Meet Sam Shaber

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Shaber.

Sam, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been a singer-songwriter for over 25 years, with 12 albums out, 200,000 miles logged on tour, and many songs licensed to film and TV. A couple of years ago, I discovered the storytelling scene in LA, (and throughout the country), and quickly became involved with The Moth and other live series around town and in my hometown of New York City.

The combination of these two mediums led to Sam Shaber: Life, Death & Duran Duran, a one-woman, multimedia, storytelling musical, which won awards at the Edinburgh and Hollywood Fringe Festivals and makes its New York debut on August 17th. There’s now a podcast, TV show and book spin-off in the works.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being an artist is always a struggle in one way or another. I’ve always been an independent musician, never signed to a label, which frustrated me for a while, until I saw my friends who were signed to labels lose control over their own work. They weren’t able to release albums when they wanted to, they weren’t allowed to work with people they wanted to work with, they saw their work shelved; all of it made me appreciate my status as someone who runs my own show. The trade-off to that of course is the whole DIY aspect of being an independent artist: I book the shows, promote the shows, produce the albums, pay for everything, etc. I have to know not just how to write songs, sing, play guitar, but I have to know Photoshop, ProTools, Excel, social media – all the more “administrative” and logistical pieces of a music career fall to me, just as the music does. The upside again though, is that I have creative control over everything.

I also find that being a woman in music, especially rock music which has been my world since 2008, is a huge challenge. All our new-found “wokeness” in other mediums has not found its way into the music industry, and women are still egregiously underrepresented and undervalued in this world. From the obvious market aspects, like radio play (“We already have two women in rotation here,”) and label rosters to the more cultural, mental blockers like the fact that if I’m impressed by a band in a club and want to get to know the players, the guys always assume I’m hitting on them or trying to be picked up! It makes it very hard to network and build a community of musician friends. Not all male musicians are like this of course – I’ve played with some sensational guys all over the world – but it’s a big hurdle that gets in the way again and again.

As for storytelling, I had terrible vocal trouble leading up to the world premiere of my solo show at the Edinburgh Festival – I kept losing my voice completely at the drop of a hat and needing days of voice rest and medication to get it back. We almost canceled the whole run (25 consecutive performances over three weeks). It was just two weeks out when I found a new doctor, a new speech coach and a new voice teacher, all of whom gave me new techniques, exercises and dietary restrictions which had to be strictly adhered to. For five weeks, I spent an hour warming up my voice in the morning, meditating, doing breathing exercises, and living a restrictive diet which prohibited me from drinking alcohol or caffeine, eating tomatoes, mint, citrus, chocolate, fried foods, acidic foods or anything spicy. I also had a roster of medication for my vocal cords. I had to do a certain amount of voice rest everyday and abstain from talking in loud places like bars or busy restaurants. I lived like a monk throughout the Edinburgh Festival and had to sacrifice a lot, but at the end of 25 shows, my voice was stronger than it had been in 20 years! So it was very gratifying in the way a marathon runner must feel. I made it to the finish line.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m not a company in the traditional sense of the word. I’m an artist: I write music, I write stories, I perform, I produce my own material in the studio, I book my own schedule.

Style-wise, I have some attitude for sure, but I also strive always to be authentic in my writing and performing. Sometimes that means I’m not “cool” in the moment, other times I am, but all I can do is be myself.

As a songwriter, I’ve done folk, rock, reggae, dance/pop, and more. I’ve been in many bands, across the US and in Brazil. My voice has a rasp to it which is part of my sound, and I play guitar hard and fast.

As a storyteller, I always try to find the heart in the story and the framework to put it on. It doesn’t work if you don’t stick the landing, so it’s always important to know where I need to get to in a story and the milestones along the way that will knit the pieces together into a cohesive whole.

Some of my stories and songs have humor, but some of them make people cry. It’s all about touching that authentic heart of the matter – of the audience and of the story.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Right now, I’m working on a new podcast which is spun off from the live show, as well as a book adaptation. I’m also developing two TV pilots, and still adding live story shows to my calendar across Los Angeles and New York. I’m looking forward to the New York debut of Sam Shaber: Life, Death & Duran Duran as it’s my hometown and gives me the opportunity to share these true life experiences with people who were there, living them with me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.samshaber.com
• Email: email@samshaber.com
• Instagram: @samshaber and @lifedeathduranduran
• Facebook: @samanthashaber and @lifedeathduran
• Twitter: @samshaber and @lifedeathduran

Image Credit:
Joy Guest, Jen Rosenstein, Melanie Chapman, Theresa Stroll

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