The songs on You Call This An Album, the latest record by The Sam Chase and The Untraditional, cover a lot of musical and emotional ground. The arrangements touch on folk, rock, R&B, country music and Irish balladry, with lyrics that consider current political, economic and personal realities.
Sam Chase, the group’s leader and songwriter, said he settled on the title’s double meaning to reflect the current state of the music business. “Albums don’t play as much of a role in people’s lives as they used to,’” he said. “These days, people listen to singles and playlists. A tangible album that you can hold in your hand has become a bit of a relic. Compact discs are about as novel and passe as the pet rock. I wanted to remind people that a lot of thought went into every single aspect of the creation of the album. To listen to it any other way than from start to finish is akin to reading a book backwards.”
Chase wrote many of the songs on You Call This An Album in isolation, during the COVID lockdown. “On all of the other albums, I strove to hear what I had been hearing in my mind, and fell short,” he said. “I wanted to approach this knowing that no matter what, we all have the talent and time to turn this into something unexacting and surprisingly incredible, and I think we achieved that goal.”
“Strike A Chord” opens the album with a nostalgic air. The acoustic guitar, mandolin and vocals are mixed down, suggesting the sound one would hear on an Edison Cylinder. The band comes roaring in with the horn section booming and a stomping rhythm that suggests an Irish folk dance. It’s a celebration of the art of songwriting, with an exuberant lead vocal by Chase.
“I was going through a Pogues phase around the time that song was written,” Chase said. “It was deep within the COVID era. I spent a lot of time reflecting inward and writing songs feverishly. I had a long, scraggly beard. I kept my fingernail clippings in a weekly pill organizer to tell the passage of time. I only talked in riddles, and I had fantastic night vision. It was a strange time.”
Chase pays tribute to one of his influences on “John Prine,” a song he wrote the morning he found out Prine died of COVID. The melody suggests Prine’s style, without being overly imitative. The lyrics use inventive quotes from some of Prine’s songs, and Chase sings them with a heartfelt sincerity. “Hard Living” is a country drinking song that starts with a Johnny Cash backbeat and morphs into a country-flavored rocker, full of twangy guitar solos and irreverent lyrics: “What I really need is a/ Liquor store Jesus to /Turn my money into wine.” The somber album closer, “In the Morning,” could be a meditation on the dark days of the pandemic shutdown. Guitar, piano and bass play quietly as Chase describes desolate scenes with a trumpet playing long, lonely notes behind him.
Chase loved folk music as a boy, but after he picked up an electric guitar he started playing in punk bands. “I was just another white guy with a guitar,” he said. “Punk is the folk of my generation. The bands I loved had lyrics that spoke to a generation of downtrodden kids, much like the heroes of the folk era.”
After a while, Chase went back to playing solo with his acoustic guitar and writing in a less commercial, more traditional manner. “Since most places wanted bands, I started calling myself The Sam Chase, implying I was a group,” he said. When a club in San Francisco offered him a three-hour gig, he called up a few friends to help out and The Untraditional was born. Since then they’ve made several well-received albums, including The Last Rites of Dallas Pistol, a folk-opera about a Western desperado, and the impressive 26-track Live From Hopmonk Sebastopol – New Year’s Eve 2023.
Chase and the other musicians in The Untraditional also work full-time jobs. “This band is made up of brilliant and charismatic people who could easily take advantage of the monetary opportunities this city has to offer,” Chase said. “And yet, their north star in this life is music. Some members have had kids, but once they got into the swing of parenthood, making art and music became even more important for them.”
“Being in a band is a lot of work,” Chase said, “but the more you do it, the better you get at it. I appreciate how hard everyone works, and I admire the talents being brought to the table. I am constantly inspired by everyone’s talent, creativity and patience.”
Listen to You Call This An Album at thesamchase.bandcamp.com. Upcoming live dates are listed on the band’s website: thesamchase.com.