Up from Atlanta, Burchfield brings soul

Sam Burchfield's sound covers a lot of ground, from lyrical ballads to upbeat funk jams. Add in some banjo-driven folk songs and you're almost there.

From banjo to brass to traditional rock four- piece, Burchfield has taken the diversity of modern music and blended it. With a voice that can be soft and sultry or full of loud Southern soul, Burchfield appears at the White Horse Black Mountain on Jan. 2 with fellow soulful songwriter Nathan Angelo.

After appearing on American Idol Season 13 and receiving a golden ticket to Hollywood, Burchfield turned the show down and opted instead to release his first EP, “Where to Run,” in February 2014, a few months after graduating from the University of Georgia. The EP charted to number eight on Billboards Regional-South Atlantic Heatseeker chart and was noticed by industry professionals as well as college music blog GoodMusicAllDay.com. Building on the EP's success, Burchfield booked his own tour of the Southeast, sleeping on floors and couches.

In his short career, Burchfield has shared stages with notable acts like Casey James, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Ben Rector, Josh Garrels, Emily Hearn and YouTube sensation Noah Guthrie. The Athens-grown singer/songwriter blends blues rock, funk and folk, influenced by the likes of ZZ Ward, Ray LaMontagne, Van Morrison and early Jack Johnson. Since his recent move to Atlanta, Burchfield has also been working with a talented four-piece band that helps him realize his eclectic musical vision.

Joining Burchfield on Jan. 2 will be Angelo, a singer and keyboardist whose infectious sound recalls classic soul and R&B. The excitement of his danceable live performances has been captured on “Live at Smith’s Olde Bar,” recorded at the legendary Atlanta venue.

He’s all in

Who: Sam Burchfield

When: 8 p.m. Jan. 2

Where: White Horse Black Mountain

Cost: $8 advance, $10 door