The Sit Down with Sam Outlaw
Last year, Sam Outlaw return to the UK for the first time since his 2022 for a one-off show in London, this week he returns for six shows in the UK, starting with a show at Cottiers in Glasgow. Outlaw, who began his run of shows this past weekend in the Netherlands with three festival performances at Blue Heart Festival, Heartland Festival and Down By The River, will be making stops to perform in Newcastle, Leeds, London, Hassocks and Bristol before heading to Sweden for four further shows. Ahead of this latest trip, Outlaw released his new, twelve-song “anti-greatest-hits-album” The Nonessential on March 24th. Ahead of the Glasgow show we caught up with Sam to find out more about what to expect from the shows and find out about the idea behind The Nonessential album release
Hey there, Sam. Thank you for taking the time this morning. How are you?
I'm doing good. How are you?
Yeah, not bad. Welcome back to the UK
Oh yeah. We got into Glasgow yesterday. I amazingly enjoyed an evening off to have some dinner and enjoy the night and we get to play the show tonight.
It's almost been about three years now since you were last over here now for a full tour. Is it nice to be back?
That's right. It's been three years. That's crazy. It's so nice to be back! When we toured Europe last year, we only did one show in the UK, and it was in London. I do really enjoy the shows in Scotland, especially because the crowds are a little more rowdy and they give you a little feedback, which always feels really, really fun.
They're rowdy even on a Tuesday night, don't worry!
I know, man. I don't think there's a night of the week that we could play Edinburgh or Glasgow where we wouldn't have some people just straight up yelling at me. So, it's cool.
This time you've got six dates and you're doing it in almost a sensible order, you're going from north to south.
Yeah, we're just going right down the line.
You’ve kept it easy for yourself! You're going straight down the middle of the country from Glasgow to south London and then cut across to Bristol to finish.
Exactly. So yeah, if I get confused, I know I can just head south and we'll be going in the right direction. Every time I come to the UK, we've just been lucky to have good shows. I've been really lucky to have support from people like Ricky Ross at BBC in Glasgow and Bob Harris in London. I'm really lucky that anyone has ever even heard my music out here. It's crazy that I can write these little songs in my bedroom in Los Angeles or in Nashville and they somehow cross an ocean and allow us the opportunity to play. I've got such a good band with me this time where it's kind of more of an acoustic arrangement with like a lot of focus on the harmonies and vocals. For me, that makes it honestly way more fun to mix it up a little bit in terms of how we present the tunes.
That will also give that slightly more intimate feel that you wouldn’t be able to offer the crowd with full-blown full band kind of set too.
Yeah, I mean, I love the rock band set. It's fun to make a lot of noise, but I think the last time I did an acoustic arrangement was three years ago when we were in the UK. There's just something about it. I think it puts the focus even more so on the songs and the lyrics. I'm so bored of myself and getting to sing with other people is what makes it fun. It's the chemistry of working with other people that makes performing live music, at least for me, more interesting. It's a lot of fun to play with these people!
You’ve just arrived from the Netherlands. How were those shows to kind of kickstart the tour?
Man, they were really good. It was three festivals. We were just one of five or six bands each day. There was a mix of rock bands, country and folk- it was kind of like a little bit of everything! I was a little unsure going in if I was going to have my fans there or if it was just going to be for other people, but a lot of Sam Outlaw fans came to the shows, and they were there to actually hear me and hear my songs. I got to chat with them after the merch table and they were happy that we were there. I think all you ever hope is that people are just excited to see you and you just hope that they have some interest.
Does that kind of surprise you sometimes when you realise actually people have come to see me rather than you just being a kind of an add on act for them at a festival?
I mean, it genuinely surprises me every time. Like, I've been doing this professionally now for exactly 10 years. This is 10 years ago, almost to the day is when I quit my advertising job to start playing music full time. No matter how much luck I've had, or whatever milestones I've had, or whatever nice things have been said about me in the press or whatever, I'm still genuinely surprised every time I get to a show and there's human beings that are there to see me play. It's such a privilege man, and all you ever want to do is just do a good job, you know.
