Acclaimed songwriter Sam Baker plays the ECC Arts Center Club Feb. 28
Songwriter Sam Baker will perform at the Elgin Community College Arts Center on Sunday, Feb. 28. The performance will begin at 6 p.m. in the SecondSpace Theatre, Building H, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
Sam "Slots" Baker is a man of few words. These words are, however, beautifully chosen, and fully wrought. His music is lyrically exquisite, profound in message, and laced with a wry wit. His gorgeous, stark sound echoes musicians like John Prine and Leonard Cohen but remains uniquely his own. NPR's "All Things Considered" calls Baker's music "simultaneously beautiful and broken … His is a story that must be told."
After he nearly died in a 1986 train bombing in Peru, Baker turned inward to relearn the use of his body and brain. The road back was arduous, but it opened up new vistas in art, poetry, and music. He released his first CD, "Mercy" in 2004, and has since released three more albums. The most recent, 2013's "Say Grace," earned acclaim from Rolling Stone, No Depression, American Songwriters, and more. Baker has been featured on "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" and NPR's "All Things Considered."
Baker approaches life with an amazingly positive attitude considering what he has been through. "Life is a gift," he declares. "I went through a lot of bitterness - a lot of anger. But those things are toxic. Gratitude for what remains is more helpful than resentment for what was lost. Ultimately, I came to understand that these days are wicked short and terribly beautiful. All I've got - no matter what I hold in my hands, drive around in, or put in the bank - all I've got is this one breath, and if I'm lucky, I get another."
Tickets to Sam Baker's performance are $25. Baker will be performing in the ECC Arts Center Club which transforms the SecondSpace Theatre into an intimate candlelit cabaret. A three-course, pre-show dinner prepared by ECC's award-winning Culinary Arts and Hospitality program can be purchased for an additional $29. Dinners must be ordered on or before Monday, Feb. 22. The menu includes a mixed green salad, chicken marsala accompanied by mashed potatoes and a fresh vegetable, and dessert fondue. Wine and beer are sold separately by the glass.
Tickets for all performances in the ECC Arts Center are available online at tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC Arts Center box office. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call (847) 622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted.