we caught up with our good friend to hear the inspiring (and juicy) bits from his story - and a glimpse of his vision of what's to come. What a mighty folker!

RR: From being a trained visual artist, teacher of wilderness survival, and burlesque dancer to becoming a leading light of the folk scene - what's been the connecting thread for you?
Sam Lee: These all seem like vastly different fields but I think my journey has always been about tapping into roots culture. I've always been a serious nature lover and been very at home while in wild surroundings. Since a kid I was foraging, picking mushrooms, learning about medicinal plants and then reading about indigenous cultures living sustainable lives. This led me to study under Ray Mears the great survival expert and later teach these skills around the country. All the while though I was translating this into my art work while studying at Chelsea College of Art and exploring the more subtle nuances of mans relationship with the land through my sculptures and performances. About this time the Burlesque scene was kicking off and this too was an exploration, in an albeit titillating way, of time honoured fun making from the Victorian music hall era with old English roots in it. This turned into a 4-month stint in the West End dancing with Immodesty Blaize where, while occupying myself for long periods in the dressing room, I discovered the old songs of Britain and fell in love with this new world of Folk Music. At that time it was in a foetal state and an emerging scene. That's when I jumped ship and haven't look back.

Since then life has been even more exciting, I've run away with the gypsies, been adopted into a Scottish traveller family and been on a whole life journey into the ancestral route of the country in a way I never imagined - oh and that small instance of finding myself at a Mercury Awards ceremony.

RR: Becoming a Mercury Award nominee - pros and cons?
Sam Lee: Pros - a constant, allowable, pinch-me-moment when confidence is not riding high. It's meant a load more gigs to be bagged and loads of international touring and releases.
Cons - very few really, but I guess the added weight of expectation to hear and see what creative works comes out next - album number 2 gets even more pressured.

RR: During next week you're doing a special series of events - taking in the North, South, East and West of London - can you tell us how this came about and are there romantic connotations?
Sam Lee: Oh you tease, of course there are! I wanted to cover as much of London as I could in 4-shows but the Valentine connection is of course spread throughout the set. 'How so?' you ask. Well, basically all my songs are love songs of one sort or another; be they about murdering the one you love, dying of an STD contracted from one of your many lovers, Saying farewell to the one you love as you are are transported to the gallows. so yes romantics of all dispositions or in states of entwinement will find something to identify with. I hate to do a set that doesn't offer something for everyone. This is entertainment darling.



RR: Can you tell us about your band collaborators and your creative process?
Sam Lee: The way I see the work I do is that I am a singer with hundreds of songs in my head which in the end are just a few notes and a few words. The rest is open to as much adulteration and adaptation as I like (with respect).
 
I could tread  the well worn path and choose to work with the tried and tested world of Folk practitioners but I'm an outsider who comes from a world where one never takes the obvious route, one cant afford to. My Band are thus all wonderful players who share this sentiment and come from the jazz, contemporary classical and 'ethnomusicological' realms. Same with my music videos - I want to tell stories that is my job and in work like the video for George Collins I wanted to work with contemporary dancers and choreographers to create a very urban and 'Bauchian' telling of sexual deviance. I wanted to bring the story into a modern context and yet honour the ancientness yet current relevance of such a story. This is sort of my mantra in all the work I do: 'Rifacimento' I think the Italians call it.

RR: When will you be on the road?
Sam Lee: Yes - the road beckons! We start the full national tour on March 1st. Before that we're playing for a few days in Toronto and then the year is filled up with gigs all over the world from our Japan tour to Sweden, Austria, Germany, Czech Rep, Slovakia, Ireland and then Australia end of Year! It's gonna be great getting to see so many places and meet so many new people. It appeals to the intrepid explorer in me. I may be away lots but I am sure to be churning out loads of work and tangental folk productivity while away.

RR: What can be done to conserve folk culture for future generations?
Sam Lee: Good question and good use of the word conservation - and not preservation. We have such a rich cultural landscape in the UK and much of this is being lost. It's easy to cast blame onto the technological revolution but I am one who believes that technology can be used brilliantly to help promote this richness and work to conservations benefit. I have just set up the Song Collectors Collective which went public a couple of weeks ago. This works as digital and community platform to continue the work of song collecting I've been doing over the last few years. I've been very fortunate to have learned my craft from some very gifted and wonderful people - some of whom are not alive anymore but have been carriers of incredible and ancient knowledge. My great teacher Stanley was the last in the line of the legendary Scottish Travellers family the Robertson's - of whom Jeannie, his aunt, was given the MBE for duties to the traveller people and was extensively recorded by Alan Lomax. He passed on his immense repertoire of songs to me before he died for which I now have the job of disseminating to the generations to come. There are still in the British field many Gyspsies and Travellers and other wonderful characters still carrying vast troves of ancient knowledge that is not being passed on.

