February 14, 2025 • 21 mins
Join us for an exclusive interview on the Sounds from the Dockside Podcast! Host Dave sits down with Grimsby singer-songwriter Sam Simmons for a deep dive into his musical journey. Together, they explore Sam's unique songwriting process, creative influences, and the importance of community in music. Sam also gives us a sneak peek into his upcoming album and opens up about how music helps him process emotions and connect with others.This conversation celebrates the collaborative spirit of the local music scene and the excitement surrounding live performances. 🔔 Stay connected with us for all the latest updates and announcements:
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And welcome episode six of the Sounds from the Dark
Side podcast with me and host Dave. Today in the
engine room, we've got grimsby singer songwriter Sam Simmons. Hello, Hello,
how's it going? Samuel? Thank you? Are you? Yeah? Very well? Yeah,
flagging a bit. This is the second one we've done today,
and to always yeah, I didn't. I didn't realize Alex
Austin talking could be do you know when you're locked in?
(00:20):
You know? Certainly. So we like to start a podcast
just by getting to know a bit about I guess,
so music aside, just take us right back to the beginning.
Who is Sam? Who is Sam? Who is Sam?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Other than than the name, I'm thirty five or father
or two two little boys? Dylan is four Toby one?
Outside of music. It's hard to say outside of music
because it's just music all the time.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I mean, just take us back to the beginning. Tell
us a bit about you growing up. I was getting
into music in general.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I was about thirteen fourteen when it's sort of like
hit me and I started getting really into certain bands. Yeah,
and then just discovering more and more and more, and
then I just I got a guitar and just played
it really badly until I played it all right.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
And I could play it a bit better. So taking
it back to the beginning, what what first drew you
into music? Was there a specific artist or a specific
band or.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
I think, yeah, I think sort of Stone Roses and
that kind of thing was first when I Actually I
was into metal before that really, and I still still
like metal and stuff. Yeah, I like all kinds of music,
but yeah, Stone Roses, I think they were the first
band where it was kind of like, you can sing
that way, you know what I mean. There's slight sort
(01:41):
of like effeminate sort of thing to the vocal and ye,
you can sing softly and it's like I like that,
and then it just you know, it's just a snowball
in it.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
You get into more.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, then you kind of find the balance in between
heavy music and like more melodic music like smashing Pumpkins
and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Yeah, before you know it, you just see these At the.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Time, really that was biting all real times, buying CDs
up and just listening all the way through them, and yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
You still got a more? Do you keep them? I
get them all the way really, yeah, model, I've got
a box of CD Admittedly, you know, they've been stolen
and I've lent him to people over the years of
that and it's dwindled down. But I've still got a
box full of CDs. I thought, yea, and they're all
in the eye because I don't I don't have a
CD player in the house anymore.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
You know, well, the car's got a player. It's so
cheap now, like two quid or something.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Ironically, but about three years ago, I mean, you know
my dad don't, Yeah, about three years ago for Christmas,
I've got a Compact displayer. Yeah, yeah, and he thought
it was great. He thought, you know, it was the
tips and I was like, yeah, that is a you
know what I mean. But it's coming handy because every
now and again when I do that box of CDs out,
there's a little Compact displayer in it that can just
(02:49):
you know, stick into some speakers. So I'll wously when
you started playing music, do you say fourteen? Was about
thirteen fourteen? Yeah? Was it straight straight in with the guitar?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Didn't so I was so I was hanging around with
some friends, was all metal heads. You can be in
the band if you get a bass guitar, so I
went home. I said, my dad can get me a
bass guitar, And the next day my dad turned up
with a guitar.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah, so I couldn't be in the band. And then
it just kind of.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Sat in the corner for a bit and I just
started picking it up and making an absolute racket with it.
And then over time it got a little bit better,
and then I got into writing, you know what I mean? Yeah,
writing really like simple songs and.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Stuff, you know. I remember obviously the Accord was that
the first band you had the Accord? Yeah, which turned
in it was just a different name. And originally was
it you Josh p Tarzan Blak. Is that the original
line up? Yeah? Yeah, that's there was that there was?
Is it Weekend Tale one of the singles? Yeah? You
(03:51):
see that. I still know the worst of that. Do
you know how old was you when you wrote that?
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I had a bit about fifteen sixteen, So one of
your not used to go around his house and he's
like writing sessions where we were just just riff off
each other and just play stuff.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
And it's a strange thing when you're younger.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Songs just come so easy, like really quick, don't they
Like inspiration is just kind of like.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I think, because if your limited skill set as well,
and yeah, you ain't got a massive bank accords to
pour from or anything, have you. It's bare bones and
out of course. Yeah yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
And then eventually you get more experience and less inspiration,
So it's kind of like you get you you're less inspired,
but what you'd make is of a better quality in general,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
We were chatting earlier in the early recording we did,
and I was I was saying about how the best
songs for me and for the healer are the ones
that just fall out the sky. Yeah, they're the ones, Yeah,
where you know, I'll bring a rift to practice in
fifteen minutes later. That's that riff is now the middle
late and you ain't really have to do any work
on it. You just is it the same for you?
