Sam Baardman
“One of the city’s strongest and most literate songwriters.”
— Winnipeg Free Press
The second single from Sam Baardman’s upcoming album (Marsh Radio release Sept 2022), "Money From The Wasteland" is now available on all digital streaming platforms.
“Money From the Wasteland” is about those who see the natural world, not as an ecosystem that we share, but only as a wasteland to be exploited and commodified. The ruinous Canadian tar sands development is a case in point. The terrible destruction of that habitat means nothing to those who profit from it.
But as the song says, "the future has always had a price on its head.” The single is an energetic, reggae-fusion tour-de-force that gives voice to our outrage.
“Money From the Wasteland” is available everywhere you stream music. Click HERE to listen.
Sam Baardman is a singer-songwriter and visual artist living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His music reflects a searching, inquisitive spirit, expressing compelling truths about our deepest questions and our most difficult challenges. Coaxing surprising images out of common situations, Sam’s music resonates with fans who appreciate his lyrical depth and superb, singable melodies. The songs travel across a broad range of human experience, from small, intimate moments—a phone call between friends—to global conflicts—environmental catastrophe or cultural equity—infusing every situation with poetic urgency. It’s no surprise that the Winnipeg Free Press described him as “one of the city’s strongest and most literate songwriters.”
“Money From the Wasteland” was recorded at Paintbox Recording in Winnipeg, Manitoba and was produced by local legend Lloyd Peterson. Sam is currently gearing up to release his new full-length album, “Marsh Radio,” a lyrical and musical tour-de-force that was recorded during the grip of the pandemic. In the middle of all that stress and pressure, recording the album was a welcome creative outlet for Sam and for all the musicians who contributed. “Marsh Radio” is due out in September, 2022.
Live Video - Hard Out There
These days it seems you’re either fully exposed or you’re a hermit, and there’s no in-between. Sometimes that’s a good thing. For some people, some public figures for example, the more we know about them, the better. But no matter who you are, one thing’s for sure; it is hard to be “out there”, doing your thing, living your truth, or just trying to get by.
Sam Baardman Bio
Sam’s songs travel across a broad range of human experience, from small, intimate moments—a phone call between friends—to global conflicts—environmental catastrophe or cultural equity—giving them equal weight, and infusing every situation with poetic urgency. His art is about finding details that many have missed and expressing something honest in every song. Backed by understated yet intricate guitar work, he offers up songs that speak to the heart.
A strong theme in Sam’s music has been environmentalism and the need to restore ecological balance in the world. He has penned songs about climate change, the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, the degradation of Lake Winnipeg, and other pressing issues, without being didactic or preachy. “I don’t write these songs to persuade or argue,” says Sam, “but to try to express something about our collective dilemma, to give voice to our sadness, outrage, or bewilderment at the situation we find ourselves in.”
Environmentalism has been a focus of Sam’s visual art as well. As a fine art photographer, he is a co-founder of the River on the Run Artist Collective, a group of visual artists and poets working together since 2006 to address the global water crisis. Working in collaboration with biologists and climate scientists, their art investigates the increasingly fragile relationship between humans and their habitats. Sam is currently preparing to work on a new project collaborating with a research scientist in the Global Water Futures Program. And he is preparing a new book of environmental photography to be published in 2023.
Belief in the power of music and art to move people and propel change has been at the core of Sam’s work for over 30 years as an artist. A veteran of the Canadian folk music scene, Sam was a familiar figure in folk venues and festivals across Canada since the release of two well-received albums in the 1990s. The first was Kicking the Stone Home, whose songs are like old friends from the first listen. From the beautiful “Hearts & Hands,” chronicling a generation reeling at the end of the twentieth century, to the intimacy of “Every Little Piece,” Sam proved himself to be a mature songwriter in the folk tradition. Sam’s second album, The Rookery, was hailed by music critic John Kendle as “a timeless Canadian Folk Record” and it was nominated for Outstanding Roots Recording at the 2000 Prairie Music Awards.
In the middle of a busy life of touring folk festivals, folk clubs and concert halls, Sam put his artistic life briefly on hold to take over as Executive Director of Manitoba Music, and in 2002 he was given the Prairie Music Award for Industry Builder of the Year. In the ensuing years, Sam served in national leadership roles across the Canadian music industry and provincial cultural community. During this time he continued performing and mounting exhibitions in both Canada and the US.
Then in 2020, a personal disaster struck. Sam suffered a stroke that left him barely able to walk, unable to work and, worst of all, completely unable to play the guitar or make music. He was devastated, but determined to find his way back. Over the following year, he slowly improved, doggedly picking up his guitar every day to eke out what music he could. And along the way, something remarkable happened. As he worked to overcome the neurological damage left by the stroke, new lyrics and melodies began to emerge. New songs started to flow, one after the other. Music and songwriting began to drive his recovery and healing. It turns out that music can, indeed, save your life. Sam’s recuperation eventually led him to devote himself full-time, once again, to music and art.
The new songs in Sam’s repertoire feature penetrating observations about coming to terms with our collective past, or facing an uncertain and harrowing ecological future. There are tender songs of love and longing, and revelatory songs about the passage of time. These are passionate, incandescent songs, with lyrical subtlety and piercing insights that showcase a seasoned songwriter at the top of his form. With enough new material for several albums, Sam has spent the better part of the past year distilling all of this into his first full length album of original material in years. He is set to release “Marsh Radio” in July, 2022.
Press Photos
Sam Baardman