Once you're finished with the UK leg, you're doing four shows in Sweden.
Yeah.
A lot of artists kind of do one show of various countries further into Europe. At what point do you realise you've got the following in Sweden to extend this?
I mean, I realized that the first time I played in Sweden, and it was like, scary! I felt like, oh, my God, is this like, is this a taste of what a celebrity feels like! I remember the first time I played in Sweden, we had people almost like stalking us outside of the hotel room - that was such a trip. I mean, fortunately, it's not like that, you know, every time we play there. I would say if there's one place where I feel like it's just been the most consistent enthusiasm and appreciation it's probably been in Sweden. There's a company out there called Rootsy that promotes the Americana scene and I'm just genuinely thankful every time they let us come back. It's always fun. It's always beautiful. The people are wonderful. I don't know what more you can ask for, man. You know, it's really, really a real privilege.
Are these the kind of tours when you're looking back 10 years and you ask yourself why didn't I do this earlier?
First of all, I've thought that so many times. But you know, I think what my brain usually comes back to is, you did it when you did it. I remember when I first started touring, I was living a very different lifestyle than I live now. My attitude was in a different place. I think no matter what good thing happened or what good thing came my way, nothing was ever good enough. I was always wanting something better or more or different. If there's anything I wish I could do over again, it's simply go back and have a more grateful attitude. When you're lucky enough to get to do anything in the arts, I think attitude is what sets you apart from being able to enjoy it or not enjoy it. Now I think, thank God I get to usually just bring an attitude of genuine thankfulness and gratitude. I was too old to do this when I started, I was already basically 33 years old when I started doing this full time, now I'm going on 43. I feel younger, weirdly, because I live in a different way that allows me to have more energy to be more present. I surround myself with people that I just genuinely love making music with. It's hard to do it without any regrets, maybe, because you don't know what you know, until you know it.
Hey there, Sam. Thank you for taking the time this morning. How are you?
I'm doing good. How are you?
Yeah, not bad. Welcome back to the UK
Oh yeah. We got into Glasgow yesterday. I amazingly enjoyed an evening off to have some dinner and enjoy the night and we get to play the show tonight.
It's almost been about three years now since you were last over here now for a full tour. Is it nice to be back?
That's right. It's been three years. That's crazy. It's so nice to be back! When we toured Europe last year, we only did one show in the UK, and it was in London. I do really enjoy the shows in Scotland, especially because the crowds are a little more rowdy and they give you a little feedback, which always feels really, really fun.
They're rowdy even on a Tuesday night, don't worry!
I know, man. I don't think there's a night of the week that we could play Edinburgh or Glasgow where we wouldn't have some people just straight up yelling at me. So, it's cool.
This time you've got six dates and you're doing it in almost a sensible order, you're going from north to south.
Yeah, we're just going right down the line.
You’ve kept it easy for yourself! You're going straight down the middle of the country from Glasgow to south London and then cut across to Bristol to finish.
Exactly. So yeah, if I get confused, I know I can just head south and we'll be going in the right direction. Every time I come to the UK, we've just been lucky to have good shows. I've been really lucky to have support from people like Ricky Ross at BBC in Glasgow and Bob Harris in London. I'm really lucky that anyone has ever even heard my music out here. It's crazy that I can write these little songs in my bedroom in Los Angeles or in Nashville and they somehow cross an ocean and allow us the opportunity to play. I've got such a good band with me this time where it's kind of more of an acoustic arrangement with like a lot of focus on the harmonies and vocals. For me, that makes it honestly way more fun to mix it up a little bit in terms of how we present the tunes.
That will also give that slightly more intimate feel that you wouldn’t be able to offer the crowd with full-blown full band kind of set too.
Yeah, I mean, I love the rock band set. It's fun to make a lot of noise, but I think the last time I did an acoustic arrangement was three years ago when we were in the UK. There's just something about it. I think it puts the focus even more so on the songs and the lyrics. I'm so bored of myself and getting to sing with other people is what makes it fun. It's the chemistry of working with other people that makes performing live music, at least for me, more interesting. It's a lot of fun to play with these people!