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Yeah? I think all the good material kind of happens
in a sort of weird space where you're just not
you're not quite there with it. It just seems to happen. Yeah, Yeah,
more you overthink things. No one ever sits down and
having to write a great song. It always happens when
you're noodling watching Telly or something, and just it just.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Falls to me as well. It's like when when I
say I'm not doing it Saturday, I'm just gonna spend
some time making this all that it never happens, never happens.
It's always when like I'm waiting to leave the house
and you know, serious finishing getting ready, and I just
pick up the guitar for five minutes. That's when the
best things fall out. Yeah, you know, when I'm just
nipping on the guitar. Oh definitely. Yeah. So with regards
(05:33):
to the songwriting, but what what's the process? How does
it come about for me? Lately?
Speaker 2 (05:39):
It's kind of the same it's always been, which is
that I'll mess about on a guitar, to be honest,
sometimes come up with ideas when I'm just walking or driving.
You know, just get that sometimes just like in your head,
you're not if you ain't got an instrument that happened,
just hear a melody and then instantly get your phone
out and sort of record it. But what I tend
to do now is as soon as I've got like
(06:01):
the hook, because I think all great songs is about
thirty seconds that are like that's the song you know.
I mean, that's what makes it. The chorus usually are
like a line or something. Yeah, And once I've got that,
I just get the guitar, I'll get the phone out
and I'll just mumble loads of just just sing something
that sounds nice. It's just gibberish basically, yeah, and then
I'll go back and write the words when I need to.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
But what I tend to do is I'll just work.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
On an album at the moment, I'll do the whole
album like that. So I'll just go like, that's track one,
that's track two, track three, and then we'll go we'll
work on this one.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
So you're right, You're right. Your pieces of you know,
your longer pieces, you write them in a chronology. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
All I have is like the chords, some of the
words and the melody basically, yeah, and then when we
record it, will lay it all down and then the
final thing I.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Do is the lyrics. That's interesting. So You've not even
really got it to any sign. So ye.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
What I'll kind of do is whatever falls out when
I'm just sort of playing whatever line it is, I'll
be thinking, well, what is that and what does that mean?
Speaker 1 (07:03):
And what's the song about? And then write everything else
around that. You know, I've I've always I've tried. I've
tried writing numerous songs, you know, but I always struggle,
like with my writing lyric wise, I feel like everything
I put on paper, if I read visit ten minutes
after I've written it, yeah, just makes me cringe. And
that's where how can I overcome that? What does that
(07:26):
happen to you? Is that something I've just got to
learn or get different kind of writers?
Speaker 2 (07:29):
So maybe just write to someone else's words or something,
because I find that really easy. If someone gives me
some words and told me to write a song around it,
I find that incredibly easy, you know what I mean.
Whereas I struggle with the words, I have to do
it because I want it to be my words eventually. Yeah,
but if someone gave me a set of lyrics, it'd
be so much easier to write music around that.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
It's kind of like just way to your strengths in it,
you know. Yeah, but I guess it's a muscle you've
got a training, like, yeah, and I've tried, but I
feel like that just you know, that cringing element of
it when I pretty demain lyrics back and I don't
know what it is, you know, because I enjoy writing,
you know, but when it comes to writing lyrics, I
just really struggle with that too. Yeah, but you won't
(08:09):
know it made from you know, you've been prolific. I
bet you've written hundreds and hundreds of songs.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, five studio albums in this project,
and then it's countless of the bands I've been and
released arms with them, and then obviously A Chord did
free albums and EPs and compilations and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
So is there is there anything on the horizon for
Loving Memory. No, we're on indefinite hiatus at the Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
It's strange actually because someone messaged me this morning asking
where the album had gone on Spotify because we it
got deleted from release and they were saying, oh real,
like that album could put it back up. So I
think it's time for us to maybe jump in and
make some I missed playing like heavier music, like loud
music and just making a bit of a.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
For me, per se is probably my favorite sort of
iteration of you. Yeah, yeah, you really hear your influences
from you know, like slow Dive and rider.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Net thing for me and post rock, and i've post punk,
and to be honest, that's all a big thing again
now a lot of there's a lot you've got.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Like idols and fontane.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Yeah, it's all a bit more like abrasive, noisy kind
of music.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
So yeah, maybe it's time to revive it. Yeah yeah
why not? So with your music, is it a reflection
of who you are or is it a reflection of
who you want to be when you're writing and performing.
I suppose it's a bit of both. Yeah. I think
you have a kind of like a idealization.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Of yourself in your music, don't you like you you
kind of see yourself as a different person in performance
and stuff. But also yeah, it's a big part of me.
