Over the course of her career as an award-winning artist, singer/songwriter/guitarist Samantha Fish has brought extraordinary power to her self-expression, capturing her inner world in combustible riffs, visceral rhythms, and spine-tingling vocal work. On her new album Faster, she joins forces with super producer Martin Kierszenbaum (Lady Gaga, Sting) and imbues even more intensity into her electrifying brand of blues/rock-and-roll. With Fish accompanied by legendary drummer Josh Freese (Guns N’ Roses, Nine Inch Nails, The Replacements) and bassist Diego Navaira of The Last Bandoleros, the result is a singular body of work both irresistibly galvanizing and emotionally raw. The best new is that she’s bringing it all Downunder in February for the first of hopefully many more Tours to come.
The Rockpit: How excited are you to be playing in Australia?
Samantha: I’m really thrilled, it’s been a dream to do a full length tour in Australia. I can’t wait to meet the people, experience the culture, and bring my music down under. It’s most certainly a bucket list experience.
The Rockpit: What is your favorite song to play live?
Samantha: I don’t really have a favorite song, the mood changes night to night. We may have certain moments that play out really well for different crowds. My favorite part, regardless of the song, is knowing that I am connecting with the audience, and we are all on a journey together. If you pace all of it correctly, let the show breathe, it can be very compelling and moving for everyone.
The Rockpit: How has the experience of playing live since the pandemic been like for the band so far?
Samantha: I really never considered not being able to play for that long of a period of time. Once we got through being worried about being in crowds again, it felt good to bring people together. I didn’t realize how at home I was on the stage, and how lost I would feel if it went away. I’m really grateful to be doing what I love again. It’s been really great for me on a personal level to feel grounded again in music. It’s been soul healing.
The Rockpit: Any favorite places to play live?
Samantha: I’m hoping to add Australia to the list, but I love a city with a story. Any place with history, especially some type of music history, it’s nice to step into those spaces. Where you know the people that came before you did amazing things. I feel charged up and inspired in places like NYC, London, LA, etc…. but I also spent a great deal of time in the Midwest and the South, the people there are unlike any other. I just try to find places to feel inspired, I like to experience different cultures. Going to Europe is always an incredible, humbling experience.
The Rockpit: Any stand out shows or personal highlights from a tour or show?
Samantha: I love when magical collaborations happen on stage. I’ve had some really great opportunities to play with some incredible musicians. One that stands out, was playing guitar with Buddy Guy. He’s always so gracious with his stage, and he tends to bring up guitar players every once in a while. He’s such an amazing player and an entertainer. He has a way of emoting with his guitar that’s untouchable, super expressive. I felt like I was in school learning from a legend.
The Rockpit: Your last album ‘Faster’ received critical acclaim, hitting #1 in the Blues Charts. Does that add pressure when writing the follow up album?
Samantha: I don’t really feel that pressure anymore. I felt it early on when I first started my recording career, the first album did pretty well and I remember thinking like “how am I gonna follow that? “. But I really do push myself every album, in different ways… I like reinventing myself and evolving. As long as I am doing that, it feels more like a snapshot of a moment in time. Art is so subjective, it always will be. There will always be people to compare your new art to your old art, but if you’re really in the moment and in the music, then you’re going to feel like your most recent album is your best work. That’s just how it’s worked for me and I’ve been lucky to be in situations where I’ve been allowed to follow my artistic muse.
The Rockpit: Tell us about the process of writing and recording the new songs. Do the melodies come first of the topic/lyrics?
Samantha: I’ve always had a pretty varied approach to songwriting. I think when you’re in a catch-all mood, you’re likely to get lucky and get something. Lately, I’m trying to find a more structured path without killing inspiration. I feel like my most effective work has happened when I come up with a core melody to start. Hooks can be hard to come by. So, if you start with one, the song just unfolds from there. With the album Faster, I wrote a lot of my songs during lockdown. So, I felt like I was writing from the perspective of wanting to feel empowered, in control, and I wanted to write an album that would make people feel good. Something with energy and swagger, so that’s what I set out to do.
The Rockpit: Do you enjoy the process of creating? Are you someone who continually writes or does the best come out under a little gentle pressure?
Samantha: It’s a little bit of both. I need breaks when it comes to writing, I need to experience life and have something to write about. But if I feel inspired, I’m always writing down ideas or recording melodies. I don’t want to ignore anything. When I get a deadline, it does sort of light a fire and gives me more incentive to be creative. Realign my focus to that. I go through phases, where I’m really engaged and writing songs, and the flip side is this intake period. Living life, gathering new material, sorting through all of it.
The Rockpit: What does it feel like as an artist waiting for the songs you’ve lived with for some time to get released to the fans? Is there a sense of excitement or a l ittle panic in there too
Samantha: I feel both of those emotions, honestly. It can be a little frustrating because you record the album and feel charged up about it, then you have to wait. And sometimes it’s a really long wait. Of course, right when it comes out, I do wonder how people will respond to it. At a certain point, it’s not mine anymore. It’s for everyone else. It’s this personal thing for such a long time, you spend countless hours creating and being vulnerable… and then it’s out in the world, and it belongs to the listener. It tells their story. It’s subject to public opinion. For better or worse. So I have to let it go.
The Rockpit: What were the main inspirations for the release/songs?
Samantha: I mentioned earlier, I wrote this during the pandemic. I worked with my producer, Martin Kierszenbaum. Martin is really well known for his pop productions amongst other things. He did some of my favorite records in that genre… Lady Gaga, Madonna, etc. I wanted to bring our worlds together. The songs subject matter was really about empowering the listener, I wanted to make something that would make people feel good after such a dark period of time. It took me a while to get to that place as well, but collaborating with Martin really helped me cross that threshold. The album comes across as full of swagger, it’s very rock ‘n’ roll. It’s danceable and has this energy that I don’t think I’ve ever captured in the past.