You’ve just arrived from the Netherlands. How were those shows to kind of kickstart the tour?
Man, they were really good. It was three festivals. We were just one of five or six bands each day. There was a mix of rock bands, country and folk- it was kind of like a little bit of everything! I was a little unsure going in if I was going to have my fans there or if it was just going to be for other people, but a lot of Sam Outlaw fans came to the shows, and they were there to actually hear me and hear my songs. I got to chat with them after the merch table and they were happy that we were there. I think all you ever hope is that people are just excited to see you and you just hope that they have some interest.
Does that kind of surprise you sometimes when you realise actually people have come to see me rather than you just being a kind of an add on act for them at a festival?
I mean, it genuinely surprises me every time. Like, I've been doing this professionally now for exactly 10 years. This is 10 years ago, almost to the day is when I quit my advertising job to start playing music full time. No matter how much luck I've had, or whatever milestones I've had, or whatever nice things have been said about me in the press or whatever, I'm still genuinely surprised every time I get to a show and there's human beings that are there to see me play. It's such a privilege man, and all you ever want to do is just do a good job, you know.
Once you're finished with the UK leg, you're doing four shows in Sweden.
Yeah.
A lot of artists kind of do one show of various countries further into Europe. At what point do you realise you've got the following in Sweden to extend this?
I mean, I realized that the first time I played in Sweden, and it was like, scary! I felt like, oh, my God, is this like, is this a taste of what a celebrity feels like! I remember the first time I played in Sweden, we had people almost like stalking us outside of the hotel room - that was such a trip. I mean, fortunately, it's not like that, you know, every time we play there. I would say if there's one place where I feel like it's just been the most consistent enthusiasm and appreciation it's probably been in Sweden. There's a company out there called Rootsy that promotes the Americana scene and I'm just genuinely thankful every time they let us come back. It's always fun. It's always beautiful. The people are wonderful. I don't know what more you can ask for, man. You know, it's really, really a real privilege.
Are these the kind of tours when you're looking back 10 years and you ask yourself why didn't I do this earlier?
First of all, I've thought that so many times. But you know, I think what my brain usually comes back to is, you did it when you did it. I remember when I first started touring, I was living a very different lifestyle than I live now. My attitude was in a different place. I think no matter what good thing happened or what good thing came my way, nothing was ever good enough. I was always wanting something better or more or different. If there's anything I wish I could do over again, it's simply go back and have a more grateful attitude. When you're lucky enough to get to do anything in the arts, I think attitude is what sets you apart from being able to enjoy it or not enjoy it. Now I think, thank God I get to usually just bring an attitude of genuine thankfulness and gratitude. I was too old to do this when I started, I was already basically 33 years old when I started doing this full time, now I'm going on 43. I feel younger, weirdly, because I live in a different way that allows me to have more energy to be more present. I surround myself with people that I just genuinely love making music with. It's hard to do it without any regrets, maybe, because you don't know what you know, until you know it.
You talk of making music with people you kind of like working with. This time around, you're bringing Hannah Aldridge over for this tour, which feels like an exciting addition to the tour because she's obviously built a bit of a base here herself and now you introduce her to your crowd.
Man, when she reached out to me about doing this touring, I was like, well, am I going to be opening for you? Like, how is this going to work? She's such a hard worker, man! She's been doing this her whole life, she kind of grew up with it. Her dad's a very acclaimed singer, songwriter and famous songwriter in the country music space. She grew up in Muscle Shoals, Alabama around music. She's way tougher than me, way more hardworking than I am. First of all, to have her opening the show feels like such a get and it feels like such a real opportunity for me. Watching her opening set is just beautiful. I mean, her voice is incredible. Her songs are interesting and cool too. Then she's got this bass player and guitar player with her named Katie Bates from Australia. The two of them open as a duo and then they join my band to make a quartet on stage with we add this guy named Andrew Leahy, who lives in East Nashville. I was like, why does she even want to tour with me? I feel like, I should be asking him to open her shows. It feels like a real awesome opportunity for her and like I said, her opening set is just a highlight for me every night. Then I just feel like as a band, we're getting better and better every night learning how to collaborate together on the music. That's really, really fun. I love duets and I love getting to have female singers in the band because it gives me a chance to do duets and to get a little more creative with the vocals.