I mean there's a lot of me and in my songs.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
It's a lot of it.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
It's like autobiographical to a degree, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
But not necessarily straight away.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Like a lot a lot of times I write a
song and then realize down the line, I'll be singing
it this is about something that happened at a certain
time someone or you know, But you don't necessarily realize
it when you're writing it.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
You know. That's interesting sometimes as well. Meanings change over time,
and that has to be with your music and a
it's subjective, you know me, and you could listen to
the same piece of music and get a completely different feeling.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
There's some of my favorite songs that I thought, this
line is about this, this song is about this, and
then later on found out it's not necessarily and I
just go, well, to me, it's yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
So if you ever had a moment when music's helped
your process of difficult emotions or difficult periods of your life, oh, definitely, Yeah.
I think I think it's kafatic.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Really, I think that's the whole kind of process of it.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
But it's a long process, you know. I think you
have kind of like trauma or.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Outs of depression or something you're going through, and it's
not like you're going through that so you sit down
and write the song. It's and I like, you go
through that and it kind of matures into a creative process.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah. It's like I say a lot, but for me,
it's it's like I feel compelled to particularly play music,
but just be creative in general. You know, things like this.
It's like I can feel my ghost self going stay crazy,
you know, when and it's like when when I've not
got anything creative or engaging to doing my life, that's
(11:25):
when things start falling apart a bit. Yeah, is it
the same for you? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
And I think the most amazing thing about art and
music and creation in general is like you go through
something hard or whatever you've gone through, and then you
create this piece of music or art out of it,
and then someone will say to you that's beautiful, you
know what I mean. And that's the sort of that's
when it comes full circle. And that's why you do
it all the time. Yeah, because you need that feedback
(11:51):
from other people because that's what you're trying to do.
I suppose eventually it's like connect with other people through
and by doing so, you're connecting with yourself as.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Well, you know what I mean. And the community is
it's Huger music and yeah, yeah, And I think those
who don't prescribe to the sort of community aspect of music,
they're probably not going to have a very good time
with it. No. No, they're probably not going to get
very far with it because you can't you can't be
close minded with it. You can't know that's saying earlier.
It's it's great how around here in particular, everyone seems
(12:22):
to bring it bringing each other on at the minute. Yeah, definitely,
everyone's helping each other out. And yeah, I think that's
why the community's thriving around is great.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
I mean, a lot of the people who are playing
around he is, like, they're all boy friends. So it's
just it's amazing to see your friends have been a
great yeah, and being creative and it's very eclectic, which
is what I like.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
There's been a revival ant there with kind of like myself,
you know, I didn't play anything for sort of close
to ten years, you know, one of the bands Closer
ten years because life got in the way and whatnot.
And but then it seems like everyone's kind of fell
back into it at the same time. You know, you've
got got Leon Blanchard who's put Tiny Giants together. You've
got Luke Parker who's putting Spirits together. Yeah, seems like
(13:01):
almost like I mean, you've been there for a while
all but it's like all those like has beens like
having another go ahead, do you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
I've been in music for like, I've been doing it
for like twenty years whatever, and I've met so many
lovely people through it and there are an interesting people, yeah,
and always so helpful to each other as well, you know,
which is important.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Yeah. Have you you know, have you met anyone who's
been you know someoney you can't believe you're in the
presence of being whether you know, Like for me at Docsfest,
I met Frank Turner, Yeah, and I was like a
little girl may when I see him. Yeah. I was
watching a lot of rum on his side stage and
Ja Jazz was there, yeah, and I was like, oh Jazz,
(13:44):
and he was like, Frank Turner's there, and I was
like Frank Turner and he looked around and I was like, oh,
I do believe that.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
With Chris Helm from the Seahorses, yeah, yeah, he came
to play at Waves and at the time they had
to didn't have a green room necessarily. They had this
little space next to the stage with the sofa. And
I was playing a song and I just heard this
like noodling like a solo over the song.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Yeah, not plugged it.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
And I looked over and it was Chrism like laid
on a sofa playing long and then at the end
he came up that song was brilliant.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Yeah, it's your music. Certainly had some reach, hasn't it.
I remember I remember we went over to West Street
Live together, didn't We played in Sheffield? I remember it
was at sound check some some random kid just come
over and he was like yeah, and he was like yeah,
(14:40):
just some completely random kid who'd come across the album
on air. Do you get that often with being pro effect? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (14:45):
And I kind of I live for that really, you
know what I mean, That's what makes it all worthwhile
is when people sort of enjoy what you do and yeah,
and it means something to them as well.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
That's the whole point of it for me. Really. Yeah.
I love seeing a stranger and a Heeler T shirt.
It's fantastic feeling. Yeah, and you should and you should
be proud about it as well. Yeah I am, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I tried, I mean tried to stay humble, but yeah. Yeah.
It's when I was at Docs fests walking past the
main stage and there was a woman wearing a Healer
(15:15):
T shirt and I went, I like, your T shirt
had no idea who I was, you know what I mean?
