The JUNO award-winning group Sam Roberts Band gives fans an up-close-and-personal night of music in SAM ROBERTS BAND AT THE CONCERT HALL, an all-new special premiering Tuesday, August 23 at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo!. Recorded at Toronto’s historic Masonic Temple, and hosted by Matt Wells, the intimate special gives fans a front row seat to a hyped Sam Roberts Band set, showcasing some of their best critically acclaimed hits. The award-winning series AT THE CONCERT HALL, was also nominated for a Gemini last week for Best Sound in a Comedy, Variety or Performing Arts Program or Series. An encore presentation airs Friday, August 26 at 6 p.m. ET on Bravo! and beginning August 24, fans can catch the show online at Bravo.ca.
Sam Roberts Band engages viewers with a powerful set of songs including “I Feel You” and “The Last Crusade” from their latest album Collider along with fan favourites such as “Where Have All the Good People Gone.” Between songs, host Matt Wells chats one-on-one with Roberts about the new album, songwriting and the band’s huge success.
Sam Roberts Band Bio
When Sam Roberts titled the first song on his first full-length album “Hard Road,” he was essentially laying out a map for his career, acknowledging early on that the key to longevity and continued relevance is to never to take the easy route, even if the impressive stats he’s racked up since writing that song – platinum records, #1 chart rankings, multiple JUNO Awards – could seemingly afford him that luxury.
Though the Sam Roberts Band may be named for its singer and primary songwriter, Roberts has long relied on his inner circle – guitarist Dave Nugent, guitarist/keyboardist Eric Fares, bassist James Hall and drummer Josh Trager – to translate his ideas into sound. And on the new album Collider, that circle expanded to include Chicago-based producer Brian Deck, and Califone percussionist Ben Massarella and Antibalas woodwind wizard Stuart Bogie.
Collider is noticeably bereft of the amped-riffs and scorching guitar solos that define the Sam Roberts Band’s powerhouse live performances. Instead, the guitars are mostly a textural tool to emphasize the rhythm, a tactic that ultimately shines a greater light on Roberts’ instantly familiar melodies and lyrical wisdom, and yields some of his most affecting performances to date. And that’s ultimately what Collider is about for Sam Roberts – musical exploration as a vehicle for emotional introspection.