The SCC works to empower a new generation of collectors of this lore, story and song to make available to both creatives like me - but also accessible to the families who have kept this material alive into this day and age! This is the source material which inspires me to make music and update it. My hopes are this repository is designed to inspire many a new music maker, storyteller or writer who will tap into current sources instead of dusting off old books and well worn LPs from the 60s. As Mahler said so well "Tradition is tending the flame and not worshiping the ashes" - I want to keep these fires burning. The plan is that anyone who is interested in exploring this work is welcome to come and get the skills. We do conferences and workshops - encouraging people to go out to do their own collecting of Field recordings.

RR: You're known to advocate that great line of Gustav Mahler - tell us about your roaring flame!
Sam Lee: So yes, flame tending. It's a risky business but I've decided sometimes the best method is just to throw as much petrol as one has in as many places as possible and hope that it all catches! That is my business plan in nutshell! I've run the Nest Collective for 7 years now, and it's grown into a fairly prolific operation of music events, festival stages, curated projects, and wild dance parties. We did 95 shows over 2012 with over 600 musicians. We have an equally large program for this year focusing on showing off as much music as possible but exploring specific aspects of the culture such as our new Dance nights Reach for the Bunting with the Ceildih Liberation Front (our new in-house band), the Shanty sessions, the regular events at the Old Queens Head and loads of festival stages programming more folk than is healthy. My whole beef is this is community music and the wonderful things that have come out of the Nest is such a great number of friendly connections, (even a few weddings I must add) and a shared home of people appreciating a music together. It's not about celebrity reverencing but about shared experiences and creating a hub for music appreciation. My line has always been 'you create the platform and you create the artist' and this has shown in so much music and creativity that has emerged from the Nest. The same mantra works for the audience too I reckon.



RR: What's your vision for folk music?
Sam Lee: Basically, to see this stuff be spread and adulterated and fertilised in as many ways as possible and a bit more celebration of all things old in as modern way as possible. Oh and I want to see more sex in folk music. It really needs sexing up - more pin-ups, more filth, and a few more illegitimate children as result of a good night under a bail of hay.

RR: How on earth do you have the time to do all this?
Sam Lee: I practice a Margret Thatcher style sleep pattern alongside as much delegation and favour pulling as possible. I think the great thing about the scene at the moment is that loads of people want to be involved and help make it happen. So, I have the lucky job of doing the motivation and creating the vision. It feels as though there's a massive ground swell happening and people see the Nest as having a potential for good things and creativity - so that makes the hard work really worth while. My tricks are to be absolutely methodical with planning but also never loose a contact and keep everyone feeling like part of the family and loads and loads of gratitude! I personally do so much for free and often all I ever want in return is to be thanked. I believe if people are made to feel valued that is the first and most important thing. From there on in, it's hard graft.

RR: Well, me hearty, could you treat us to a Sam Lee London anecdote?
Sam Lee: London for me is one massive archaeological memory map of my jaunts, flaunts, haunts and stumblings. I've cycled naked through it. I've run a marathon through it. I have fallen in love on buses in it. I used to strip in it. I have fed myself from Supermarket bins in it. I've even floated in a coracle down the river (as in my new video). I think actually the river is always a focal point for me - and one of my most loved things to do in London is to swim in the middle of the Thames down in Deptford amongst the wharfs, piers and shipyards. That is always the most awesome thrill; huge giant boats and docks towering above you as you float, mostly invisible, tasting the brackishness of the sea. You see seals and everything down there. I think that act sums me up best - to be submerged amongst something benevolent, massive and powerful yet timeless - that in the grand scheme of things one is barely making an eddy in.

Sam Lee
samleesong.co.uk
thenestcollective.co.uk 
songcollectorscollective.co.uk

Sam Lee & Friends will performing across London at the following times and places:

Sam Lee & Friends – South London Show
13 Feb 2013 / 8pm - 11pm, Bedford Arms

Sam Lee & Friends – East London Show
14 Feb 2013 / 8pm - 11pm, Cafe Oto

Sam Lee & Friends – North London Show
15 Feb 2013 / 8pm - 11pm, Cecil Sharp House

Sam Lee & Friends – West London Show
16 Feb 2013 / 7:30pm - 10pm, Tabernacle