Interview: SAMSARA.

1: How did you decide on the name, “SAMSARA."?  

John:   Dylan came up with it.  We all just liked the way it sounded.

Ben:     Dylan came up with the name Samsara. I’m pretty sure it is like purgatory in Buddhism Charlie:   We were all just sitting around trying to decide on a name and Dylan said:  How about SAMSARA?  and we were like dope, that's our name. Brendan:  I actually was not around for the creation of the name.

Dylan:   The name SAMSARA. came from my dad and I. He brought the name up to me and I didn't think anything of it but I did some research on it and I brought it to the guys and they all thought it was dope.

2: What inspires you to create?

Charlie:  Life.  The thoughts that come through my head.  Music, writing, the lyrics, the sounds, it is all emotional for me.  

Brendan:    A genuine love for the art of creating music always inspires me to create, as well as the amount of things being a musician has brought me in life.  I have had some of the best experiences of my life playing shows and rehearsing, and I have made so many of my closest friends through being a performing musician, and the thought of that always keeps me writing new songs.

John: listening to music, watching videos and concerts.  I watch a ton of videos on YouTube about how bands create their stuff.  That always gets me motivated.

Dylan:  everything inspires me to create. I think creating is an outlet that I am lucky to have because creating music can come from anything from rage to joy so I can always create no matter what.

Ben:   Everything inspires me to create. Other artists, their styles, new things.

3: What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a creative profession?

John:  just keep practicing, don't stop, never take breaks from working on what you love. And don't be afraid to challenge yourself.  Try something different.

Ben:  My advice to someone in a creative profession would to be as original as they can so they stand out. 

Charlie:  Just go out and do it and don't stop for anyone or anything, and do not ever listen to anyone who does not support you thick and through (except for constructive criticism sometimes you need to hear you suck to be able to get better for the next time)

Dylan:  I think what I would tell someone who wants to be in a creative profession is just to make sure you love what you are doing. If you don't love it you will never get anywhere cause the ideas wont come because all you need for anything creative is an idea 

Brendan:  When in a creative profession, it is important to not force any of your work.  I find that whenever I try to force myself to sit down and write a song, I will never be able to come up with anything.  Most of the songs, riffs, and lyrics I have come up with were when I got a random idea for them when on a walk, or laying down for bed, or in the middle of class.  What's important is that when you get these random ideas for melodies/riffs, you must immediately record them into your phone or write them down.  Another piece of advice I have is that while it is important to be original and come up with your own sound, it is just as important to draw from those that you listen to and incorporate what you love from their songs into your own work.  Taking inspiration is not the same as replicating.

4: Do you feel open minded about what you listen to? Do you like going out of your comfort zone?

Ben:  Out of my comfort zone when looking for new music. There are some genres I don’t particularly care for but I’m open to listening to new things. 

John:  I wasn't a few years, but something changed in me and now I'm really stretching my boundaries.  I listen to so many different styles now than I used to. 

Dylan:  I would say so ya. I personally listen to everything ranging from the Foo Fighters to Pop Smoke to Kanye West to Ola Gjeilo to Mac Demarco to Miles David. I think you can learn stuff from every genre of music and can use it as an influence. I love going out of my comfort zone to find a new sound. it's like taking a sniff of fresh air cause you have never heard something like it before even if you aren't a fan of it.

Brendan: Yes, I listen to all kinds of music, and I am always open to checking out new artists/genres.  I love everything from rock music, to metal, to classical, to rap, to folk, to pop, and much much more.  

Charlie: Isn't that what being an artist is all about?  Always stepping outside of your comfort zone to create to be original to inspire?  I am all about stepping outside of my boundaries to create.

5: What outlets do you find out about music from? (Record stores, magazines, samplers, etc.)

Dylan:  I find a lot about music now from social media. either it being someone suggesting it to me or finding it on Spotify or something.

Ben: I mostly find music online, like on YouTube or Spotify, but I do also love listening to vinyl and going to record shops. 

John: my bandmates have introduced me to some really cool stuff. But, I get a ton of new music from Spotify and the playlists.  one song leads me to another, and another, and it just goes from there.

Brendan: I find most of my music online.  Instagram and TikTok have introduced me to a few great songs, but I find the majority of them through what Spotify and Apple Music recommend to me based on what I already listen to.  My friends and bandmates also consistently show me a lot of cool new music. 

Charlie:   Mostly it is from listening to others, seeing other bands, I go to Berklee so I get to see and hear a lot of new music and what others are listening to , underground, indie, so many different styles 

6: What is your favorite format to listen to music on? (CD, Vinyl, etc.)

