Homeboy Music: Sam Coakley

Singer-songwriter Sam Coakley has been doing this music thing for quite a while now. His mastery of the piano and love for good stories have joined forces to produce music impressive in both quantity and quality. Though he only has one physically released EP, a live performance will reveal his vast store of other material and the extent to which his songcraft has improved over the years. According to Tim Mackie of campus newspaper The Swinging Bridge:

Upon hearing Coakley perform, most listeners immediately draw parallels with Billy Joel and Elton John, and indeed Coakley cites them as his major artistic influences. "If you're going to play pop music on the piano, that's pretty much all there is" he said. After being introduced to these artists by his piano teacher, Coakley began writing his own music at age fourteen out of a profound dissatisfaction with the mainstream pop zeitgeist. "I figured I could write what I wanted to hear better than what I was hearing on the radio." (full article here)

Though he usually performs solo, he is occasionally joined by drummer Mark Hunsberger as The Sam Coakley Trio, and plays with a full backing band on his EP, available on iTunes. Sam plays shows around campus somewhat frequently, usually at the SouthSide Cafe, as well as occasional gigs at bars and coffeehouses. If you get the chance, by all means go see the show. The atmosphere is usually somewhat intimate and allows you to really appreciate his lyricism as well as musicianship.