We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Samuel Campanella a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Samuel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

In the early days of Ritz Vanity, my best friend Tom Gallo was handling all of the production for our demos. It was just us two, so I would come in the studio and track vocals and guitar and Tom would literally do everything else (Bass, drums, backing vocals, keys, layering guitars etc…). This was our process from 2020-2022 as I was still forming the lineup of the band to see which members would fit the best. By 2023, we had a full 5-piece band, and we began recording as a band instead of just Tom and me. This new process made it to where Tom really couldn’t control the production and arrangement of the songs, so it was time that I needed to step up and assume his position as the producer of Ritz Vanity. I was nervous, but I was a student of Tom Gallo over the last 2 years so I felt I could handle it. Although challenging at first, I learned a lot and through the process of producing the band, our song “Sly Ravine” was the first single that I Produced and arranged myself which is our most popular song to date. I continued learning in the studio and continued to produce our other Singles such as “Pine Box” and “Saffron Lighting”. These experiences have given me the skills and knowledge to handle our debut album which I am currently producing and arranging. Producing Ritz Vanity has been such a fun and creative outlet where I can finally control the process of bringing our music to life and I am grateful that I had Tom to learn from over the years.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Samuel Campanella and I play guitar and sing for Ritz Vanity. I founded the band in 2022, and we are actively recording and releasing music as well as performing Live in Southern California. I have taken great inspiration from some of the best Modern and Alternative rock acts of the 2000’s propelling a refreshing alternative sound into the 2020’s. From Psychedelic Rock, Post-Punk, Alternative/Indie, and Surf Punk, Ritz Vanity does it all while holding true to our style. You can stream our music on Spotify and Apple music and check out our Live performances on Instagram, Tik Tok, and YouTube.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

We have had many lineup changes over the last 2 Years of playing live. Every member we initially started with has been replaced by another musician and I’m happy to say that our current lineup is the best we have ever had. Introducing new members is always a challenge and it can be risky especially as a band is still forming their sound, but I have always put Ritz Vanity’s sound first and have found musicians whose skills and talents have elevated our songs. In having a vision for your music, you need to be patient when new members come in. I’ve worked with everyone in the band individually as they initially came into Ritz Vanity and that has proven beneficial in developing musical chemistry with each member.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Just the fact that I have modern resources to share our music with the world in ways that weren’t possible a few years ago. Social media has helped so much in spreading our music to a broader audience and its very rewarding to know that as we upload content on Instagram or release music on Spotify, people from all over the world can discover and enjoy our music.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/ritzvanity?fbclid=PAAabxs3HQSlNFMx1cbyNv0JQzz2MMR112QnAMfa4L1TEYi-hgzxaGITXlu0I
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritzvanity/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6BIJEMqmfmr-o0fqwpfwsg

Image Credits
Nashelle Brown Oscar Gomez