Sam Baker is a man of few words. He was traveling on a train in Peru in 1986 when a bomb planted by the Shining Path killed seven of his fellow passengers and left him with a long, hard road back to reasonable health. “Life is a gift,” he says. “I went through a lot of bitterness. A lot of anger. But those things are toxic. Gratitude for what remains is more helpful than resentment for what was lost. Ultimately, I came to understand that these days are wicked short and terribly beautiful. All I’ve got – no matter what I hold in my hands, drive around in, or put in the bank – all I’ve got is this one breath, and if I’m lucky, I get another.” His newest album, say grace, follows mercy, released in 2004, pretty world, released in 2007, and cotton, released in 2009. His interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air was rebroadcast as one of the favorites of 2014, and his previous appearance at the Freight was a knockout performance!

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