Two young singer-songwriters, Sam Morrow and Emily Hackett, graced the stage at Alternate Root TV for an Extended Play Session last night.

Sam Morrow

Emily Hackett

Although they shared Emily’s band as well as the stage for one song, Sam and Emily performed separate sets and gave separate interviews.

Sam performed first. I was told that Sam sounds like Eddie Vedder, and that is accurate except that I like Sam’s voice and songs better. I closed my eyes at one point and felt as if Eddie was in the room with us.

Sam

At the tender age of 23, Sam has seen and experienced many things that influence his songwriting. He is open and honest and that comes across to his listeners.

Sam

Sam has battled addiction, and feels that his music is better because of it. I am not at all surprised by that; many people are more creative when there is an internal struggle happening.

Sam

Sam’s set included songs from his recently released album, ‘Ephemeral’; I predict that Sam’s music will be anything but ephemeral… I think my favorite song from this album is ‘Run’ but I also love ‘Old Soul’. The more I listen to the album the more I realize I cannot really chose one favorite!

Sam

After Sam’s set, Emily took the stage with her band, Taylor Ivey on guitar and Vickie Vaughn on bass, with both providing backing vocals.

Emily

Taylor Ivey

Vickie Vaughn

Emily began her set by telling us that she thinks of herself as a songwriter and not as a singer, so I was not prepared for just how terrific her voice is!

Emily

Emily had two EPs with her for purchase that night, including one that the band assembled on their drive from Nashville to Boston! I could have gotten the album for free on Noise Trade, but I chose to buy her unique package that included a little love note (no, it wasn’t personal to me but I love the idea)!

Emily

Taylor and Vickie provided wonderful accompaniment to both Sam and Emily. They each have their own projects, but Emily convinced them to do this short tour with her. One of the best lines I’ve heard in a long time was Vickie’s “My Kentucky is showing!”

Taylor

Vickie

Sam and Vickie

Emily and Vickie

I did not get any shots of either Sam or Emily with Taylor…

After Emily’s set, Sam returned to the stage where they did a duet of a Civil Wars’ song. This was especially impressive because they met only the day prior to this show.

Sam and Emily

Taylor, Sam, Emily and Vickie

I cannot place either Sam’s or Emily’s songs into one category. Both have a country influence but neither are country songwriters. I wonder if they let the music follow the lyrics wherever the lyrics go.

Sam and Emily

I think all these young musicians have a long, successful career ahead of them. I look forward to seeing a lot of them.