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‘You have to get behind the song’: singer Sam Amidon on fronting Bon Iver, schooling Paul Mescal and the new folk revival

Bon Iver asked him to cover his new material and he’s teaching Mescal and Josh O’Connor to sing. But the interpreter is more interested in songs than stardom

Amidon followed his parents into music, becoming a fiddle prodigy and noted folk singer, releasing acclaimed albums for Nonesuch, and collaborating with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, and folk-pop songwriter Beth Orton, whom he married in 2011. Drinking tea, he is overspilling with enthusiasm and insight – he’s thrilled to learn that British folk legend Shirley Collins lived nearby as a kid – and you can see how his reputation was formed. The sound also harks back to a particular niche of new-age folk music from Amidon’s childhood, one that he says uncannily recalls the world of playwright Annie Baker’s feature film debut, Janet Planet, set 40 minutes from where he grew up.

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