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10 Questions with ... Sam Ness
June 6, 2022
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1) Thanks for taking the time to answer 10 Questions for All Access. Where does this interview find you today? What's on the agenda besides this interview?
Thanks a million for bringing me on All Access for this interview! I’m very excited to be a part of it. Today I find myself in Eau Claire, WI, part-way through a short tour. Today happens to be one of my very few days “off” this summer, so I’m sitting next to the lake with a few friends soaking up the sunshine and passing a guitar around. I snuck away for a bit for this interview but can still hear some songs coming in through the window!
2) Let’s start at the beginning. How long have you been playing music and when did you decide you wanted to make music for a living?
I’ve been playing music since the 6th grade as I started learning how to play guitar. I quickly found a passion in the school choir, learning cover songs and eventually writing too. I became so involved with music that my folks worried about me finishing school as I was spending all of my time performing at open mic nights and writing songs. The harder they fought for me to focus on school, the more I leaned into being an artist. At one point I was given the ultimatum of “give us that guitar or get out” to which I gave a quick “See ya!” and have been pursuing music wholeheartedly since. From there I took a one-way ticket to Scotland with my guitar, shortly after turning 18. Someone I had only briefly met believed in what I was doing and flew me over. I quickly ran out of the few hundred dollars I brought with me and found myself performing in the street to survive. From there I became a full-time busker and had a blast hitch-hiking across the UK and Europe for a year before I came home to work on my first record.
3). How much has the Madison, WI music scene and artists from there influenced you?
Madison, WI has a really supportive community of artists and venues. The community took me in while I was still in high school and looked after me while I explored as a young performer. That really gave me the confidence to chase my goals in the coming years as I dove in head-first to performing across Europe.
4) What was the inspiration for current single?
Slow it Down was written in late 2019. I had just wrapped up a month of touring through northern Wisconsin, sleeping in my van every night in the brutally cold winter. I was exhausted, sick, and looking forward to coming home for a hot shower, a home-cooked meal, and the chance to catch up with my dad. I got back to his place, chatted for about 15 minutes, then got up to go answer emails and hit an open mic. I paused just before the door and thought, “What the hell and I doing? Slow down, man.” I sat down right there and then and wrote Slow it Down.
5) You have also released the full-length record. What can you tell us about this new release?
The full-length record, City Lights and Smoke, comes out July 23, 2022. This record has pushed my sound into some new territory; big full drums, electric guitars, soaring fiddle parts. It has a little more grit, a little more punch, and circles back on a handful of songs I’ve previously released as acoustic tracks, as well as some never before heard tunes. I’ve been waiting to make this album for a while, as many of my previous albums have been very quiet, introspective, more focused on the moments of silence than movement forward. This album lets loose a little more but with the same Sam Ness relaxed vibe.
6) Have you ever heard your music on the radio? If so what station and how did it feel?
I remember one of the first radio gigs I ever did was on Madison’s campus station, 91.7fm WSUM. As I was leaving the station, they kept the show going, and spun one of my recordings as I was driving home. It was absolutely exhilarating, and I remember thinking to myself, “My goodness, I’ve really made it!”. I always say that each day brings a new milestone I didn’t know I was waiting for.
7) There’s a definite difference between making a record, going out, and playing it live in front of an audience. Many feel that the real work is making the record, and the fun part is playing it live. What’s your take on both of these processes?
In the back of my mind, I’ve always thought an album is like making a painting. You can stretch the confines of reality with overdubbing parts, experimenting with effects like reverbs and delays, you can paint over the same part as many times as you’d like until you have the color that you’ve always seen in your mind. On the other hand, I see live shows like a photograph. You can set the scene, but once you click the button, the camera lens clicks and it’s over, and you’re left with whatever happened in that moment. It’s beautiful and exciting and can never be done the same way again.
8) Speaking of playing live. Do you have any tour plans for this year?
Last year I played 164 shows, and I expect to be playing a little bit more this year. I stayed mostly in the Midwest through last year, still hesitant to push further out with covid looming, but this year I’ll be making a few runs to the Southeast part of the US, as well as a tour out west focusing on Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas.
9) Who are some of the older and/or newer artists who inspire your music?
The past few years, I’ve been really inspired by a lot of UK artists: Ben Howard, Will Varley, Frank Turner, Passenger. Here in the states, I’m a huge fan of Ray LaMontagne, Gregory Alan Isakov, Foreign Fields.
I grew up listening to a lot of Dan Fogelburg, Gordon Lightfood, The Eagles, Nora Jones, Neil Young and James Taylor, so they’ve certainly found their way into my music as well!
10) Finally, on a personal note, what do you like to do for fun and relaxation when you’re not in your “Music” mode?
When I grew up, we ate very little (for meat) that wasn’t something we caught fishing, took with the bow, or grew in our garden. That’s really stayed with me, so I spend as much time as I can out in nature whether it’s hiking, fishing, or just sitting in my hammock next to a stream. I find that’s where I find the most inspiration for my music, so it’s good to reconnect with that side of me and charge up my battery. When I’m on the road, you can find me spending a lot of nights out with friends shooting a round of darts or playing pool.
Bonus Questions
Last non-industry job:
I did a bit of construction work on and off, as well as helping out at a sign shop! I really love working with my hands, so both of these were great for finding a clear head when I needed it.
First record ever purchased:
Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight. Stellar record!
First concert:
I saw the Christian Rock Band, Go Fish, when I was a little kid. I think the next show I saw was Linkin Park with Incubus as I pushed into my teens.
Favorite band of all-time:
Gosh, that’s so hard! Honestly I think it’s a three way tie between Ben Howard, Frank Turner and Will Varley!
What is the most magical place on earth in your opinion?
While on tour through SE Asia, I played a handful of shows on some islands south of Cambodia. The island of Koh Rong Samloem was absolutely breathtaking. After one of the shows, I ran through the jungle with some new friends, just barefoot under the moonlight. As we reached the other side of the island, we jumped off some docks into the black water below to find it glowing with bioluminescent plankton. That memory will be with me for a long time.
Have you ever stayed up for an entire 24 hours, WHY?
I have! I’ve done this a few times while traveling, unable to sleep on buses, trains, and planes. I once took a trip from Sion, Switzerland to Liverpool, England via bus. It had four stops and took about 36 hours if I recall correctly. We weren’t supposed to be stopping in Paris, but the lights flipped on at 4am with the bus driver saying there was a mix up, so he dumped us off and we waited 4 more hours while another bus came to pick us up. Shortly after, I had almost dozed off, when the European version of the DEA stopped the bus and ran through yelling in French for a while. I think they were looking for someone in particular.
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