February
08
Interview with Sam Brown, Singer and Songwriter
Ahead of having Sam Brown with us at the Irish Arts Center on February 9, we asked her a few questions to get to know more about her and her music journey.
Interviewer: Who (or what) is your biggest inspiration for songwriting?
Sam: The biggest inspirations as a writer for me were generally female, singer songwriters I listened to growing up. Sheryl Crow‘s first album Tuesday Night Music Club was very essential insofar as how I started looking at writing songs. It came out when I was about 10 or so, and my brother recorded the entire album to cassette so I could listen to it on my tape deck. I think I’m still chasing the feeling of listening to that album over and over. Every song could have been some sort of single, there are no throwaways. When I think about songwriting, I want the leanest, most enjoyable or heartfelt song in the most efficient amount of time I can make it happen. Not that there isn’t room to emote a little bit, or to let the song go longer than three minutes. When looking at what I’m aiming to do, it isn’t for the purposes of meandering through an idea. It’s here’s the point of the song, let’s get the music to carry that through.
I: Do you think you view music in a different way than someone who isn’t involved in the creative process? Meaning, while I might just bop my head to a song, you may decipher every instrument or understand why the singer made a certain choice. (I’ve always wondered about this!)
S: Music is already so subjective, even from artist to artist or musician to musician. Something I was always curious about, and I remember asking a non-musician friends this, is how do you hear music in your head? For me, there is never a moment a song, or some sort of melody isn’t lingering. Often when I’m writing music, I’m rehearsing and rewriting in my head all day, thinking about different instrumentations or harmonies or things I could take out or add. My pal only seemed interested in maybe sometimes recalling a song they really liked, or remarking on the occasional ear worm that you can’t get out of your heard. As far as listening to other peoples music in the company of people who don’t make music, that’s usually an area I’m happy just to sit back and express either liking it or not. Music can get heavy and overwhelming, and super heady if you’re writing songs, so sometimes it is nice to just take off that hat and enjoy it for what it is. Musicians make music for everyone, not just other musicians, and it’s always been important to me to know what I like without judging it.
I: Is there a certain routine or ritual that goes into your songwriting or is it when the inspiration strikes you take it?
S: I wish I could say I carve out time to sit down and make myself write a song every week, or something like that. The fact is my life isn’t in one place for more than a week or two, and so creating rituals is almost impossible. I have always been guided by my feelings, whether it’s something I’ve gone through or a melody that I can’t get out of my head, and then the song usually organically happens. I had this one melody stuck in my head for maybe five or six years, and it wasn’t until the pandemic I finally got it into the context of a song . But some folks can just sit down and pick up a guitar, write for three or four days and it’s something beautiful and meaningful, but not as unintentional as I approach things.
I: What is your favorite song from another artist? (Or album….I know it’s a hard question!)
S: This is definitely a tricky question. Collectively, and I already mentioned it before, Sheryl Crow‘s Tuesday Night Music Club is probably my favorite record. I also love Jenny Lewis very specifically because of her song Acid Tongue. I remember being in my car and on a lunch break at a miserable job as a receptionist, and this song came on 90.7 WFUV. I sort of lost my mind. Like, oh my God, people make music like this? It’s such a perfect song lyrically and melodically- another feeling in a song I’ve been chasing.
I: Are there any challenges you’ve faced or continue to face when it comes to music?
S: Unless you are independently, wealthy, or have generational wealth, being a musician, will always be hard. And even if you do have that money, it’s still hard. For me, the hardest thing has been deciding if I want to pay rent, or make music the way I would like to make music. That’s probably the biggest point of distress as a musician in my particular situation. And that does not take into account as a band leader having to negotiate with and managing different personalities, then trying to get higher guarantees from venues for gigs, losing money so you can pay musicians… there are a lot of considerations and stressors doing the thing I’m doing. All of that being said, there is not one day I think “oh, I wish I had a 9 to 5 job instead.” And only respect for those who like, and want that life. But it was never for me and even in the struggle, there is a sense of belonging. I cannot replicate in any other context. It makes the hardness not as hard.
I: How do you balance the artistic and creative side of being an independent artist with the business side of things?
S: If there is a balance, I have not found one. It is very difficult to compartmentalize when as the person leading the band or soloing the gig I am also the person responsible for collecting payment, and making sure the terms of every single gig are fair. So if you happen to have some tension with a booker, or whoever is paying you, you have to eat it when you show up at the gig. There’s no room for your personal feelings when it comes to playing music for other people in the context of cover gigs, especially when you’re getting paid. I am constantly learning and struggling to promote myself, because promotion is also an entirely different hat from booking and managing the gigs themselves, and also from the actual work as a musician. The good news is that at the end of the day, every difficult or challenging situation is an offering for another song. I do not believe trauma should be pursued for the sake of the song, but life is pretty good at providing it, and so you might as well get some use out of it.
I: If you could give advice to someone who is wanting to get into singing/songwriting what would it be?
I would say don’t judge the song you’re writing as you write it, no matter how silly or simple or hesitant you feel. I would also say not to get too wrapped up in comparing your musicianship to other musicians, especially those musicians who do not write songs. Do not be afraid of revising and cutting things out of the song you wrote the day before, or the week before, and find other songwriters and musicians you deeply trust for their feedback. I will also offer that not all songs are meant to be hit or wildly, successful, but that some songs exist just for us as the individual to move through something. Therapy is therapy, and nothing can replace that, but songs can often be a conduit for catharsis, and so I say if you have any inkling of pursuing songwriting, do it.
S: Has your music evolved since you first started, and if so?
I hope my music has evolved! I wrote my first song when I was 12 or 13 years old after my mom taught me my first three chords, A/D/E, so I could learn how to play “Loving Arms” on the guitar. Between the ages of 13 and 23 or so, songwriting was fluid and constant and so easily access that I lost track of how many songs I was writing. But because they were a lot less intentional or thoughtful, they all sort of remained in the same realm of angsty, country, folk music. Writing for my first album in my mid 20s was very intentional and very much to fulfill the sound the label I was working with wanted. Now the songs don’t come as quickly, and in a way that has only benefited my songwriting. As you grow as a musician, and you learn more and more songs of other people, that will also inform the way you write and grow. At this point I feel like I’m in a spot of having a lot of knowledge and new material to work with, but also being able sit back and let the music happen and trust my process.
I: When did you know this is what you had a passion for?
S: I don’t remember a time in my life I didn’t want to be a singer, but when I started writing music around 13 years old that also became integral to my identity. I have followed a lot of other paths so far in my life, but they all seem to leave me back to this one.
I: Do you have a favorite song of you own? If you do, I’d love to hear why!
S: That changes for me. I have a whole new set of material, and as I’ve been playing them out, it’s been interesting to hear from the audience what their favorites are. Something I love is that there isn’t one consistent song people are drawn to, so if I’m basing my favorite on everyone else’s favorite then yeah, that’s why is changes. Right now I’ll say my favorite song is the newest one, “Easy Now.” it and we are working on releasing it as a single, which is very exciting!
Sam is a lifelong singer, songwriter, everything else writer, comedian, and actor in New Jersey/New York. She released her debut album in January of 2018, and is currently working on her next release. She regularly sings with Joe McGinty’s Losers Lounge, Scotch Bonnet, and her band Hearts on Fire. Her love of country, soul, and rock comes through in her songwriting and set lists.
https://irishartscenter.org/event/big-city-folk-song-club-spring-2024
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