Storytelling through song

A local artist is sharing his story to the world through song.

Sam McCue, a musician from Post Falls, released his new single, “Colorado Double,” on Jan. 26. The inspiration was his grandfather’s Colorado full double saddle that McCue received as a gift.

“My grandfather was one of my very closest friends,” McCue said. “He and I saw eye to eye on a lot of things and you don’t meet many people in life that you can have an understanding with with very few words.”

A musician for about 15 years, McCue has been performing in the Northwest from Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Nevada for about three years.

McCue plays in The McCues, a duo with his wife; a group called Gin, Smoke, and Lies; and solo performances.

“Colorado Double” is the first single he’s released solo, and is available on Spotify, YouTube, Apple music and all streaming platforms.

McCue said with his most recent release he’s trying to move more toward storytelling direction in his songwriting.

“The story is more intimate that way, and it’s my story,” McCue said. “I really wanted to just kind of create more of an intimate experience with this song and then ones to follow as well.”

The single is a precursor to a five-song EP, including the single, that McCue said he plans to release later this spring.

McCue said the songs will focus on the Western way of life and agricultural experience. He said he likes to talk about experiences that people can relate to and monumental moments that happen in life.

“I kind of want to capture the emotions in those experiences as well,” McCue said.

McCue said he spent a lot of time working on “Colorado Double,” changing it around to really make it into the story that was in his brain. He said he recorded the song several times, stripping it down to the bare bones to make it more about the story than the music.

“I’m very happy with it,” McCue said. “The feedback I’ve gotten from close friends and people that I really respect has been phenomenal. So it’s really filled my heart and it’s motivated me even more to just keep pushing this release.”

As for the saddle, it has followed McCue wherever he went for the last 10 years and counting.

“(My grandfather) was a real deal,” McCue said. “He was a real cowboy and he’d seen it all. And for a cowboy to give away his saddle, might not meant the world to him, might not meant a whole lot to him at the time, but to me it was everything.”

McCue primarily plays acoustic guitar. His latest endeavor is learning harmonica after his wife got him a harmonica set for Christmas.

He regularly plays at Mad Bomber Brewing Company in Hayden, Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Company in Coeur d’Alene, The Black Diamond in Spokane Valley and D-Mac’s at the Lake in Hauser.

McCue can be found at mccuetunes.com. Listen to “Colorado Double” at youtube.com/watch?v=ElFdCiaY7ic.

Check out Sam McCue on Episode 106 of the North Idaho North Idaho podcast too!