For You've got my band's T shirt and you don't
even got a clue. This was halfway through the day.
I probably looked like some sort of zombie. But moving on,
when someone listens to your music, Sam, what's the one
sort of message or feeling you wanted to take away
(15:35):
from it?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
And I always thinking my songs as like there's kind
of like equal measures of like joy and pain, you
know what I mean. So I think it's a kind
of like things will get.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Better you Yeah. Yeah, that might get worse, but they'll
look better you.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Yeah. I try and have a bit of positivity in it,
you know. But reality is well.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
You've got a very broad sort of repertoire of songs,
haven't you. You you're a bit of a genre hopper.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Really are the new albums like literally half and half
like so a lot of loud stuff on it and
there's a lot of really chilled stuff on it.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
To just divelge a bit more about the new album
because it's expected for release in May, isn't it sixteenth?
For me, we've got three months to finish it up.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Yeah yeah, but we're like a third of the way
through and all the writing's done.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
So I've written the whole album and there's a I'm
not going to say it's like a complete side step.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
It's definitely like me. It definitely sounds like me. But
there's definitely like three two or three.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Songs on there that are something I haven't done before. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Yeah, Yeah, I'm really impressed with how it's going so far,
and it's just a case of getting it finished up
and released.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Is there any collaborations planned for it or anything like
that or I expect to hear on the album? No,
not really, it's it's all.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
It's quite sort of sparse and like just quite simple songs,
apart from a couple that are quite sort of loud,
sort of driving tunes, you know what I mean. As
much as I always try and I always say every
time I'm going to do like an acoustic album, yeah,
and then just can't let go of like I just
like rock music too.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Yeah. So it's a nice mix. Yeah, Yeah, I'm looking
forward to it. And you're going to be releasing that
sixteenth for me, Yeah, comes out on the day of
the Yeah, the Central Hall gig. Tell the listeners more
about the launch. What can people expect from the launch.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
So we're playing I'll be playing with a full six
piece band at Central Hall on sixteenth for May, And
is it in the Big Room or in the Solomon Hall,
is it.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Yeah, there's the second biggest Yeah, yeah, fantastic room for
live music.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
We've got two amazing supports lowering the Cosmic Getaway and
joy Ride tickets a ten pound each from event right
or we have wristband as well, so yeah, which I'll
deliver to your house free of charge. Yea.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
If anyone wants in the tickets for that, just hip
hit us up or hit Sam up from any of
his pages. I think, yeah, Samuel Simmons on those things. Yeah, yeah, yeah, brilliant.
I went to Central Or last week, Amy, Yeah, yeah,
So I met her at uh an event at Menomies
and she was saying about the rooms have gotten off
(18:26):
of there. So me and Steve went down last week
and we're going to be moving in there, taking the
practice room there. Yeah, some good bands and there already. Yeah.
I think they've got shines in their kids. I think
Smithy from Orphan Boy he's got his own little Yeah,
he's got his own little room in there. It's an
amazing space around, so good and so good. The little
(18:46):
Fisherman's Chapel that's in there in the nights as well.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Yea.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Had the pleasure of playing in there. Good for a video, yeah, definitely,
if not a bit weird, but have yeah oh well
yeah yeah in the main hall. Yeah. I don't think
I've seen anyone use that little chapel though, No, that
would be nice. But the room she's give us, it's great.
It's so you know, when you're in the main room
on the stage and you look straight aheading up, there's
(19:11):
like a little window where some sort of lighting engineer
or someone. We've rented that sort of bit of the
west wing. Yeah, so that that window is in our
in our room. We've got that room. We've got another
separate room. Is like a bit of chill out the
main yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, so like that sort of
surface window where I assume a lighting engineer would have
been up there back in the day. But yeah, we've
(19:32):
got that a little room next to it, and we've
got our own little it's almost like a balcony with
views of the doc Tower. So we've been moving there
in a couple of weeks and I think it's gonna
be the best thing for us. I mean, shout out
Lee on a cornerstone. He's got a great place there.
But he's so busy. You know, it's in such high demand.
If we miss a practice, that's it was stuffed. You know,
(19:53):
we can't again that week. So I think that's going
to help us leap and bounds definitely.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Yeah, what what do you do about space? I guess
mostly you're just.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Now.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
I have been at whites Road for years. Yeah, yeah,
you've been to whites Road. I have several times.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Yeah, a lot of bands have passed through the in
the back room, the middle one in a way, because
there's one across the road from there in the light
across the way, there's like three.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Or four down there, is there? Yeah, because he was
the one that Rob had one there. Yeah yeah, but
then there's the kind of one behind it where again
the side door and exact the one you're yeah. Yeah,
it's a high traffic room. So Sam, short and sweet
one today, But we've we've got to get settled tonight's gig.
So what do you expect from tonight's gig? It's your
(20:42):
first time playing on one of our Savor Sessions events,
isn't it it is?
