Sam Shackleton with Nick Hans

Watch Sam

Sam Shackleton, also known by his Gaelic moniker, Sorley the Bard, is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk artist. His music is greatly inspired by the rich inter-connected musical oral traditions of Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. Strongly influenced by the 1960's folk revival, his unique sound is a mix of country, old time, traditional, folk, and blues with a Scottish spirit. He was born in Stirling and raised all over Scotland, from the Borders to the Highlands and his music is deeply inspired by the oral tradition, musical culture, and landscapes of Scotland.

Sam also holds a research masters degree with distinction in Scottish Ethnology from the renowned academic folk music institution, the School of Scottish Studies, specialising in folklore and ethnomusicology. 

He spends his days writing, performing, and busking across the world, sharing his unique and authentic musical style through his own writing and interpretation of the folk traditions, songs, and ballads that came before him. 

He views all of his music as part of the carrying stream of folk tradition.

Watch Nick Hans

NICK HANS writes songs drawing primarily from his own life – sometimes dark, sometimes beautiful. He left Tennessee in his late teens and began crisscrossing the country by freight train, working seasonal jobs, farming, and living in punk and radical communities. When he found a cassette tape with Leadbelly on one side and Woody Guthrie on the other, he was blown away by the beauty and power of those legendary musicians and their songs. He picked up a beat-up Stella guitar, and has been writing and playing his own songs ever since. HANS spent many years living in New Orleans, playing shows and busking with an ever-changing cast of musicians, including his previous bands the Sluetown Strutters and the Stay All Night Rounders. He currently lives in Taos, New Mexico, where he continues to farm, work, and write music.