Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Klein.
Sam, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My love for drumming began in New York around age 12, when I started my first private lessons for drum set, and from then on I was just enamored by the instrument. My teacher at the time, Vic Garzione, introduced me to so many different artists and styles of music, so there was always something new to learn from and I think that really helped grow my love for the instrument.
Throughout middle school and high school I started my own bands to perform live with and participated in every school ensemble I could, including studying/performing with Grammy Award winner Jeff Haynes.
After high school, I moved to Minnesota to attend McNally Smith College Of Music, and have been living/performing here ever since – steadily growing the roster of people I’ve played with, which include Jazicality, Runaway Ricochet, Shirts & Skins, and dozens more. It’s really fun watching the number of shows and recording sessions I’m apart of go up every year. This year I’ll have performed over 120 times and toured across the country for the 4th time, so I’m super proud of the work I’ve been putting into this instrument and this lifestyle.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been anything but a smooth road. There’s always some sort of challenge standing in the way that life makes you climb over or bulldoze your way through.
Where I lived in New York didn’t have a very active music scene, so navigating that, especially as a middle/high schooler, was its own struggle on top of normal teenage drama.
However, when I decided to move to Minnesota to attend McNally Smith, nothing could have prepared me for dealing with my college suddenly closing at the end of my 3rd semester. It was a huge shock and salvaging the pieces of that situation was really rough. It just felt like I had made this huge decision to relocate across the country to open up doors for myself and then all those doors just slammed in my face.
It really put me in my head for a long time and made me question my worth and my love for music, but in my heart, I knew those feelings were temporary. Things were going to change and I had to be a proponent to that change, otherwise, I’d be stuck in the same place.
Things are 100x better now and I’m happy that I found a way to move forward.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Well, I’m a professional drummer, and as far as what I specialize in, I’d have to say that it’s my ability to adapt to the situation. I receive a lot of work as a “fill-in”, which is a musician that is called in when a band needs to substitute one of their members.
I’ve spent a lot of time working on my ability to quickly chart out songs and be able to show up, set up my drums, and perform exactly what’s asked of me. It’s my goal every time I accept a show like this to try and make the band forget that they’ve even hired me. I want the band to be able to focus on their performance and enjoy themselves the way they would with their normal drummer.
Modern Drummer did an interview with one of my favorite drummers, JP Bouvet, where they had called him a “musical chameleon”, and that’s something I strive to be and something I’m always working toward. I want to be able to blend perfectly into whatever situation is thrown at me, so that if I get a call from an Afro-Caribbean Jazz band, or a Progressive Thrash Metal band, I can say yes.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me, in life, are the people around me. It’s really easy to get caught up in the day to day of work, sleep, repeat, or the “rise and grind” mentality – but, I still try to always make sure that the people important to me know that I care for them. Even if life makes it a little bit of a struggle to do that in a consistently timely manner.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TheHuskyDrummer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehuskydrummer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16wKVjGURv/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thehuskydrummer
