Since by Man is a really great live band, and a great band altogether. I interviewed Sam in Boston on December 2, 2004. This is a boring intro.

PL: Introduce yourself.

SBM: I'm Sam, and I'm the vocalist for Since by Man.

PL: What was the most important thing that you were looking for when replacing members?

SBM: Basically, we needed to find somebody that matched us personality wise. That was one of the major things. Not just in like a, can we hang out with this person, but do they seek the same things with being in a band, traveling. Do they want to be in the band for the right reasons? Do they want to be in a band because they love music and they want to push things forward, or do they want to want to be in a band to get signed and meet chicks and lingo and stuff like that? The biggest thing was to match that up. And, obviously, from there make sure that they shred and are creative musicans and good people.

PL: Can music ruin friendships?

SBM: I think that being in a band, or being in anything creative-I don't know about music, but I know that being in a band can put a lot of stress friendships and personal relationships. I would say that, more than anything, music brings people together. I've met some of the best people through being in this band and going to shows. Pretty much my whole friend group is based off of that. I've written some anti lyrics about people and they were pretty upset about that, but thats something different. There's no animosity between us and former members. Justin, who played guitar for us forever, we went to our CMJ show in New York because he lives there now. We actually all played. We had three guitars and we played a song and it was awesome. It has; I've heard the stories, but it hasn't happened to us.

PL: Has there ever been a time when music hasn't seemed fun to you?

SBM: There were some points in Since by Man, when we lost a member and had really bad trouble financially. At those times, it seemed joblike. But, more often than not, we're really good at keeping things enjoyable. When we tour, we try not to bury ourselves by having four months with no days off. But, at the low points, we've been like "I don't want to be in a band," or "I'm tired of being broke all the time," moving in and out of my mom's basement. That shit gets old, but the payoff is obviously enough and the experiences are enough for us to keep on doing it. Being in a band is tough, but its also pretty easy. You're in a band, you drive around and people come see you; hopefully. You have a good time. Its better than working 40 hours a week at some bullshit job.

PL: TV, movies or books?

SBM: Movies; I'm a film maker, but I like books a lot. TVs got its moments; the OC is awesome, but I'll have to go with movies for sure.

PL: Have you guys ever hit an animal while on tour?

SBM: I don't know. Have we? I don't think we've ever had a major crash with an animal. We did stay with this one kid who was like, "yeah, I've got some stuff to eat," and we get to his house and he pulls out a deer leg. It was in the middle of Pennsylvania, and some neighbor hunter friend of his had given him a side of deer leg, bone and all. He pulled it out and we were all like "oh, shit!," but I don't think we've ever hit an animal. We did hit a girl though. It wasn't really us, it was the band we were on tour with.

PL: How'd that go?

SBM: Umm...the band who's name starts with two numbers less than 20 were involved. It was a bachlorette party and the girl had a sign that said "Will blow for a dollar." The story is really fragmented and I'm not gonna give you guys all the details. You'll have to read it in the Since by Man book when it comes out years from now when we're trying to capitalize on it.

PL: You should just make a movie out of it.

SBM: Yeah, exactly. That'll be in the film.

PL: Name one album, besides your own, that you think all kids should have in their collection.

SBM: You know there's a lot; its obviously endless. But, when we were driving up here, we were listening to T-Rex Electric Warrior. Along with that, At the Gates Slaughter of the Soul, The Beatle's Abby Road, Jay Z's The Black Album, and Beck Sea Change. Also, the Swing Kids.

PL: One thing you want for Christmas.

SBM: Peace on Earth and good will towards men. And a new digital camera and a new cell phone.

PL: You can say anything you want about this: 2005.

SBM: The year I will be 25. A new Since by Man record will come out, hopefully. The Packers will win the Super Bowl and hopefully George Bush will get assassinated.

PL: Do you have any final comments?

SBM: Nothing that I can think of. I want to thank all the wonderful people of Boston for coming to the show. Thank you guys for doing the interview.

Interviewed by RF

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