Sam Edelston is releasing his debut album titled, Making Waves. While this might be Mr. Edelston's first album, you can tell by his "Sam The Music Man" ContemporaryDulcimer YouTube channel that he has been playing this stringed instrument for a long time. One of my favorite things about Making Waves is that Sam Edelston is out here to prove something. He wants the world to know that the dulcimer belongs in rock music, and he's willing to make this record to prove it. So, before we get into the meat of Makin Waves, let's answer the following question first.
What is a dulcimer?
A dulcimer is a trapezoidal string instrument artists pluck with their fingers or bang with hand-held "hammers" similar to a xylophone. Even though many of us might not know the word, we all understand the sound as the dulcimers are similar to guitars we use in so much music today.. The dulcimer's history is long and deep, so look that up if you're interested.
The dulcimer Sam Edelston typically uses is the Appalachian dulcimer which is typically used in folk music. Unfortunately, it's been considered more of a background instrument if it's ever used at all. Still, dulcimers are so central to what Sam Edelston does, you can find him by the name Edelston & Dulcimer. (https://edelstondulcimer.bandcamp.com/album/making-waves)
What is Making Waves?
What Sam Edelston wanted to prove was that the dulcimer is more than some background instrument used in folk music. He wanted to prove the dulcimer could rock. To do this, he created this album of rock and roll covers to showcase what this instrument can do in capable hands. The dulcimer leads while the rest of us follow.
Making Waves is a very fun project. He slides through covers of many rock and roll classics. There is a seven-minute version of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. There's a cover of Born to Run that according to the info on Bandcamp, "rocks harder than the Boss's (Bruce Springsteen) version." There are covers of Call Me by Blondie, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds by the Beatles, and Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. Yet to shoot for the moon, there is a cover of Ace of Spades by Motörhead. Let me say that Sam the Music Man and his team are making this rock and roll point quite well.
Makin Waves puts the dulcimer at the front, but this is a full album. The sounds are explosive and this project is well made. It also includes bass, percussion, additional vocals, drums, violin and even beatboxing. I'll let you find that track on your own.
One of the other and possibly most important things about Making Waves is how the image on the album cover lets you know upfront what it's about. It's an image of an amp, with a leather jacket on one side, a dulcimer on the other, and a bandana around that dulcimer so you know what you're getting... and that's real rock and roll, brother.
Website: samthemusicman.com
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