THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE HIGHLY PERSONAL QUESTIONNAIRE: Sam Bambery

As with most people, Elsewhere never heard the 2022 debut album Songs About Sailors by Sam Bambery so his recent Rubicator caught us by surprise for its depth, maturity and range.

We're counting it among the best albums of this year already.

Although out of Christchurch and associated with Lyttelton, Bambery has a bigger and broader pop vision that what we are used to out of that region and although there are some country/folk elements on his palette (more apparent on Songs About Sailors) there is a reach in his writing and vocals which goes beyond easy genre-categorisation. We mentioned Jeff Buckley in our Rubicator review.

So with Rubicator on repeat-play we invited Sam Bambery to answer some questions, and we weren't disappointed by the answers. Read on . . .

Where did you grow up, and with who?

I grew up in a small river town named Rakaia, south of Christchurch and perhaps south of the rest of the world. I lived with my mother, a soft furnishings consultant. That basically means she made beautiful drapes and blinds for a living. Humming was a normal part of my life. The river, the bridge spanning it, the vibration of my mother's sewing machine travelling from the garage to my bedroom walls.

It was cold but beautiful. But not much to do, I think I wasted time listening to a lot of music which seems to have ended up being an advantage. There's a lot of derelict buildings. You can walk around without a place to go endlessly. That was the main oeuvre, alongside visiting my father (the music lover) in Christchurch on weekends. 

Was music an important part of your childhood?

I don't think so. It wasn't more important than going to bed at the right time or showering. I remember every time I'd go stay with my father he'd leave me unattended in front of a television screen playing all sorts of music. DVD compilations of 70s and 80s music videos. Stealer's Wheel, Soft Cell, 10CC, the whole fucking gamut.

I remember C4 well. Saturday mornings from 8am to midday watching NZ music on screen. Lots of new wave, my Dad is into that sort of thing. That combined with Rolling Stones or Queen on road-trips to Otago with Mum. I guess I was exposed to a lot of pop music early on. I never really knew anything alternative until I was deep into my teens. 

What are your earliest childhood memories of music which really affected you . . .

I remember listening to Tears by The Crocodiles when I was a child. There was something about that song that deeply changed me. It's still a rewarding listening experience no matter where I am. The harmonies and groove are awfully infectious. And a solid bridge! (which I can never seem to manifest myself).

My dad would always put on his CD of Pete Shelley's XL-1 album in the car and lent it to me at one point. Goth-friendly new wave pop that wormed its way into my brain. It's tied to mid-life crisis Mazda's, cigarette smoke, a CD Walkman blasting when I should be sleeping, hot dogs. Those two works I guess are tied quite deeply to my whole experience as a child. 

Was there a time when you felt it was going to be music and nothing else?

I think I haven't thought about it too much. I started and just haven't stopped. I think the answer got more complicated as an adult when you need to make money and feel independent. I have a lot of skills in a lot of different places and so all of that has changed me a bit, it's never just music isn't it? It's tech, emails, liaising with bands and labels.

I guess I've been on this journey to be truly independent but that requires having your hat in many rings. I aim to get closer to just music all the time. Every time I play I am reminded of this. 

When you started on your music career were people around you supportive or did you have to find those people?

I had an awkward transition into finding a community. I spent a lot of time in Christchurch trying to find my people. It never quite clicked. I feel like I'm a chameleon sometimes. It's gotten a lot better since I started, there's a lot of musicians I play with now that are the most empathetic, supportive and talented people I know and that has driven me forward. It takes time.

I remember when I first signed a CD of my own, it was very surreal. The music lovers come out of the woodwork if you work hard enough I think. 

The first song of yours which you really felt proud of was . . .? And why that one?

Pride is an interesting thing with connotations extraordinary. I think the first song I was happy with was a song off my first album called Crying.

The process of writing it was this very cathartic experience with a lot of tears. We busted out in one take later on while recording the album. It felt like a beautiful self-actualising process. 

Crying

 

Any one person you'd call a mentor, angel on your shoulder or invaluable fellow traveller?

There's a lot of people who fit this description, but funnily enough I can think of only one person. His name is Kris Finnerty. We meet when I was studying music and we keep running into each other. His warmth and interest in what I do and where I'm going give me great hope for people's humanity. We seem like kindred spirits. 

Where and when was the first time you went on stage as a paid performer?

I first played a country blues set at an open mic feature at Wunderbar in Lyttelton when I was 19. I think Kate Anastasiou booked it. It was a strange experience, a trap artist played before me. I just played covers, I hadn't created any of my own work yet. 

Ever had stage fright or just a serious failure of nerve before going on stage?

Not exactly stage fright, but a serious tension in my body. Like you've had too much coffee. It's happened a few times, but lately I just feel awfully keen to play and do my thing. I found confidence over time. 

As a songwriter, do you carry a notebook or have a phone right there constantly to grab ideas they come? Or is your method something different?

I have a journal and a phone at the ready for voice memos whenever I'm writing. Lately it's been a lot of arrangement and guitar ideas for the next lot of material where the lyrics form after the fact. Process is such an interesting thing that really has been influenced by my day to day existence. I find myself rushing to write down ideas when they come, lines or turns of phrase, melodies. It's been a journey to document those ideas, it can be a real slog when you're trying to work hard at a lot of other stuff to do with your music career (shows, music videos etc). 

What unfashionable album do you love as a guilty pleasure?

Fucking love Satan is Real by The Louvin Brothers. I don't know if that's unfashionable enough, but it's crazy good country gospel. Hard to feel sad listening to that stuff. There's that streak of evangelism in that music that makes the world seem like it's in this moral black and white.

Of course that's not true, the world is blurry and grey and always changing, always strange. Everything seems so simple in that world. I'm far too worldly to subscribe to that belief system though, so it's just a pleasure while I cook. The singing is also insanely good!

Any piece of advice you were given which you look back on which really meant something?

I had a guitar teacher called Heather Webb who is a shockingly talented composer and performer. The best piece of advice she gave me was to not fall into comparison easily and keep looking ahead, instead of aside. Of course as a teenager I didn't follow that advice and got myself hurt.

It makes more sense now and I feel strong enough to not use comparison as temporary relief. I'm a lot more comfortable with my artistic journey now after internalising that advice. 

It's after a performance/concert and you are in a hotel room or back at home, what happens then?

Situation dependent I think. Big gigs always end up in a raucous kick ons where the most surreal behaviours of humankind come out. But I'm not a party animal, I often prefer just showering and going to bed. I like a healthy amount of bed rot to recover from the sometimes traumatic yet fulfilling experience of performing live. 

Is there any fellow artist you admire for professional and/or personal reasons?

I really have a lot of respect for Ebony Lamb. I remember her describing herself as a 'recovering alt-country singer' onstage at Nostalgia Fest this year. That's so bold to know your history and be frank about how you feel about it now.

She came up to me and recognised me, said that I was doing good work. It warmed me. She's also so hard working, I've never seen anyone put as much effort and time as she's done with her last album in regards to promotion, touring, PR etc. She's also an artist that's distinctive and has earned every accolade she's gotten.

Her debut album is on high rotation always. The bloody hooks! The bloody sounds! The bloody everything!

And finally, where to from here for you do you think?

I'm stopping over to Melbourne for an undetermined amount of time from next week. I'm hoping to connect with some musicians and artists, but also eat lots of food. There's more music and more projects too, but right now I'm absorbing rather than actioning. I spent a lot of time on Rubricator by myself and need to get some of that energy back. People are great for that.

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You can hear and buy Sam Bambery's albums at bandcamp here. They are available on vinyl at good record stores.