Musical Digest: Interview with Sam Ashe

Last month, I had the pleasure of speaking with Colorado-based producer and independent artist, Sam Ashe. He recently released his latest single “Hair Dye” which is his formal introduction as a solo artist in the indie music space. The single touches upon the fallacies of a one-sided relationship, in which one person is infatuated while the other remains aloof. If you’re a fan of bands like The Strokes, 1975, Wallows or Dayglow, chances are that you may have stumbled upon this single within your “suggested songs” or “shuffle radio playlist”

While the single is filled with melancholy and the bittersweet acceptance of never being able to see eye to eye, Sam’s introspective thought process and raw lyricism shines through. We sat down to fully digest and unpack the intricacies of these feelings and experiences, bonded over our mutual adoration for Charlie XCX, discussed the underlining dark side of the music industry and the making of this track.

“Hair Dye” serves as a personal diary entry that was originally meant for self-reflection and transcended into a form of journaling. Ultimately, it comes down to what we all don’t want to hear and keep denying and that, my friends, is the personal makings of excuse after excuse after excuse.

The clincher is that “if they wanted to call you, they would have. It’s a flaw with yourself if you’re feeling more attracted to the unstable relationship rather than a stable one.”

So I couldn’t help but wonder if it is a slight, perhaps indirect form of self-sabotage.

“It’s a common trope in the media [where] someone is depressed and they have all these problems and they need another person that fixes it. Silver linings playbook. I think that definitely plays a part in all this. People that are unstable are frankly very entertaining. The music industry is pretty predatory about it. [Take for example] the Kurt Cobain’s of the world and Kanye for a while…really unstable which is super unhealthy and they push them to be more unhealthy because it's a spectacle. It can push people to perceive that as normal and it’s really not, it’s strictly for entertainment.”

Tethering the line of chaos and stage presence, it’s what grabs the attention of the listener. Are they listening to be amused or are they listening to feel something? It’s no question that music fanatics all around the world consume music differently. We went from vinyls, to walkmans, CD players, MP3 players to the new age of streaming. I couldn’t help but wonder…is there a way to consume music the old fashioned way? After all, vinyls have been making a comeback, so perhaps as the decades continue to pass, we learn to embrace the history of how it’s meant to be shared and embrace that there still exists a space for it…

“I think there definitely is space for [old time music fanatics who consume music the old fashioned way]. Music is niching down because of streaming being the norm as well as social media capitalizing off of the addictive nature of [music consumption]. It also helps the artist to communicate directly with their fans and garner more parasocial relationships. You can mobilize [parasocial relationships] because social media is a tool. That really should be the relationship to it and it’s usually not…there’s definitely still room, you gotta adapt, change the way that you’re marketing and the way you’re trying to gauge your listeners. “Paradise” is my first release as Sam Ashe, but even through social media, I’ve been able to build a significant fan base.”

The fan base continues to grow every single day and as far as further creation, Sam fuses gratitude with his artistry to always remember what is at stake.

“It’s gratifying and motivating when I do have people who attach to the music or it’s important enough for them to reach out to me. To be an independent artist is an immense amount of work to get anything back for it. When you do [encounter a fan] who really wants to listen to the song, it’s a good reminder that that’s what it’s about: fostering this connection of making something that is taking an emotional experience, turning it into a song and conveying it to another person who might feel the same way or have similar feelings.”

Storytelling is a significant component of Sam’s artistry and it begged the question…

What makes a lyricist a great storyteller?

“Unfortunately, I do like a lot of the pretentious lyricists. [laughs] What I keep in mind is that there are certain rules to follow at the end of the day. For example, if it sounds good, it is good. There’s a general specific where you do want to talk about certain lines that people can relate to…such as reminiscing about the certain patterns of a sweater from the day you met this person.”

“Maybe I’m writing a song about a breakup and what you’re experiencing is loss, the feeling of loss can be translated to someone’s dog running away. So if you can take that feeling and break it down into something that is really general and put it together…that is important. Where words fail, music wins over and you’re just trying to translate that emotion.”

