In Conversation with

 

‘Samantha Schultz’

 

October 2007

 

Samantha Schultz informs us on her myspace.com page is 16 and was born in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada).

 

She advises us she began singing at the age of three and has continued to grow and practice her talents ever since.

 

Impressily, In November of 2006, Samantha was the youngest nominee in the "Young Performer of the Year"

category for the Canadian Folk Music Awards and has also opened for artists such artists as Ruthie Foster, Kyle Riabko, Lynn Miles,

Gaye Delorme, Doug Cox & Sam Hurrie, Karla Anderson and Cindy Church to critical acclaim.

 

Certainly from a personal perspective when I first heard her songs on her myspace.com I must admit for such a

young singer, I was really impressed she already had such a powerful voice which I could certainly style wise in her

material among others – Eva Cassidy, K.T. Tunstall, Joni Mitchell. Sheryl Crow and bits of Tegan and Sara.

What was more impressive was simply the fact unlike all of these acts with Samantha still being such a young age,

she already has the voice to match nearly all of these acts already and I for one look forward to hearing next what she does.

 

I discovered her by chance as I always seem to do nowadays through myspace.com and it is certainly recommended

you check her out as she has every chance with a bit of good luck doing quite well for herself in the future.

 

Samantha can be contacted by e-mail on

 

sam.sch@telus.net

 

Her official website is:

 

www.samanthaschultz.com

 

She also has a myspace.com page which is:

 

http://www.myspace.com/samanthaschultz15

 

Thanks Sam

 

Regards

 

Andy N

Setting Sun

 

 

 

 

Setting Sun:

How are things and what’s happening at the moment?

 

Samantha:

 

My cd has finally been released!! it's about 2 months new and i'm really, REALLY excited. my music is going to

kind of be going slow in the future, seeing as i still am doing school full time. my parents and i are talking about possibly

touring next summer...so we'll see! the cd sales have been going really well, and i actually had my cd launch on September 18th.

it was a sold out venue and the crowd was great. i had a band with me, so it was different from what people are usually

used to seeing me perform but i also played some songs with just me and my guitar. it was a really fun evening and i'll

have some great memories of that night!

 

Setting Sun:

Next, can you tell us a little bit about the history of your music or as I like to say sometimes – who fired the

starting pistol?

 

Samantha:

 

Well, i've grown up in a musical family. ever since i was really little, my parents have ALWAYS played many different types

of genres of music, anything you could possibly think of. apparently, at the age of three, my parents taped me singing

"i will always love you" by céline dion on perfect key. i saw the tape and it was pretty funny...my dad also told me that

he took me to some orff classes, where i basically got to bang on tambourines and xylophones. my mom played the piano

and sang. my maternal grandpa sang and played guitar and my maternal grandma sang in small shows in college.

my paternal grandmother used to sing when she was little and used to play the piano a little.

In elementary, singing in the school choir was one of my biggest priorities. i loved being there and learning new music

and new words. unlike some of the other kids who were there just to stay in from recess, usually during the winter season,

i was there to learn eveything i possibly could. i was given a lot of the solos in the pieces that required them, and they were

an awful lot of fun to sing. eventually, as i got older, my music teacher/choir teacher noticed that i did have a voice, and

suggested to my parents and i that i take private singing lessons. we took her advice, and attended lessons for about

two years when i was nine years old.

 

For some reason, i wanted badly to play the sax. i told my parents this, and they put on big smiles, covering the fact that

they knew how expensive saxaphones were, haha! my dad suggested to me that i go downstairs and play his old

classical guitar that he had when he was a kid. after plunking on the thing for a couple of weeks, my parents came to

me and asked me two questions: did i want to take musical theatre, where i could practice stage confidence and

being comfortable on stage? i pretty much dispised the thought. OR!! did i want to take guitar lessons? well, I

don't play the sax, and i've never been in a play before in my life, so you can guess which of the two i chose. I

took lessons for nine months when i was eleven, turning twelve. i wrote my first song when i was eleven, and

have been writing ever since.

From there, my decision to make music a real priority in my life became a lot more clear. i started going to local

coffee shops around edmonton, and eventually landed my first huge gig opening for a beautiful southern lady by the

name of ruthie foster. everything else seems to have fallen into place for me, but i've definitely had to work at perfecting

my craft. doing even a small scale of performing like i do requires TONS of dedication and hard work.

 

Setting Sun:

 

What are your influences, music wise and who are you listening to at the moment?

 

Samantha:

 

Musically, i have many, MANY influences. i really admire singer/songwriters/musicians, including

jonny lang, john mayer, corrine bailey rae, sheryl crow, damien rice, norah jones and so many more.

others include eva cassidy, and more under-the-radar artists such as amos lee, kyle riabko, and

ruthie foster. not only do i listen to artists of today, i LOVE the music of the past. big influences for

me would be ray charles, the beatles, aretha franklin, etta james, led zeppelin's acoustic stuff, and many others.

 

Other influences consist of my own personal experiences, my family, my friends, and everyday situations

i see around me. 

Currently, i'm listening to anything that's on my ipod! there's anything on there from ac/dc, to corb lund, to

joni mitchell, to maroon 5...i have over 124 artists on there, and i know so many more that my ipod just

can't fit haha!

 

Setting Sun:

 

Do you play concerts out of interest? If so, how do they compare to your music or if you don’t –

do you have any idea how you would approach it?

