Samantha Crain is an American songwriter, musician, and singer, from Shawnee, Oklahoma

Shawnee, Oklahoma

Shawnee is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area; it is also the county seat of Pottawatomie County and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical...

. She often played as part of the Ramseur Records band, Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers. Also in the band are Jacob Edwards, Andrew Tanz, and Stephen Sebastian. Other musicians involved in various incarnations of her backing band are Anne Lillis, Daniel Foulks, Kyle Reid, Penny Hill, Jesse Aycock, Eric Arndt, Nathan Price, Anne Lillis, Josh Timbrook, Joey Lemon, James Phillips, Eric Nauni, Ben Wigler, Sherree Chamberlain, Beth Bombara, Ali Harter, and Laura Ortman.

Early years

Crain was born and raised in Shawnee, Oklahoma and is of Choctaw

Choctaw

The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...

 heritage. She attended Grove School in Shawnee, OK and Dale High School in Dale, OK.

The Confiscation EP: A Musical Novella

Crain's first pressed collection of songs was recorded under the watchful eye of Joey Lemon of the Chicago-based band, Berry. The EP is a concept album based around five short stories she had written involving the themes of redemption and betrayal. Ramseur Records took notice of this self-released EP and decided to reissue it in July 2007. This was the beginning of Crain's relationship with Ramseur Records.

Songs in the Night

Crain's first LP with the Midnight Shivers was the April 28, 2009 release Songs in the Night. The album was produced by Danny Kadar

Danny Kadar (producer)

Danny Kadar is a producer, engineer, and mixer living in New Orleans. While growing up in New York, Danny first began as a student photographer studying at Pratt Institute he would then later decide to go into the music industry with his own band at the time. After being in the studio Danny would...

 and recorded at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...

. Songs in the Night features Crain on acoustic guitar and vocals, Jacob Edwards on drums, trombone, and harmonica, Andrew Tanz on bass guitar, keys, and vocals, and Stephen Sebastian on electric guitar. Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

's Benjamin Wigler provide vocal harmonies on the track "Get the Fever Out".

Songs in the Night was met with much critical praise. Paste

Paste (magazine)

Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...

magazine gave the record a rating of 78 out of 100 and featured it many times online and in the magazine. Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

magazine reviewed it with 3.5 stars out of 5, saying "Her voice is gorgeously odd — all fulsome, shape-shifting vowels that do indeed billow like fog."

You (Understood)

After the Midnight Shivers disbanded, Crain released her second full length LP on June 8, 2010. The album was recorded in 7 days in Joey Lemon's studio in a white pole barn on the north side of Wichita, KS. It features Crain on electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals, and keys, Joey Lemon on bass, percussion, and vocals, Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

's Ben Wigler on vocals and electric guitar, Student Film's Eric Nauni on drums and percussion, and Sherree Chamberlain on vocals on "We Are the Same". Frontier Ruckus

Frontier Ruckus

Frontier Ruckus is an American folk-rock band from Michigan. The project is centered on the lyrically intensive songs of Matthew Milia, and was formed by Milia and banjo player David Winston Jones while living in Metro Detroit. The band released its debut full-length record, The Orion Songbook,...

's Matthew Milia and David Jones are featured on the song "Santa Fe" with Milia on vocals and Jones on banjo.

The album release was followed with an NPR Weekend Edition feature and favorable reviews from Paste

Paste (magazine)

Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...

magazine, the Washington Post, woxy.com, and emusic.com.

This album was release in UK and Benelux on November 8, 2011

Collaborations

Crain has lent her voice to recordings for The Hudson Branch, Stephen Sebastian, Ali Harter

Ali Harter

Ali Harter is an American singer/songwriter from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She has played in several bands, but primarily as a solo musician for over twelve years...

, Brine Webb, Matt Hopper, Penny Hill

Penny Hill (musician)

Penny Hill is an American songwriter, musician, and singer, from Norman, Oklahoma. She is currently recording her sophomore album. She performs as Penny Hill Party while performing with a full backing band. She has previously performed as a back-up musician for Samantha Crain & Black Canyon...

, and others.

Touring

In 2006 and 2007, Crain mainly toured with Beth Bombara, Berry, and Ali Harter.

In 2008, Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers toured alongside Bombadil, Paleface

Paleface

Paleface is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist who has been active in the music business in the United States since 1989.-Early career:...

, Justin Townes Earle

Justin Townes Earle

Justin Townes Earle , son of Steve Earle, stepson of Allison Moorer, and named for songwriter Townes Van Zandt is an AMA winning, Americana musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. Earle is signed to Bloodshot Records and has four released albums from 2007–2010...

, the Everybodyfields

The Everybodyfields

the everybodyfields were an independent folk/country band from Johnson City, Tennessee. The band was fronted by Sam Quinn and Jill Andrews who met when they were nineteen while both working at a summer camp. Most recently, they were joined by guitarist and keyboardist Josh Oliver, pedal steel...