John:   I have a few records, but honestly, its so much easier to just listen to music digitally. 

Charlie:  Well, digitally for the most part because it is easier, but lately I have started to lean more in line with vintage sounds from 8tracks, cassettes, and even LPs.  My mom has a great collection of vinyl, all early punk, new wave, and I play her albums on a vintage turntable I have.

Ben:  I love listening to music on vinyl. 

Dylan:  I listen to a lot my music digitally but there is an aspect of owning a physical copy of an album you like. I have a ton of vinyl and I think sometimes the music sounds better on the record player, lol. I know someone who listens to a bunch of music on CD's and they say it sounds better on CD so I guess it's all preference.

Brendan:  I find myself listening to music primarily through streaming services like Spotify because of how convenient and affordable it is, and how many songs are available through it.  It also recommends me new songs to listen to every day, so that I can always find new music to enjoy.  I do have a small collection of vinyl and CDs, primarily of albums that I already really enjoy.  For example, I own the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and Arctic Monkeys' debut album on vinyl, as well as Metallica's "Garage Day Revisited" on CD.  I personally love the sound quality of CDs, and I find it fun to spin a vinyl record and listen to the whole album from start to finish.

7: What band/artist do you think everyone should listen to?

Brendan:  Though it may sound basic, I think that everyone should listen to The Beatles.  Every band or artist since The Beatles have been inspired by them in one way or another.  Music would not be the same in ANY way if it weren't for The Beatles making their mark.  Among all of their albums, you can find almost any style of music you want, whether it by a hard rock song like "Revolution" or a soft acoustic song like "Blackbird".

Ben:  I think everyone should listen to the Beatles. There music was so influential in rock and other genres 

John:  I'd have to say Royal Blood. there isn't one song I don't like.....their songs are very upbeat, and just cool.

Dylan:  there are so many good artists that i think people should listen to #1 for me though has to be Catfish and the Bottlemen, they have been my absolute favorite band since around 2015. Some other artists I think people should definitely listen to are Tom Misch, Kanye West, King Krule, I think everyone should listen to Bob Dylan at least once in their life, David Bowie, Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar and the Glass Animals. 

Charlie:  Without a doubt all the classics like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin etc.  but honestly, there are some amazing current artists that everyone should listen to as well like Radio Head  and stuff like that.  

8: What motivates you to check out a new artist?

Dylan: If I hear a lot of people talk about an artist I will wanna see what the hype is about or I will find a small clip of their music online and go to their Spotify and listen to some songs of them.

John:   If I hear a song that catches my attention, then I will check them out.

Brendan: I am always on the hunt for new music, so just about anything can motivate me to check out a new artist.  Usually I will find myself listening to a new artist if it was recommended to me by a friend, or if that artist had just put out a new piece of work.  I am also likely to check out the rest of a band's material if I hear one of their songs and enjoy it, as I am likely to find more songs just like it.

Charlie:   Their sound, their instruments, and if i hear of them through conversation. 

9: Who was the first band/artist that became your favorite band?
Dylan:  The first band I really fell in love with is probably Coldplay. I have heard a lot of bands since first hearing them but I think they are still in my top 5, lol.
Ben:  The first band that became my favorite band was Metallica. I discovered them around 5th grade.
John: Led Zeppelin for sure.  I remember asking my dad if he could take me to see them in concert when I was little, and my dad kinda laughed and told me that they weren't really doing that anymore.  
Charlie:  I am going to say Led Zeppelin when I was really young.  We had the boxed set in my house and I would play it continuously on my Fisher Price cd player. LOL.

Brendan:  The first band who became my favorite was Queen.  I remember being fascinated with everything about their music and style of performing, and only wanting to discover more music just like it afterwards. 

10: What was the inspiration for your song “Filthy Habit”?

John:  I'll let Dylan answer that question.   he came up with the lyrics. 

Dylan:   I was sitting in the kitchen of our drummer Ben's house while he and Charlie were recording a demo for it. Charlie was doing the bridge and the intro  I was listening to the song Cold Turkey by John Lennon on the Uber ride and the words stuck with me so I decided to write a story about this guy struggling to go sober. I finished the lyrics within 3 hours, they all just came streaming into my head so wrote them down asap.

Charlie:  Dylan should answer this one.

Brendan:  We wanted all of the elements of an essential rock song, with a brutally heavy guitar riff, a headbanging groove, a chorus that can be chanted by hundreds in a crowd, a sludgy intro (which is titled "PARALYZED" on our EP)