Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samantha Grimes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Samantha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?
I vividly remember the first dollar I earned from my music. I was sixteen and had written a song entitled “Glasgow”. At the time, I was recording demos using Microsoft Windows Audio Recorder. (It was free!) I would have thirty-odd recorders up on screen, and I would meticulously cut sections of the wav and paste it into a master audio recorder window. It took hours and hours to create a three minute demo. Regardless of the time consumption, I would emerge from my teenage bedroom, gleeful, and announce to the pets that I was posting a new song on my MySpace page. ‘Lo and behold, a gentleman from Connecticut was a follower of mine and heard the song on my page. He wanted to send me $5.00 so that I could burn the .mp3 to a disc and mail it to him. I was elated. He sent me the five dollars – I sent him the disc and sharpied my name on the front. After he received it, he offered to pay for me to go to the studio and record that song more professionally. At the time, I was so excited I never questioned it. He sent the money, and I had Tim Andrews (who produced my first EP in 2006) record “Glasgow” right away. After sending it off to him, he thanked me. I never heard from him again. Not entirely sure why he loved that song so much, but to this day – I think of “Glasgow” as the song that made me teenage-rich. A little bit of trivia as well: “Glasgow” is the only song I have recorded with my 12-string.
Samantha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Who I am, at my core, is a storyteller. When I was six, I wrote a song about my pet rat Skippy. In the song, I pondered Skippy’s thoughts about the maze that is life and questioned if there truly was cheese at the end.
I often tell the story of my song “Wheaton County” that I wrote in high school for an English project. We were supposed to write a creative essay, and instead I penned a song that I still perform today. The song is about two best friends who failed to move out of their hometown and end up drinking their sorrows away the night of their high school reunion. I tend to find a melody on guitar or piano, and it triggers my storytelling mechanism. I can tell what kind of story it is by the tone of the song.
I don’t consider myself a genius guitar player. Although I have a unique style (upside down and left-handed) – my guitar playing comes secondary to my songwriting. People can listen to my music online, or come to one of the many shows I have lined up for the remainder of the year! You can usually find me performing full band with The 53s – or I also do a handful of shows solo. Either way, I’m telling stories and that’s what I believe I was put on this earth to do.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Since my very first website on GeoCities in the late 90s, followed by MySpace in the early-aughts; I adopted social media early on in relation to my music. The internet was a way to connect me to people throughout the world…not just my little corner of Minnesota, USA. Fast forward two decades, and social media has become one of several important keys to building an audience. My biggest piece of advice is to be consistent and relevant. It is difficult for an online audience to feel connected to you if posts are spread out days or weeks at a time. I approach my social media with the plan that I will try and post something every day – especially leading up to and following shows. Many of my followers have been in the picture for several years – so I feel it is important they know that I’m still doing what I love and inviting them in on the journey.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
There are two aspects that I consider the most rewarding when it comes to my music. First and foremost, the inner-catharsis of finishing a song is the most rewarding. People have different ways they prefer to vent emotions or convey experiences…mine is writing a song. If I get the song out of my brain and onto the page, I feel completely recharged. It reminds me that my soul craves exerting energy in that specific form. The second rewarding aspect is performing. I mention performance high quite often when discussing live shows and it is incredibly true. I love playing an amazing show to people who are there to listen. Granted, I’ve always been a firm believer that you should play your best regardless of turnout – but I really come alive when there’s a group. I connect with people in the audience. I feed off of their energy. If I’m putting on an awesome show – I can feel it from their vibration. If I can’t connect with another human, my heart won’t be in the performance. I just thrive on connection.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.samanthagrimesmusic.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/samanthagrimesmusic
- Facebook: facebook.com/samanthagrimesmusic
- Twitter: @upsidedownlefty
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIvflHKQKlZuMhQlxFu8lDA
Image Credits
@tellastory photography