, Rachael Yamagata

Rachael Yamagata

Rachael Yamagata is an American singer-songwriter and pianist from Arlington, Virginia. She began her musical career with the band Bumpus before becoming a solo artist and releasing four EP's and three studio albums...

, Ingrid Michaelson

Ingrid Michaelson

Ingrid Ellen Egbert Michaelson is a New York-based indie-pop singer-songwriter. Her music has been featured in episodes of several popular television shows, including Scrubs, Bones, Grey's Anatomy The Big C and One Tree Hill, as well as in Old Navy's Fall 2007 Fair Isle and Opel's/Vauxhall's...

, Meiko, Katie Herzig

Katie Herzig

Katie Herzig is a Grammy award nominated singer-songwriter from Fort Collins, Colorado.-Early life:Katie Herzig was born in California to a musical family. When she was a year old her family moved to Fort Collins, Colorado where she attended Rocky Mountain High School...

, and Jessica Lea Mayfield

Jessica Lea Mayfield

Jessica Lea Mayfield is an American singer-songwriter, actor, from Kent, Ohio. She is known for writing dark, sad songs, with a plaintive minimalist style that draws on both country and rock music.-Early years:...

In 2009, they toured with and played alongside The Avett Brothers

The Avett Brothers

The Avett Brothers is a folk rock band from Mount Pleasant, North Carolina. The band is made up of two brothers, Scott Avett and Seth Avett, who play the banjo and guitar respectively, and Bob Crawford who plays the stand-up bass. Joe Kwon, cello, and Jacob Edwards, drums, are touring members of...

, William Elliott Whitmore

William Elliott Whitmore

William Elliott Whitmore is an American blues singer and musician from Lee County, Iowa. He has recorded a number of albums released on Southern Records, and now is a member of the Anti Records family. His act consists mostly of playing the banjo or guitar while singing, though on occasion he...

, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

Thao with The Get Down Stay Down is a San Francisco, California-based alternative folk rock music group. It consists of Thao Nguyen , Adam Thompson , and Lisa Schonberg . Frank Stewart and Willis Thompson are former members of the band.-History:Thao began playing guitar at age 12...

, Langhorne Slim

Langhorne Slim

Langhorne Slim is an American singer-songwriter, . Scolnick attended high school at Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, part of the SUNY system.He began to gain public notice through several years of touring with the...

, Ben Kweller

Ben Kweller

Ben Kweller is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-Early life:Ben Kweller was born in San Francisco, CA in 1981. In 1982, his family relocated to Emory, Texas, where his father, Howard Kweller, became the town's first doctor. In 1986, the Kwellers moved to a much larger city,...

, Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.- Early life :Josh...

, Tyler Ramsey

Tyler Ramsey

This article is about the singer-songwriter. For the artist, see Tyler Ramsey .Tyler Ramsey is a singer-songwriter from Asheville, North Carolina, who is best known as the lead guitarist for the band Band of Horses.-History:...

, Sara Watkins

Sara Watkins

Sara Ullrika Watkins is an American singer-songwriter and fiddler. Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of the progressive bluegrass group Nickel Creek, which consisted of herself, her elder brother Sean, and mandolinist Chris Thile. As a band, they are notable for three wide-released albums:...

, Kaki King

Kaki King

Kaki King is an American guitarist and composer. King is known for her percussive and jazz-tinged melodies, energetic live shows, use of multiple tunings on acoustic and lap steel guitar, and her diverse range in different genres.In February 2006, Rolling Stone released a list of "The New Guitar...

, Elvis Perkins

Elvis Perkins

Elvis Perkins is an American folk-rock recording artist. He released his debut studio album, Ash Wednesday, in 2007...

, The Everybodyfields

The Everybodyfields

the everybodyfields were an independent folk/country band from Johnson City, Tennessee. The band was fronted by Sam Quinn and Jill Andrews who met when they were nineteen while both working at a summer camp. Most recently, they were joined by guitarist and keyboardist Josh Oliver, pedal steel...

, and Sister Suvi.

In 2010, Crain toured with and played alongside Zeb Dewar, First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit (band)

First Aid Kit is a Swedish folk duo composed of sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg, whose close vocal harmonies and woodsy, folk-influenced songwriting take influence from the likes of Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsom. Hailing from Enskede, a southern suburb of Stockholm, the teenaged siblings...

, Murder by Death (band)

Murder by Death (band)

Murder by Death is an American five-piece indie rock band from Bloomington, Indiana. Their name is derived from the 1976 Robert Moore film of the same name.- Early years :...

, Frontier Ruckus

Frontier Ruckus

Frontier Ruckus is an American folk-rock band from Michigan. The project is centered on the lyrically intensive songs of Matthew Milia, and was formed by Milia and banjo player David Winston Jones while living in Metro Detroit. The band released its debut full-length record, The Orion Songbook,...

, Ninja Gun, and Sam Quinn

In 2011, Crain toured with Langhorne Slim, Chris Bathgate, and Hezekiah Jones.

External links

• Samantha Crain (official site)