Acoustic folk artist's mellow tracks attract buzz

Singer-songwriter Sam Reynolds has emerged as one of the Holy City's most talked-about performers. With a chill acoustic-folk sound reminiscent of artists such as Elliot Smith and Nick Drake, Reynolds walked away victorious from the Musician's Showdown at the College of Charleston in January, where he beat out nine other finalists for the chance to perform a solo gig at a campus auditorium.

Reynolds is fine-tuning the details of several upcoming shows as well as compiling tracks for his upcoming demo. The upstate New York native has spent the past year and a half recording his songs in Charleston, Boston, New York and even London, where he spent three weeks performing in both large and small venues as the guest of Song Tank, a British online music community.

Preview caught up with Reynolds to ask a few questions.

Q: How did you get your start?

A: When I was 13, my dad taught me how to play "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles, which is only two chords. It's just two fingers going back and forth, over and over again, and that's how I learned how to play guitar. Four or five years ago, I started to realize that I was pretty good and could actually do it, so I started writing songs seriously and recording them. Things started to change when I went to London.

Q: How did you end up in London?

A: There's a Web site called Song Tank, where artists can mix with music publishers and record companies online. I kind of knew the guy who had started it and he invited me to go to London to perform in the big launch party. There were seven performers, mostly songwriters of huge hit songs, and I was the only nobody.

It went really well, so I played at couple of other places and recorded some songs in studios around there.

Q: What's your songwriting process?

A: I don't come up with really crafty ideas for songs. I'm never going to write a political song or something like that. It's very organic and simple; not too formulaic. It's just what I'm feeling.

Q: Do you record often?

A: I do a lot of self-recording. I have a home set-up and I'm constantly buying new upgrades.

The last time I was in a real studio was this past summer in Boston. I recorded three songs in one day, with two of those songs forming the core of my demo.

Q: What are your thoughts on the Charleston music scene?

A: I think there is actually a large amount of female singer-songwriters here who are really good, but overall I don't think it's that great. I don't go to that many shows around here unless they are national tours.

Q: Are you worried about making it in the music industry?

A: Everyone's always saying that the music business is so hard, but I'm not worried. I hope it doesn't come across as arrogance, but I truly believe in my music. I think that if I keep working hard and applying myself to it, I'll be okay.

About Sam

Artist: Sam Reynolds.

Originally from: Rochester, N.Y.

Web site: www.myspace.com/samuelreynoldsmusic.

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