Here is one of our many members who have brought life to our community. We are grateful to see the process and progress our members share with us, and we are honored to give them the spotlight! Their story is our story. Read on to be inspired by our latest Member Highlight interview…
Meet Sam Wilson
Sam is from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK
What do you do during the day?
I used to run a small IT firm but I retired 18 months ago. I play bass guitar with a folk / country band called 'Ship of Fools'. I am secretary for a local motorcycle club and I help to look after my grand-children when my daughter is working. I like to read a fair bit and I'm in a book club that meets monthly.
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What Day of 100 is your piece from?
I wrote this around day 16 of the current 100 day challenge.
Lyrics:
Loud Romancing by Sam Wilson
I’m not looking for a crowd. When I tell you how I feel.
Don’t need their validation. To make my emotions real
Your hand is so sure. When you paint me all your dreams.
You don’t need a formal setting. To bring life to your scenes
I don’t need a loud romance
To show my lover I’m true
Because I’m tuned into
The same wavelength as you
The shadows all fade back. When you tell me to be strong.
There’s no need to raise my voice. To doubters that say I’m wrong.
If chaos comes to call. And you’re starting to despair.
You can trust that I’ll help rebuild. Find some solace we can share.
You don’t need to romance loudly
To add auth-en-tic-ity
Because you’re living in
The same reality as me
Listen here:
Is there anything surprising about your musical taste?
I like most genres of music. Disco and Funk are a bit of a guilty pleasure. I used to love George Clinton and Parliament / Funkadelic back in the day.
What does your songwriting habit look like?
I generally immerse myself in one song at a time - tinkering with the music and the lyrics to try and fit the mood and feel of the piece. I've got interested in recording and music production over the last 4 or 5 years and I'm still learning new things with the technology. When the song is finished it takes me a couple of weeks to find the idea for the next one. I often find that reading a book helps me with suggesting ideas for a new song and with forgetting about the last song.
Who are your influences? How have they shaped you?
Richard Thompson inspires me not only because he is a great guitarist and songwriter but also because he has kept plugging away writing songs and maintaining a career in music over more than 50 years without huge commercial success. He is not a great charismatic showman or brilliant singer but can hold the attention of an audience for hours standing alone on stage with the vivid rendition of his songs. There was a Fairport Convention record in my Aunt Rosie's collection, see above, and I have bought RT records throughout my adult life. He is one of the people that inspired me to try writing my own songs.
What challenge are you facing with songwriting?
I generally aim to invoke a particular mood or feeling with a song but I can't do it to order. I might set out trying to write something jaunty and happy-go-lucky and end up with something that sounds like a funeral. I don't seem to have much control over this.
Tell us an early memory about a song that woke something up inside you.
When I was 10 years old I inherited my aunt Rosie's record collection (she was 17). I listened to the Beatles albums 'Rubber Soul' and 'Revolver' repeatedly. I came to realize that songs like 'Drive my Car' and 'Norwegian Wood' had a bit more of a spin to them than a Moon in June love-song.