Iron & Wine: The Sheen Center 2024

Iron & Wine's Sam Beam has long been a friend of FUV's, and one of the artists who has helped shape the radio station's history over many years. It's always a happy event to see Sam and his impressive beard in Studio A, at various venues for Marquee Member gigs, or onstage for Holiday Cheer for FUV. 

He most recently brought new songs — and some vintage gems — to New York's The Sheen Center for an intimate solo concert for Marquee Members this spring, just prior to the release of his latest album, Light Verse.

Beam has been called a songwriter's songwriter for good reason; he fosters an innate ability to cannily observe his own life, and the universality of the human experience, with wisdom and wonder. Over a career of both solo albums and collaborations (with Jesca Hoop, Ben Bridwell and Calexico), he's shaped Iron & Wine as a semi-autobiographical raft of his own life's voyage, bringing his listeners along for the ride.

Light Verse, Beam's seventh solo album, is his first release of originals in six years (there was a pandemic, an Iron & Wine documentary, and live recording sandwiched in between), and he's keenly aware of time galloping by, and the uncertain terrain of middle age. As always, Beam flips easily between gentle humor and hard truths, the bittersweet and breezy. Recorded in Laurel Canyon with producer David Wray, and including a backing band comprised of David Garza, Sebastian Steinberg, Griffin Goldsmith, Paul Cartwright, Elizabeth Goodfellow, Kyle Crane and Tyler Chester, Light Verse is Beam at his best. Standouts include "All in Good Time," featuring Fiona Apple and stolen cars, and the tear-stained beauty "Sweet Talk," which he performed in this new FUV Live concert.

Watch videos of three of those songs now:  "Sweet Talk," "Yellow Jacket," and "Anyone's Game" (the latter influenced by poet Vasko Popa).

[Recorded: 5/15/24; Engineered by Jim O'Hara, produced by Meghan Offermatt; host: Benham Jones, videographers: Lilja Cormack, Adithi Vimalanathan, Olivia Iannaccone.]