Sam's Story

Sam Lardner & Barcelona have been serving up their delicious fusion now for over two decades. A careful blend of Americana and Flamenco gives their music plenty of headroom for storytelling and lyrical expression while bouncing pretty raucously on a bed of powerful rhythmic forms, most notably rumbas, tangos and tanguillos. Somebody once said, "It's like James Taylor and the Gypsy Kings have a fender bender, and they all make friends."

A native New Englander, Sam started out playing solo shows on the contemporary folk circuit between Boston and Philadelphia during the early 90s. When he made the move to Barcelona in 1997, he was instantly recruited to front a country show band that, at its apex, had 8 members and 2 line dancing instructors. The money was fine, but after a few years Sam suspected there had to be something besides the "Boot Scoot Boogie" in his future. That something came along in the form of a rising young singer/songwriter named Pedro Hermosilla who, with pop tendencies and an Andalusian heritage, was well-steeped in the flamenco tradition and how to access it. 

Flamenco is a well guarded genre that regularly chews up and spits out curious foreign artists, especially guitar players. Not a warm, friendly place. So Pedro carefully and patiently introduced Sam to the nuances of the flamenco world. During what we could call the 'incubation years', Sam spent hours listening to Pedro's must-hear playlist trying to find possible connections between his own music and Flamenco. This is a typical exchange between Sam and Pedro from that time...

Sam: "I'm starting to think funk has some things in common with a rumba catalana".

Pedro: "No, not really".

In 2004, Sam finally felt he had found his Flamenco fusion comfort zone, and work began right away on the Barcelona CD that would mark a huge sea change in Sam's career. When it was finally finished in early 2006, it got no attention whatsoever from Spanish labels. So Sam released it independently and, following the suggestions of good friends Kim Laudrup and Dave Brush, convinced the Hotel Arts in Barcelona to sell the CD in all of its rooms as a takeaway product. 25,000 copies later, Sam was quietly halfway to a gold record in Spain before the Hotel Arts decided to create a product of its own with a local label. During that period, Sam & Barcelona were featured international guests at US festivals such as Kerrville (TX) and Falcon Ridge (MA), and they enjoyed seasonal tours throughout the East Coast, West Coast and the Rockies.

In 2009, Sam was contracted by The Ocean Foundation in Washington DC to compose 12 children's songs highlighting some of the critical issues facing ocean ecosystems worldwide. The project, Oceans Are Talking, was perfectly timed for Sam on a personal level, as all of his 4 pre-teen kids were able to perform on the album. CDs were sent to participating US primary schools 1 month ahead of the 'awareness concerts', and by the time Sam and his Oceans band arrived, the kids were literally screaming the lyrics along with Sam. The project lasted 5 years, won a Smithsonian silver medal for outstanding children's music, and over 30,000 CDs were distributed to families across the USA during that time. 

That in essence was the beginning of Sam's belief in the magic of benefit concerts for rallying communities around worthy causes. With music, the afterglow is much longer and more powerful. Since then, he has jumped at every opportunity to support worthy causes, specifically in the areas of education and the environment. And that is the reason Música Helps now exists.

The latest version of Sam & Barcelona is perhaps the most well-rounded to date. Sam brings his gifts as songwriter and storyteller with a voice that can deliver a romantic ballad or an impassioned rumba with equal ease. The very same Pedro Hermosilla is now a veteran singer/songwriter and the lead guitar player for Antonio Orozco. Juan Flores is the favorite of every audience with his major intensity on percussion. Juan Antonio Guerra gives weight and tremendous depth on bass. For many years Sandra Sangiao was the legendary vocalist for the Barcelona Gipsy BalKan Orchestra, and Nerea Pozo is currently a backing vocalist for Judit Nedderman. Together Sandra and Nerea add rhythm, richness and breadth with their syncopated hand clapping and beautiful vocal harmonies. Sam is, of course, the constant in this equation, but over a dozen musicians have been part of the Barcelona band since 2006. Many have gone on to do impressive things. In particular, Alba Carmona won a Latin Grammy nomination for best Flamenco Album in 2017, and Marta Robles won a Latin Grammy Award in 2022 for the best Flamenco Album of that year as lead guitarist for Las Migas. Our congrats to both of them!