That must also add to the acoustic feel, having different artists on the stage with you that you can call upon in different points of the set.
I think it does. It gives me some flexibility, like even Andrew, he's playing guitar, but he's also playing keys. That can really change the mood when you go from having an electric guitar on a song to a keyboard, I think that's just really fun to have options when I've played these songs now a million times. If you're not careful, you're going to get bored with your own self, you're going to get bored with your own music, maybe even. It's a nice moment for me to get to kind of switch it up and to try new things and that keeps me interested - and if I'm interested, it's much more likely that the audience is going to like it!
You can always feel if an audience feels that kind of connection too with how you approach songs.
That's right. You can feel it. I always kind of say, I think when it comes to being in the studio and making records, I'm doing that for me. I'm collaborating with the people that I'm making music with, but it's really for me. A live show, on the other hand, it's kind of more of like a partnership, we can play a great show and still have a bad show if the audience isn't there to do their part. It's all about the chemistry between the audience, the feel in the room. There's so many variables that can go into it. Now, no matter what happens in the audience, we still play our guts out and we still try to play like it's Madison Square Garden, no matter what's happening. It's a real collaboration when you're performing live music and everybody has to show up or it doesn't quite work as well.
Man, when she reached out to me about doing this touring, I was like, well, am I going to be opening for you? Like, how is this going to work? She's such a hard worker, man! She's been doing this her whole life, she kind of grew up with it. Her dad's a very acclaimed singer, songwriter and famous songwriter in the country music space. She grew up in Muscle Shoals, Alabama around music. She's way tougher than me, way more hardworking than I am. First of all, to have her opening the show feels like such a get and it feels like such a real opportunity for me. Watching her opening set is just beautiful. I mean, her voice is incredible. Her songs are interesting and cool too. Then she's got this bass player and guitar player with her named Katie Bates from Australia. The two of them open as a duo and then they join my band to make a quartet on stage with we add this guy named Andrew Leahy, who lives in East Nashville. I was like, why does she even want to tour with me? I feel like, I should be asking him to open her shows. It feels like a real awesome opportunity for her and like I said, her opening set is just a highlight for me every night. Then I just feel like as a band, we're getting better and better every night learning how to collaborate together on the music. That's really, really fun. I love duets and I love getting to have female singers in the band because it gives me a chance to do duets and to get a little more creative with the vocals.
That must also add to the acoustic feel, having different artists on the stage with you that you can call upon in different points of the set.
I think it does. It gives me some flexibility, like even Andrew, he's playing guitar, but he's also playing keys. That can really change the mood when you go from having an electric guitar on a song to a keyboard, I think that's just really fun to have options when I've played these songs now a million times. If you're not careful, you're going to get bored with your own self, you're going to get bored with your own music, maybe even. It's a nice moment for me to get to kind of switch it up and to try new things and that keeps me interested - and if I'm interested, it's much more likely that the audience is going to like it!
You can always feel if an audience feels that kind of connection too with how you approach songs.
That's right. You can feel it. I always kind of say, I think when it comes to being in the studio and making records, I'm doing that for me. I'm collaborating with the people that I'm making music with, but it's really for me. A live show, on the other hand, it's kind of more of like a partnership, we can play a great show and still have a bad show if the audience isn't there to do their part. It's all about the chemistry between the audience, the feel in the room. There's so many variables that can go into it. Now, no matter what happens in the audience, we still play our guts out and we still try to play like it's Madison Square Garden, no matter what's happening. It's a real collaboration when you're performing live music and everybody has to show up or it doesn't quite work as well.
This time around, you’re going to get to play some new songs that you would never have played here before. Technically some new old songs too working with the new album!
