The singer-songwriter-horseman debuts his music video for the track “Sam’s House.”
The premiere: The video for the song “Sam’s House,” the introductory track off An American Forrest’s latest album, O Bronder, Donder Yonder?, available now.
The artist: An American Forrest — the words and music of Forrest Van Tuyl — is a product of the artist’s Oregon roots. A horseman and cowboy who spends nearly six months a year in the isolation on the Northeastern wilderness, Van Tuyl makes music that’s closely tied to his surroundings. His unique Western/Americana folk sound is accompanied by sophisticated lyrics that reflect of his time alone surviving in the wilderness.
About the song: “‘Sam’s House’ is a story about bearing witness to someone else’s trauma and the process of survival, and if we’re lucky, recovery,” says Van Tuyl. “For me, a lot of that process was learning and practicing patience and empathy and self-awareness by trying to become a better horseman. It’s the most mentally and physically demanding thing I’ve ever done, and for me it was and still is a way to survive. I’m not the only one who’s been down this road. Open your ears to anyone talking about ‘harmony with horses’ and you’ll find more than a few similar stories. That’s why the imagery of the round pen, the horses I rode (and would ride again), and the hides of dead horses are there. They were bearing witness, too.”
Another part of this journey, Van Tuyl says, was in multiple readings of Cormac McCarthy’s The Crossing — “a trip through a strange wilderness in which different characters exclaim, in Spanish and English, ‘Hay justicia en el mundo!’ and ‘There is no justice on this earth.’ That dissonance certainly resonated with me. A very religious friend of mine, while meditating on the Civil War, lamented ‘the wickedness of the world,’ and I related to that concept, and terminology, a lot, too. These ancient ideas of good and wickedness, light and darkness, and the corruption of justice both metaphysically and in a very literal, personal sense were, still are, and always have been on my mind and in my art. The story I’m telling is not just mine. Listen, and it’s everywhere.”
About the video: To capture an old-timey feel, Van Tuyl recorded the music video for “Sam’s House” live at the Range Rider Saloon in Enterprise, Oregon. The result is an intimate experience of his musical talent and lyrical inspiration.
Why we like it: It’s rare to find an artist as meta as An American Forrest. On the track “Sam’s House,” Van Tuyl brings out his good-natured, laid-back cowboy personality to invite the listener in to his solitude. The video evokes a nice small-town feeling with its intimate live performance.
Get an exclusive first look at the music video for “Sam’s House,” below.
For more information on An American Forrest, visit the official website.