 

Samantha:

 

 I do play a lot of my concerts out of interest. if i wasn't interested in them, i probably wouldn't be

playing them haha! i've done all types of stuff from opening acts, jam sets/song writer circles, private events,

festivals, and charity events. most of the gigs i do, i want to do, whether it be because of the person playing, the

venue, etc. when i do opening acts, or song circles, or festivals, it's INCREDIBLE the kind of people i meet. i

have come across so many talented people, most of which i've never heard of before. every single time i meet

someone new, it just drives me to work harder at what i do, and get more gigs like those so i am vulnerable to the

amazing opportunities that i come across in almost every gig.

 When i write my music, i try to make my songs universal. any show can relate to my tunes, depending on what it's

looking for. i've played for charity events such as homeless for a night which focuses on teenagers who don't have

a warm safe place to sleep. so i have a couple of songs that relate to that..."i am the daughter" focuses on a kid's

relationship with her parents and she's thankful for what she has and what they've given her. try to remember

that once things were good between the parents and child and maybe they can find that relationship again. "someone's

here" tells people to reach out to someone before turning to drugs and alcohol, even thought it might be hard to find that

person, it will be worth it. "help me understand", which isn't on my cd, is about a teenage kid just trying to understand

what's going on in the world. i think that i have a big enough repertoire in regards to content that i can play songs

that relate to any gig that i want to.

 

Setting Sun:

 

I have being enjoying your songs on myspace.com, but the one that I think I have enjoyed the most is

‘I Am the Daughter' ? Can you tell you us a little bit more about this song etc?

 

Samantha:

 

Well, the title is pretty much self explanatory. i have always been really close to my parents all my life, and i thought it

fitting to write a song, dedicated to them, thanking them for helping me and for being so supportive of me and my sister,

through my life so far. all the lyrics in the song have actually happened or were told to me by my parents.

 

Setting Sun:

 

What plans do you have next, music wise? Do you have any recordings or gigs planned at the moment?

 

Samantha:

 

well, now that i have my cd finished, i'm working on marketing it, and getting my music "out there.

" i'm also looking at touring and singing in places other than edmonton haha. i'd love to see the world, and touring

and sharing something that i love to do is an ideal dream! as for upcoming events, i have a gig on november 4th called

homefest. i'm also looking to get some folk festival gigs in canada next summer. for more info on when i'm performing,

info about upcoming gigs, or more info on my cd, you can check my myspace page or website:

 

www.myspace.com/samanthaschultz15
www.samanthaschultz.com

 

Setting Sun:

 

Where are you from out of interest? What’s the music scene like were you are from?

you being to any good concerts recently?

 

Samantha:

 

i have lived in edmonton, alberta, canada my whole sixteen years. haven't moved once. when deciding that i

wanted to seriously be a part of the music scene here in edmonton, i was quickly adopted into the folk family.

i met so many musicians and singers that were willing to take me under their wings and show me the ropes of jam

sessions, how folk clubs work, the major people on the scene, and so much more. there are a lot of venues that

allow a musician to try out any new material they might have such as open stages, talent competitions. there's

so much support and really good feedback that happens too.

 I went to the john mayer concert back at the end of april, and i have to tell you, i sat in awe for the first couple

songs. for one thing, he was incredibly true to the cd, and another thing: i was at a john mayer concert!!

regardless of the fact that it was at rexall place, edmonton's biggest stadium, i still felt so lucky to be at

the show of one of my biggest musical idols. his songs are so deep and so full of meaning. i definitely love his

music more than his image, which is all that seems to matter nowadays...i was also able to see josh groban in

concert. again, he sounded like he did on the cd, all live, all real. he was a really funny guy, goofy even, and that

just made the performance even better. i even got to touch his hand!!! i have a blog on my myspace page about

that...my first encounter with high profile stardom i guess, haha!

 

My school, being a visual and performing arts school, puts on various concerts throughout the year. the senior high

jazz bands got the chance to perform with a guest performer: a very talented trombonist, with a very respectable

repertoire, by the name of steve turré. that was one of the highlights of my school year. also, i was involved in the

senior high jazz choir myself, and we all had such a great time performing together, learning together and laughing

together. i'll miss all the kids that graduated last year, they were all so incredibly talented, and i was lucky enough

to sing with such an amazing ensemble.

I try and make it out to as many different shows as i can. i learn from every performer, what to do, and possibly what

not to do. it's good to see all the different styles of various performers out there.

 

Setting Sun:

 

What do you do when you are not being a rock and roll star?

 

Samantha:

 

 I classify as rock and roll?? haha, that's great! well, when i'm not doing a show, i probably do what any other

well-rounded teen would do. i watch tv, use the computer, chat with friends, read, do word searches, play sports

(volleyball specifically),write songs if i'm in the mood, go out, see movies, anything! i also made the jazz choir which

has been so much fun so far. i'm just a teenage kid who's lucky enough to be able to experience her dream of

being a rockstar...on a much smaller scale of course, but nonetheless, i'm still doing it!

 

Setting Sun:

 

Anyway, a few light hearted questions to finish off with, firstly what would you like to be

doing when you are 60?

 

Samantha:

 

Sixty?! i just turned sixteen this past march...sometimes i don't know what i'll be doing the next day,

haha! i really hope to still be doing music, like ray charles did, until his last days. to have a legacy

such as that would be incredible.

 

Setting Sun:

 

Lastly, what do you think you will be doing when you are 60?

 

Samantha:

 

I'll most likely be happy, healthy, have a huge family, many friends, and still very musically busy.