Yeah, that's a good way of putting it! Over the last six or seven years, I've been trickling out these streaming singles that have not been part of any proper album. My new album, The Nonessential, it's kind of like a tongue in cheek album title, it's basically nine previously released singles that were never part of any album plus three brand new songs that are exclusive to this album. I've been jokingly saying it's kind of like an anti-greatest hits because instead of just doing a money grab where you put together your 10 most popular songs and call it a hits album, The Nonessential is meant to showcase tracks that frankly, a lot of people miss because you usually do a big marketing push around an album, whereas when you put out a single, you're kind of at the mercy of whoever's just tracking you and really paying attention for them to hear it. We get to do some songs from The Non-Essential. We're doing songs from albums across my entire career. So, it's fun to go back in time and do some songs I've been doing for a long time and then also do some of the new stuff too.
Is it quite nice that some of those songs have now found a home on an album? I guess it must get to the point where there must be some you've almost completely forgotten about that you won't have played live for several years if ever at all.
Yeah, it is kind of like that. The choice to play a song live is not just do I like the song or not? I take into account the band, I take into account whatever my heart and mind is gravitating towards at the moment. When I'm making a record, it's just all about chasing my own interest, but for a show, there's kind of like those five or six songs that fans are really expecting and hoping you'll play, you don't want to do a concert and not play those songs. They paid for a ticket, they got a babysitter, they hopped on a train, they drove, whatever they did, they've suffered a lot just to get to your show, so you want to also include those tunes that people are expecting. Even for this tour, I sent the band like 30 songs to learn. We're not going to play 30 songs every night, right? But we can keep it flexible as we go. We make up a set list, but then we also try to feel that out as we go.
What was their reactions when you sent them 30 songs?
Well, Hannah and Katie had been playing with me on some tours, so they weren't too disturbed. Andrew is just a way better musician than me. I mean, he's one of the ringleaders of the hub of what's happening in East Nashville. He's the musical director, usually for Elizabeth Cook's band. He's got his own singer songwriter career too, so he was not too terrified. I say this genuinely, this isn't like false humility. Essentially, every time I play a show, I'm the weakest link in the band, I'm the one who has to kind of rise to the level of musicianship of the people that are on stage with me, which is good for me. I like that feeling, I need to really be on it so that I can honour the level of talent that I've got with me.
The tour kicks off tonight in Glasgow and we will be there to see you in Putney on Friday night.
Amazing, every time we get to a show, I'm not kidding, I'm like, is anybody going to be here? Then when the room starts filling up, it's just like, wow, this is just such a privilege, man. You write these songs at home, you record them, you go into credit card debt to make a record and then come back out on tour and you hope to make back some of that money at the merch table, really just so that you can start all over again, do it all over again and then make another record or make another song or do another tour. This band is feeling really, really good. The chemistry is good on a personal level. Everybody's just friends and having fun. Like I was I was trying to go to sleep the other night. I could hear the other three band members outside of my room just talking and laughing. It was just so heartening; it's just like the sweetest thing to hear three people just like genuinely enjoying hanging out together. That to me, these days, it's so much more about that. It's so much less about am I succeeding or whatever? It's more about if I'm going to leave my sweet family, if I'm going to leave my boys and my wife for a few weeks to go play music, you know, you want to really feel like you're getting to enjoy it. That's not just financial success that we're talking about. It's about all the other stuff. It's not it's not a sacrifice to play music, but to be away from my family. I've got I'm blessed with a really good life. I actually like my wife. I actually like my kids, I love spending time with them, but these are going to be good.
Thank you so much Sam and we can’t wait to see the show later this week. I really appreciate it.
Ian, thank you so much, man. Thank you for the time.
Yeah, that's a good way of putting it! Over the last six or seven years, I've been trickling out these streaming singles that have not been part of any proper album. My new album, The Nonessential, it's kind of like a tongue in cheek album title, it's basically nine previously released singles that were never part of any album plus three brand new songs that are exclusive to this album. I've been jokingly saying it's kind of like an anti-greatest hits because instead of just doing a money grab where you put together your 10 most popular songs and call it a hits album, The Nonessential is meant to showcase tracks that frankly, a lot of people miss because you usually do a big marketing push around an album, whereas when you put out a single, you're kind of at the mercy of whoever's just tracking you and really paying attention for them to hear it. We get to do some songs from The Non-Essential. We're doing songs from albums across my entire career. So, it's fun to go back in time and do some songs I've been doing for a long time and then also do some of the new stuff too.
