Musicians Jim and Sam will play a gig anywhere, to anyone. Even to a field full of cows — as they did while on their Anywhere Everyday Tour, in which they decided to play a show, every day for a year. This was during 2017, a time when musicians were not encouraged, like the rest of the public, to stay at home. “Traveling throughout 14 different countries, we played to whomever would say ‘yes’…and it’s amazing all of the unexpected ‘yesses’ we got,” says Jim. The trip also inspired the husband-and-wife singer-songwriters to welcome new songs to their repertoire, like Witch in a Window, a beguiling plea for deeper connection.
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“Upon returning home to LA from the tour, we felt some whiplash,” says Jim. “We had just emerged from feeling so inspired after having such intimate and real connections with strangers all around the world, then all of a sudden were thrown back into a city and industry obsessed with first impressions and fueled by small talk.”
Their time on the road gave the couple a new perspective, which meant seeing their home in a different way too. “Everything felt magnified. We began noticing people morphing into different versions of themselves to fit in or get ahead,” explains Sam. “We love LA; however, Witch in a Window is our tribute to the trickery and disguise the city perpetuates and makes us all believe we have to keep up with.”
The reason for Jim and Sam’s big adventure, which they embarked on as a newly-married couple, was an impulsive one, but it also came from a place of having played together for over a decade. They met at a mutual friend’s comedy show in 2007, and began making music. Jim and Sam released their self-debuted album, This is What’s Left, produced by Lasse Marten (who’s also worked with the likes of Lykke Li and Peter, Bjorn & Jon).
“We had not yet become the conventionally successful band we thought we’d be,” says Jim. “We were feeling stuck and anxious about our future and decided that it was time to do something drastic. As a commitment to each other and our music, we left our home and our dog (with someone who loves him!) and set out.”
There were nights where they played for a crowd of 3,500 people and nights where they played for only the bartender. Sometimes, shows would get cancelled or one of them would get sick. “It was then that we had to redefine the meaning of the word ‘show’ itself,” says Jim. “Whether it was in a nail salon in New York City or a bicycle shop in Reykjavik, we were discovering on a daily basis the power of music and it’s unique ability to bring complete strangers together no matter where they were from. These moments became the heartbeat of the tour.”
Jim and Sam began to capture those moments, filming every single day with whatever camera was closest to them. About 100 days in, Jim says, it began to feel like the camera had become another member of the band. They worked with a few cinematographers, like Mike Zwaheln, and would sometimes rope in the help of friends, into whose hands they would throw a camera. When they finished the tour, Jim and Sam began writing down their story, sifting through the 365 days of footage. They had two close friends, Natalia Anderson and Kyle Weber, help shape the film.
“We realized that surrendering to the moment by fully showing up to our music, each other, and whomever or whatever was in front of us, even if that’s a herd of cows, could completely change our feeling…the day…and quiet our existential worry of ‘where is this all leading to?’ “ says Sam. The experience reinforced the importance of remaining inspired, both in their relationship and in their art. “Spending every waking minute with each other for a full year created countless highway arguments but we could always trust in the show, the audience or the serendipitous piece of wisdom from a liquor store cashier in London, who we just sang for, to bring us back together,” adds Jim.
The film, called After So Many Days, had been playing at film festivals across the country, before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. It heads to the Nashville Film Festival at the beginning of next month, before being released on the 20th of October. Jim and Sam’s album of music that accompanies the film, which is not so much a soundtrack as a collection of songs written during and after the trip, will be released on the 9th of October. It follows their 2019 album, Yeah Whatever Young Forever, produced by Dan Molad (Lucius, Emily King), released through Nettwerk Records.
Jim and Sam hope the film, and their story, encourages those who’ve perhaps talked themselves out of a crazy idea to follow it through — to find what they love to do and show up to it everyday. “Show up when you’re tired, or sad, show up when no one else is rooting you on,” says Jim. “Show up when you’re not rooting yourself on. Be your own champion and show up anyway. We guarantee it won’t turn out the way you imagined it to. Maybe pieces of it will, but either way, if you stick with it you will eventually turn your doubts and fears into the muscles and oxygen that keep you going on the hard days, and not showing up will be out of the question. And that’s the best part.”
