cru cru SAM FEINSTEIN, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. First and foremost what got you into music?
My parents had Billy Joel CDs that my sister and I loved. I wanted to play piano and be just like Billy Joel. I joined the Middle School jazz band and loved it, but a better pianist was going to audition the next year so I learned to play bass and that ended up being my main instrument going forward.
What’s the best decade for music?
My answer may surprise you becasue my new song definitely evokes the 80's, but I think the music of today is the best its ever been as long as you're willing to venture off the beaten path.
What's your favorite album from the new wave scene?
While Depeche Mode is probably my favorite New Wave Band, I have to hand this one to The Cars' self titled album. That album is just hit after hit and it sticks with you.
What’s the best synth you ever bought?
My bandmate from The Monitors, Joe Molnar, is the real synth-man. His Synthstrom Deluge is the heart of our band and I might have never written a synthpop song if not for him and his Deluge. There are some other phenomenal sounding synths out there (I want a Novation Bass Station someday), but the Deluge will always have a special place in my heart for that reason.
How is your experience as an indie artist going?
On some level I like the freedom I have as an independent artist to explore whatever sound and subject interests me in any given moment. On the other hand, it would be nice if I could focus on music without needing to think too much about marketing, distribution, booking shows, etc.
If you mean indie as in the genre, its a vague enough genre space where I feel like I have freedom to explore a lot of different things. I've been in bands that play bluegrass, funk, jazz, ska, pop punk, synth-pop, emo, blues-rock, country, and metal. "Indie" lets me use bits and pieces from all of these experiences
What is "Hamster Wheel" and why is it so quirky?
Hamster Wheel was a songwriting experiment gone horribly right. I almost always write music with an instrument in hand, then record months or even years later. I wanted to see what would happen if the recording was part of the writing process, so I would record bits and pieces and stitch them together in my DAW, then go back later and re-record anything that sounded too stitched-together.
Who is your inspiration?
My biggest inspiration is probably Quincy Jones. Everything that man touched turned to gold, and he was a musical chameleon: you could put him in any genre context and he would sound like he belongs there.
Do you consider yourself a music - nerd?
You could definitely say that. I love music theory. I listen to Jacob Collier, watch Adam Neely. My day job is audio technology, and I'm currently working on coding a software synthesizer.
What’s your favorite movie of all time? G - FORCE?
I remember G-Force. Any movie with talking hamsters is an A+ in my book. However, there is an animated musical called Over the Garden Wall I watch every November. It has a beautiful autumnal setting and it's a whirlwind of a story that draws chilling elements of Danté's Inferno, but has heartwarming moments about the love between brothers. It will whiplash you between serious and silly in an absolutely delightful way.
Do you agree with the Pigeon?
I don't want to pigeon-hole you, but we seem to be birds of a feather. Cru Cru.
Review
Extremely infectious perucussion kicks off "Hamster Wheel" and we're immediately won over by this crazy music that's constantly jumping around, supported by slick riffs and a wall of synthesizers. Sam Feinstein's new waves are inspired by the garage rock that revitalized indie rock and the nostalgia of the 80s and the result couldn't be more colourful or dynamic! "Hamster Wheel", with its metaphorical quirks, takes us through the roller coaster of life that constantly haunts our dreams to the sound of psychedelic and alternative melodies that are extremely pleasing to the ear - what a banger!
The Pigeon added the new single to his Weekly Gems playlist on Spotify. You can check out the released music below. If you like what you hear, make sure to follow along so you can stay on top of future releases!
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
This coverage was created via Musosoup
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