The Rockpit: Did you imagine how these songs would play out in a live situation?
Samantha: I did, and there’s always a bit of an adaptation period. On a record, you can layer instrumentation, sometimes I get attached to the recording and want to execute it exactly as it’s recorded. But in a live setting we are sort of limited with what we bring with us to the stage. I always try to keep that in mind in the studio, because you want to be able to perform these songs. Every once in a while you end up with complex recordings though, but it’s refreshing to reimagine them for the stage. It’s all about, how can we make this feel good in the moment? Brings you right back to your center.
The Rockpit: You recently released the wonderful ‘Stardust Sessions’ with Jesse Dayton. How was that releasing a collaborative EP? Is there plans for more from the two of you?
Samantha: Jesse and I did the EP as a lead up to a full-length album. We wrote and recorded original songs in Woodstock, New York with Jon Spencer (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Boss Hog, etc) producing the album. It’s going to be called Death Wish Blues. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time in a collaborative sense. It’s got its own unique characterization. I really got to push myself artistically and go places that I wouldn’t normally go on my own. It was an honor to work with Jesse and Jon, they are both amazing artists. I’m really looking forward releasing it to the world.
The Rockpit: How did you get started?
Samantha: I started playing guitar when I was about 15, and I played drums before that. My dad played guitar, my mom sang in church. I had a lot of family and close family friends that were all musical. So, it was around me throughout my childhood. I started performing live around 17 -18 years old. It was really my love for the stage that made me want to do pursue music professionally.
The Rockpit: What made you change from drums to guitar at a young age?
Samantha: I was pretty introverted as a kid, but still had the desire to perform and participate. I thought being on the drums in the back of a band, holding down the rhythm, would be best suited to my personality. I found my way to the guitar after a couple years. I felt like I could really express myself, and I took to it a lot faster. I also really enjoyed singing. I ended up where I wanted to initially, it just took some time for me to get over being shy.
The Rockpit: What have been your greatest challenges to date and your favourite moments musically?
Samantha: That’s kind of a loaded question, because challenges come and go. I still feel the most pressure when I’m making albums. I feel like I set expectations incredibly high for myself. I know what I want, but it’s finding the path to get there organically. It’s where I feel the most growth and that can be uncomfortable sometimes. That’s also why it’s one of my favorite places to be. I feel giddy when I’m walking out of the studio after we wrap a session.
The Rockpit: From what you’ve learned so far, what is the most valuable advice you’ve been given as a musician?
Samantha: I’ve learned a lot of things, finding your own unique voice is probably the most important. It’s the only way you can stand out, and it’s the only way you’ll be happy with what you’ve done… when you’re being true to yourself. Don’t go chasing every trend, focus on making music that’s timeless.
The Rockpit: Who are some of your main influences?
Samantha: I really love rock ‘n’ roll, that’s what I was listening to when I first started playing guitar. Classic rock like the Stones, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Led Zeppelin, etc. Anything on the radio with a guitar solo. I learned more about the blues in my late teens. I went down this rabbit hole of delta blues, and how it’s the fundamental building block of all modern music in America. I love fat possum/North Mississippi blues. I love Delta style players. I love soul music. I love punk rock, I love old outlaw country.
The Rockpit: Who or what inspired you to be in a band and/or play music?
Samantha: I knew that I wanted to play music professionally when I took the stage for the first time. I was around 17 and it happened in an accidental way. I didn’t expect to feel so inspired and invigorated by the experience. It changed me on such an immediate level, like I had to seek it out again and again. I really fell in love with live performance.
The Rockpit: How do you feel about the current music scene right now?
Samantha: I fall in and out of touch with what’s happening in the music scene. I do feel like there are more acts now than ever before. Social media has given so many great artists a platform and the tools to be heard. It’s a new era for breaking bands, but it’s also really competitive. You have to be good to be heard amongst all the noise, and even then, you have to find a way to stand apart.
The Rockpit: Any new artists that you have been listening to lately?
Samantha: Not really! I’m in the phase of falling back into old music that I love. My vinyl collection is expanding, but it’s a lot of older stuff. Like I said earlier, I fall in and out of touch with what’s relevant.
The Rockpit: Do you believe music can still change the world?
Samantha: Absolutely. Music has the power to tell our life’s story. It connects us in a universal way. I think that’s pretty powerful.
The Rockpit: What was the last album you listened to?
Samantha :The Detroit Cobras – Baby
The Rockpit: If you could invite three musicians, past or present to join you for dinner who would you choose & why?
Samantha: Townes Van Zandt – RL Burnside -Iggy pop- because I’m a massive fan of all three and I think they’d make dinner pretty interesting.
The Rockpit: If you could be credited for writing any song ever written, what song would you select?
Samantha: Well, there are a thousand songs I wish that I had written for artistic reasons… but let’s call it for the cash grab. According to Google, “White Christmas” is the highest selling song of all time. I’d do that one.
SAMANTHA FISH 2023 AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
THUR 16 FEB – PRINCESS THEATRE, BRISBANE – TICKETS HERE
FRI 17 FEB – LIZOTTE’S, NEWCASTLE – TICKETS HERE
SAT 18 FEB – MANNING BAR, SYDNEY – TICKETS HERE
SUN 19 FEB – THE BASEMENT, CANBERRA – TICKETS HERE
TUE 21 FEB – FREO SOCIAL CLUB, FREMANTLE – TICKETS HERE
THU 23 FEB – MEMO MUSIC HALL, MELBOURNE – TICKETS HERE
FRI 24 FEB – MEMO MUSIC HALL, MELBOURNE – SOLD OUT
SAT 25 FEB – THE GOV, ADELAIDE – TICKETS HERE
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