Image credit: Jeff Mertz

Musician Sam Kogon left our hearts skipping a beat with his nostalgic track ‘Barbed Wire’ which talks about love that couldn’t be because of personal reasons. Comfortable in his sexuality, the singer dwells on his experiences with past lovers and other challenges he encountered along the way. Gearing up to release his EP released also named Barbed Wire in April, we look forward to seeing what other tracks will be unveiled. In the meantime, we asked the musician a few questions about their art below. 

To those not familiar with you, how would you describe your sound?

The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Kinks, Arthur Russell, Nick Lowe, Marshal Crenshaw

Which three albums have influenced you the most creatively?

The Slider – T. Rex, All Things Must Pass – George Harrison, The Left Banke – Walk Away Renee / Pretty Ballerina.

Tell us about the key pieces of equipment that you use to define your sound?

Vox AC 30, MXR Carbon Copy Delay, Danelectro Cool Cat Chorus.

Is there any “non-musical” ingredient that is essential to crafting your sound?

Being in nature, It’s where some musical downloads spontaneously happen.

Studio work and music creation, or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?

I love creating in the studio, catching that first ember of a song on a demo, but nothing beats performing live and feeling the energy of the crowd.

What has been your most memorable performance so far?

My first ever show in LA  in 2018 when I was on tour with Doug Tuttle a few years back opening for Morgan Delt. We played at a place in Highland Park called The Hi-Hat, I think it’s changed owners now and is called something else, but that sound, energy and audience were like being on cloud 9 that night.

And which performance would you prefer to forget?

My Sofar Sounds session…

Any new or emerging artists on your radar?

Zannie, War Violets, & Power Violets.

If you could collaborate with, or perform alongside any artist, who would it be? And why?

It would be great to work with Paul McCartney in the studio and have him produce me as he did with Mary Hopkins, I’d gladly sing any song that came from his hand.

If you weren’t a musician what would you be?

An environmental scientist or an archaeologist.

Tell us about any upcoming shows or releases you have in the pipeline.

My new EP drops 4/1.

Follow Sam Kogon:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud | Bandcamp