Sam Roux is best known for playing bass with BSG and Atkins Riot. He serves as a good reminder not to overlook the bassist. He stretched his (Chiggin) wings and flexed his musical muscles in 2020.
MT: Hi Sam, Before COVID-19 we could find you playing with a few bands on the regular. How did you deal with the abrupt stop to that lifestyle of live gigs?
SR: It’s hard to imagine how I fit it all in now that everything’s stopped. At one point in 2019, I was playing drums with Mattydale Music Collective and Modern Instincts, as well as bass for Atkins Riot, BSG and Chiggin. Granted Chiggin only clucks once every blue moon, still, holy hell that was a lot to juggle. I’d reckon I had band practice roughly 3 days a week, and a performance at least twice a month. As busy as that made me, it was my life blood. Live music, whether performing or spectating, is such a visceral, in the moment experience. Having the ability to get that feeling so many nights each week is something I certainly took for granted. I miss it more than anything right now. I also miss the friendships I’ve made due to live music, both on stage and in the audience. Syracuse is such a loving musical community. Nothing warmed you up on a cold winter night like a show at Funk, or Al’s, or any of the other great hangs in town.
MT: Beautifully said. It’s been especially hard on me since it turned cold and dark outside. I feel like many of us were in a work hard, play hard cycle. I miss that sense of balance. I know that you’ve kept busy and you’ve been really involved with making music through 2020. It’s really impressive how many different aspects you’ve learned. Tell us about these experiences.
SR: Fortunately, I’ve been able to pivot toward a stronger focus on learning production. I can confidently say I’ve spent 200+ hours on ProTools (a software for recording and mixing music) since March 2020. Being able to dive deep into this aspect of music making has been the perfect remedy for an isolated year. It’s a grind, but man does it feel good to arrive at an end product. The fruits of this labor can be heard on two EP’s my bands released this year – Modern Instinct’s Not Another One and Chiggin’s THNXGVNG. These two EP’s are 100% mixed and mastered by me. It’s apparent I’ve still got A TON to learn in the production world, but I’m super stoked to see how far I’ve come in a short time. Speaking of releases, Atkins Riot and Mattydale Music Collective put out new projects this year too, so in total, I have releases from 4 different bands this year.
MT: Wow, that’s truly amazing. What are you hoping to continue in 2021?
SR: Ultimately, in 2021, I look forward to how I’ll be able to combine both these pursuits. I think live music will come back to being priority #1 for me. There’s just nothing that matches the feeling for me, but I do see my experience in ProTools encouraging my bands to record more, as we’ll always have at least a mediocre producer to get material out there! If you want to check out what I’ve produced:
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