MAMA SAM

Raised on campfire sing-a-longs in Wisconsin, Mama Sam is a heart-scrubbin’, soul-shakin’ prolific songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Raw, magnetic, and just a little dangerous, her raspy voice cuts straight to the bone.

In Chicago’s 2000s underground scene, built her foundation with bands like Calibrated Crematorium, Willy Dynomite, Cartolinas, and The Flower Beds. Her day job supported her passion for music as the manager of multiple School of Rock locations.

Portland became her next cosmic musical landing in 2014. After a cross country move and immense heartbreak she formed a psychedelic folk-pop starship called Mama Sam & The Jam. Her songs braid heartbreak and cosmic curiosity with a jolt of emotional electricity that can hush a room mid-sip.

Beyond The Jam, Mama Sam has lent her unmistakable pipes and lush vocal arrangements to a bunch of Portland acts, including New Constellations, Ashleigh Flynn and the Riveters, ZWONGR, Mitch and the Melody Makers, and more. She performs often around Portland in many different forms: Mama Sam & Friends, Mama Sam solo and as duos and trios.

Mama Sam & The Jam sound like Mazzy Star took a field trip with Fleetwood Mac and forgot to come back—drenched in harmony, a little interstellar, and gloriously groove-soaked. It’s vibey, goosebump-raising, frequency-lifting magic.