Sam Valentine learned how to sing in church, how to play guitar from some very patient teachers, and how to write good songs by writing bad ones.

Pulling inspiration from wherever feels right at the time, his musical expressions vary from pleading ballads to brash rock anthems all centered around his love for intentional lyricism, vocal harmony, and a revolving door of musical influences.

Along with Alex Roberson, Matt Elgin, and Blake Hurt, Valentine founded Richmond, VA rock outfit Honest Debts in 2017 and was the group’s lead vocalist and primary songwriter through multiple studio recordings and a weekend headlining residency at Richmond venue The Camel in 2022.

His 2024 solo EP Somewhere Golden marks a deliberate step into the singer-songwriter arena and draws influence from heavy-handed lyricists like Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Jason Isbell, and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes. Recorded and mixed by Matt Elgin and mastered by Allen Bergendahl, this new release attempts to capture six new original songs in their most essential form by featuring Valentine’s voice with simple acoustic instrumentation.

Most likely to be found just South of the James River or somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sam’s probably living through the material for his next song and hoping it’ll be great.