Is it quite nice that some of those songs have now found a home on an album? I guess it must get to the point where there must be some you've almost completely forgotten about that you won't have played live for several years if ever at all.
Yeah, it is kind of like that. The choice to play a song live is not just do I like the song or not? I take into account the band, I take into account whatever my heart and mind is gravitating towards at the moment. When I'm making a record, it's just all about chasing my own interest, but for a show, there's kind of like those five or six songs that fans are really expecting and hoping you'll play, you don't want to do a concert and not play those songs. They paid for a ticket, they got a babysitter, they hopped on a train, they drove, whatever they did, they've suffered a lot just to get to your show, so you want to also include those tunes that people are expecting. Even for this tour, I sent the band like 30 songs to learn. We're not going to play 30 songs every night, right? But we can keep it flexible as we go. We make up a set list, but then we also try to feel that out as we go.
What was their reactions when you sent them 30 songs?
Well, Hannah and Katie had been playing with me on some tours, so they weren't too disturbed. Andrew is just a way better musician than me. I mean, he's one of the ringleaders of the hub of what's happening in East Nashville. He's the musical director, usually for Elizabeth Cook's band. He's got his own singer songwriter career too, so he was not too terrified. I say this genuinely, this isn't like false humility. Essentially, every time I play a show, I'm the weakest link in the band, I'm the one who has to kind of rise to the level of musicianship of the people that are on stage with me, which is good for me. I like that feeling, I need to really be on it so that I can honour the level of talent that I've got with me.
The tour kicks off tonight in Glasgow and we will be there to see you in Putney on Friday night.
Amazing, every time we get to a show, I'm not kidding, I'm like, is anybody going to be here? Then when the room starts filling up, it's just like, wow, this is just such a privilege, man. You write these songs at home, you record them, you go into credit card debt to make a record and then come back out on tour and you hope to make back some of that money at the merch table, really just so that you can start all over again, do it all over again and then make another record or make another song or do another tour. This band is feeling really, really good. The chemistry is good on a personal level. Everybody's just friends and having fun. Like I was I was trying to go to sleep the other night. I could hear the other three band members outside of my room just talking and laughing. It was just so heartening; it's just like the sweetest thing to hear three people just like genuinely enjoying hanging out together. That to me, these days, it's so much more about that. It's so much less about am I succeeding or whatever? It's more about if I'm going to leave my sweet family, if I'm going to leave my boys and my wife for a few weeks to go play music, you know, you want to really feel like you're getting to enjoy it. That's not just financial success that we're talking about. It's about all the other stuff. It's not it's not a sacrifice to play music, but to be away from my family. I've got I'm blessed with a really good life. I actually like my wife. I actually like my kids, I love spending time with them, but these are going to be good.
Thank you so much Sam and we can’t wait to see the show later this week. I really appreciate it.
Ian, thank you so much, man. Thank you for the time.
Upcoming UK/European Tour Dates - tickets for all shows on sale here now:
15 April - Glasgow, UK - Cottiers
16 April - Newcastle, UK - Gosforth Civic Theatre
17 April - Leeds, UK - The Attic
18 April - London, UK - Half Moon
19 April - Hassocks, UK - Mid-Sussex Music Hall
21 April - Bristol, UK - Hen & Chicken
24 April - Helsingborg, SE - The Tivoli
25 April - Gothenburg, SE - Valand
26 April - Malmö, SE - Plan B
27 April - Stockholm, SE - Bar Brooklyn
Official Site | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube
15 April - Glasgow, UK - Cottiers
16 April - Newcastle, UK - Gosforth Civic Theatre
17 April - Leeds, UK - The Attic
18 April - London, UK - Half Moon
19 April - Hassocks, UK - Mid-Sussex Music Hall
21 April - Bristol, UK - Hen & Chicken
24 April - Helsingborg, SE - The Tivoli
25 April - Gothenburg, SE - Valand
26 April - Malmö, SE - Plan B
27 April - Stockholm, SE - Bar Brooklyn
Official Site | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube
