Jake Xerxes Fussell, Sam Amidon, Jana Horn
Pioneer Works is excited to present a main hall lineup that explores the musical fringes of folk with two luminaries of the genre, North Carolina based singer-songwriter Jake Xerxes Fussell and London by way of Vermont multi-instrumentalist with a penchant for experimentation, Sam Amidon. The evening will kick off with a performance from Austin singer-songwriter Jana Horn, known for her equally mesmerizing and laconic vocals.
About the artists
Reared in Georgia and now settled in North Carolina, Jake Xerxes Fussell has established himself as a devoted listener and contemplative interpreter of a vast array of so-called folk songs, lovingly sourced from a personal store of favorites. He has released five studio albums to-date, beginning with his self-titled debut album, released by Paradise of Bachelors in 2015.
His most recent studio album When I’m Called was produced by James Elkington and features the playing of Ben Whiteley (The Weather Station), Joe Westerlund (Bon Iver, Califone), and others. Blake Mills contributes guitars on several tracks. Joan Shelley and Robin Holcomb provide backing vocals. In their review of the record, Pitchfork wrote: “No other American singer is repurposing our old folk scripts with so much authority or ingenuity.”
Sam Amidon is a singer and multi-instrumentalist (banjo, guitar, fiddle) from Vermont, US, now based in London, England. His new album Salt River was released by River Lea / Rough Trade on 24th January 2025. He has previously released seven acclaimed albums of songs on Bedroom Community and Nonesuch Records.
Amidon’s material for these albums often consists of adventurous reworkings of traditional American ballads, hymns and work songs, with the New York Times writing that Amidon “transforms all of the songs, changing their colors and loading them with trapdoors.” The albums have been deeply collaborative in nature, inviting contributions from musicians such as composer Nico Muhly, guitarist Bill Frisell, and on Salt River, saxophonist/producer Sam Gendel.
Jana Horn is an American singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. The third album from Jana Horn was written in New York and recorded in the Texas desert. Horn went to Sonic Ranch studio with her trio—Jade Guterman on bass, and Adam Jones on drums—to record her self-titled record, composed of ten sonic landscapes which don't quite sound like they're from anywhere. Past comparisons to Yo La Tengo and Phil Elverum are still apt on "Love" and "All in bet", while spare post-punk rhythms drive "Designer" and "Don't Think."