Iron and Wine

Iron & Wine
@ The Bijou Theatre, Knoxville, November 21
by Andrew Clayman
Published in The Metro Pulse, November 2008



What’s left to be said about Sam Beam’s beard? At this point, the mere mention of the Iron and Wine singer’s substantial face-fuzz might be seen as nothing more than a lazy and short-sighted distraction from his far more remarkable work as an artist. But then again, is it wrong to be mesmerized by a man’s whiskers? This is a golden age for eccentric, soft-spoken folk singers with crazy chin-locks, and we should appreciate it. Once upon a time, great American Presidents like Hayes and Garfield used to sport these suckers. Today, that legacy has been passed down from our nation’s highest office to its most critically acclaimed indie-rock troubadours—and Mr. Beam, along with Devendra Banhart, Ray LaMontagne, and many others, have heeded the call.

Lest cheek-muffs become the sole topic of this piece, it should also be noted that Iron and Wine is coming to the Bijou on November 21, as Sam Beam continues to promote his third full-length record, The Shepherd’s Dog. Widely noted for his intimate and highly literate acoustic musings (as well as the occasional Postal Service cover in an M&M’s commercial), Beam opened up the playbook on The Shepherd’s Dog, mixing in a fleet of new instrumentation and putting a little extra bounce in his step. Still, it’s hard to deny that the beard is at its best when it’s cooing longingly in solitude. This is why any newbie to Beam’s world should start with his nine-minute masterpiece, “The Trapeze Swinger.”