Speaker 2 (20:45):
I can't wait to be honest, it's been a long
time since I've done a full set of originals, So
looking forward to that.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Yeah, playing some of my own songs. Yeah, I can't wait. Good, brilliant,
Thanks for so much coming down sam listeners. If you've
liked what you heard, please hit the like and subscribe button,
And welcome episode six of the Sounds from the Dark
Side podcast with me and host Dave. Today in the
engine room, we've got grimsby singer songwriter Sam Simmons. Hello, Hello,
how's it going? Samuel? Thank you? Are you? Yeah? Very well? Yeah,
flagging a bit. This is the second one we've done today,
and to always yeah, I didn't. I didn't realize Alex
Austin talking could be do you know when you're locked in?
(00:20):
You know? Certainly. So we like to start a podcast
just by getting to know a bit about I guess,
so music aside, just take us right back to the beginning.
Who is Sam? Who is Sam? Who is Sam?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Other than than the name, I'm thirty five or father
or two two little boys? Dylan is four Toby one?
Outside of music. It's hard to say outside of music
because it's just music all the time.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I mean, just take us back to the beginning. Tell
us a bit about you growing up. I was getting
into music in general.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
I was about thirteen fourteen when it's sort of like
hit me and I started getting really into certain bands. Yeah,
and then just discovering more and more and more, and
then I just I got a guitar and just played
it really badly until I played it all right.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
And I could play it a bit better. So taking
it back to the beginning, what what first drew you
into music? Was there a specific artist or a specific
band or.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
I think, yeah, I think sort of Stone Roses and
that kind of thing was first when I Actually I
was into metal before that really, and I still still
like metal and stuff. Yeah, I like all kinds of music,
but yeah, Stone Roses, I think they were the first
band where it was kind of like, you can sing
that way, you know what I mean. There's slight sort
(01:41):
of like effeminate sort of thing to the vocal and ye,
you can sing softly and it's like I like that,
and then it just you know, it's just a snowball
in it.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
You get into more.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, then you kind of find the balance in between
heavy music and like more melodic music like smashing Pumpkins
and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Yeah, before you know it, you just see these At the.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Time, really that was biting all real times, buying CDs
up and just listening all the way through them, and yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
You still got a more? Do you keep them? I
get them all the way really, yeah, model, I've got
a box of CD Admittedly, you know, they've been stolen
and I've lent him to people over the years of
that and it's dwindled down. But I've still got a
box full of CDs. I thought, yea, and they're all
in the eye because I don't I don't have a
CD player in the house anymore.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
You know, well, the car's got a player. It's so
cheap now, like two quid or something.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Ironically, but about three years ago, I mean, you know
my dad don't, Yeah, about three years ago for Christmas,
I've got a Compact displayer. Yeah, yeah, and he thought
it was great. He thought, you know, it was the
tips and I was like, yeah, that is a you
know what I mean. But it's coming handy because every
now and again when I do that box of CDs out,
there's a little Compact displayer in it that can just
(02:49):
you know, stick into some speakers. So I'll wously when
you started playing music, do you say fourteen? Was about
thirteen fourteen? Yeah? Was it straight straight in with the guitar?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Didn't so I was so I was hanging around with
some friends, was all metal heads. You can be in
the band if you get a bass guitar, so I
went home. I said, my dad can get me a
bass guitar, And the next day my dad turned up
with a guitar.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah, so I couldn't be in the band. And then
it just kind of.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Sat in the corner for a bit and I just
started picking it up and making an absolute racket with it.
And then over time it got a little bit better,
and then I got into writing, you know what I mean? Yeah,
writing really like simple songs and.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Stuff, you know. I remember obviously the Accord was that
the first band you had the Accord? Yeah, which turned
in it was just a different name. And originally was
it you Josh p Tarzan Blak. Is that the original
line up? Yeah? Yeah, that's there was that there was?
Is it Weekend Tale one of the singles? Yeah? You
(03:51):
see that. I still know the worst of that. Do
you know how old was you when you wrote that?
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I had a bit about fifteen sixteen, So one of
your not used to go around his house and he's
like writing sessions where we were just just riff off
each other and just play stuff.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
And it's a strange thing when you're younger.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Songs just come so easy, like really quick, don't they
Like inspiration is just kind of like.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I think, because if your limited skill set as well,
and yeah, you ain't got a massive bank accords to
pour from or anything, have you. It's bare bones and
out of course. Yeah yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
And then eventually you get more experience and less inspiration,
So it's kind of like you get you you're less inspired,
but what you'd make is of a better quality in general,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
We were chatting earlier in the early recording we did,
and I was I was saying about how the best
songs for me and for the healer are the ones
that just fall out the sky. Yeah, they're the ones, Yeah,
where you know, I'll bring a rift to practice in
fifteen minutes later. That's that riff is now the middle
late and you ain't really have to do any work
on it. You just is it the same for you?
