Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Fairless.
Hi Sam, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Since I was a young boy, I always wanted to learn guitar, but for whatever reason, I felt intimidated by it; until one day my father brought me home my very own guitar just before my 13th birthday. I instantly became obsessed with the process of not being able to play something, then working on it, and then being able to play it. From a brief romance with the classic rock of the 70s; I dived deep into the whirlpool of shred guitar, sharpening my chops 8-12 hours a day, becoming completely engrossed in the craft of playing fiercely but with great control and precision.
During my formative years, I spent all my time practicing in my parent’s farmhouse basement, neglecting the normal social life of a teenager. My inspiration to strive for this kind of playing comes from the likes of Jason Becker, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, and Michael Romeo to name a few. These players really spoke to me because of the balance of speed, aggression, and assault combined with the effortless and intuitive use of vibrato, intonation, and sense of melody. When I turned 18, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a degree in music at Musicians’ Institute in Hollywood. There, I met my current band, ‘Snifters’. We perform our original songs live all over Los Angeles and are currently working on our debut EP.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like anything, there have definitely been obstacles along the way like moving to a new country from Canada and having to part ways with a couple of guitar pedals to pay the rent, but nothing that’s a deal breaker haha. I knew what I was getting myself into when I moved here, can’t complain about getting to play guitar all day; it’s the best! Like my dad always told me, “If it was easy everyone would be doing it”.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I play guitar in my band called ‘Snifters’, and we perform our original material all around town. The vision for our band is to incorporate our favorite elements from classic metal, like soaring vocals and fast guitar solos, in a modern-day context to create something that we don’t really see happening in the current metal scene. I myself specialize in writing music on guitar that I think is cool, which often lies on the crazier extreme end of guitar playing. I would say I’m best known for some of my techniques such as alternate picking and sweep picking, as well as some of my wild and silly stage moves. I think what sets me apart from other guys in the current ‘shred’ world is having a healthy diet of blues and classic rock music in my background. You can have all the fanciest licks in the world, but if you end your solo with a band bend or some wimpy vibrato, it kind of discredits the complicated stuff.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
The thing that makes me the happiest is the satisfaction of not being able to play something, working on it, and then being able to play it and implement it. I also love playing live; the exchange of energy from the stage to the crowd and back to the stage is unmatched and brings me so much joy!
Pricing:
- Guitar Lesson: $50/hr
- Recorded Solo: $300
- Live Set: $150/30mins
- Zoom Consultation: $50/session
Contact Info:
- Website: snifter.info
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fairless.sam/
Image Credits
Mathias Fau
