Five Minutes Alone: Samantha Fish
The blues guitarist and singer-songwriter talks feeling, soul, authenticity – and putting the fun back into record shopping
I got my first real six-string
“The first guitar I played was probably one of my dad’s. That was just what was around the house. I got my first guitar when I was 17, like my own guitar, and it might have been an acoustic Alvarez. I think I got the acoustic first and then I got my first electric when I was 17, 18. One was an acoustic Alvarez and the other was a Stratocaster, a hand-built one that my dad picked up for Christmas.”
Still got the blues
“It’s so much more about the player and the feeling that you are putting on. The form is what it is – it’s blues! And you can adjust it, change chord structures and everything, but to me that style of music is so much about feeling and storytelling. People respond to the passion that’s put into it. I think that is why it is so relevant. It evokes an emotion and not only in the person playing it but the listener and it keeps you coming back. To me that’s really a foundation of it, the heart, soul and feeling.”
The real thing
“The guys who made [the blues] legendary and defined the genre weren’t approaching it with these kinds of precious rules. Music is made without restriction and that’s when it flows. That’s when it feels the best. That’s what I really like about those old recordings – they didn’t care. They were just making music, making money, whatever they were doing they were making it what it is. And unapologetically.”
Golden years
“I think that whole feeling that you should live in a different time period is just romanticising something that is impossible anyway. I was born in this era and you’ve got to make the most of it. Really the best way to propel the blues forward and honour it? You’ve got to take what you know about it and then digest it, and then try to put your own spin on it. I was such a fan of north Mississippi blues when I first started playing guitar and I loved those R L Burnside recordings; they really found a way to make it accessible to kids. I dug that mix of genres. That’s how bands like the Black Keys were born, the White Stripes. To me they are just modern blues bands.”
Radio friendly unit shifter
“Man, I ended up buying the entire ‘R’ section at a record shop because I spilled a drink on it! [Laughs] It was so bad. But it beefed up my collection because I spilled my drink on an entire rack of LPS. The one I frequent a lot just ’cos it’s close to me – I live in New Orleans – is the Louisiana Music Factory. It’s a great record shop. I really think there is a lifetime of listening out there. You’ve got to look for it. Turn off the radio. They’re just playing the same songs over again. When we were looking for songs for [2017 album] Chills & Fever, I uncovered a gold mine of old R&B classics that I had never heard before. If you’re willing to dig there’s so much out there.”
The beat goes on
“I still dabble in drums. A little bit. It’s not as easy as going into my hotel room and picking up the guitar or something. It’s more of a time off situation. I don’t do it nearly as much as I’d like to but I still dabble in it. It’s like riding a bike in a lot of ways but you do forget a lot so it’s good to remind yourself.”
“Blues is so much more about the player and the feeling that you are putting on”
Samantha fish’ s new album Killorbe Kind will be released on 20 September on Rounder Records. More info: Samanthafish.com