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Yeah? I think all the good material kind of happens
in a sort of weird space where you're just not
you're not quite there with it. It just seems to happen. Yeah, Yeah,
more you overthink things. No one ever sits down and
having to write a great song. It always happens when
you're noodling watching Telly or something, and just it just.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Falls to me as well. It's like when when I
say I'm not doing it Saturday, I'm just gonna spend
some time making this all that it never happens, never happens.
It's always when like I'm waiting to leave the house
and you know, serious finishing getting ready, and I just
pick up the guitar for five minutes. That's when the
best things fall out. Yeah, you know, when I'm just
nipping on the guitar. Oh definitely. Yeah. So with regards
(05:33):
to the songwriting, but what what's the process? How does
it come about for me? Lately?
Speaker 2 (05:39):
It's kind of the same it's always been, which is
that I'll mess about on a guitar, to be honest,
sometimes come up with ideas when I'm just walking or driving.
You know, just get that sometimes just like in your head,
you're not if you ain't got an instrument that happened,
just hear a melody and then instantly get your phone
out and sort of record it. But what I tend
to do now is as soon as I've got like
(06:01):
the hook, because I think all great songs is about
thirty seconds that are like that's the song you know.
I mean, that's what makes it. The chorus usually are
like a line or something. Yeah, And once I've got that,
I just get the guitar, I'll get the phone out
and I'll just mumble loads of just just sing something
that sounds nice. It's just gibberish basically, yeah, and then
I'll go back and write the words when I need to.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
But what I tend to do is I'll just work.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
On an album at the moment, I'll do the whole
album like that. So I'll just go like, that's track one,
that's track two, track three, and then we'll go we'll
work on this one.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
So you're right, You're right. Your pieces of you know,
your longer pieces, you write them in a chronology. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
All I have is like the chords, some of the
words and the melody basically, yeah, and then when we
record it, will lay it all down and then the
final thing I.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Do is the lyrics. That's interesting. So You've not even
really got it to any sign. So ye.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
What I'll kind of do is whatever falls out when
I'm just sort of playing whatever line it is, I'll
be thinking, well, what is that and what does that mean?
Speaker 1 (07:03):
And what's the song about? And then write everything else
around that. You know, I've I've always I've tried. I've
tried writing numerous songs, you know, but I always struggle,
like with my writing lyric wise, I feel like everything
I put on paper, if I read visit ten minutes
after I've written it, yeah, just makes me cringe. And
that's where how can I overcome that? What does that
(07:26):
happen to you? Is that something I've just got to
learn or get different kind of writers?
Speaker 2 (07:29):
So maybe just write to someone else's words or something,
because I find that really easy. If someone gives me
some words and told me to write a song around it,
I find that incredibly easy, you know what I mean.
Whereas I struggle with the words, I have to do
it because I want it to be my words eventually. Yeah,
but if someone gave me a set of lyrics, it'd
be so much easier to write music around that.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
It's kind of like just way to your strengths in it,
you know. Yeah, but I guess it's a muscle you've
got a training, like, yeah, and I've tried, but I
feel like that just you know, that cringing element of
it when I pretty demain lyrics back and I don't
know what it is, you know, because I enjoy writing,
you know, but when it comes to writing lyrics, I
just really struggle with that too. Yeah, but you won't
(08:09):
know it made from you know, you've been prolific. I
bet you've written hundreds and hundreds of songs.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, five studio albums in this project,
and then it's countless of the bands I've been and
released arms with them, and then obviously A Chord did
free albums and EPs and compilations and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
So is there is there anything on the horizon for
Loving Memory. No, we're on indefinite hiatus at the Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
It's strange actually because someone messaged me this morning asking
where the album had gone on Spotify because we it
got deleted from release and they were saying, oh real,
like that album could put it back up. So I
think it's time for us to maybe jump in and
make some I missed playing like heavier music, like loud
music and just making a bit of a.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
For me, per se is probably my favorite sort of
iteration of you. Yeah, yeah, you really hear your influences
from you know, like slow Dive and rider.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Net thing for me and post rock, and i've post punk,
and to be honest, that's all a big thing again
now a lot of there's a lot you've got.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Like idols and fontane.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Yeah, it's all a bit more like abrasive, noisy kind
of music.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
So yeah, maybe it's time to revive it. Yeah yeah
why not? So with your music, is it a reflection
of who you are or is it a reflection of
who you want to be when you're writing and performing.
I suppose it's a bit of both. Yeah. I think
you have a kind of like a idealization.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Of yourself in your music, don't you like you you
kind of see yourself as a different person in performance
and stuff. But also yeah, it's a big part of me.