That said, as much as it is important to resonate with the sound through the speaker, the same can be said for a live stage presence.

“When you play live, it’s very different from all of the feelings of creating a TikTok or Instagram. When you connect in person, it’s very different. People tend to enjoy music in different kinds of ways. In the alternative and indie space, you’re not getting people who feel like they fit in and so you’re not getting people who want to get out there and dance. You’re getting people that are wallflowers. Some people may really be into the music and don’t really care. I’m just really happy that people are there. I always try to say that I’ll be here or I’ll be at the merch table to meet the fans or watch some of the other bands…that kind of thing. That is important; having people come up and tell me that they really enjoyed the set, ask about the name of the song…you connect with people that way.”

And it’s also really important to keep the momentum going because…

“When you’re up there, you put up a certain type of energy and if you don’t put it out, you’re not going to get it back. So if you’re jumping around, the crowd will often reflect that back and that’s always better. At the same time, I take it really seriously and I’m a professional. Once you’ve played enough shows to absolutely dead empty rooms or you’re at a bar and you can’t get people to pay attention to you, that’s like the worst feeling. BUT you play it with the same energy you would at Madison Square Garden and they love you.”

“I opened for The Academic. It was a sold out show. I really liked that opportunity because it gets the energy flowing, gets your nerves going, and makes you sharper.”

In terms of the musical direction in which Sam wants to follow, he admittedly emphasized that above all he values the freedom he has in being able to be open to both rock and pop.

“My goal with “Hair Dye” was to strike something that was kind of right in the middle of rock and pop because if I can put out a couple songs in that in between space, that does give me the freedom to lean more into the rock or pop genre a couple times. It’s really important for me to have the freedom to lean into rock more or to pop more. I am primarily a guitar player, so that definitely does influence my sound. I’m comfortable playing and writing on the guitar and that tends to lean more into that indie rock category. I think there’s always going to be that rock edge to it. I’m better utilized as a rock singer rather than a pop singer.”

“I didn’t start singing until I was 18 years old, so I’m not going to have the pop vocal chops like the likes of Charlie Puth, Sam Smith or Ariana Grande.”

As it relates to his own vocal and tonal ability…

“I know how to sing on tour and not get myself injured. The delivery and phrasing is really important. I can confidently say I have a good belt and a good scream. I can get my voice to break up…which is more of a rock technique.

Cultivating one's craft is important and many artists have subscribed to Malcolm Gladwell's golden rule of perfecting the craft for 10,000 hours in order to be really good at it. Although as it relates to music and music creation, Sam had a different perspective to share.

"I think it becomes nuanced when you’re talking about something creative, like music creation. There’s people like Daniel Johnston who are not at playing instruments or singing, but he writes beautiful songs and they are all the more vulnerable for, frankly, how bad he is. There’s a certain spectrum of artist to musician and everybody sits in a different spot on that spectrum. So if I’m like a pure musician, I’m really not writing my stuff, I wouldn’t be worried about writing music and how good I’m looking. I wouldn’t care about all that stuff. I want to get at the craft of the guitar and then hop in a band where the leader is somebody who is more like an artist. You gotta put the time in.”

As far as whose mind he'd like to inhibit for one day to understand the craft behind their music making...

“I really love Doja Cat and Charlie XCX. I would love to get in a room with them. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars who are masters of their craft and wonderful lyricists."

“If you want to be an artist or musician, learn how to play an instrument. Use YouTube as a huge resource and don’t get discouraged. I sucked at music for the first time, [but if you go to listen to any established artists’ first EP] they’re all bad.”

Needless to say, if it sounds good, it means it is good. For any new and aspiring artists out there, it's important to remember to stay focused and on track because your debut is as close as you decide to make it.

Tune in to "Hair Dye" below and follow Sam Ashe for more indie rock fused content.