"Intimacy is very important for this show," said Clark. "Great lyrics, great melodies; it's going to be an acoustic, one-man show, so that is important."
The music of Sam Beam, who performs as Iron and Wine with or without a band, is often a hushed affair. His whispered baritone invokes a melody-heavy folk interpretation through a mane of a beard just as likely on a World Moustache and Beard contestant as on an indie-folk luminary. Story telling and emotional evocation are staples of Beam's songs, which are filled with messages of fleeting joys, love lost and simple memories.
Beam was a film-maker with an MFA from Florida State University who taught film at Miami International University of Art and Design. But after some of his home recordings, most handed out by friends championing his work, reached the right ears, he got a call from Seattle-based recording label Sub Pop. Seven years later, a world-touring, polished Beam draws large crowds hoping to catch a glimpse of the soft-spoken artist.
The Anchorage show sold out in just over two weeks, a feat Clark called amazing.
"I haven't had that happen since I have been here," he said.
Clark attributes the sell out to Beam's consistent increase in popularity since his first full-length release seven years ago. He said he thinks the band's prominence also comes from the appearance on several soundtracks, most notably Garden State and Twilight.
Iron and Wine's full-length "The Shepard's Dog," debuted in on the Billboard charts in the No. 24 slot in 2007, and "Around the Well," a compilation of unreleased tracks released in May of this year, found its way to No. 1 on the College Music Journal charts.
But that doesn't mean Beam is only popular with student-aged listeners. While student attendance is 10 percent higher than average, Clark said the show breaks down to 45 percent student and 55 percent non-student.
"He has a sound that appeals to several generations," said John Kendall, concert board member and music manager at KRUA, UAA's student radio station. "There are lots of throwback elements and not a lot of new musical elements that would be disconcerting to some people. I almost thought it would sell out sooner."
Beam's music remains true to its core, melodically and lyrically, though his once spare use of instrumentation and production has given way to a rich, full-band feel.
That depth will be absent from the solo acoustic show, but Kendall said he doesn't think that will take away from the songs.
"You might hear people saying 'Ah, I wish I could have heard this song with the full band,' but it will still be great, just solo with a new spin," Kendall said.
Beam's being alone shouldn't lead to a lack of substance, if anything, as a solo performer, it will be add to the already intimate sound and feel of his work.
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