I mean there's a lot of me and in my songs.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
It's a lot of it.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
It's like autobiographical to a degree, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
But not necessarily straight away.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Like a lot a lot of times I write a
song and then realize down the line, I'll be singing
it this is about something that happened at a certain
time someone or you know, But you don't necessarily realize
it when you're writing it.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
You know. That's interesting sometimes as well. Meanings change over time,
and that has to be with your music and a
it's subjective, you know me, and you could listen to
the same piece of music and get a completely different feeling.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
There's some of my favorite songs that I thought, this
line is about this, this song is about this, and
then later on found out it's not necessarily and I
just go, well, to me, it's yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
So if you ever had a moment when music's helped
your process of difficult emotions or difficult periods of your life, oh, definitely, Yeah.
I think I think it's kafatic.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Really, I think that's the whole kind of process of it.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
But it's a long process, you know. I think you
have kind of like trauma or.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Outs of depression or something you're going through, and it's
not like you're going through that so you sit down
and write the song. It's and I like, you go
through that and it kind of matures into a creative process.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah. It's like I say a lot, but for me,
it's it's like I feel compelled to particularly play music,
but just be creative in general. You know, things like this.
It's like I can feel my ghost self going stay crazy,
you know, when and it's like when when I've not
got anything creative or engaging to doing my life, that's
(11:25):
when things start falling apart a bit. Yeah, is it
the same for you? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:29):
And I think the most amazing thing about art and
music and creation in general is like you go through
something hard or whatever you've gone through, and then you
create this piece of music or art out of it,
and then someone will say to you that's beautiful, you
know what I mean. And that's the sort of that's
when it comes full circle. And that's why you do
it all the time. Yeah, because you need that feedback
(11:51):
from other people because that's what you're trying to do.
I suppose eventually it's like connect with other people through
and by doing so, you're connecting with yourself as.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Well, you know what I mean. And the community is
it's Huger music and yeah, yeah, And I think those
who don't prescribe to the sort of community aspect of music,
they're probably not going to have a very good time
with it. No. No, they're probably not going to get
very far with it because you can't you can't be
close minded with it. You can't know that's saying earlier.
It's it's great how around here in particular, everyone seems
(12:22):
to bring it bringing each other on at the minute. Yeah, definitely,
everyone's helping each other out. And yeah, I think that's
why the community's thriving around is great.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
I mean, a lot of the people who are playing
around he is, like, they're all boy friends. So it's
just it's amazing to see your friends have been a
great yeah, and being creative and it's very eclectic, which
is what I like.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
There's been a revival ant there with kind of like myself,
you know, I didn't play anything for sort of close
to ten years, you know, one of the bands Closer
ten years because life got in the way and whatnot.
And but then it seems like everyone's kind of fell
back into it at the same time. You know, you've
got got Leon Blanchard who's put Tiny Giants together. You've
got Luke Parker who's putting Spirits together. Yeah, seems like
(13:01):
almost like I mean, you've been there for a while
all but it's like all those like has beens like
having another go ahead, do you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
I've been in music for like, I've been doing it
for like twenty years whatever, and I've met so many
lovely people through it and there are an interesting people, yeah,
and always so helpful to each other as well, you know,
which is important.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Yeah. Have you you know, have you met anyone who's
been you know someoney you can't believe you're in the
presence of being whether you know, Like for me at Docsfest,
I met Frank Turner, Yeah, and I was like a
little girl may when I see him. Yeah. I was
watching a lot of rum on his side stage and
Ja Jazz was there, yeah, and I was like, oh Jazz,
(13:44):
and he was like, Frank Turner's there, and I was
like Frank Turner and he looked around and I was like, oh,
I do believe that.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
With Chris Helm from the Seahorses, yeah, yeah, he came
to play at Waves and at the time they had
to didn't have a green room necessarily. They had this
little space next to the stage with the sofa. And
I was playing a song and I just heard this
like noodling like a solo over the song.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Yeah, not plugged it.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
And I looked over and it was Chrism like laid
on a sofa playing long and then at the end
he came up that song was brilliant.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Yeah, it's your music. Certainly had some reach, hasn't it.
I remember I remember we went over to West Street
Live together, didn't We played in Sheffield? I remember it
was at sound check some some random kid just come
over and he was like yeah, and he was like yeah,
(14:40):
just some completely random kid who'd come across the album
on air. Do you get that often with being pro effect? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (14:45):
And I kind of I live for that really, you
know what I mean, That's what makes it all worthwhile
is when people sort of enjoy what you do and yeah,
and it means something to them as well.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
That's the whole point of it for me. Really. Yeah.
I love seeing a stranger and a Heeler T shirt.
It's fantastic feeling. Yeah, and you should and you should
be proud about it as well. Yeah I am, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I tried, I mean tried to stay humble, but yeah. Yeah.
It's when I was at Docs fests walking past the
main stage and there was a woman wearing a Healer
(15:15):
T shirt and I went, I like, your T shirt
had no idea who I was, you know what I mean?
For You've got my band's T shirt and you don't
even got a clue. This was halfway through the day.
I probably looked like some sort of zombie. But moving on,
when someone listens to your music, Sam, what's the one
sort of message or feeling you wanted to take away
(15:35):
from it?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
And I always thinking my songs as like there's kind
of like equal measures of like joy and pain, you
know what I mean. So I think it's a kind
of like things will get.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Better you Yeah. Yeah, that might get worse, but they'll
look better you.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Yeah. I try and have a bit of positivity in it,
you know. But reality is well.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
You've got a very broad sort of repertoire of songs,
haven't you. You you're a bit of a genre hopper.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Really are the new albums like literally half and half
like so a lot of loud stuff on it and
there's a lot of really chilled stuff on it.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
To just divelge a bit more about the new album
because it's expected for release in May, isn't it sixteenth?
For me, we've got three months to finish it up.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Yeah yeah, but we're like a third of the way
through and all the writing's done.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
So I've written the whole album and there's a I'm
not going to say it's like a complete side step.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
It's definitely like me. It definitely sounds like me. But
there's definitely like three two or three.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Songs on there that are something I haven't done before. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Yeah, Yeah, I'm really impressed with how it's going so far,
and it's just a case of getting it finished up
and released.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Is there any collaborations planned for it or anything like
that or I expect to hear on the album? No,
not really, it's it's all.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
It's quite sort of sparse and like just quite simple songs,
apart from a couple that are quite sort of loud,
sort of driving tunes, you know what I mean. As
much as I always try and I always say every
time I'm going to do like an acoustic album, yeah,
and then just can't let go of like I just
like rock music too.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Yeah. So it's a nice mix. Yeah, Yeah, I'm looking
forward to it. And you're going to be releasing that
sixteenth for me, Yeah, comes out on the day of
the Yeah, the Central Hall gig. Tell the listeners more
about the launch. What can people expect from the launch.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
So we're playing I'll be playing with a full six
piece band at Central Hall on sixteenth for May, And
is it in the Big Room or in the Solomon Hall,
is it.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Yeah, there's the second biggest Yeah, yeah, fantastic room for
live music.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
We've got two amazing supports lowering the Cosmic Getaway and
joy Ride tickets a ten pound each from event right
or we have wristband as well, so yeah, which I'll
deliver to your house free of charge. Yea.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
If anyone wants in the tickets for that, just hip
hit us up or hit Sam up from any of
his pages. I think, yeah, Samuel Simmons on those things. Yeah, yeah, yeah, brilliant.
I went to Central Or last week, Amy, Yeah, yeah,
So I met her at uh an event at Menomies
and she was saying about the rooms have gotten off
(18:26):
of there. So me and Steve went down last week
and we're going to be moving in there, taking the
practice room there. Yeah, some good bands and there already. Yeah.
I think they've got shines in their kids. I think
Smithy from Orphan Boy he's got his own little Yeah,
he's got his own little room in there. It's an
amazing space around, so good and so good. The little
(18:46):
Fisherman's Chapel that's in there in the nights as well.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Yea.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Had the pleasure of playing in there. Good for a video, yeah, definitely,
if not a bit weird, but have yeah oh well
yeah yeah in the main hall. Yeah. I don't think
I've seen anyone use that little chapel though, No, that
would be nice. But the room she's give us, it's great.
It's so you know, when you're in the main room
on the stage and you look straight aheading up, there's
(19:11):
like a little window where some sort of lighting engineer
or someone. We've rented that sort of bit of the
west wing. Yeah, so that that window is in our
in our room. We've got that room. We've got another
separate room. Is like a bit of chill out the
main yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, so like that sort of
surface window where I assume a lighting engineer would have
been up there back in the day. But yeah, we've
(19:32):
got that a little room next to it, and we've
got our own little it's almost like a balcony with
views of the doc Tower. So we've been moving there
in a couple of weeks and I think it's gonna
be the best thing for us. I mean, shout out
Lee on a cornerstone. He's got a great place there.
But he's so busy. You know, it's in such high demand.
If we miss a practice, that's it was stuffed. You know,
(19:53):
we can't again that week. So I think that's going
to help us leap and bounds definitely.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Yeah, what what do you do about space? I guess
mostly you're just.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Now.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
I have been at whites Road for years. Yeah, yeah,
you've been to whites Road. I have several times.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Yeah, a lot of bands have passed through the in
the back room, the middle one in a way, because
there's one across the road from there in the light
across the way, there's like three.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Or four down there, is there? Yeah, because he was
the one that Rob had one there. Yeah yeah, but
then there's the kind of one behind it where again
the side door and exact the one you're yeah. Yeah,
it's a high traffic room. So Sam, short and sweet
one today, But we've we've got to get settled tonight's gig.
So what do you expect from tonight's gig? It's your
(20:42):
first time playing on one of our Savor Sessions events,
isn't it it is?
Speaker 2 (20:45):
I can't wait to be honest, it's been a long
time since I've done a full set of originals, So
looking forward to that.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Yeah, playing some of my own songs. Yeah, I can't wait. Good, brilliant,
Thanks for so much coming down sam listeners. If you've
liked what you heard, please hit the like and subscribe button,
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